Chapter 44
As she pushed through the soldiers scrambling with their weapons, several corpses—so mangled they were barely recognizable—came into view among the collapsed tents.
Fear tightened her stomach painfully. But the thought that Barkas might end up like that made it impossible for her to stop.
She dashed frantically across the campsite strewn with debris, trying to catch up to Barkas, who had already moved quite a distance away.
Then, a heavy thud echoed through the air.
Talia turned her head toward the sound, her face draining of color. Not far off, a Wyvern had landed and was swallowing a soldier whole.
Every time the monster’s massive jaws moved up and down, blood overflowed, soaking its black chin.
The sight was so surreal that she couldn’t even process the terror. Talia’s legs shook violently as she took a faltering step back. Then, catching sight of Barkas among a group of soldiers charging with spears, she cried out at the top of her lungs.
“Barkas! Barkas!”
She ran toward him with the desperate intensity of a child spotting their parent in a crowded market. Barkas, who had been shouting orders to the knights, turned to look at her.
The moment their eyes met, his widened slightly before narrowing again. He looked furious that she had ignored his instructions and run out into the open.
For a second, his sharp gaze sent a chill down her spine, but Talia didn’t stop. Her mind was filled with a single thought: she had to get to safety with Barkas.
Don’t fight. Just let your subordinates handle that. You need to stay by my side.
Words that were little more than a selfish tantrum tangled messily in her ragged breath.
Though there was no way he could have heard her amidst the chaos, Barkas strode toward her as if he had understood. Talia reached out her hand to him.
At that moment, a faint scream rang out from somewhere else.
“Barkas!”
Barkas’s head snapped back instantly.
Talia followed his gaze and her eyes widened as she saw Aila, left all alone in the middle of the carnage. Having seemingly been separated from her escort in the fray, Aila was stumbling about as a dark shadow loomed over her head. Seeing this, Barkas threw himself forward without a second’s hesitation.
Talia’s mouth fell open in a daze as she watched him move further and further away from her in an instant. A wretched plea escaped her constricted throat.
Don’t go.
Don’t go to her.
A sob like molten lava erupted, searing her throat.
He scooped Aila into his arms and rolled away just in time.
Having missed its prey by a hair’s breadth, the monster let out a savage roar, its black claws raking the ground violently.
Barkas drew his sword and pushed Aila behind him, shielding her from the enraged beast. However, the monster did not fixate on the target it had failed to catch. Its massive head swayed back and forth, sniffing the air, until its eyes suddenly locked onto Talia.
She froze, staring into a pair of gleaming red eyes. As if excited to have found a new target, the monster’s pupils dilated. The next second, its heavy body lunged at her like a snake gliding over water.
The movement was so swift she didn’t even have time to scream. Talia felt herself being lifted into the air, her body hooked by talon-like claws.
Looking down at the ground as it rapidly receded, Talia’s eyes darted about in panic. She saw the soldiers scrambling below. Even they became the size of a palm in the blink of an eye.
Overwhelmed by a sense of impending doom, Talia began to thrash her limbs desperately. But the pressure crushing her chest only grew stronger. It felt as though the sharp claws would pierce through her skin and tear her body apart at any moment.
Staring up at the monster holding her with terror-stricken eyes, Talia finally managed to cry out.
“He—help me…! Someone, please…!”
But the voice sounded far too weak, even to her own ears.
She panted heavily, struggling to open her mouth again.
Just then, a flash like a light flickered in the bluish darkness, and a blast of hot air brushed past her face. Talia shrieked. The monster holding her let out a shrill cry and began to shake its body violently.
The force squeezing her waist felt as if it would snap her in two, and her vision momentarily blurred into white. Overcome by a profound sense of exhaustion, her limbs went limp. Soon after, her body was flung into the air and began to plummet downward.
After a few seconds of freefall, a heavy impact slammed into her entire body, and everything sank into darkness.
She couldn’t tell if she was awake or unconscious. The thought crossed her mind that she might be dead. But soon, as if to deny that fact, an immense wave of pain washed over her.
Talia let out a groan, gasping for air like livestock about to be slaughtered.
It hurt. It hurt so much. Yet, she couldn’t even pinpoint exactly where the pain was coming from.
“Ugh… huff…”
Unconsciously crawling across the ground to escape whatever was crushing her, Talia couldn’t endure the intensifying pain and buried her forehead in the cold earth. Then, smelling a pungent, acrid scent, she forced her head up.
Her eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, caught the limp form of the Wyvern. Talia, who had been sobbing in terror, blinked in confusion as she realized the monster was dead.
As if it had been caught in a blaze, half of the beast’s wings were scorched black and shriveled, and its heavy hind legs, stripped of scales, still smoldered with red embers.
She stared blankly at the sight for a moment before pressing her palms against the ground to push her upper body up.
That was when she saw the large rocks and pile of earth crushing one of her legs. It seemed she had tumbled down a slope during the fall.
I have to get out of here…
Talia twisted her body desperately to pull her lower half out from under the rocks, but she slumped down again, unable to bear the agony. Not just the leg pinned by the rocks, but her chest, shoulders, and arms—everywhere ached.
She wondered if every bone in her body was broken.
It certainly felt like it. In fact, she didn’t even know how she was still alive. Or perhaps, she was simply in the process of dying.
She looked around with fear-filled eyes.
Thick darkness had settled over everything. She wondered if this was what it felt like to be buried alive. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe.
She wanted to lose consciousness, but strangely, her senses only grew sharper. Unable to endure the escalating pain, Talia clawed at the ground with her mangled fingernails. Tears streamed down her face incessantly.
“It hurts… it hurts so much… Barkas…”
She didn’t know why she was muttering that name. The image of him turning his back on her to run toward Aila flashed through her mind.
She could never be someone important to Barkas. To him, the ones who had to be protected at any cost were only Aila and Gares.
She felt hot tears soaking her cheeks.
“No… still… he’ll come to find me.”
She murmured as if trying to convince herself. She was the Emperor’s daughter, too. He was a man with a strong sense of responsibility, so surely he would at least try to find her body. He wouldn’t just leave her like this.
Clinging desperately to that thought, she stared intently into the deepening darkness.
Before long, even the embers glowing on the monster’s skin died out, and the world was submerged in total blackness.
When there was no sign of anyone coming for her no matter how long she waited, she squeezed her parched, cracking throat to mutter a little louder.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. He’ll be here soon. Soon…”
But her voice was soon swallowed by a burst of sobs.
Talia bit her lip and covered her mouth with a trembling hand. She didn’t want to cry.
If I cry, it’s like I’m admitting it. That no one is coming for me…
She struggled to swallow back the bitter wail of pain and despair. Then, she repeated it again.
If she just waited a little longer, Barkas would surely come. And just as he had once pulled her out of the mud, he would help her.
Surely he would. Surely…
