EP1. The beginning of everything (11)
The rain started to fall quietly without anyone noticing.
It was raining so hard that I couldn’t see an inch ahead before I knew it.
And in the rain, Shawn and the wolf were still confronting each other.
The moment Sean met the wolf for the first time, he thought he would end up here.
Oddly enough, the wolf just kept staring at Shawn.
He wondered if he was guarding himself, but there was no way Sean could know the exact wolf’s heart.
Utilizing the memory Luke told me about before, I do not move for no reason, but I stand still.
You never know when the wolves will suddenly attack, most of all.
Shawn felt his body tremble.
Those heavy raindrops attacked Shawn again and again.
‘What the hell am I supposed to do? How can I get out of this situation?’
Shawn thought and thought, but he couldn’t see any way out.
Of course, Shawn wasn’t without any weapons. Sling.
Sean still had the sling Luke gave him when he first started hunting.
But there were no stones for the sling.
Although I glanced sideways at the stone near my feet.
He wondered if the wolf would stand still while he bent down to pick up the stone? The stakes were too great to gamble now.
If you fail, you risk not only your own life, but also Luke’s brother’s life.
Sean continued to think about how to pass away in this situation, but the wolf seemed to have already finished his thoughts.
Have you realized that the person in front of you has no ability to harm you?
The wolf took one step at a time toward Sean.
Shaun followed suit, continuing to look at the wolf and backing away slowly, but the distance between them was getting closer and closer.
The moment when the wolf finally puts all his strength into his paws to charge at Shawn.
Flash.
The whole world was filled with light.
This time, before Shaun and Wolf both knew what had happened.
Kwaaang!
The heavens and earth rang and the whole world shook.
By the time Sean noticed, he was already on his stomach and his body was shaking.
As I was lying down, I barely lifted my head and looked around. I wonder if the wolf in front of me is also a mere beast in front of the greatness of nature.
Sean was lying on the floor, not paying attention, whimpering.
Turning his head to his side, he saw that the tree right next to him was burning.
Only then did Shaun realize the exact situation.
That lightning struck. Right next to them.
This is a heaven-sent opportunity.
Shaun took advantage of the wolf’s distraction and quickly passed by and tried to return to the village.
You have to run as soon as you wake up. Thinking so, Sean got up, but he couldn’t put his plan into action right away.
It was then that Sean understood why the wolf was rolling around like that.
He wasn’t even struck by lightning, probably because lightning struck right next to him, or because his whole body felt numb.
‘···It has to be now!’
Shaun begged again and again for his body to move, but before that, things changed.
Cheap- The tree that had been struck by lightning fell down with a sound of
.
This was a really big deal. A fallen tree completely blocked the path ahead.
That alone is devastating enough, but the important thing is that the tree fell between Shawn and the wolf.
Even if Sean turned around and headed towards the village, wouldn’t the wolf have already recovered sufficiently by that time?
To make matters worse, the fire that had been attached to the tree was riding down the fallen tree and gradually spreading to the surroundings.
‘I can’t delay any longer, I have to decide now, Shawn!’
Just as Sean thought, a wolf howled came from the other side of the tree.
The wolf has already fully recovered.
And this time, something happened that Shawn never expected.
Ah-
Ah-
As if replying to the wolf’s howling across the tree, the howling of wolves can be heard from the surrounding forest.
There wasn’t just one wolf. Sean made his decision as soon as he heard it.
Immediately, Sean turned around and ran towards the lake.
For Sean, who was cornered, no hopeful plans existed anymore.
But he knew he had to live.
I don’t want Luke’s life to be wasted. Sean ran like that for a while again.
Fortunately, the wolves didn’t seem to be chasing them now. Still, Sean didn’t stop running.
And as soon as they reached the cabin by the lake, Sean entered the cabin and locked the door.
***
My whole body loses strength.
Sean slumped in his seat and sat down.
