I took everything that I could sense around me in, hearing the steady rhythm that rose from the horse Wode had taken the reins of—but my eyes kept locked on the scene ahead of me.
The speed we had maintained before was enough to hold those creatures at bay, but now—under Wode's hand—the horse had truly found its stride.
During the chaos a wide gap had opened up between us at the rear, and the rest of the convoy—with horses noticing the beasts as well.
Do the others know?
"Take the reins! The ... lost its leader!" Wode screamed as we passed by the first carriage.
Even when it's not meant for me, I can't hear it...
Not a word was wasted before one of the men climbed up to take the reins, picking their speed up.
We were riding alongside the lead carriage, but even then we did not collide.
It may have been dumb luck, or a coincidence, but it didn't matter.
The only thing on our minds was our goal,
To escape the forest.
I followed everything that happened behind us, and it was clear that the fog had slowed down significantly.
We can make it...
And as if I called it upon myself—upon us.
The fog started to fade,
Nothing could be seen on the road—neither the beasts, nor Ren.
As the fog left, something else came—something far worse.
Beasts started to emerge, unveiled by that which left them.
Or rather it left us.
A lump formed in my throat as my blade shook in front of me as I took it all in.
Beasts similar to before revealed themselves—lined up in the shape of horses.
But there was one fatal difference.
All of them were headless, sprouting two jagged, insect-like appendages, that were cutting the air around them as they waited for their meal.
What is happening...
But the thing most frightening was the amount it brought.
This is at least thrice the previous amount...
It looked like a single unit of shadows—counting was impossible.
But one question had been answered, we had been surrounded from the start.
The fog hid them from us... no—it felt more like it hid us.
But only one fog remained—the one that clouded my mind and sight.
I have never experienced this before...
Is this what killing the leader brought us...?
It felt like a proclamation,
If you kill their leader, you are next.
It was indiscriminate—each of us was their target.
After losing their leader, they simply became—ordinary beasts.
The only thing they cared about was hunting their prey—we were merely an objective.
"Kuh..." A sound escaped, as my already weakened legs lost their ground.
Is it an earthquake?
The ground shook, rattling the entire carriage with it.
It became clear as I gained my footing again and twisted my hand around the handle.
It's from the beasts.
At first a few charged, but then they all followed—leaving a cloud of dust behind them as they charged after us.
They had no mind of their own—running with just one objective.
Us.
They stumbled over each other as they closed in, hindering each other as they all aimed for the shortest route.
The kin behind kept on going, stepping on the fallen as they closed in.
But those injuries weren't enough to keep the fallen from rising—they closed the distance even faster than those ahead of them.
They had already reached the rear, as the ringing of steel reached my ears.
The first slashes have been dealt...
They are lucky... they have all their members left... or maybe we're just unlucky.
The strongest of us had taken the reins, while the kid had to fight.
No matter how someone looked at it, it seemed like utter foolishness.
But it was our only choice, and winning was all that mattered.
As the beasts fell, their bodies formed a barrier—tripping those following behind them.
A light shimmered from above the carriage, followed by his screams,
"These ... they are not that challenging!" A pleasant tone—one void of fear, waving his blade above his head.
Maybe he hasn't noticed...
They did not stop chasing, even wounds that should be fatal were not enough.
Even shallow wounds were enough to leave some sprawling on the road behind us, twitching before they went still.
I looked to my left, and saw us passing the lead carriage as well.
So it isn't just a disadvantage then... I shook my head, trying to shake that thought away.
I looked up again, and saw the carriage right behind us, covering the ongoing fight.
A shiver ran through me—from the bottom of my toes, to the tip of my blade.
This is not what I trained for...
I started breathing, forcing my thoughts to steady—while hoping for more time.
This world shows no mercy to the powerless.
A thunderous crack sounded, that drowned out the two distinct screams—making even the birds fly into the skies.
Wooden planks flew through the air, my sight was filled up with the carriage behind us,
Already?!...
It was clear what had happened, with the heavy steps drawing closer.
