The Last Esper [BL]
Chapter 29: I know what you are

Chapter 29: I know what you are

"I have something to do," Eun-woo told Rhys as he slipped through the back door. "I’ll meet you later," he added before running off.

"What?" Rhys looked up from the maps he was studying, puzzled by the sudden departure. "Wait! You can’t just go out like that!" he shouted, grabbing his weapon and following after him. "Arthur must be in the woods!"

Eun-woo didn’t stop; on the contrary, he increased his speed. The rain hit his face, soaking his clothes in a matter of seconds. With each step, the soft, slippery ground swallowed his feet or made him skid in the mud. To avoid falling, Eun-woo held onto the trees with trembling hands, bracing himself on the wet bark. The mist wound between the trunks, obscuring the landscape a few meters away.

Since he couldn’t trust his sight, Eun-woo relied on smell instead.

The rain enhanced the smells, somehow making them more potent and identifiable. The scent of wet earth, moss, and wood gathered in his nose. But there was one scent Eun-woo was particularly searching for. Something fresh and metallic, with an electrifying undertone that tickled his nostrils and made him frown to stifle a sneeze.

He felt like he was close.

Then he saw them.

Almost hidden among the damp undergrowth and dark moss, enormous flowers emerged with elongated, pale blue petals that seemed to emit a soft luminescence in the rain. Despite the shadowy, foggy environment, the flowers stood out.

That was what he needed to help Rong Ye.

Eun-woo knelt beside them. His hands trembled as he cut the stems, quickly stuffing the petals into his damp pockets. His breathing was labored, but his movements remained precise; he didn’t want to ruin them.

He stood up, mud staining his knees, and turned, intending to go back. But then he stopped.

He heard voices and the subtle creaking of branches being stepped on, the sound of wet leaves being pushed aside. Footsteps.

They were soldiers and were too close to their location.

Eun-woo had been so focused on the flowers that he hadn’t noticed them in time. He immediately threw himself onto the wet ground, rolled into a clump of thorny bushes, and hid beneath their foliage. The cold earth chilled him to the bone, but he didn’t move. He held his breath, closed his eyes, and clung to the desire to become invisible.

The fog played to his advantage. Like a protective blanket, it covered the ground with its whitish thickness. From his hiding place, he heard them passing. Their voices were low, tense. "Keep searching," "He must be close," "Don’t get too confident."

They passed just a few steps from him, so close he could see the mud on their boots. But they didn’t see him. The fog kept him safe.

Until he remembered something.

Rhys.

He had followed him and if Eun-woo had sensed them late... Rhys had probably already crossed paths with them.

As if summoned by a thought, a shot rang out in the distance. The echo reverberated through the trees.

"There it is!" someone shouted.

"Chase him!"

Rhys wasn’t careless enough to let himself be caught. Eun-woo was sure he’d done it on purpose. He’d fired and let himself be seen to draw attention away from him. To protect him.

Eun-woo felt a pang in his chest. He wanted to run after Rhys, but knew he couldn’t ruin his effort. So he waited. He clenched his fists against the wet earth, willing the soldiers to go away.

He heard footsteps fading into the trees, voices trailing into the distance. Only when silence returned did he dare to move.

He stood up slowly, his legs shaking, shaking the mud off his hands, the petals still safe in his pockets.

Then, he heard a click right next to his ear.

Eun-woo froze.

He felt the barrel of a gun press against his temple.

"What do we have here?" a familiar voice whispered.

Arthur.

Eun-woo didn’t need to see him to know it was him. He turned his face only slightly and confirmed what he’d feared: it was the same soldier who had betrayed them in the city.

Arthur looked at him as if he had just found a trophy.

"You don’t know how much I’ve been looking forward to this moment," he murmured softly. "Blackwood’s little experiment... alone in the woods. How convenient."

Eun-woo didn’t respond. With a swift movement, he plucked from the nearest trunk one of the creatures he’d encountered in the forest: that strange plant jellyfish with a translucent body and roots for limbs. Before Arthur could react, Eun-woo spun around and slammed the creature directly into his face.