‘What should I do now?’
My life is safe right now, but nothing is solved by just staying still.
There will still be wolves and monsters out there.
‘…What happened to Luke?’
He wanted to believe that he must have survived and outwitted the monster. However, the monster, despite its size, ran at a speed similar to that of the fleeing Luke.
If my brother got tired and stopped or slowed down even a little… It would have been almost impossible to get away from the monster.
Even Luke heard Sean’s cry and ran out immediately, so he didn’t have any weapons with him except for the small hunting knife he always carried.
The thought made Shaun see a sword lying on a table in the corner of the cabin.
Luke’s sword.
The sword containing Luke’s dream of becoming an adventurer.
Shaun got up before he knew it and slowly approached him and picked up the sword.
Shawn, who was still young, held the sword with both hands and strained to lift it.
Then Shaun peered at his reflection in the blade of his sword.
He stared at the weak little boy, who was overcome with despair reflected in the blade of the sword.
He certainly didn’t think he would be able to get through the situation with this sword.
He himself is too lazy to even hold this sword.
But maybe.
Wouldn’t it be possible for Luke hyung?
Of course Sean knows. Resolving this situation with only one sword was a near-impossible story that could only come out of a fairy tale.
But at the same time Sean knew.
Luke’s will to hold on to his sword and train hard every day.
His passion for always running around town to increase his stamina.
The eyes of his older brother as he talked about his dream and looked at his reflection in the blade of the sword.
Even though Luke may be an ordinary country boy who dreams of becoming an adventurer, which is common in reality.
At least the eyes at that time belonged to a hero in a fairy tale, not in reality.
At that moment, Luke was clearly not a country boy, but a great adventurer.
So Sean decided to believe it. His eyes.
So Sean hoped. A handful of miracles.
Shaun barely grabbed his sword and left the cabin. Outside, the rain was still pouring from the sky.
Fortunately, there was no one on the lake shore. Shawn looked into the forest beyond.
Luke’s words about never going into the woods sounded vague, but he didn’t mind that kind of thing to himself now.
If Luke is wrong anyway, he won’t be able to get through the wolves and return to the village either.
Shaun walked around the shore of the lake and slowly headed into the woods.
Having heard earlier that Joe had set up traps all around the back of the forest, Shaun walked away, being as vigilant as possible.
He actually checked a few traps along the way, but it wasn’t too difficult for Shawn to dodge them, as he had been learning to hunt with Luke for a week and had gotten used to them.
So Shaun finally reached the depths of the forest. Certainly, even though it was still at the entrance, the atmosphere was completely different from outside the forest.
Unlike the outside of the forest, there was not a single proper road, and it was already hard to see because of the pouring rain.
But what frightened Shawn even more than that was the sound echoing from all directions.
That sound was not one. Most of them sounded like animal cries, but there were also sounds that Sean didn’t think were animal cries.
But he couldn’t stop there just because he was scared. Shawn moved slowly.
Shawn kept looking around his head, looking everywhere for Luke.
All the sounds of the forest, the heavy rain, and the sound of thunder seemed to drive Sean’s eardrums away.
After walking like that for a while, Sean found some unnatural traces.
All the trees in one direction were broken and fell. And looking under the ground, there were large footprints.
Shawn immediately ran to the vicinity of the trail and saw that human footprints were also faintly imprinted among the large footprints there.
And Shawn knew. That this trace is really not that long.
I wonder if my eardrums really went away and now I can hear auditory hallucinations, but I haven’t heard the sound of falling trees at all.
The fact that the footprints remain despite the heavy rain means that it hasn’t been long since their footprints were taken.
Sean felt the smothered hope revive.
‘My older brother is still alive!’
Sean immediately ran along the trail. The trail continued uninterrupted.
And when I ran like that, I finally found it in the distance.
A big monster.
Even though the monster was turning, its terrible appearance was felt even from its back.
And then Sean noticed something strange.