Time no longer mattered,
I will survive.
That was all that was necessary to steel myself.
My fingers twisted around my blade until they lost their color—I couldn't feel them any longer.
I took the breaths—the one that I had seen often enough—forcing my blade to stop trembling.
Not a moment passed—as if fate had dictated it—I had to deflect the pieces of wood that flew at me, with the screams of men swallowed by the horde.
The beasts had appeared—we stood face to face.
Only I can save myself now...
My trembling had stopped.
My blade was straight, pointing right at its target.
I couldn't take my eyes off those beasts anymore, it was a different feeling that rose within me.
My eyes were clearer than ever before.
It felt different from fighting humans,
This is instinct.
It felt natural—something I was born with, not what I was born into.
Each one of my senses were engaged, everything seemed clear to me,
The breathing of the horses, Wode's breathing, even the flapping of the bird's wings.
I was able to hear it all—each step the beasts took registered.
A damp, inhuman smell lingered around my nose,
I couldn't smell this before.
Even their presence could be felt—a cold liquid that clung to my body.
That was the feeling they brought with them.
Utterly disgusting.
"I can do it." I stared straight ahead—making sure Wode couldn't hear me, wearing the same expression as before.
It was no longer fear I felt.
I am meant to do this.
I repeated the breaths—following the sights I had seen before.
The first strike came.
It had become clear to me, after watching the previous battles.
I should hit them right between their arms.
My smaller frame seemed like a gift—I could reach between their arms before they reached me as my blade descended into the spot shown to me.
I could sense it all around me,
There are at least thirty different cores...
This was not something brought to me by my eyes. No—this was different, it felt natural.
I could see it now—their essence.
Most felt like a cold hand that pressed against my warm skin.
While others felt different—it was not that of a cold hand.
No.
A freezing waterfall? Yes... It was a cold that no one can adapt to, followed by an unrelenting pressure.
I could finally place the feeling from before,
So this is what their leader felt like.
But something feels off... something is missing. My sword cutting sidewise through the two beasts that came from both sides.
It feels primitive.
It's not done yet.
I kept cutting them down—they were still unable to reach me, forced to experience my sword that pierced or cut through their ranks.
Some required a follow-up strike, but those who fell by my hand did not rise again.
Ren's sacrifice did save us...
It would have been impossible to fight here with another person.
It was a confining space, both would be swinging their blades, while keeping each other in mind.
It would have been impossible.
I continued to cut them down as if neither of us had an end.
Not the beasts, nor me.
Each strike flowed into the next—each one fed the next.
Energy coursed endlessly through my body,
A feeling I'd never experienced before,
But I knew it—my limits were clear.
Each passing moment made it clearer—each beast came closer than the last.
I started off uninjured, unable to even feel the wounds the raider gave me before.
But the exhaustion started to pile up.
Each strike lessened the gap between us.
Until I came into their reach.
My arms were their first targets.
The first cut appeared, followed by another, a new cut followed by another, with some deepening the ones already there.
My guard had started to collapse inward, my sword grew heavier with each of my strikes.
There was one clear goal for these beasts—my body.
I kept cutting them down, not giving an inch.
But with each swing of mine, theirs closed in.
I can't hold out for much longer... I felt the strength in my legs fading, along with part of my resolve.
My head started to twist behind, but I never lost the beasts out of view.
I have never reined a horse.
I need to do it on my own. Wode's help was all but a fleeting wish.
The trembling of my legs lessened as I broadened my stance.
I could still sense their essence,
Fifteen left.
I looked past the front row, with five leering in the back.
They had a dense presence to them, making it easy to distinguish them from the others,
They were different from those in front, they lingered from behind as if planned.
I have no time. I'll cut down whatever comes in reach.
The barricade of corpses started wearing thin, letting more beasts come through, adding to the already dire situation.
The techniques that were carved into my body were my saving grace.
My blade moved like flowing water, redirecting most strikes that came my way.
But some found a way through.
I was grazed by some, and cut by others.
