It felt like slow motion when I let go.
The world blurred as I saw myself being lifted off the roof, the wind slicing past my ears. I heard noises—shouts, footsteps, the hiss of a blade—but they all faded as my body began its descent toward the ground.
I was falling.
But just before the earth could greet me with its cruel finality, I felt arms—strong, warm—catch me. The fall turned gentle. I opened my eyes, heart racing, and there he was.
Raiden.
His expression didn't change. His eyes locked with mine, steady as ever, but mine were wide with disbelief. Why? How? The world was spinning, but he was still—like the eye of a storm.
Above us, the man from the rooftop screamed in fury. "DIE, PLEASE!" he bellowed, and hurled his oath, a flash of light wrapped in hatred.
Raiden moved faster than I could breathe. We dodged just in time, the attack exploding behind us. But the man wasn't finished.
"You will all DIE!" he roared, madness glowing in his eyes. He stepped forward to strike again, but lost his balance—and fell.
I watched in stunned silence as he tumbled from the rooftop, hitting the ground with a brutal thud. He lay there, unmoving.
I took a deep, shaking breath.
The soldiers noticed. They began to run toward us.
"Eloula, we have to go!" Raiden grabbed my arm, his voice sharp and low. "Otherwise, we'll be found."
Without another word, he pushed me forward. We ran.
My legs moved, but my mind was behind. What just happened? I had been seconds from death, and yet—I was still here. Alive. Shaken, but breathing.
This wasn't the end for me.No. It was only the beginning.
We didn't stop running until we left the village behind. Trees surrounded us, and we collapsed behind a thick trunk. Hidden.
Raiden looked at me. "Are you okay?"
I didn't answer. I could barely speak. Instead, I asked, "Are you?"
He gave me a small nod, but stayed quiet too.
"I was gone for maybe fifteen minutes," I murmured, still trying to make sense of it. "And then… this happened." I shook my head. "There were three men. They tried to flirt with me. I didn't like it. I just wanted to get ready. I didn't expect that."
Raiden looked thoughtful. "It's okay. What matters is that you kept your guard up. But don't overdo it. Pushing yourself too hard is dangerous. Still…" He looked at me with something like admiration. "You handled it well."
I couldn't help but grin a little. That rare praise from him meant more than I wanted to admit.
Then he smirked. "Well, at least nobody's hurt… except those men. But now we have to go through the Forest of Souls. That's what they call it."
"The what?" I raised a brow and laughed. "Why? Are there dead people in it?"
He flipped through a small, worn book he carried. "Not really. It's just... strange. Foggy. If you go off the path, you get lost. And if you hear voices... ignore them."
I nodded slowly, tension crawling back into my chest.
We started running again. Behind us, the village faded. I saw its little flower fields disappear behind thick trunks. No more color. Just endless dark trees. No animals. No sounds. No life.
And the deeper we ran, the darker it became.
It felt like time didn't exist anymore. Maybe thirty minutes passed. I couldn't tell. My legs grew heavy. My breath shallow. Raiden moved quickly ahead of me.
Too quickly.
At one point, I looked up—and he was gone.
"Raiden?" I called. "Raiden!"
Nothing.
Panic tightened in my throat. I started running, stumbling through the fog. "RAIDEN?!"
The emptiness answered me.
My legs finally gave up. I stopped, doubled over, gasping for air. I was alone. Again. And then—
"BOO!"
I screamed and fell to the ground.
Laughter.
I looked up to see Raiden, grinning like a child who'd just pulled off the best prank of his life.
"Were you scared?" he teased, laughing harder.
"Too much," I groaned, swatting his shoulder.
But then his face softened when he saw how exhausted I was. "Let's take a break here."
Relief flooded me.
We sat under a massive tree with twisted branches. He built a small fire, using skills I didn't know he had. I curled up near the warmth, letting it soothe my tired body.
"You should sleep," he said gently. "You'll need your strength."
"I want to ask something first."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Your family. Your life. Why were you even in the village when we met?"
He paused. The firelight flickered in his eyes.
"I was just a normal boy once," he said. "From another village. I liked to explore. That's how I found yours. The day I saw you… you were yelling at your sisters.
"You were fierce. I liked that. And then… you talked to me."
I nodded sleepily. The fire cracked softly.
"Enough," he said. "Sleep now."
I whispered, "Good night."
But even with my eyes closed, the memory wouldn't leave me.
He caught me.
In that one moment—he chose to save me. I didn't know much about him. He was still a stranger in many ways. But there was something in him that made me want to trust him.
Maybe I was foolish.
Or maybe I was finally safe.
For now.