The forest was silent, but Yaw-yan knew better—silence in these woods meant something was hunting.
Branches whipped at his face as he pushed forward, Minona cradled tightly in his arms. Her breathing was shallow, her body limp, and every step he took sent a jolt of pain through his battered body. But he didn't stop. He couldn't. The memory of the blood collector's roar still rang in his ears—a grim reminder that they were far from safe.
"Just a little further…" he whispered, not sure if he was reassuring Minona or himself.
His eyes scanned the terrain with desperation. Trees towered over them, casting long shadows under the pale moonlight. Every crunch of leaves, every shift in the wind made his heart race. He didn't know if the blood collectors were still dealing with Regus's group or if they were now tracking him and Minona.
He spotted a crevice near the side of a moss-covered cliff, half-hidden behind fallen logs and thick vines. It wasn't much, but it was cover.
Yaw-yan ducked low, slipped inside, and carefully laid Minona down against the cool stone. He sat beside her, back pressed to the wall, chest rising and falling rapidly. His arms trembled from exhaustion, but he kept them around her.
"We'll rest here for now," he muttered. "Just until it's safe…"
The moment the words left his mouth, a low growl echoed in the distance.
His eyes narrowed.
Safe didn't exist in Silao Forest.
Not anymore.
His breathing was rough. He wanted to keep going until they were both out of the forest, but his body had already reached its limit.
Yaw-yan pulled out his bag—the one he used to store his personal belongings. He took out something that Suina had given him as a farewell gift, hoping it would help to improve their condition.
He felt a huge wave of relief when he saw the two vials of healing potion still intact. Its liquid contents hadn't spilled, despite everything that had happened. He had assumed the vials had been broken with all the thrashing and rolling he'd been through since receiving them.
Yaw-yan opened one of the vials and poured its contents into his mouth, noting the potion's strange taste—a weird mix of sweet and bitter. It was like liquefied bitter gourd drowned in sweetener, just enough to make it bearable.
Immediately, he felt a warm sensation spreading throughout his body. He glanced at the wound on his left rib and noticed the pain had eased slightly. Though the injury was still there, he hoped his body would recover quickly so they could leave the forest as soon as possible.
Yaw-yan took the remaining vial and opened it for Minona. When he looked to his side, he realized she was leaning on his shoulder, her eyes fixed on his face.
His aching body tensed when he realized how close they were, how intimate their position might seem.
But Yaw-yan shook the thought from his head and quickly brought the potion to her lips.
"Here, Minona. Drink this—it might help your condition."
She didn't move or speak at first. But after a few quiet breaths of staring at Yaw-yan, she parted her lips, allowing him to pour the healing potion into her mouth.
She coughed a little, not used to the taste. This kind of potion was low-grade—made for academy students. Cheaply produced so young trainees could afford them, they were weak in quality and had limited effectiveness. They could heal minor injuries but wouldn't be enough to mend something like Yaw-yan's mangled arm from the night before.
But she couldn't afford to be picky. She needed to regain her mobility fast, so she and Yaw-yan could escape this forest.
After drinking, she turned her gaze back to the boy she was leaning against. Her lips pressed into a thin line as she recalled just how much danger he'd been in—pursued not only by enemies but also two powerful beasts—yet somehow, he had escaped.
The fact that he managed such a feat without a power of his own was mind-blowing. She had overheard the others mention he had no soul core or core weapon. She already knew he was unusual—but clearly, his uniqueness didn't stop there.
From time to time, she had seen him pull off reckless stunts—moves that would have surely gotten him killed, had it not been for her timely arrival.
But he had also come back to save her.
"Your friend was right, Yaw-yan. You're rather reckless."
Yaw-yan jolted from his thoughts when he heard Minona speak. He looked at her, and his face immediately flushed when he saw the girl softly giggle at his flustered expression.
"I—r-reckless?" Yaw-yan pointed to himself, fumbling over his words.
Minona blinked in amusement, clearly entertained by how quickly his expression had changed. "Yes. Miss Suina told me you tend to act without thinking things through."
Yaw-yan scratched his cheek awkwardly and gave her a crooked smile.
"Believe it or not, I'm actually pretty cautious person. Every time I go out to do something, it takes me a day or two just to scout the area I'm in. I can't fight head-on or outrun the beasts in this valley, so I've learned to move carefully. That's why I use a bow and arrow—it lets me stay hidden and attack from a distance."
He smiled and let out a sigh. "It's just... the past few days have been something else. I never expected to get caught up in all of this."
"I'm sorry," Minona said quickly, realizing how much he'd been dragged into.
"N-no need to apologize," Yaw-yan replied, shaking his head. "I'm not blaming you or my friends. I was the one who asked them to bring me to this forest so I could collect blood for my tribe. If you really think about it, I'm the reason we're even here."
