Eva's razor-sharp scream cut deep into the eardrums of anyone still capable of hearing. It didn't last long—swallowed fast by the thick curtain of blood-red fog, leaving behind only a silence more terrifying than before, and the cold, rasping laughter of that thing still echoing in some people's memories.
Meanwhile...
"That's Eva!" Barton roared. His veteran fighter's instincts kicked in, driving him to sprint toward the sound immediately. His heart clenched with worry and a sickening premonition.
Breaking through the fog that had thinned slightly in that area, Barton saw something that made his blood boil... The disgusting, leering face of a 'Vine-born'—that twisted shape he'd only heard about in old stories—standing over Eva's motionless body on the ground.
One of her arms... was gone.
"You bastard! What did you do to Eva!" Barton snarled with rage, his trusted short swords clearing their sheaths in a heartbeat. He lunged at the Vine-born with incredible speed for an old man.
The Vine-born turned to look at Barton with contempt. It dodged his first strike easily, as if reading his movements, but Barton kept his composure. He flicked his wrist, changing the sword's direction in a flash—the blade grazed its throat!
Slash!
Dark blood sprayed out. The Vine-born shrieked in surprise and pain. It hadn't expected this old human to be so fast and precise.
Vine-born... their weakness is the heart. Strike true, and they die instantly! Ancient knowledge passed down among the Rangers flashed through Barton's mind. He quickly grabbed another short blade from his belt with his free hand, preparing to lunge again for its kill spot.
But the Vine-born's reaction was faster than Barton anticipated. Ignoring the wound at its throat, it swung back with a thorn-covered fist, driving it into Barton's gut with full force!
Ugh!
Barton felt like his insides were being crushed. His breath caught, blood spurted from his mouth. His body went flying several meters before disappearing back into the thick red fog, leaving only the sound of blood-choking coughs gradually fading away...
The Vine-born snorted with satisfaction before turning back to look at Eva's motionless form... but strangely, the girl's body had vanished. Only bloodstains slowly seeping into the ground remained.
It growled softly in displeasure, scanning the fog that was thickening again, as if searching for the "prey" that had just slipped away.
Meanwhile...
Ken collapsed to sit on the ground, completely drained. His eyes were wide, staring at the scene before him in disbelief. The corpse of a younger Ranger teammate lay sprawled there, the body grotesquely gnawed and eaten, some parts missing entirely.
Eyes that once held the spark of life now showed only emptiness, staring at the blood-colored fog ceiling.
The stench of blood and rot filled the area until Ken nearly vomited. The brutality was more than his mind could handle. His sanity began to slip, everything spinning... before his eyes rolled back white, his body convulsed slightly, then went still.
Ken had passed out amid that horror.
Meanwhile...
Leon, who had just regained his composure from the hallucination of his mother, tried desperately to focus. The anguished scream he'd heard earlier—it was too clear and cutting to be just an illusion.
That was definitely Eva's voice!
His heart pounded with surging anxiety as he unconsciously ran his fingers through his hair, trying to suppress the panic gnawing at his mind.
He began walking cautiously in the direction he thought the sound had come from, as carefully as possible. The spiked club in his hand was gripped so tight his knuckles went white. Every step was filled with tension.
The fog around him remained thick, obscuring everything until he could barely see anything, like walking through an endless nightmare.
He hadn't walked through the fog long when a tall, inhuman shadow suddenly appeared in front of him. Leon froze. Every hair on his body stood on end. The raw instinct that had saved his life countless times was screaming warnings like mad.
What the hell... what the hell is that thing!? Leon thought in panic, eyes wide as he stared at what was before him in disbelief.
This definitely wasn't a mutant rat he'd grown accustomed to seeing. He'd only heard old stories about the terrifying "Vine-born"... never thought they actually existed, and could be this fucking terrifying.
It was a tall, massive form that still vaguely retained a human outline, but its overall appearance was twisted and hideously frightening. Its skin was rough like dried bark, with sharp black thorns sprouting from its torso and disproportionately long limbs.
It stood motionless... like a demonic statue escaped from the darkest imagination. A pair of glowing red eyes burned in the shadows, staring at him with cold, merciless intent.
The Vine-born slowly turned fully toward Leon before its rasping voice—like dry branches scraping together—spoke up.
"You don't need to know who I am... but remember this well... what your kind did to me in the past... I will never forget!"
Those words struck Leon's heart. The past? What did we do to it? Was this the consequence of actions by previous generations in River Bend? This red fog... was it the manifestation of its revenge?*
Confusion and incomprehension flooded in, but one thing he knew for certain was that this thing in front of him was extremely dangerous, and it hated them all to the bone.
"What about Eva! What did you do to Eva!" Leon shouted back, trying to suppress the fear eating at his mind.
The Vine-born smiled that disgusting leer. "That girl? She was just... the first sacrifice of tonight."