‘…There’s no reason to be quiet like that?’
Anxiety overtook Shawn. Sean immediately looked around him.
And he was able to spot the shape of a person sitting reclining under a tree.
I couldn’t see it closely because it was far away, but I couldn’t feel any movement even though he looked at the person for a long time.
‘No, it can’t be. No way···. No.’
From noble mtl dot com.
Sean felt something sticky in his body gripping him.
This emotion that cannot be defined with words such as despair, anger, or sadness that I have never felt in my life. Shawn felt his emotions rot away.
Reality was not a fairy tale. Luke did not become the main character in a fairy tale.
As if the cruel reality was about to awaken Sean once again, the monster turned around and looked at Sean.
The monster’s many mouths seemed to be laughing at itself.
Then the monster slowly began to approach Sean.
It was as if the monster was saying that if you ran away, he could always catch you. Shaun’s final resistance was as he straightened the sword he was drawing.
And finally the monster came right under Shawn’s nose.
I fell down.
It looked like a faithful servant bowing down to his master.
Before Shawn fully understood the monster’s actions.
All over the world.
Has stopped.
All sounds are gone. The sound that had made Sean so loud all this time disappeared as if it never existed in the first place, as if it had even existed.
Only the sound of rain remained, as if reminding us that now is reality.
And behind Shawn.
“It’s been a while.”
I heard a man’s voice.
Sean immediately looked back. What I saw was an unknown man wearing a black robe.
“Where is Morta Ora going to play? She picked it up and saw it. That too.”
The unidentified man said, looking at the huge monster, Sean, and Luke lying down behind him.
“Two of you.”
Sean couldn’t understand what the man was saying. No, I couldn’t understand the situation itself.
Who is that man, where did he come from, and why is he calling the monster so friendly?
Shaun mustered up his last courage and tried to see the man’s hidden face.
Shaun could tell by looking at the man’s eyes through the slit of the robe.
That man was death.
I know that it doesn’t make sense even after thinking about it, but that was the only correct answer.
That man is death itself. The moment he met the man’s eyes, Sean couldn’t feel any more thoughts or emotions.
Shaun threw away the sword he was barely holding on to and could only tremble.
Like a rabbit meeting a lion. Like a death row inmate facing his executioner.
The boy who longed for a hero had no choice but to tremble in fear before the existence of death.
“I really like it, but one guy is already dead. One guy is still young. Hmm.”
Then the man looked at the trembling boy in front of him for a moment and then said.
“I guess that guy over there was your precious person? Then come find me getting more coveted I’ll be waiting for you until then.”
Sean made no reply to that. The man also turned his attention to the boy after he had finished talking.
The man looked at the monster and said.
“Let’s go. Come Morta. I won’t allow you to play any more.”
After those words, the unidentified man disappeared without a blink of an eye along with the monster.
For a long time after the man left, Sean sat there.
Sean realized long ago that he needed to hurry up and check on the man sitting in the tree.
But I couldn’t get to where he was. It was because I was too afraid to check it myself.
To the boy who had been sitting for such a long time.
Aww-
Three wolves quietly appeared.
Shawn knew he had to either run away with his head or pick up the sword on the floor and resist, but he couldn’t.
I couldn’t leave him behind to run away.
To pick up a sword and fight, this sword.
This sword he threw away trembling at the sight of his enemy. Because it was too heavy for Sean.
The wolves immediately started approaching Sean, as if they were happy to have found the game they had missed.
And when the wolves finally pounce on Shawn.
Seoguk-
With the sound of a clear cut, the three wolves split their bodies in two before they knew it.
“Sean, are you okay? Fortunately, I’m glad it’s not too late. Mr. Sean, Mr. Sean?”
Sean collapsed without even answering the voice he heard.
Just before collapsing, Shawn thought.
He said today was the worst day of his life.
The rain stopped falling from the sky before I knew it.