SPELLBOUND

Deep within the monsters' forest and kneeling on one knee, Zanya panted as she leaned her head against her bloodied knuckles that were wrapped around the handle of her sword. She was trying to catch her breath and her snowy white garments were already heavily tainted with the dark coloured blood of the monsters she had killed – too many that she had long since lost count of them.

Her pale skin was also covered with wounds and blood – some from her own and some from those creatures that fell prey to her. It had been days since she had gotten lost in this forest filled with creatures she had never seen before. She could not use her healing magic to cure her not too lethal injuries because she did not want to use whatever little energy that was left in her. She must find a chance to rest and recuperate but the monsters are not giving her any chances to even take a breather. All she did was run away if the enemy was too large and too powerful, and she only fought and kill the ones that she knew would not take too much toll on herself. Every single decision she made now in this weird forest was calculated to ensure the maximum potential of survival using the minimum amount of magic spent from her.

Flying was also useless in this place as there were bug like creatures that had been chasing her whenever she escaped into the skies as well. When Zanya was captured and brought over to this place, she had found the chance to escape from those dark faes and barely managed to evade them. She thought she could finally rest when the dark faes stopped chasing her the moment she entered a strange forest so different from the forests that were on the surface. But to her utter dismay, the monsters in this forest were more dangerous and much deadlier compared to the dark faes that had been on her tail. There were a couple of times that Zanya even thought that perhaps having the dark faes chasing her would be better than these monsters that were looking to rip her to shreds.

Zanya did everything she could to survive longer minute after minute, but she knew that if she could not get out of this forest, very soon she would end up as another source of fertiliser for the trees or food for the creatures of this forest here. With limbs still shaking with exhaustion, Zanya forced herself to get up. She stared at the three headed boar-like creature she had killed and went straight to the path ahead. She had tried to cross this forest and get over to the other side, thinking that it would be safer there than where she had come from, but Zanya changed her mind midway through because she found that the deeper she went into the forest, the deadlier and bigger the monsters she encountered.

Thus, she could only turn around and return from where she came. She had reached the limit of fatigue and exhaustion that a light fae could handle. Her strength had dwindled to the point that it was as if she was already almost withered now. But she stubbornly told herself that refused to die here. No way that was happening! She refused to…

As she stumbled along and ran like a wounded warrior, Zanya bit on her lower lip at the thoughts that were continuously surfacing in her mind. She could not believe that it was that vampire's face which was the first one to appear in her mind while she was in this precarious situation. Her heart was yearning to see him. Was he looking for her? What was he doing now? Was he thinking about her right now and wondering where she was? It felt as though it had been so long since she last saw him.

And for some reason, just the thought of him was enough to give her a bit of extra strength – just to boost her for a little while longer. Maybe it was because she knew that there was no way he or anyone else would suddenly appear and come to her rescue. She knew that at the moment when she was brought to the Under Lands, it only meant that the chances of someone following her here was close to impossible. No one was coming to rescue her. If she wanted to survive, she could only rely on herself. Thinking of this, she could only grit her teeth and push down on that slight wisp of disappointment that suddenly appeared in her heart as she forced herself to keep moving.

Finally, she could sense that she was nearing the exit. She remembered this was where she had first entered the forest. She looked back and saw that a pack of ferocious vulture-like creatures were now chasing after her. They were determined to reach and capture her as their prey.

Zanya used whatever little energy that she had left to push herself in that last lap, because she knew that the moment these creatures reach her, they would tear her into pieces.

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to run just a little faster. Faster. Her heartbeat was like thunder booming in her head as she felt them getting closer and closer, almost catching up to her, she could already feel the touch of their nasty breaths at the tips of her hair. No! She shut her eyes tightly together but never stopped running for her life. Please… she pleaded. Not here.

And then, her knees gave way and she tumbled into a hard roll onto the ground. Everything went quiet and Zanya gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry, my queen…" she mumbled as she waited for the beasts to sink their claws into her and tear her apart before devouring her whole. At that moment, Leon's face appeared in her mind again and she smiled, a single tear making a clear track down her dusty cheeks from the corner of her eye. "I regret not going all out on you that night. Had I known that it was going to be the last time… I should've done more to you until you would cry so hard for me."

Zanya let out a sigh. Then her smile widened, unable to believe the kind of thoughts she was having in the last moments of her life.. But somehow, she was glad she would not leave this world feeling so miserable and wretched, just regrets that she was leaving a little too soon and in this way.