The crust of the rock began to crack and fracture as tentacles with eyes on the tip emerged through the layer of gravel on top of the stone. The eyes were protected by armor that no sword could penetrate.

Luna's eyes widened as she recognized what had risen in front of her. It was in the distance, but that didn't matter to her amplified eyes.

More and more rubble fell off his body and hit the ground, further breaking it up. Spikes and armor appeared. A mouth big enough to swallow a whole man, with teeth the size of swords. Strings of slime clung to where Luna assumed the kin to be. The skin's color was partly purple and somewhat red, but the armor surrounding its body shone with pride as if no magic could pierce it.

Luna had already turned away and fled as fast as she could. All her instincts screamed in terror. She knew that none of her spells would be able to break through that armor. She didn't even have to look to know what happened next.

The last pieces of stone fell from the Floating Head. A yellow eye larger than a human opened and glared in her direction. All her blood was about to freeze under the tremendous pressure exerted by the monster.

'It's a beholder, and it's the biggest I've ever seen!' Luna screamed in her head. To say she panicked would be an understatement because she knew the distance she had built up was meaningless. The gaze of a beholder this size would effortlessly go several miles, and the only shelter she had were a few dead trees. Luna wasn't sure if it could withstand the death glare, but she had to try.

Another wave of mana rushed past her. The enormous pressure made her stumble slightly. With a targeted forward roll, she managed to get back on her feet.

"!sdlrow eht delevart ohw dlihc ,uoy tpurroc em teL"

The pressure behind Luna didn't let up. She had no idea what it was saying to her, and the thundering noise gave her a headache.

Everything around her turned purple, the darkness beneath her feet unable to absorb the sound. She didn't care, though, as long as the soil was kept away from her feet, she wouldn't be slowed down by the slime's stickiness. The layer of darkness was thin but dense. Like a bolt of lightning, she dodged the trees that kept looming in front of her eyes. She couldn't afford to slow down. The slime squeaked under her soles with every step.

The air vibrated again, and hum like the charging of a great weapon resounded through the forest. Luna glanced back. She saw a bright light between the trees. She knew what that meant, and her otherwise pale skin lost the rest of its color.

She threw herself aside, slid through the mud, unsheathed her daggers, and rammed them into a tree. Slime was thrown in all directions as she swung behind the tree like an athlete and pressed her back against the vibrating bark.

A bright light lit up the night. A wave of energy of unimaginable proportions rolled in her direction almost unhindered. Luna heard trees being pulverized into chips. The dead forest seemed to scream in pain as the light rolled toward her like a natural disaster. Her back was pressed against the tree and shrouded in more darkness for protection. Luna made herself as small as possible so as not to waste her darkness on unnecessary space.

The wood groaned and creaked under the light that shone past her. Wood dust fell on her like soft snowflakes in winter, causing the light to flicker wildly. As quickly as it came, it was gone again. Luna immediately rolled to her left. Tentacles had formed out of the dark mud she was lying on, and they were now meters high.

The slime around them seemed to have come alive. The tentacles flailed wildly. Luna jumped to the right and used the bark of a tree to propel herself higher into the air to avoid a tentacle collision. As she landed, she rolled over and skidded under another tentacle as if on ice.

The slime was now sticking to her clothes, but she wasted no time. She knew that the whole forest must have noticed her. In front of her, she could already hear the howling of the wolves.

The number of tentacles kept increasing. Scraps of clothing were ripped from her body as sharp teeth snapped shut to maul her. Out of her eyes corner, she saw another tentacle swinging sideways. With tremendous force, it rammed her side and threw her against a tree, whose wood began to splinter under the impact.

For a brief moment, she had become unconscious. When Luna regained consciousness, tentacles had already wrapped around her ankles, immobilizing her. Behind her, Luna heard the whirring again. It was slow, so she knew it wasn't ready to fire. More tentacles formed around her. She noticed when she looked down that they had already covered up her daggers. Her face was covered with sweat and panic. She grabbed the bow and constructed an electric arrow as fast as possible.

Lightning shot forward with a crackle. Her entire face was filled with pain as the lightning ricocheted off the trees and grazed her body while the tentacles were torn apart. Blood began soaking her pants and sticking the fabric to her skin.

While standing up, she saw an entire horde of monsters, primarily wolves, coming toward her. She pulled the string again, and a golden arrow formed as she ran toward the monsters. Her fingers relaxed, and the string slipped from her hand. A thunderous flare shot forward, twinkling like a star and flying in the direction of the evil creatures. Luna closed her eyes and snapped her finger.

Boom!

The arrow exploded like a star, lighting up the entire night sky. Howls replaced the tremors of paws as wolves ran into each other. The light was only on for a brief moment, and Luna regained herself within seconds. Blinded by the arrow, the chaos Luna had wished for arose.

