The dawn came heavy with mist and sorrow.
Jayden sat by Aria's side in the small clinic room, his fingers trembling as he held her hand — the one anchor he had left in this chaotic world.
Her skin was pale, her breathing shallow.
Every rise and fall of her chest felt like a war he couldn't win.
The village doctor, an old man named Doc Fei, shook his head grimly.
> "The wound on her head… it's deep. She's slipping into a coma."
"We don't have the equipment here to save her. You have to get her to the city. Fast."
Jayden's heart sank.
The city?
It was a two-day journey.
And Cain was still out there.
Waiting.
Hunting.
Jayden looked down at Aria's peaceful, battered face.
> "You fought for me," he whispered. "Now it's my turn."
---
Before leaving, Jayden gathered the villagers.
They stood clustered together, fear etched into every line of their faces.
He met their eyes one by one.
> "I brought danger here."
"I'm sorry."
"But I swear — I'll finish this. One way or another."
The old chief stepped forward, gnarled hands trembling.
> "Go, boy. Protect the girl. Protect yourself. We'll manage. We always do."
Jayden bowed low, deeper than respect — it was gratitude, it was apology, it was a prayer.
Then, with Aria bundled carefully in his arms, Jayden disappeared into the misty dawn, his heart pounding like a funeral drum.
---
The forest between the village and the city was ancient — thick with gnarled roots, tangled vines, and dangers that wore many faces.
Jayden moved fast, his mind a sharp spear focused only on one goal: Save Aria.
But halfway through the path, the trap was sprung.
Cain had been waiting.
Emerging from the shadows like a nightmare, Cain's blade gleamed under the weak sunlight.
> "You thought you could outrun fate?" Cain sneered. "How touching."
Jayden set Aria down gently behind a fallen log, turning to face Cain with bare fists.
No weapon.
No backup.
Just raw, desperate will.
Cain smirked.
> "You're pathetic. Fighting for a dying girl? She's already gone. Save yourself, Jayden. That's what survivors do."
Jayden didn't flinch.
> "Maybe."
"But maybe for once, I'm done surviving."
"Maybe this time — I'm choosing to live."
Cain charged.
Steel screamed through the air.
Jayden dodged the first strike, barely.
But Cain was relentless — every blow precise, every attack designed to cripple, not kill.
He wanted Jayden to suffer.
And Jayden knew he couldn't win.
Not like this.
Not fairly.
So he cheated.
Kicking up dirt, grabbing a broken branch, throwing a rock — Jayden fought with everything he had.
Pain lanced through his side as Cain slashed him.
Blood soaked his shirt.
But he didn't fall.
He refused to fall.
---
Just when it seemed Cain had Jayden cornered against a crumbling cliff edge —
a low growl rippled through the trees.
Out of the forest charged Mira, the old village wolf Jayden had once nursed back to health.
And behind her, a dozen more.
Wild, savage, beautiful.
Cain's eyes widened as the pack surrounded him.
Jayden didn't hesitate.
He scooped Aria back into his arms and ran.
Behind him, the forest exploded into chaos — snarls, roars, the clash of flesh and fang.
Cain's screams followed him, torn apart by nature's raw fury.
Jayden didn't look back.
He ran like the world was ending.
Because for him, it was.
---
By the time Jayden reached the city outskirts, he was barely conscious.
His wounds burned.
His vision blurred.
Every step was a prayer whispered to a God he no longer believed in.
But he made it.
He crashed through the hospital doors, shouting for help.
Doctors and nurses rushed forward, pulling Aria from his arms, wheeling her away under flashing lights.
Jayden tried to follow —
But his knees buckled.
The world tilted.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was a nurse shouting:
> "We've got her! She's still breathing!"
---