TFM 44

Chapter 44

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Pushing through the panicked soldiers clutching their weapons, she advanced. Among the collapsed tents, several bodies lay crushed and mangled.

Fear made her stomach clench painfully. But the thought that Varkas might be in such a state made it impossible for her to stop.

She frantically crossed the campground littered with all manner of junk, trying to catch up to Varkas, who was already far ahead.

Then, a thud echoed out.

Talia turned her head toward the sound and turned pale as a sheet. Not far away, a wyvern had landed and was swallowing a soldier whole.

With each movement of the monster's enormous jaws, blood spilled over, soaking its blackened jaws.

The scene was so unreal she couldn't even feel fear. Her legs trembling, Talia stumbled backward. Then, among the soldiers charging forward with spears raised, she spotted Varkas and shouted loudly.

"Varkas! Varkas!"

Like a child finding her parents in a market, she charged fiercely toward him. Varkas, who had been giving orders to his knights, turned to look at her.

The moment their eyes met, his eyes widened slightly before narrowing again. He seemed angry that she had ignored his orders and rushed out.

His gaze sharpened, sending a chill down her spine for a moment, but Talia didn't stop, continuing toward him. Her mind was filled only with the thought that she had to get to safety with him.

“Don't get into the fight. You can leave that to your men. You need to stay by my side.”

Her words, little more than a tantrum, came out jumbled amidst her ragged breathing.

Despite the chaos making it impossible for him to hear, Varkas strode toward her as if he'd understood her perfectly. Talia reached out her hand toward him.

At that moment, a faint scream echoed from somewhere.

"Varkas!"

Varkas's head snapped back.

Following his gaze, Talia's eyes widened as she spotted Ayla, left alone in the middle of the chaos. Separated from her guards in the commotion, she stumbled forward, a dark shadow looming over her head. Seeing this, Varkas didn't hesitate, launching himself forward.

Watching him vanish from her sight in an instant, Talia gaped in stunned silence. A pitiful plea escaped her constricted throat.

Don't go.

Don't go to her.

A lava-like sob erupted, threatening to burn her throat.

He scooped Ayla up as if snatching her and rolled his body at the last moment.

The monster, having lost its prey right before its eyes, let out a savage roar as its black claws scraped roughly at the ground.

As if protecting Ayla from the enraged beast, Varkas drew his sword and pulled her behind him. But the monster showed no lingering interest in a target it had failed to capture once. Shaking its massive head from side to side and sniffing the air, it suddenly turned its gaze toward Talia.

She froze solid, staring into a pair of blazing red eyes. Whether excited by discovering a new target, the monster's pupils dilated widely. And in the next instant, its massive body flew toward her like a snake gliding across the water's surface.

Its movement was so swift she didn't even have time to scream. Talia was lifted into the air, her body grabbed by claws like hooks.

Gazing down at the rapidly receding ground, Talia's eyes darted frantically. She saw the soldiers scrambling about. Even that scene shrank to the size of a palm in the blink of an eye.

Overwhelmed by a strong sense of danger, Talia began desperately flailing her limbs. But the pressure crushing her chest only grew stronger. It felt as if sharp claws would pierce her flesh and tear her body apart at any moment.

Staring up at the monster holding her with eyes filled with terror, Talia suddenly cried out loudly.

"H-help me...! Someone... help me...!"

But even to her own ears, the voice sounded feeble.

Gasping for breath, she struggled to open her mouth again.

Then, in the bluish darkness, something like a flash of light flickered, followed by a fierce gust of wind that swept across her face. Talia screamed. The monster that had snatched her let out a monstrous roar and began violently shaking her body.

The crushing force, as if it would snap her waist, momentarily blurred her vision white. Overwhelmed by the intense strain, her limbs went limp. Soon after, her body floated up into the air before plummeting toward somewhere.

A few seconds passed like that, then a heavy impact slammed into her entire body, and everything sank into darkness.

She couldn't tell if she was awake or unconscious. The thought crossed her mind that she might even be dead. But almost as if to deny that possibility, excruciating pain overwhelmed her.

Talia gasped for breath like livestock moments before slaughter, moaning in agony.

It hurt. It hurt so much. Yet she couldn't pinpoint exactly where the pain was coming from.

"Ugh…… Ugh……"

Unconsciously, Talia crawled along the floor, trying to escape whatever was crushing her. Unable to endure the increasingly intense pain, she buried her forehead in the cold earth. Then, catching a pungent, acrid smell, she struggled to lift her head.

Her eyes, accustomed to the darkness, caught sight of the lifeless, limp body of a wyvern. Talia let out a terrified sob, then blinked in confusion upon realizing the monster was dead.

As if scorched by flames, half of the beast's wings were charred black and shriveled, while embers still glowed red on its massive hind legs, where scales had peeled away.

She stared blankly at the scene before pushing herself up with her palms, struggling to raise her upper body.

Then she saw the large boulder and pile of dirt crushing one of her legs. It seemed she had fallen and rolled down the slope.

'I have to get out of here...'

Talia desperately twisted her body, trying to free her lower half from the rock pile, but the excruciating pain overwhelmed her, and she slumped back down. Not only was her leg pinned under the fallen rocks, but her chest, shoulders, and arms hurt too—there wasn't a single spot that didn't ache.

Could every bone in her body be broken?

And then some. Honestly, she couldn't even fathom how she was still alive. No. Or rather, she might not even know if she was dying.

Her eyes, filled with fear, scanned the surroundings.

Deep darkness had settled over the surroundings before she knew it. Was this what it felt like to be buried alive? Breathing grew increasingly difficult.

She wished she could lose consciousness, but strangely, her awareness only grew sharper. Unable to endure the intensifying agony, Talia scraped at the floor with her crushed fingernails. Tears streamed down her face without pause.

"It hurts... It hurts so much... Varkas..."

She had no idea why she was murmuring that name. The image of him turning his back on her and rushing toward Ayla came to mind.

She could never be important to Varkas. For him, the only ones he had to protect at any moment were Ayla and Gareth.

She felt hot tears soaking her cheeks completely.

"No... Still... He'll come find me."

She murmured, as if trying to convince herself. She, too, was the Emperor's daughter. He was a man of strong responsibility; surely he would come looking for her body, if nothing else. He wouldn't just leave her here like this.

Clinging desperately to that thought, she stared intently into the deepening darkness.

Soon, even the embers flickering on the monster's skin died out, plunging the world into total darkness.

No matter how long she waited, there was no sign of anyone coming for her. Squeezing her parched, cracked throat, she forced out a slightly louder whisper.

"It's okay. It's okay. He'll be here soon. Soon……."

But that voice was swallowed up by the sobs that burst forth.

Talia bit her lip and covered her mouth with trembling hands. She didn't want to cry.

Crying would be like admitting it. That no one would come for her.......

She forced the bitter wail, a tangled mix of pain and despair, back down into her stomach. Then she repeated the words again.

If I just wait a little longer, Varkas will definitely come. And just like he pulled me out of the muddy pit once, he'll help me.

He definitely will. Definitely……………….