Urgh!?
Valentine's face twisted into a grimace as the sound of a high-pitched screech made the trees shudder. He pushed his palms flat against the sides of his head, his trembling fingers digging into his temples, just inches away from tearing through skin.
Val's whole body froze involuntarily, unable to move from place and watch the forest around him take on a darker shade.
Don't you dare pass out again, dammit!
Biting his lip until he tasted iron, he looked up at the source of the sound, or rather, where it was.
A shadow flashed over the treetops, vanishing under the cover of dark clouds that stirred as if about to burst.
Beneath them, an outline emerged.
Spreading wide across the clouds like a formless shadow, painting it black, was a creature akin to an omen of death, with torn wings and a lizard-like tail that made the ground shiver under their weight.
Something flashed in the sky, piercing through the cold wind around him.
Akin to an obsidian arrow, something swished past Valentine's ears, crashing through the forest behind him with an earthshattering quake.
The whole cliffside shook, its edges crumbling to oblivion.
With his heart at his throat, he jumped off the old stone with all his strength, losing his footing and almost getting dragged down alongside his slumping surroundings.
H-Holy shi-His face paled at sensing himself getting pulled down with the ground.
Gritting his teeth, he dashed from the cliff back to the forest, forcing his new legs to do what they had never done before: run as fast as he could.
While the cliff behind him was collapsing like a mountain, he dared not turn his head to look at it; the sound of stones cracking and shattering over the edge was enough to make him sweat cold tears.
Then, a new shadow loomed over him, snapping violently before his eyes.
The pine tree that was the closest to him had also begun to go down with the ground beneath it, snapping at the top and falling towards Valentine's path.
Without thinking, he looked up at the falling tree that was rushing to crush him.
His body moved on its own.
Tensing his leg muscles, he dashed three meters to the side, barely dodging the giant tree trunk that was about to crush him into a pulp.
His body, however, was not unscathed, with the branches cutting through his skin, drawing blood across his face.
Reeling in pain, he swung his arms, snapping the brittle branches to free himself and get some breathing space.
A pained groan escaped from him, still running with his eyes half-closed and half-blinded by crimson.
Through the cloudy view, he noticed a path had opened for him, a narrow passage beneath the fallen tree fragments where the ground had sunk down, creating an arch that led to an unscathed area.
Th-There!
He coughed, holding onto his spasming torso.
It was just a moment away from him, but that moment seemed unimaginably long with everything dying around him.
Another tree collapsed beside him, its weight sending a tremor that took Valentine's footing and made him roll through the mud, yet as quick as he fell, his nails dug into the grass, giving him a second breath.
And that breath was all he needed.
Closing his eyes, he leaped through the arch with his remaining strength, the tree that created it immediately collapsing into splinters and dust behind him.
The earth shook again, weaker, but still enough to make his body roll back in the opposite direction.
Turning on the ground, he landed on an empty patch of grass, lying on his side with no strength left in his limbs.
Wood and stone, mud and grass.
All of it was slowly consumed behind him, falling down the steep cliff with nothing to catch it below.
With his ears ringing, he listened quietly and tensely, waiting for it to end.
It was only after a minute that it stopped.
The sound of destruction has ceased, replaced by his distant raspy coughs coming from a hole.
Valentine pushed himself weakly, sprawling on his aching back that felt as if it were about to break.
He looked like a different person now.
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His clothes, torn and stained with mud, were barely clinging to his body, which in itself was just a mess. Both his arms and face were littered with cuts, some barely noticeable, some drawing enough blood to blind him.
There was nothing left in him.
Only his eyes were shining brightly with their light blue hue, glistening with unknown emotion.
A bloodied smile formed on his teeth. He tried to force a laugh, but the only thing that could come out from his rusty lips were dry coughs.
At least I'm not crippled like last time...
His chest moved up and down with an uneven rhythm, like a broken pump that someone forgot to turn off. He couldn't feel his legs, only the numb sting from overexhaustion.
Despite this, he felt more alive than ever, smiling at the sky that had not opened for him this time.
What? You want me to beg again, don't you?
He wanted to spit at it, but couldn't even form coherent words in his current state, only speaking through his mind while gasping for fresh air.
The empty cliff was gone, disappearing like it wasn't there in the first place.
Valentine looked to his side, where he had just jumped across.
That place had vanished as well, now somewhere below the shattered cliffside.
If I had missed that jump, what would have happened to me without Sunday?
He didn't want to imagine what would happen then, only being glad that he had survived.
Thankfully, nothing seemed to be missing from his belongings as he hid them the moment he felt the ground shift.
Even the empty letter and his pen were clinging to their life deep within his pockets, stabbing his thigh.
As if remembering something, Val let out a short gasp... Ah.
Shlink
Something flashed above his head, prompting him to lazily look up at the glistening blade pointed at his throat.
Due to being injured, he couldn't focus on the source of the shriek, only thinking about his own safety.
However, now, a person stood above him, with a blade between his eyes at that.
The sword crept closer to his neck, drawing blood.
"Who are you?"
A male voice spoke above him with a questioning tone. Addressing the bleeding boy with no sense of remorse. It sounded low and harsh, like stones dropped in a bucket.
Swallowing his saliva mixed with blood, Val raised his chin, taking a closer look at the owner of the strange voice.
It was a boy, looking no older than him, yet holding a calm expression that didn't quite fit the atmosphere.
He was wearing some sort of knightly armour, dyed in bright colors that stood out in the dark forest. Its surface was as dark as the night, embellished with intricate engravings of silver flowers. On one shoulder was a heavy-looking pauldron with ember gems embedded into it, while the other had a deep blue half-cape over it, with silver thorns sewn into its edges.
"State your name."
He asked again, this time commanding with his sword rather than words.
Each of his slightest movements made the thin steel plates shift along his posture, their weight already intimidating despite being unknown.
His face was shrouded in shadows; only his lips and soft vermilion eyes were visible to Val under the cover of the night.
Taking another wet gasp, a barely noticeable smirk formed at the corner of his lips.
"I'm... Valentine."
Upon hearing his words, the knight blinked once and withdrew his sword from the boy's neck. It seemed that even while seeing him in such a sorry state, the boy did not let down his guard in the slightest, his fingers curling unnoticeably around the sword's hilt.
A friendly bunch.
The letter in his breast pocket was beaming intensely, brighter and warmer than before.
His chest was weakly glowing with a light-grayish shade.
It seemed that the knight knew something about it, withdrawing his sword entirely and sheathing it back into his scabbard.
He wanted to say something but... Valentine beat him to it, mumbling with a pale face.
"So, if you can... Please don't eat me."
Speaking to the shadow looming over them, he closed his eyes and passed out.
Two fist-sized slitted pupils were staring down at him... unblinking.