She didn't stop and kept sprinting across the plains, with monsters crashing into each other. Panicked lashed out wildly, tearing more of their clothes and cutting her arms and legs. Warm blood flowed from her wounds and dripped onto the floor.

Luna did her best to navigate the crowds. She slipped under the wolves' legs and jumped over them. The whirring had reached its peak again. Another wave of mana was discharged in her direction.

Luna leapfrogged the wolf that was running amok around the area. She landed and slipped through the legs of another wolf. She drew her blades. With one graceful move, she severed the legs and let the monster drop to the ground like a punching bag.

The light panned sideways across the plane and didn't stay locked to her position like it did the first time. The beholder must have lost sight of her in the masses of monsters. The howls of wolves were stifled while the whole forest shook.

The trees in front of her were completely pulverized.

The wolf's body protected her. Again, she got up and sprinted through the undergrowth. The night turned into the day out of nowhere, and she had to squint at the sudden glare of the light.

The whirring sounded again. She knew it was going to take time, but it was going to be a problem.

Almost all the trees in front of her were gone, and no more monsters came from ahead, which she could use as protection. However, she knew the point where the armies were gathered was yet to come.

A branch tore the ribbon that tied her hair into a tail. They stuck to her face from her sweat, further blurring her vision. She tried to brush her hair away regularly but only partially succeeded.

The forest trembled again, but no object could be seen. Her blood began to freeze as she felt the deadly light approach.

Luna tore the cloak from her body and held it in front of her like a shield. Light and shadow collided. The force was so great that she was catapulted several meters through the air. She slid through the mud, her clothes smelling worse than ever as she was drenched in all the black mud again. Her nose had been numb for some time now.

There were cracks in the air. With great difficulty, she looked up. Before her eyes, the cloak turned to stone. But he had done his duty. The light faded, and moments later, the cloak crumbled to dust.

An escape would be possible if she could make it out of the beholder's area of influence now. She didn't have another ace up her sleeve. The next shot would hit whether she wanted it or not.

Luna had been moving for quite a while now. She didn't have a watch, but she knew a lot of time had passed.

Her muscles and lungs burned. Every air draw was cruel and exhausting. The whirring was far away now, and it was low enough that she only heard it when she amplified her eardrums.

Luna narrowed her eyes as the light seemed to come on one last time. Her skin burned, but other than that, nothing happened. For the first time, she could afford to smile. Her hair was matted and stuck to her face. Blood soaked her clothes. The bleeding had stopped, but she was still exhausted. The injuries and escape had consumed a lot of energy.

She noticed how her vision was slowly blurring. One of the signs her body wasn't going to last much longer. She needed blood as fast as possible.

Luna paused as she saw the monsters in front of her, still walking in a straight line like robots. "Like they'd been programmed to do a specific job," Luna thought before climbing a tree and untying a rope again.

On the other side, she jumped down the tree and sprinted towards the camp. It was probably around noon. At least she guessed it from the position of the sun.

 

***

 

It was early in the morning when Jannet was on her way to the training ground. It was just a green, grassy area that was still damp from the morning dew. She found it odd not to hear the birds, which usually start the day, but she knew from talking to Luna that everything had fled the area for fear of infection.

She missed the uplifting sounds of nature, but right now there were no voices. They had all fled the region. Unfortunate.

She arrived at the grassy area and mentally prepared for today's exercise. Luna had bought her this unique opportunity, and now she had to use it. She sighed; she would prefer it if Luna watched her training to give tips. She was just telling herself that. In reality, she wanted Luna to be with her and praised her whenever she got something done.

Jannet noticed how dependent she has been on Luna lately, and not just in the material sense! Luna is more than just a friend to her; in a way, she would call her her personal guardian angel. She has already noticed that she always behaves childishly around Luna, but for God's sake, she couldn't say why. She followed her like a chick and made no decisions of her own.

Both hands gripped the thin white metal plate tightly. It was paper thin but heavier than expected.

Luna had explained it to her dozens of times. She had to let the magical energy that was dormant in her flow through her connection to the body, collect it at one point, and let it leave her body there. The main difference between this training and others was that her magic should only flow out of your body. It should not take any form.

Time passed as Jannet tried, again and again, to press her magic into the paper, but no matter how hard she tried, nothing happened. Neither the weight nor the color changed. Kanah stopped by a few times and said a few words of encouragement. However, she wanted to get praised by Luna, about whom there was no news yet.

It was already lunchtime, and there was still no sign of life from her. She was beginning to worry, although some instinct told her that Luna was still alive.