Tsk... I'm landing more strikes, but they're too shallow.
My focus was fading,
Have I taken too much damage already...?
"TJER—TJER!... TJER!!" Wode's voice reached me.
"Do you need help!?" His only choice was to rely on my response.
I wasn't able to—my throat wouldn't form a sound, a piercing pain coursed through my body with each word I tried to form.
I need to continue... I looked ahead, unable to see like before.
The core that I had been cutting through was no longer visible.
The sight that had been given to me was taken away,
Am I being abandoned?
Followed by the loss of my obtained sight, darkness crept in.
The forest, the beasts—I could barely see either of them.
Yet my body continued to move, I deflected each of the strikes like I had practiced.
But each move was slower, each deflection less precise.
The cuts deepened.
And my arms sank with each move I did.
Tearing echoed through my body—my muscles gave way under the pressure put upon them.
Each movement weakened the next.
Self-destruction. That was the only option I could see ahead of me—driven purely by my own survival.
Spatters of blood began to settle into the wooden boards.
My sight got taken over by the darkness from before.
Nothing registered anymore, except for the trembling voice from behind—heavy with strain as he screamed,
"Tjer!! Wake up! You've weakened them enough—I can finish them!"
That was the last thing I took in, before the darkness took all my senses away.
It was like I drowned into that darkness, pulled into the feeling of sleep.
It felt peaceful, but I hadn't let go of my blade.
Wode hesitated after seeing the boy's growing essence—forgetting that this was just a child thrown into an adult's world.
"Take over—now!" He shouted as if it was his own life that was being wasted.
But he was met by silence—no response came.
Wode couldn't hold back any longer.
He shifted his weight onto his legs, ready to get up, and lunge to the front.
A ring echoed through the carriage.
It's not from the carriage... right?
He had forgotten about the boy's core, a core that filled itself with each beast he slew.
The sound had jolted Wode back into place, holding the reins as he looked at Tjer's core again.
A shiver ran through his body.
It was not one of fear.
It was warmth—the soft embrace of a lover, the caress of a beautiful song.
No, this is bigger than that.
The small figure—that carried a strange silver and black hair—that had held back an entire horde of beasts.
He is unfit for our world.
He wasn't meant for death—No,
Plans far greater are waiting for him.
What should I do?
Survival was the only thing left for him the past six years in Kage.
Knowledge was something beyond those in Kage.
But one thing was clear.
That boy must survive.
He clenched the reins in his fist, and a fire lit behind his eyes.
Even if it is the last thing I do...
He will live.
The number of beasts had already dropped to thirteen, it had become an easy task for Wode.
But those in the back...
The corners of his lips rose slightly, as he took in the sight before him, he didn't see the trees that let a few of the sunrays pass—he looked beyond that.
It's beautiful, isn't it... A quiet consolation, meant for himself, and for the ones watching over him.
He reached for the horse in front of him, and let his hand glide past its back all the way to its tail.
I hope you understand what I want...
The man of great stature, weighed the entire front down as he stood up.
He turned towards Tjer—where the echoes of his blade could still be heard.
You can rest now.
He shifted his weight forward, tensing his legs—which were on the verge of caving in.
He had been reining the carriage in these circumstances—it was a heavy task,
It's nothing compared to Tjer's.
He moistened his dry throat, and accumulated essence with each breath he took.
The weight carried by his right leg had started to lighten—capable of carrying ten times that weight.
He broke the boards beneath his feet, as he flew through the carriage.
In an instant—like fire consuming paper—he channeled his essence through his entire body, starting from the legs.
Each and every muscle was passed, until it reached his blade.
He pulled the boy back, as he passed by him—jumping into the horde of beasts.
It was just a simple mercenary's attack.
But even then essence was not meant for all.
Only those able to channel it could use it.
Each use took a toll on his body, but it was enough.
A flickering light emerged,
Infused strike
Burning splinters and pieces of the beast burst through the air.
He did not just cut the beasts. No—the entire carriage had been split apart.
A single horse is enough.
He wished to go down with them.