As he made his way through the crowd of soldiers with his weapons raised, I saw several corpses crushed among the fallen tents.
My stomach tightened painfully with fear. But I couldn't stop thinking that Barcas' might be like that.
I frantically traversed the cluttered encampment to catch up with Barcas, who had become far away.
Then, a thud rang out.
I turned my head in the direction of the sound, and my face turned blue. I saw a wyvern landing not far away and devouring a whole soldier.
Every time the monster's huge mouth moved up and down, the blood overflowed and drenched its dark jaws.
The scene was so surreal that I couldn't even feel fear. I slumped backwards, my legs trembling. Then I spotted Barcas among the soldiers with spears and shouted loudly.
"Barcas! Barcas!"
As I rushed toward him like a child who had found his parents in a bazaar, Barcas, who had been giving instructions to the knights, turned to me.
The moment our gaze intertwined, his eyes widened slightly up and down, then narrowed again. He seemed angry that I ignored his instructions and ran out.
His eyes were sharpening, and he was stunned, but I didn't stop and went towards him. All I could think about was going to a safe place with Barcas.
Don't get into fights; you can ask your subordinates to do that. You should be by my side.
The words that were like a bunch of raw words were mixed up in his heavy breathing.
He couldn't have heard it in all the commotion, but he strode over as if he understood me. I reached for him.
At that moment, a faint scream rang out from somewhere.
"Barcas!"
Barcas head immediately turned back.
I followed his gaze and opened my eyes wide when I saw Ayla left in the middle of the mess. As if separated from her escort in the chaos, a dark shadow was cast over her head as she hurriedly walked. Seeing this, Barcas wasted no time in flying his body.
Watching him slip away from me in an instant, I opened my mouth in stunning. A miserable plea flowed from my tight throat.
Don't go.
Don't go to her.
A lava-like sob burst out of my throat.
He snatched Ayla into his arms and rolled over in the nick of time.
The monster, which had missed its prey right in front of its nose, scraped the ground violently with its black claws, letting out a ferocious roar.
Barcas pulled his sword behind him, as if to protect Ayla from the angry monster. However, the monster did not dare to pay attention to the target that had failed to capture it once. The monster, waving its giant head back and forth and sniffing, suddenly turned its eyes to me.
I stared at a pair of twin red eyes, frozen solid. Excited to discover a new target, the monster's pupils dilate significantly. The next moment, a massive body flew over me like a snake gliding across the water.
The movement was so swift that there was no time to scream. I floated into the air, my body caught in its hook-like claws.
Looking down at the rapidly receding ground, I rolled my eyes. I could see the soldiers going back and forth. Even that became the size of the palm of my hand in the blink of an eye.
Filled with a strong sense of crisis, I began to struggle desperately with my limbs. However, the power to throb my chest only grew stronger. It felt as if the sharp claws would pierce through the skin and tear me apart.
I looked up at the monster holding me in horror and then shouted loudly.
"Oh, help me...! Someone... me!"
However, the voice sounded too faint to my ears.
I gasped for breath and opened my mouth again.
Then, something like a light flashed in the bluish darkness, and a strong, hot wind swept across my face. I screamed. The monster that had snatched me screamed and began to shake violently.
The force that threatened to cut my waist made my vision blur white for a moment. I felt so weak that my limbs went limp. Soon, my body floated up in the air and began to plummet somewhere.
After a few seconds, a heavy shock hit my whole body, and everything sank into darkness.
I could not tell if I was awake or faint. I thought maybe I was dead. However, as if denying the fact, a tremendous pain came over me.
I gasped and groaned like a cow on the verge of being slaughtered.
It hurt. It hurt so much. However, I couldn't tell exactly where it hurt.
"Ugh...Hmmm..."
As I crawled on the floor to escape from something that was unconsciously weighing me down, I couldn't bear the growing pain and buried my forehead in the cold dirt. Then, I smelled an acrid smell that pierced my nose, and I struggled to lift my head.
The sight of the darkness caught the limp body of the wyvern. I sobbed in horror and blinked in confusion when I realized that the monster was dead.
As if swept away by the flames, the monster's wings were half blackened and shrivelled, and the massive scaly hind legs were sizzling with red embers.
I stared blankly at the scene, resting my palms on the floor, and struggled to pull myself up.
This time, I saw a large rock and a pile of dirt crushing one of my legs. Apparently, it fell down the slope.
'I have to get out of here...'
I, who was twisting desperately to pull my lower body out of the rocks, couldn't bear the intense pain and went limp again. Not only were my legs crushed by the rockfalls, but also my chest, shoulders, and arms were hurt.
Maybe the bones of my whole body were broken.
But that was enough. In fact, I didn't even know how I was alive. Do you know, I am dying.
I looked around with fearful eyes.
Before I knew it, a thick darkness had fallen on my surroundings. Is this how it would feel to be buried alive? It became increasingly difficult to breathe.
I wanted to lose my mind, but strangely, my consciousness was getting clearer and clearer. Unable to endure the growing pain, I scraped the floor with my crushed nails. Tears flowed down my face incessantly.
"It hurts... It hurts so much... Barcas."
I had no way of knowing why I was muttering that name. I remembered him turning his back on me and running toward Ayla.
I could never be an important person in Barcas. The only things he had to protect at any moment were Ayla and Gareth.
I could feel hot tears soaking my cheeks.
"No... Nevertheless... You're coming looking for me."
I muttered to myself. I was also the Emperor's daughter. He has a strong sense of responsibility, so he'll definitely try to find my body. He won't leave me like this.
I clung to it desperately, staring into the growing darkness.
Soon, the embers that had been burning on the monster's skin died down, and the world was plunged into darkness.
No matter how much I waited, there was no sign of anyone coming to visit me, so I squeezed my throat, which was on the verge of cracking, and muttered a little louder.
"It's okay. It's all right. It's coming soon. Soon..."
But the voice was soon swallowed up by the sobs that erupted.
I pursed my lips and covered my mouth with trembling hands. I didn't want to cry.
When I cry, I seem to admit it. No one would look for me...
I struggled to push a bitter wall of pain and despair into my stomach. Then I muttered to myself over and over again.
If I wait a little longer, Barcas will definitely come. And just as he pulled me out of the mud one day, he will help me.
I'm sure it is. Clear...
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