Chapter 8: Ch8 Beneath The Stone
A slash tore through the air, clean and merciless.
Tree tops fell as though cut by invisible blades, the forest canopy splitting open for a breath of sky before the branches tumbled, leaves scattering in the rushing wind. Silence followed. heavy, oppressive. Then came the spray of blood.
Three guards and their horses collapsed almost at once, heads severed before they could even scream. The last remaining guard, the only survivor, froze in place. His eyes went wide, body trembling, breath catching in his throat like a child about to cry. His horse buckled and crashed dead in front of him, its weight shaking the ground. The man staggered back in fright, slamming against a tree trunk already sliced in half. The sight of the bisected wood—and the corpses of his comrades—was too much. His knees buckled, eyes rolled, and he fainted with a pitiful thud.
Liliana coughed, choking on smoke and dust as her own horse lay lifeless, blood soaking the forest floor. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, blinking against the sting, and forced herself to look at the carnage. Knights sprawled with necks twisted at unnatural angles. Horses split apart like discarded dolls. The forest, once oppressive but alive, now looked like a butcher’s yard.
She couldn’t speak. The words simply refused to come.
And then. Luther appeared.
One moment she was alone in the haze, the next he was there, materializing like a breeze that cut straight through the smoke. His crystal earring glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat. He raised his hand, calm but sharp, and a blue shield bloomed into existence before them.
The sound hit a second later.
A massive boulder. no, something even larger, jagged and weighted with force slammed against the shield with bone rattling impact. The barrier shuddered, Luther’s arm trembling as he grit his teeth. A groan escaped his lips as he dug his heels into the earth, the shield warping under pressure before it finally dispersed with a shimmer.
He exhaled sharply, muttering under his breath, "I really... didn’t want this to happen."
Liliana blinked at him. Her lips parted, and a single word slipped out.
"You’re... a noble too?"
The glow from his crystal intensified, as if mocking the question.
Luther didn’t even glance at her. He raised his hand again, conjuring another shield just in time to block a second projectile. His voice cracked like a whip, dripping with irritation.
"Now is not the time to ask something so stupid! Do it after we survive this."
The sharpness of his tone jolted her awake, as though his words themselves were a slap. Her dazed eyes hardened into focus. She gripped her sword, raised it high, and leapt. Her blade sang through the air as another massive stone came hurtling toward them. With a clean arc, she split it in half mid flight, both pieces crashing harmlessly to either side.
She landed in a crouch, already lunging forward, cutting down another wave of boulders as though they were no more than kindling.
Meanwhile, Luther let his shield disperse again. His brow furrowed, gaze flicking quickly across the surroundings. Something wasn’t right. He sprinted toward the unconscious knight, dropping to one knee and slapping the man’s cheek once.
Nothing.
He slapped again. Still nothing.
A third time, harder, until the guard’s cheek flushed red. Finally, the man twitched with a groan.
Before Luther could say anything, a sinister movement caught his eye. A creeping shadow, low and liquid, seeping between roots and stone. It wasn’t just a shadow, it was a mist, dark and writhing, carrying the stench of rot. The leaves it touched withered instantly, curling black.
Luther’s blood went cold. Poison mist.
He jumped back in alarm, instincts taking over. "Move!"
He seized the groggy guard, dragging him to his feet despite the man’s half-conscious protests. The guard cursed as Luther pinched his side, startling him fully awake.
"You can curse later," Luther snapped.
The man stumbled but obeyed, legs flailing as Luther yanked him into a sprint. The mist devoured everything it touched. the corpses of knights, the remains of horses, even the blood itself, erasing them from existence as if they had never been.
Liliana was still mid swing when Luther grabbed her, halting her motion. His power surged outward, wrapping around her like a shield as he dragged her into the desperate flight.
"What are we running from?!" she demanded, fury sparking in her voice.
He only pointed. Behind them, the black mist rolled forward, silent but unstoppable, consuming every trace of life. Even the massive fallen trunks of trees were erased as though carved out of reality.
The surviving guard saw it too. He screamed—high-pitched, shrill, like a child and ran with renewed strength, armor clanging as if mocking his terror as be bypassed them like the breeze.
Liliana, cursing under her breath, swung Luther onto her waist as she launched herself upward. Her legs coiled like springs, and she carried them both into the canopy. They bounded from branch to branch, the guard stumbling below until he, too, scrambled upward in panicked clumsiness, nearly falling at every leap.
Luther’s crystal pulsed again, its light flashing. His eyes widened.
"Duck!" he barked.
Liliana reacted instantly, pushing off a branch just as the wood behind them shattered beneath a colossal hand. Bark exploded, splinters scattering.
She landed hard, skidding across another branch, and set Luther down gently on his feet. Her face was pale, but her jaw clenched with stubborn resolve.
"You need to hide," she said firmly, meeting his eyes. "Even if I die here, I won’t let anything happen to you. I’d rather not have my bones shattered. Your master’s threat still stands."
Luther gave a small nod, but his thoughts were spinning elsewhere.
Why does this feel familiar?
That word. That scene. The poisoned mist, the boulders, the shattered branch, it was too familiar.
Liliana braced herself, leaping higher into the branches, sword drawn, waiting for the next attack.
The guard finally burst free of the treeline, stumbling into a clearing where Luther stood. His armor clanked with every labored breath, sweat pouring down his face. He refused to remove even a single piece despite the unbearable weight.
He collapsed against a large stone, muttering curses. "Blasted forest... blasted air..." He huffed, trying to catch his breath, but when his gaze fell on Luther, his fury reignited.
He lurched to his feet, finger stabbing accusingly at him.
"This is your fault! You knew! You knew and said nothing! Because of you, my comrades are dead!"
He stormed forward, grabbing Luther’s collar.
Luther’s expression remained perfectly blank. His voice was flat, almost bored.
"I did tell you. But your ego was too big. You wanted to impress Liliana."
The jab cut deeper than any blade. The knight’s face twisted, rage spilling over. His hand shot for his sword, ripping it from its sheath and raising it high.
And then—
A tail whipped out of nowhere.
It coiled around the knight’s arm, stopping the strike mid-swing. His furious face crumbled into horror. The tail tightened, muscles bulging, and in one swift motion it dragged him screaming behind the massive stone.
Luther didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch as the knight’s scream turned wet, then cut off entirely. Blood seeped from beneath the stone, pooling, while the ground itself began to shift.
The rock moved.
No-unfolded.
Its surface peeled back like skin, revealing scales beneath. Forest-green, ridged with dark veins, glistening with moisture. The tail appeared again, now clutching nothing but a severed hand and a bloodied sword. With a flick, the sword clattered to the ground at Luther’s feet.
Luther’s face paled. His lips twitched into a sickly smile, laughter bubbling up despite the dread.
"Ah... now I remember. This scene. This word. This was written in the book."
He stepped back slowly as the monstrous body uncoiled fully.
"In the novel... Liliana’s guide leads her to the sword."
The shadows swallowed him whole, green scales gleaming in the dim light.
Luther’s smile widened, bitter and mocking.
"But didn’t that guide..."
The monster’s head rose, towering, its maw opening with a guttural hiss that shook the air.
"...die in the novel?"
The snake roared.