The creature’s sharp roots sank into the soldier’s eyes. Arthur let out a piercing scream, clutched his face, and writhed in pain as the creature tightened its grip on his face.

Blinded and staggering, Arthur fell to his knees on the wet earth.

Eun-woo took advantage of the distraction without a second thought. He turned and ran through the trees. But the rain, coupled with the dense fog blanketing the forest, made every step a struggle.

He didn’t know when he lost his way, he just felt the ground disappear beneath his feet.

He slipped.

And he fell down a slope covered in mud and wet branches. His body hit the ground hard, and as he fell, his head hit a rock hidden among the roots.

Everything went blurry.

A high-pitched buzzing sound filled his ears.

Eun-woo lay sprawled in the mud, the rain pounding his back relentlessly. The water ran down his face, washing away the blood slowly oozing from the wound on his head.

He blinked, dazed, his vision blurry, his limbs refusing to respond.

He couldn’t close his eyes. He had to get to Rong Ye and give him the flower. Only then could the five of them escape. Together.

Gathering what little strength he had left, Eun-woo tried to move his arms. With a shaky effort, he managed to place his hands under his body and push up, trying to stand. He managed to rise only a few inches, and his arms trembled immediately. He couldn’t hold himself up.

His soaked, numb body collapsed under its own weight. And he collapsed back into the mud. He sighed in frustration.

He stood there, his face pressed against the damp earth, feeling the rain pounding against the back of his neck, his shoulders, and his back. He listened to the steady murmur of rain filtering through the leaves, the distant splash of water falling into puddles, the low buzzing of insects slithering through the undergrowth. In the distance, a bird let out a high-pitched squawk.

The scent of wet earth wafted through his nose, mingling with the faint stench of his own blood.

Eun-woo took a deep breath, his chest aching with every inhalation.

He couldn’t stay there forever. But for a moment... just for a moment, he needed to be still. To feel like he was still alive. To feel like the world, no matter how crumbling it was, was still beating around him.

The rain no longer touched his back. Something, or someone, stood between him and the sky. A shadow loomed over his motionless body, so large it obscured the faint light filtering through the mist.

Eun-woo looked up with effort, blinking away the water and blood clouding his eyes.

It was a wolf. Or something like that.

A mutant, as Rhys called them.

The creature was enormous. Its body was covered in a rough hide composed of wet rock, roots, and moss. The wolf growled and bared its fangs at Eun-woo.

But then the creature sniffed the air. The growl dissolved into a curious snort. The wolf lowered its head slowly, approaching Eun-woo’s face, still lying in the mud.

A rough, warm tongue licked the open wound on his forehead. The sensation was strange, warm, and oddly comforting.

"Stop it!" Eun-woo laughed. "That tickles!"

The wolf stopped dead in its tracks, as if understanding his words, and raised its head, ears pricked. Its eyes narrowed. A deep growl erupted from its throat, vibrating in the air like a warning. It looked up at the muddy slope where Eun-woo had fallen moments before.

Arthur was nearby.

Eun-woo looked at the strange wolf and the creature’s intense, bright eyes met his own.

Go after him, Eun-woo thought.

The wolf snorted, spun sharply on its heavy paws, and charged up the slope, its fierce roar echoing through the trees. Its silhouette disappeared into the mist.

Eun-woo stared at the spot where the wolf had disappeared. If the wolf could charge into danger without looking back, he could get up too. He had to do it.

He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. With effort, he placed a hand on the soft mud and, trembling, tried to stand once more. This time, he didn’t think about the pain or the exhaustion. He thought about Rhys. About Rong Ye. About Caelan and Jae.

His body protested, but he managed to get to his knees. Then, with a low groan, he slowly rose to his feet. Wobbly, yes, but steady.

He wiped the mud and blood from his face with a soaked sleeve, took another deep breath, and took the first step into the woods.

He had to go back.

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