Minona bit her lip. She didn't like how Yaw-yan was taking all the blame.
"Even so… you're a local, and we're just visitors in your land. We shouldn't have involved you in everything that happened. You risked your life to protect your friend, to save me. It's my fault we're in this situation to begin with. If I had just taken you back to your tribe instead of dragging you along to investigate what those men were doing, you would've made it home already. I was reckless—"
She didn't get to finish. Since Yaw-yan gently flicked her forehead.
When she looked up at him with a pout, he couldn't help but chuckle. The calm, aloof girl he'd met last night was showing more emotion now, and it made him smile.
Seeing her irritation grow as he laughed, he quickly explained himself.
"Please, don't blame yourself—or the others, Minona. I want to believe that none of us is truly at fault here. It was just bad circumstances, bad people, and some very, very angry beasts that made things spiral out of control for both of us. I'm just glad I went back for you—and that you're here with me now."
Yaw-yan looked up at the sky, admiring the sea of aurora-like lights stretching across the heavens. He now understood why the sky looked like that.
"I'll never regret risking my life for the people I care about. My life has always been in danger—I've accepted that. One day, the abyss will grab my leg and drag me down. But if that's going to happen, I want it to be on my terms. If I'm going to fall, I'll do it while protecting those who matter to me."
Yaw-yan winced suddenly as a sharp pain shot through his chest. Looking down to check what it was, he found Minona gently biting him.
"Don't say stuff like that," she muttered, eyes narrowing in frustration. "You're treating your life like it doesn't matter—like it's just a tool to save your friends. I don't know what that 'abyss' you were talking about is, but I do know one thing: I won't let it take you away from me. So please, don't throw your life away so easily. I won't forgive you if you just disappear on us, Yaw-yan."
Hearing Minona's words, Yaw-yan looked at her, then nodded and smiled.
"I guess I'm not allowed to disappear, huh?"
Minona smiled back, happy to see Yaw-yan genuinely smiling again.
But their moment was cut short when a guttural growl suddenly reached their ears. Yaw-yan immediately pulled Minona into his arms, lifting her limp body in a princess carry as he prepared to run at a moment's notice if the beast found their hiding spot.
He noticed his body felt slightly lighter than before. His breathing had returned to normal, and the pain from his bruises and broken bones had dulled significantly. It seemed the healing potion had worked remarkably well. He was ready for whatever was coming.
The growls grew louder, closer. The ground trembled with each step of the approaching creature.
Yaw-yan peeked through a small opening in the crevice and spotted one of the Blood Collectors dragging a body—likely one of the enemies he had left behind to deal with them.
He noticed the beast was bleeding and missing an arm. Purple mist clung to its mouth like smoke.
Realizing what it was, he quickly looked at Minona and whispered,
"Don't fall asleep or zone out—the mist is everywhere. You'll fall into a deep sleep if you do."
Minona nodded slightly, whispering a faint "okay" into his ear. She already knew how dangerous that mist could be.
The Blood Collector suddenly stopped and looked around, as if searching for something.
Minona could feel Yaw-yan's body tense up. His grip on her tightened slightly as he pulled her closer to him.
She was worried too. If the Blood Collector found them, there was no way Yaw-yan could outrun it—especially not with her in his arms, weighing him down.
After a few tense breaths, the Blood Collector resumed its slow walk, still dragging the limp body behind it. Neither of them could tell if the person was still alive.
Yaw-yan let out the breath he'd been holding when he saw the back of the Blood Collector disappear into the tree canopies and the darkness of the wilderness.
"It went that way… I think we're safe now," Yaw-yan whispered to Minona.
"What about the other one?" Minona asked.
Yaw-yan shook his head. "I don't know. It was just wandering around on its own. I have no idea where it went."
"And the mist? Is it still here?" she asked. She was right—the purple mist was a good indicator that a Blood Collector was nearby.
Yaw-yan glanced down at the forest floor. The area was clear—no mist in sight.
"I can move now, and the pain's gone down a lot. What do you think? Should we head out? I feel like we're close to the open part of the forest. I really don't want to stay here any longer," he said, looking at Minona as she silently weighed their next move.
"Do you think you can carry me? I don't want to stay here either. We're in extreme danger—not just from the beast, but from the Alcamana bombs those guys mentioned. They said the forest is littered with them. If even one goes off and we're caught in the blast, we're dead."
Yaw-yan furrowed his brow in confusion. Bombs? In the Silao Forest? But why?
Seeing his puzzled expression, Minona added, "I'll explain once we're out of here. For now, we need to get moving."
Yaw-yan nodded, then carefully scanned their surroundings for any sign of threats. Slowly, they emerged from their hiding spot and dove into a thick patch of bushes to stay hidden as they stealthily made their way out of the forest.