"How's it going? Have you made any progress?" inquired a voice behind her. It was Kanah again. Jannet made a face. She hadn't made any progress and was extremely frustrated about it. "No, not yet." "Is there any news from Luna meanwhile?" she asked. Again, she received a headshake in response that made her head hang. It was now just after noon, leaving Luna behind her estimated time.

'I hope she's okay,' she begged in her mind. Luna just had to come back; who else would keep her company?

"You don't have to worry. I haven't known you guys that long, but I can say with certainty that Luna has probably the best survival skills I've ever seen." Kanah had a warm smile on her face. She tried to calm Jannet, whose nervousness was already hanging by a thread.

Kanah would also benefit if Luna came back alive; she would need any information about the infection she could get. "She took you both through the Orchid Forest without incident. Not even the bravest of knights would easily enter this place."

A cold wind rustled the grass. Jannet was happy that she was given a dress with a coat. Her clothes from the lab would not have been adequate for this climate. The weather had changed enormously in the last two days. It progressed from a lukewarm autumn warmth to an icy winter cold.

She wanted to ask Kanah about it, but Luna had told her several times not to give any information!

Although she was playing the role of a woman with amnesia, so she could ask theoretically. 'No, I'll ask dear Luna for advice,' she vowed to herself.

At the same moment, a red explosion lit up the daytime sky. Surprised, she looked in the direction of the wall.

"Luna should have come back," Kanah said calmly. Jannet's heart almost jumped out of her chest. She was so happy to hear this. In great haste, they ran towards the wall. However, she couldn't keep up with Kanah, who, in no time, jumped through the air and landed on top of the wall. She didn't even touch the ground.

Jannet ran past the tents, almost slipping on the grass once. In the distance, she saw the stairs that led to the wall. As she sprinted up the steps, she saw a person lying on the wall clad in mud. Water came out of nowhere and washed over the person lying on the ground.

Her heart nearly stopped when she saw Luna's condition. Her clothes were completely torn apart, lacerations were visible all over her body, and her coat was missing. But the worst was the red-hot eyes and the shaking body.

Only a few soldiers were on the wall, and from Kanah's look, Jannet realized that she didn't quite know how to deal with this situation.

"Kanah, could you bring Luna to my tent where I can treat her symptoms?" Jannet asked in a calm voice, at least she tried to sound reassuring, but her voice was slightly trembling. Kanah just nodded before a thin slab of rock formed beneath Luna and lifted her into the air.

In a few minutes, they reached the tent. Luna was still shaking uncontrollably, but it couldn't be compared to what happened in the lab. Luna was clearly in an earlier stage of her transformation. When she got to the tent, Luna was already in bed. Her breathing was heavier, and her eyes shone with the loneliness she had endured for centuries. But she wasn't hissing like a wild beast just yet, a good sign so far.

"It looks like she could use blood," Kanah said suddenly, getting only an incredulous look from Janner. "What? I've known for a while that she's a vampire, and she was aware of it."

Jannet suppressed her thoughts; she had more important things to do.

"Could you help me then?" asked Jannet. "Sure, I assume you're volunteering?"

"Exactly. Since she's not entirely sane, I ask that you intervene if she doesn't let go and tries to suck me dry." Kanah merely replied with a nod.

Jannet helped Luna into a sitting position. She was scared, but she couldn't afford to hesitate. Luna needed her. Jannet slowly brought Luna's face closer to her neck. She felt the faint, sweet breath on her skin.

Luna had a naturally pale face, but she had never seen her so colorless.

It wasn't long before Luna's instincts kicked in. Jannet flinched as Luna's fangs dug into her flesh, but she felt no pain. It was one of the things she didn't understand. She stayed in this position for a while but didn't feel dizzy. Luna's grip grew stronger with every passing moment. Jannet could feel Luna's vitality rising steadily.

Suddenly the red eyes disappeared, and she pulled her teeth out of Jannet's neck before sagging like a wet sack. Jannet blinked a few times in confusion. She could have sworn Luna had given her a quick smile. Carefully, as if carrying a vase, she placed Luna's unconscious body on the bed. She ran her fingers through Luna's shiny black hair. It was as soft as a cloud.

"You might want to rest first, too," she heard Kanah say behind her. "You still have bags under your eyes from lack of sleep. We'll talk later. If you need anything or if Luna's condition worsens, you're welcome to come by." Without waiting for an answer, Kanah turned and left the tent. She had to make sure nothing came out of the forest and attacked the camp.

Jannet still had a lot to do; she got some sponges and rags and put them next to the bed before getting an oversized bowl of warm water. Kanah had washed away the mud with a spell on Luna, but blood was still sticking to her skin. She would probably spend the rest of the day cleaning it.