"The pain..... I-I can't breathe.... I can't a-anymore..." thought Yuuma as he kept running, forcing his eyes not to blackout.
"Run as much as you can!!! But I'm not letting you slip away without savouring you!!! It waters my mouth just by thinking of them!!!" screamed the monster, laughing maniacally...
Yuuma's legs stopped. He caught a breath. His eyes shut. "Dammit!! Dammit!!! No... I can't stop right now!! I can't... die... without avenging them" thought Yuuma before collapsing into unconsciousness.
"Tch!! Poor boy!! But no problem, I'd end his suffering" said the monster, pulling away the dagger from Yuuma's back. The sight of blood flowing out of Yuuma's wounds watered her mouth.
She picked Yuuma with her arms, opening her mouth and licking Yuuma's wounds. "Hmmm... As expected... His blood is delicious..."
The monster grabbed Yuuma by his leg, determined to gulp him at once...
"Leave him!!!" drifted someone, so swift that it took even the Snake Lady a moment to realise.
The monster looked around and hissed loudly and angrily...
When she looked around, she didn't find anyone. But, before she could notice, a branch flew into her mouth, shattering her fangs... The monster screamed and returned back in pain, spitting blood as she went...
Yuuma woke up in a void, tied with thousands of chains. Ahead of him, he notices his family, standing, looking at him...
"Mom!!! Dad!! Sister!! I knew it!! It was all a dream!! Let's go back home!!" screamed Yuuma, sobbing loudly...
His family said nothing, just smiled at him, eyes teary, faces pale...
Yuuma tried to get up, but the heavy chains he was tied to didn't let him to. "ARGH!! Why are all these chains here?!?! LET ME GO!!!!" cried Yuuma.
After struggling alot, he finally got freed and ran towards his family.... As he approached his family, someone grabbed him by his neck and pulled him back...
"NO!!! MOM!!! DAD!!! SIS!!" screamed Yuuma at the top of his voice, struggling to escape from the grip... But, even after all his might, he couldn't...
The next thing he saw was his parents converting into dust and vanishing...He screamed...He tried to look back at the person grabbing his neck.... It was Taishiro...
Yuuma woke up startled and teary-eyed... "So, it was a dream..." he thought. It was night. He looked at his surroundings, and saw a boy sitting beside him, trying to make a bonfire...
"So, you are finally awake... What's your name eh?" asked the boy, successfully lighting a bonfire
Yuuma, struggling to get up, said, "Yuuma S-Sangakai... Yours? Where am I? Why did you save me?"
"Alright, Mr. Curiosity Sangakai. I understand you are confused.... Lemme start by introducing myself. My name's Unknown Izuhara... My father was an Illuminator, mother a botanist and I followed my father's steps!!! And about this place? I found this big tree and made a floor above it using some bamboo cut from the higher banks bordering the marsh... And the reason I saved you? I myself don't know" proclaimed the boy, catching his breath after finishing...
Yuuma stared at him, processing the information Unknown just dropped in a mere moment...
Unknown looked at Yuuma and said, "You want food? Well, I found a lion cub near some corpses... He was tiny but enough to fill my stomach... Some meat is still getting cooked; you need to wait for 10 more minutes..."
Yuuma stared at the meat getting cooked, and sighed... "Yes... I'm damn hungry, thanks for the food.."
Unknown nodded, smiling...
Yuuma suddenly noticed that his wounds were bandaged with leaves and herbs. "Did you treat all my wounds?" asked Yuuma.
"Oh... yep" said Unknown, "You see, my mom was a botanist, so I do have some knowledge about medicinal herbs and leaves... And you had some deep infected wounds, especially the one on your thumb...."
"Thanks... Thank you." Yuuma said, smiling. Unknown smiled back...
"Now tell 'bout yourself, Yuuma?" asked Unknown, taking the meat pieces out of the bonfire, handing one to Yuuma....
Yuuma looked at the cooked piece of meat for a moment, then ate it... "About me? I'm just here... trapped... Don't know how..."
"You aren't trapped; this is a survival test.... To extract the physically potential trainees, done by Illuminati..." interrupted Unknown.
Yuuma said nothing...
While eating, Yuuma remembered Shikito and Suzume... "Don't know where they would be right now. I hope... they're alright..." Yuuma shook his head, "Why am I feeling so connected to them? I didn't even spend a whole day with them...." he thought.
"Everything alright?" asked Unknown, concerned...
"Hmm... yes... nothing..." answered Yuuma...
TO BE CONTINUED.....