Their eyes lit up as they saw the outskirts of the Silao Forest at last. Before them stretched the vast plains of the safe valley. All they needed to do now was trek down the slope.
Minona was about to say something when—suddenly—they tumbled to the ground.
Yaw-yan stood up quickly, just as he was grabbed by the leg and hurled to the side. In midair, he managed to reposition himself so he hit the ground first, shielding Minona from the impact.
"YAW-YAN!" Minona shouted, panicked, as she saw him slammed violently into the dirt.
GRUEEEEECHEE—
The Blood Collector let out a deep, guttural growl as it approached the downed pair.
Yaw-yan rose to his feet, reached into his bag, and pulled out something—it was the bullhorn shell Amika had given him.
Seeing the approaching Blood Collector, Yaw-yan quickly pulled out a soul core of a beast from his bag and shoved it into the Bullhornshell.
Immediately, the Bullhornshell began to glow in his hand. He took a massive breath and yelled into it:
"SOMEONE HELP US! I'M WITH MINONA! WE NEED HELP!"
The ground and trees trembled from the sheer force of Yaw-yan's amplified voice, courtesy of the Bullhornshell.
The Blood Collector standing in front of him took the full brunt of the sonic blast and was sent stumbling backward, clutching its head.
Seeing the opening, Yaw-yan reached into his bag to grab another soul core to feed the Bullhornshell—when something suddenly slammed into him.
"Yaw-yan!" Minona shouted as she saw him thrown several feet away.
Yaw-yan slowly got up, wincing in pain. He felt something snap in his ribs—it was unbearable. Then he saw it.
A corpse—one of the people from earlier—had been hurled at him.
He turned his head toward the direction it came from, and his breath caught in his throat. Horror washed over him.
It was the second Blood Collector—the one he hadn't seen—and it had thrown the corpse at him. Now, it was looming over Minona, its massive body bent low so that its face hovered inches from hers.
Yaw-yan's mind raced. He had to save her—now.
Ignoring the pain, he shakily pushed himself to his feet. Limping to the edge of the nearby cliff, he looked down at the steep drop behind him and nodded to himself.
He took another mouthful of air, gritting his teeth through the stabbing pain in his chest, and let out a RULER'S CLAIM—
GRAAAAAAH!
Both Blood Collectors froze. Their bodies trembled at the sound of the challenge, and slowly, they turned their heads toward Yaw-yan.
Seeing the two massive beasts turn away from Minona, Yaw-yan cackled maniacally, further enraging the Blood Collectors.
Earlier, when one of the beasts stood towering above her, Minona knew it was over. As it raised its arm, ready to grab her, she simply closed her eyes in resignation.
That's when she heard it—Yaw-yan's scream. The same scream that had enraged the Blood Collectors the night before.
The beasts turn to their challenger
"Yaw-yan! Stop! Yaw-yan! Yaw-yan! Please don't do this! Please run! Oh god, Yaw-yan, you DUM-DUM!" Minona cried, her voice trembling as she listened to his crazed laughter and the furious roars of the beasts.
She couldn't do anything but watch in horror at what was about to happen.
The Blood Collectors fully ignore her and instead stomp toward Yaw-yan, who stood at the edge of the cliff, laughing like a madman.
All she could do was to cry and call out to him.
Yaw-yan turned his head to look at Minona and mouthed the words, "I'm sorry."
Minona kept screaming his name in desperation, but Yaw-yan knew the truth: whether he did this or not, he would die anyway. At least this way, he might be able to drag the two monsters down with him—and save Minona.
GRUEEEEECHEE!
GRUEEEEECHEE!
The Blood Collectors let out enraged roars and charged toward Yaw-yan.
Yaw-yan stretched out his arms wide, welcoming the beasts as they thundered toward him.
But before they could reach him—
A bolt of lightning, as thick as a full-grown tree, struck the two creatures, instantly turning them into charred husks.
Yaw-yan looked up. Floating in the air above them was a middle-aged man holding a trident, its entire length crackling with electricity.
The man glanced down at Minona, then at the scorched corpses of the beasts, and huffed in dissatisfaction.
"Two lowly beasts dared to harm our student? What a joke."
He dismissed his core weapon and looked at Yaw-yan. His gaze alone made it feel like the air around Yaw-yan had turned to lead.
Then, the middle-aged man let out a boisterous laugh and gave Yaw-yan a thumbs up.
"Boy, I like your guts. You're insane—just like me."
The moment those words reached Yaw-yan's ears, his vision went black and his body toppled backward off the cliff.
"YAW-YAN!!" Minona screamed in horror as he disappeared from view.
End of Chapter 15