Chapter 122 Final Play

Chapter 122 Final Play
Seraph's POV

Eventually dawn came around; however, it took too long, probably because I did not sleep much. I hardly spent two days here, and although it was peaceful, it felt like my heart would explode in my chest.

Morning slipped over the rooftops quietly, brushing the village in silver before warmth had a chance to settle. I was already awake.

There is a particular kind of wakefulness that comes when a decision has already been made. No tossing. No hesitation. Just a quiet hum beneath the ribs.

Today.

I tied my boots with deliberate care. Checked the small blade hidden against my thigh. Adjusted the strap across my shoulder.

And let out a body-shuddering exhale. Then I stepped outside. The air was cool enough to sting my lungs. Mist clung low to the ground, wrapping itself around fences and empty barrels as though trying to hold the village in place.

I did all I could not to look back, and for a while it worked. But I felt it.

The awareness. My mother was awake.

I could not see her, but I knew. Knew the curtain had shifted. Knew there were eyes following the line of my shoulders as I walked past the well, past the oak tree with the split trunk, past the place where I had once fallen and scraped both knees and believed the world had ended.

It hadn’t.
It had only begun.

I reached the edge of the path before I allowed myself one glance over my shoulder.

The window curtain stilled. I nodded a little, then I turned toward Lydian.

Toward answers.

Toward him.

The path curved through sparse trees before widening into the long stretch that led beyond the safety of familiarity. The farther I walked, the lighter I felt.

I replayed the archive in my mind. The gaps.

The missing records. The way certain dates dissolved into nothingness as though the past had been sanded smooth. I had not found what I was looking for.

But that didn't matter now, because in the search for those answers, I realized that it was only the tip of the iceberg and should be given no more attention than its due.

There is something you are hiding. And I will not be sent away again.

The village sounds faded completely behind me.

And I almost cringed with uneasiness from the feeling that seemed to be growing stronger each time I felt it.

It began as a prickle between my shoulder blades, then an almost comical silence where even birdsong suddenly stopped and enveloped my surroundings.

Instinctively, I slowed down, but only for a short time before I scolded myself not to be delusional. So I fell back into track.
The feeling persisted.

Watching. I turned my head casually, scanning the tree line, but there was nothing there.
Just trunks and mist and long shadows.

I walked faster, ignoring my paranoia as much as I could. The sensation sharpened.

I spun around suddenly — and caught it.

A flicker. A shape withdrawing too quickly behind a thick trunk.

My pulse spiked.

I knew it. I am not paranoid, at least not this time. I am being watched. I gritted my teeth and did the only thing I could think of. I ran.

There was a bend in the path ahead, a narrow ravine I had crossed once as a child. If I could reach it, I could use the terrain. Narrow their approach. Force them into visibility.

My boots pounded against dirt and scattered stone. Branches whipped against my arms.

The presence followed. I could feel it in my space somehow. That is not human, I realized.
Not human footfalls.

I adjusted my angle slightly, preparing to pivot —

And collided directly into something solid.

The impact knocked the breath from my lungs. I stumbled backward, blinking hard, and looked up.

A girl.

Or something shaped like one.

Too tall and hard and a bit too still. I barely had time to register the shock before I sensed movement behind me.

I turned. Another figure emerged from the mist.
My heart slammed so violently it felt visible beneath my ribs.

“You have got to be kidding me,” I muttered.
They moved at the same time.

Fast, and before I could even react, they… pounced was the only word that fit.

I twisted, my elbow striking something hard.
Then a sharp crack exploded at the back of my skull.

White light burst across my vision. The ground rose too quickly.

For a second, I thought I could still fight.

For a second, I believed I had it under control.
This has happened a hundred times before, I told myself.

Then everything went dark.

—

Sound returned before sight.
Muffled.
Rhythmic.
Swinging.

My body jolted with motion, and I forced my eyes open.

Blurred sky was the first thing I saw, then slowly I recognized trees passing overhead.
It took a moment for understanding to settle.

I had been captured, and I'm being carried to God knows where. One held my wrists. The other gripped my ankles. A thick branch ran beneath my back like a crude stretcher.

Carnival style.

Humiliation burned in my chest, and I struggled immediately. The world tilted violently as they adjusted their grip. Muffled laughter followed.

“She’s awake,” one voice said. It sounded thick and layered, like it echoed over and over. I tried to speak, but something was bound tight across my mouth. The sound that escaped was little more than an angry growl.

“Oh, look at that,” the other chimed in. “The little human thinks she can fight.”

I twisted harder. Pain shot through my shoulders. Okay, this is crazy. What is it this time? Is there ever a time where something bad isn't lurking?

Focus.
Memorize.

I forced myself to scan through half-lidded eyes. Counting trees. Noting the direction of the slope. Marking the scent of damp stone and moss.

One of them leaned into my field of vision.
Up close, I saw it clearly.

A horn protruded from its forehead. Spiraled. Sharp. Not delicate in the slightest. It looked forged rather than grown.

Designed to puncture.
There was nothing mythical about it. Unlike a unicorn, it was hideous.
It was a weapon.

The creature grinned, revealing teeth too uniform to be natural.

“She’ll be so happy with the job we’ve done,” it said.
She.

My stomach tightened. Anger steadied my heartbeat.

You will not erase me.

I will get to him, even if I have to claw my way there.

I began to wiggle deliberately, testing their grip and measuring strength.

They laughed again.

“Stop that,” the horned one said. The other tightened its hold painfully.

I bit down hard against the cloth in my mouth and bucked my weight sideways, nearly tipping them off balance.

That earned me a sharp shake. The world spun. I forced myself to stay conscious.
You do not die here. You do not get taken like this.

The trees began thinning, and the temperature became colder.

Stone underfoot instead of soil. Where are you taking me?

I inhaled slowly through my nose, steadying my mind. I absolutely despise how I get thrown around all the time.

I will reach him. I will reach my love. I will tell him that I care for him too, and I love him.
I shut my eyes and tried to think critically, but I'm distracted by a voice that cuts through the sound of thudding footsteps.

“Playtime’s over.”

Everything inside me went still. I knew that voice.

The creatures froze.

Their grips loosened just slightly, and I didn't need to see their faces to sense their fear.
I turned my head toward the sound, and just as I thought.

Endil