Marci's Point of View -
Right now, I was running through the forest with Ms. Sophia.
It was dark, cold, and dead quiet.
Fear painted her face, eyes wide, lips trembling. She hadn't said much since what happened to Alex.
Right now I put my life on the line to help Ms. Sophia and get us out from this forest.
However, after a long hour of running, I could see that she began to slow down because she was not train to be in this situation,
After a quick scan of the area, I found a small place to hide, a hollowed out space beneath the twisted roots of a fallen tree.
I told her to hide under the blanket of dead lives. It wasn;t perfect, but it would keep us out of sight for now.
"Are you all right, Ms. Sophia?" I asked gently, watching her rise and fall as she caught her breath.
"...im okay,.." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
She leaned her back against the bark, trembling.
"You should rest," I said softly, "Just for a bit. You'll need your strength."
She hesitated. "... but what if they catch up ?"
"They won't for now" i said, forcing a calm smile
"I'll keep watch. I'll wake you in an hour."
She gave a slow nod, her eyes fluttering shut. A few minutes later, she leaned against the bark and drifted off to sleep.
I stared at her.
Her soft brown hair fell over her cheeks like silk. Her breathing was slow and steady now, the panic fading with each exhale. Her noble features, so gentle, so clean, stood in stark contrast to the death leave around us.
She was kind. Pure and from a respected family.
And I wasn't.
What was this feeling in my chest? Was it jealousy? Grief?
I didn't know.
I forced the thoughts away and shifted my focus. I turned toward the opening of our hiding spot and carefully poked my head out, eyes scanning the dim forest around us.
Silence.
Then a voice. Familiar.
"Oh… so that's where you've been hiding?"
I froze.
As the footsteps drew closer.
Emerging through the trees came a dark elf, one I recognized. Wielding twin short blades, he was Sir. John's opponent.
'What happens to everyone?' I thought to myself.
He walked toward us slowly.
"Why waste time running?" He said with a shrug. Then he stopped, frowning slightly.
"Wait .. the leader said there were two girls, but I only saw one ?"
He tilted his head slightly, the blades at his side glinting beneath the moonlight.
"Anyway… I'll just kill this one," he said casually, "and bring the other back."
I didn't hesitate.
In one smooth motion, I drew my bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed it straight at his chest.
"Don't take another step!" I shouted. "I'll shoot!"
He stopped mid-step, blinking at me in surprise—then threw his head back and laughed.
"Hahahaha! Wha—what did you just say?" he cackled. "You? Shoot me?"
His voice echoed through the forest like a taunt from death itself.
The sound jolted Sophia awake. Her eyes fluttered open, drowsy and confused.
"Marci…?" Sophia mumbled, her gaze rising to meet the scene in front of her.
"What's happening?!"
I turned to shout—"Run!"—but I was too slow.
The dark elf moved like lightning.
He lunged forward and slammed his boot into my side—hard.
Pain exploded through my ribs as my body flew through the air, crashing violently into the trunk of a tree. I hit the ground with a thud, the breath knocked out of me.
The impact left me dizzy.
Something felt wrong, the impact probably broke some of my ribs.
I gasped, trying to push myself up, one trembling arm at a time.
But by the time I lifted my head, he was already there.
Standing over me and smiling.
And then, without warning, he drove his blade into my left thigh.
"Ah—!!"
I screamed through gritted teeth as his blade pierced inside me.
He twisted the blade slowly, savoring every flicker of pain in my face. Blood spilled onto the ground beneath me.
"...Ahh… weaklings will always be the prey."
He grinned cruelly, raising his second blade high.
"..bye bye !"
I clenched my eyes shut, bracing for the end.
Then, 'BANG'.
It was not magic but an explosion.
The dark elf froze.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then, slowly he collapsed right on top of me.
His full weight pinned me down. I gasped, blinking in shock. His eyes were wide open,but empty. Lifeless.
Blood trickled from a hole in the center of his forehead.
"Wha… What just happened…?" I groaned, too weak to lift him off. "Who…?"
Sophia rushed to my side, eyes wide with horror and relief.
"Marci! Oh gods, are you all right?!" she cried.
"Hold on—I'll stop the bleeding!"
She quickly pulled out a bandage roll from her pouch and wrapped it around my thigh with trembling hands. The fabric soaked red almost instantly, but she pressed hard and began to channel her magic.
Warm light flowed from her palms. My flesh stitched itself together, but the pain was still there.
"Healing magic can close wounds," she said urgently, "but it can't replace the blood you've lost. You need to rest—don't move too much."
I winced and nodded weakly.
Then I heard leaves rustling nearby.
A small figure stepped carefully out from the woods, clutching something long and strange in both hands.
"Are you… are you guys okay?"
It was a girl. Young—around our age, Her voice was soft and timid.
I stared at her, wide-eyed.
"Wait… are you Lady Clara?!"
She flinched slightly, then nodded. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she stepped closer.
"Yes."
Relief crashed into me like a wave. Clara was alive.
I looked at Sophia, her expression said the same. We had found her.
But the moment was short-lived.
Another voice cut through the trees like a blade.
"So… that's the power of the 'Shooter,' huh?"
The tone was cold. Calm and deadly.
I looked up toward the treetops, and my blood ran cold.
There, standing on a high branch, staring down at us with unreadable eyes,
Was the leader of the dark elves.