Rage surged up in Leon's chest. He didn't wait for it to say anything more!
The Vine-born lunged at Leon with shocking speed!
Leon dodged by pure instinct, barely avoiding it. The sharp thorns on its arm grazed his face by a hair's breadth. He could feel the wind from its movement—it was faster and stronger than he'd ever imagined.
He didn't hesitate to counter, swinging his spiked club at its torso with full force! Even scared nearly senseless, his body still moved on survival instinct.
But the Vine-born was incredibly quick-witted. It quickly raised its other arm to block!
Clang!
The sound of the club's metal spikes hitting the thorns on the Vine-born's arm rang out. The massive impact made Leon's entire arm go numb, but the Vine-born seemed barely fazed. Taking advantage of Leon still being off-balance from the clash, it swung its other powerful fist!
Leon, who was about to attack again, had to switch to defense. He raised his club to catch the punch, but the impact was still so violent it sent him flying backward several steps, tumbling to the ground—though still within its dangerous range.
"Interesting... you are," the Vine-born said, its eyes gleaming with obvious amusement. "You struggle better than the other little mice I've tasted."
It stepped toward Leon slowly, but each step was filled with pressure that made Leon's breath catch. *Shit! Its power is way more than we thought, and it seems to read our movements too!*
"But sadly... your life ends here."
Suddenly, the fog around Leon began swirling and turning an even thicker, deeper red. His vision became blurred again as violent hallucinations began assaulting his mind...
Images of his parents holding each other, crying... Eva smiling at him... Ken laughing... mixed with horrifying images of the Vine-born baring its fangs at him...
Leon was severely confused. He tried to shake off those images, but they only became clearer until he couldn't tell what was real and what was illusion. *Is it using this fog to control our minds? Or is this its direct power?*
"Leon..."
A faint voice called from behind him... a familiar voice... Eva's voice!
Leon spun around and saw a hallucination of Eva smiling at him gently... the same smile he'd seen in his dreams...
Hallucination... it has to be a hallucination! Old Barton warned us! Don't trust what you see or hear! Leon thought desperately. He wouldn't be fooled again!
But then... he felt something touch his shoulder lightly... a warm, familiar touch...
In his confusion, fear, and suspicion pushed to the limit, combined with instincts trained to respond immediately to threats in close range, Leon didn't hesitate. He roared and swung his spiked club with full force at whatever was behind him!
Thud!
A dull sound rang out along with a soft moan that barely escaped... a sound that made Leon's heart stop...
When the fog in front of him cleared slightly, he saw Eva's body falling to the ground. Her eyes were wide with shock and pain... and in the middle of her forehead... his spiked club was embedded.
Fresh red blood flowed out, bathing her body.
Leon stood frozen, eyes wide, staring at the scene in disbelief. "No... no... this isn't real..." he mumbled in a trembling voice. He stepped backward slowly, unconsciously. The cold touch of the club, soaked in her blood, still clung to his hand.
This wasn't a hallucination... this was... real...
The brutal realization hit him hard, like being struck in the chest with a sledgehammer. Guilt and despair crashed over him until they nearly consumed his sanity.
He let the spiked club fall from his hand. Thud. It landed on the ground beside Eva's lifeless body, the blood-stained spikes still pointing skyward, as if mocking his foolish act.
Leon collapsed to his knees beside Eva's body, his hands shaking uncontrollably. He wanted to scream, but his voice stuck in his throat. Only tears began flowing down his cheeks in silent anguish.
What... what have I done...
Suddenly, he sensed something appearing behind him. Before he could react, the massive form of the Vine-born was standing over him, its shadow falling completely over both Eva's and Leon's bodies.
"It seems... you've helped me deal with the next 'sacrifice,'" its rasping voice rang out mockingly. "Much appreciated... little mouse."
Leon looked up at it with empty eyes. Anger, grief, confusion—everything was tangled into chaos. But before he could speak or do anything, the Vine-born didn't let this opportunity slip away.
The sharp thorns sprouting from its arm whipped through the air with lightning speed!
Slash!
Intense pain shot through one of Leon's arms. He saw his own blood spray through the air before that arm was severed completely from his body, falling to land on the ground not far from Eva's corpse.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!"
This time Leon screamed at the top of his lungs. The physical and mental anguish was more than he could bear. His consciousness began to fade, the world spinning around him.
"I'll torture you slowly... to match what your ancestors once did to me..." the Vine-born said as it leaned down to look at Leon with cruel eyes.
Leon's vision grew darker and darker. He heard the Vine-born's laughter echoing in his ears... and then... he heard other sounds... shouting... multiple footsteps... and the clash of weapons...
Who... who's coming...
Before everything went black, Leon saw Barton's shadow, covered in wounds, lunging at the Vine-born along with two or three other surviving Ranger team members...
Then his consciousness faded away...