Rina ran to Executioner and dropped to her knees beside him. Her hands trembled as she shook him gently. "Executioner," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Please... wake up."
But he didn't move. His body stayed limp, heavy with blood and sweat. Only the slow rise and fall of his chest told her he was still breathing.
Rina clenched her jaw. She looked at the kids—scared, crying, holding onto each other like their lives depended on it. Her heart ached. She couldn't leave him behind. She wouldn't.
She gritted her teeth and turned her back to him. With all the strength she had left, she pulled his arms over her shoulders and lifted him onto her back. Her legs shook, her knees nearly buckled. Sweat poured down her face. But she didn't stop.
She held onto the kids tightly and said, "Come on. Stay close. Don't look back."
They walked.
One slow, painful step after another.
The forest around them grew darker. The trees stretched high, their branches twisting like claws. Then strange, soft noises started echoing through the trees—creaking sounds, like something crawling just beyond sight. The kids froze.
Rina stopped too.
All of them stood there, breathing hard, too scared to take another step.
Then Rina clenched her fists, looked forward, and muttered through her teeth, "It's on me now. I'll protect them. No matter what."
She moved again. One step. Then another. And another.
Then the whispers started.
"Unpurified souls are not welcome. Hahaha..."
It came from the trees.
The same line repeated.
Again. And again. Three times. Then it went dead silent.
The kids gripped her hands tighter. Their faces were pale, eyes wide. One of them started crying quietly.
"I'm scared," one whispered.
"I wanna go back," another said, voice shaking.
Rina didn't answer. She didn't have the words. Her own heart was racing, her legs getting weaker under Executioner's weight. But she kept going. She didn't stop.
She kept walking. Holding the children's hands tightly.
Her breath came out in sharp gasps. Her back was burning from carrying Executioner. But she pushed through it. Step after step.
Then they reached a narrow path. It stretched forward into the dark, lined with strange-looking holes in the ground—some small, some wide, some too deep to see the bottom. And something else.
Scattered around the path were... things. Strange, motionless creatures. Some looked like twisted animals with too many legs. Others were like statues—gray, cracked, with broken wings and eyeless faces. All of them were still. Too still.
Rina stood there, staring.
She was done.
Her legs gave out. She slowly bent down and lowered Executioner off her back. He dropped to the ground gently, and she slumped next to him.
Her chest rose and fell. She was soaked in sweat. Her arms felt like stone. Her breathing was rough and loud.
The kids sat beside her, silent.
For a while, nobody said anything.
Then, about thirty minutes later, something changed.
A purple smoke started forming ahead of the strange path. It spun in place like a slow-moving fog, thick and unnatural. Then, from inside it, came a voice. Hollow. Cold.
"Leave... Leave... You are not welcome."
The kids went stiff.
Their hearts dropped.
If hearts could break from fear, theirs would've shattered right then.
They started to panic. Their small hands gripped Rina's arms tightly. Tears streamed down their faces.
Then a hand came out of the smoke.
It was pale and thin, like skin stretched over bones that shouldn't be standing. The hand was rotten, fingers long and sharp like claws. The skin looked like it had been dead for thousands of years.
Then the face appeared.
No eyes. Just hollow sockets. The face was dry, sunken, and cracked. Parts of its jaw were missing, and what was left looked like a twisted skeleton, only worse—uglier, like it was cursed.
Rina's breath caught in her throat.
The monster stepped forward slowly, its joints cracking with every move. The sound it made was sickening.
Crrkk... Crrkk... Crrrkk...
It raised both hands slowly. Then a huge axe appeared in its grip, forming from the purple smoke. The weapon was massive, easily bigger than Rina herself. It gleamed with a dull shine as the creature gripped it tightly.
Then it moved.
Fast.
It sprinted forward, raising the axe high above its head, running straight at them.
The kids screamed. Rina's eyes widened in horror.
They crawled backward on the ground, panic taking over. The monster closed the distance fast.
But right as it was about to strike—
A flash of green and gold light burst from Executioner's body.
A small circular array formed instantly around Rina and the kids, glowing brightly. The monster's axe hit it and bounced off with a loud clang.
The monster was forced back—but not far.
It stood there, staring at them with its hollow eyes. Its lips moved. No sound came out, but it was clearly casting something.
Then its axe changed.
Blue lightning started crawling all over it, giving it a strange, dangerous glow.
It charged again.
This time, it slammed the axe into the array with all its strength.
CRACK!
The array cracked. Rina's eyes widened. "No..."
The monster raised the axe again. And again, it struck.
CRAAACK!
The array shattered.
The axe was already falling—headed straight for Rina and the kids.
They screamed, frozen in place, nowhere to run.
But just before the blade could reach them—
A green lightning sword came down and blocked it.
The impact blew dust and light everywhere.
When the light cleared, Executioner was standing there, holding the green blade tightly. His body glowed with green lightning. His hair was longer now, flowing wildly. His eyes glowed too—deep green, sharp, alive.
His face was hard.
Furious.
He stared at the monster without blinking.
And without a word, he stepped forward.
Then he ran.
His sword pulled back, his body glowing brighter with every step.
He charged the monster with everything he had.