I wasn't confident in my ability to escape if I misstepped again.
But every bone in my body told me to move to take the risk, I bit down on my lip as all color drained from my vision and in this monochrome state the Darkling seemed all the more apparent.
I wanted to attempt to step into its shadow but my body hated that idea going stiff, at that moment I wanted to step, so I took a different route, stepping to the shadow of one of those branches I had seen before I fell asleep.
Stepping through the shadow, the already monochrome landscape dissolved into a blur of dark hues and shapes and for a split second I thought I might end up in The Eclipsed once more but color flooded my sight reassuring me.
My gaze shifted to where the Darkling was but it was no longer there, the Darkling had moved past my peripheral, installing me with fear.
The only thing I had to do was survive so if I just ran until sunrise could that work? I thought, feeling a prickling sensation on the back of my neck.
I threw my body forward at least two meters before I broke off into a sprint.
What was that feeling? My heart had skipped a beat, my blood had run cold, and I felt trapped. I felt as if I was being hunted.
I ran through the intertwined trees heading towards a river.
The sound of my footsteps crashing down on the underbrush echoed throughout the silence, each thud a reminder of how much I needed to escape this thing. I didn't look back, I didn't even know if I was running straight towards its grasp but that was the only thing I could do.
The feeling of being hunted was suffocating, the Darkling was out there, somewhere in the shadows lurking, and I had no doubt that it could see—hear me—every step I took.
Simply running as I was wasn't tasking my body, yet ragged bursts of breaths managed to escape, but I couldn't stop the prickling sensation ate at my entire body.
The trees around me bent in unnatural angles, their shadows long and jagged, twisting like hands reaching for me. Every rustle in the underbrush, every crackle of a broken twig, caused my body to twitch ever-so-slightly.
I kept running forward knowing reaching the river was probably my best bet.
A sudden rustle snapped my attention to the left. I didn't have time to look. The feeling of being hunted intensified, a sickening twist in my gut that made me want to run in the opposite direction, but I couldn't. The river was so close now.
The Darkling was near. I could feel its cold presence lingering just beyond my sight.
I sent mana flooding to my legs forcing them to move faster, flying through the thick underbrush that seemed to claw at me, as if the trees themselves were alive and trying to pull me back into their embrace.
The air smelled like decay now, a foul, rancid odor that clung to the back of my throat. My breath came in ragged gasps as I sprinted toward the river, my body protesting with every step, but I couldn't stop.
And then, I saw it.
The river was unlike anything I had ever seen. At first—well, second—glance, it seemed no different from any other river. But as I grew closer, I saw what the river truly was.
The river seemed to be its own living organism; its surface shimmered with a soft glow—not quite the reflection of blue nor silver, but a weird, shifting reflection of the moonlight that seemed to change with every blink.
Its water flowed with a rhythmic, undulating movement, as if it were alive, its flow determined by something only that woman could possibly know.
The river's current was subtle but relentless, beckoning me to come closer.
I stepped in, and the water enveloped me. It barely reached my knees, but it felt strangely warm—like clothes freshly dried by my father, soft and toasty against my skin. It was comforting.
The water was dark, but not the murky brown of dirtied water. No, this water was black, as though it reflected the sky itself.
As I moved further into the river, I noticed flashes of light beneath the surface—tiny, phosphorescent sparks that blinked and flickered, far below, too far to reach, but bright enough to give the impression of a starry sky trapped below.
The sound of what seemed like thousands of whispers snapped my gaze away from the water, which had been so captivating.
My eyes drifted about looking for the Darkling's figure.
What exactly was I supposed to do here? I thought, as my eyes frantically searched for the Darkling.
The thought of fighting dawned on me but how exactly was I supposed to kill—let alone even hit—that thing.
Its form went through the chair like it was never there… could I even physically touch this thing?
A wet splashing sound dully echoed across the waters.
My neck slowly turned behind me, as I came face to face with that creature.
Its eyes bored into me like a chaotic storm, almost filling my head with a static sensation. I quickly jerked my gaze away, throwing myself backward, but I stumbled and fell into the shallow water.
The two-meter figure casted a inky shadow black shadow across the waters, but unlike its body its shadow seemed to appear solid.
Its semi-corporeal form completely contrasted its shadow.
The idea of attacking its shadow flickered in my mind but the more I thought about it, all the more dumb it seemed.
I quickly raised back to my feet as I sent mana to my aid.
I had an Idea.
Jagged flames formed around my right arm, the water below popping and sizzling. I limited the use of my mana, so if this plan went south I'd still have the extra mana to run away with.
I shot my arm forward, aiming for the Darkling's stomach—it should have been around here—but its form was simply not there.
It was like smoke, and the heat of my flames caused its form to shift away.
Its lanky arm stretched out then before a moment's notice it had grabbed my arm.