"Prince Mael, there is no use running away from me," Lowe shouted as he followed the boy closely. "I am going to kill you the moment I capture you." He threatened, his wicked eyes filled with bloodthirst and a strong intention to have his sword dipped in the last surviving Iarlaith's blood.

"I will give you a quick death if you stop running now. Otherwise...." Lowe panted lightly, his pace not slowing down even for a moment. "I will make it as painful as possible before killing you."

In the cold and hauntingly silent night, the man's threats were equally uncanny and daunting. Mael felt goosebumps rising on his skin and his heart was thundering loudly in fear. Even though the cold winds were blowing stronger than ever, Mael was perspiring profusely and every drop of sweat that trickled down his back added more to his anguish.

"Prince Mael, stop running." Lowe's diabolic voice made Mael quicken his speed as much as he could. Lukariah was fighting the other members of the Asra. He could only depend on himself to save himself from Lowe now.

Mael did not know how far he could go on. His legs were giving up slowly and anytime, he could tumble to the ground. It was only his desire to stay alive that forced him to keep going. The entire place was deserted and he did not know where he was running towards. The light in his torch was about to die anytime soon.

With a predator desperate to hunt him down and his future, which looked as hopeless as the path he was taking, Mael held his life in his hands, trying to treasure it as much as he could.

Lowe did not mind chasing the young prince to the end of the world if it was any other time. But this was not any other time. The monster hunter was close by and he had to kill Male before Lukariah came for him, which he would be doing soon. Otherwise....Lowe shook his head when he thought of the fate that lay ahead for him.

Lukariah was bound to come after him. Lowe knew it. The man was too skilled in front of the other members of Asra. None of them was capable of bringing him to his knees. The men would die soon. Yet, Lowe had no ounce of sympathy for them. All he was focused on was his target, Prince Mael Iarlaith.

'If I am going to die today,' Lowe thought as he kept his gaze on the faint silhouette of his prey. 'It will only be after I kill you, Mael. This is my promise.'

"Mael, stop running." His voice turned hard in fury and he jumped the cut tree trunk that lay in his path. "You are only going to hurt yourself all the more. Listen to me, child." His tone alternated between soft and harsh. But Mael did not slow down even once.

On noticing that the flame in the torch was about to die, he turned around for the first time since he had started running. Lowe was farther away from him than he thought him to be. Maybe it was the strong winds that made his voice seem closer, he thought.

Mael licked his lips and lifted the torch. He was not that skilled at fighting a warrior like Lowe. But he was good at aiming. Even from a faraway distance, he was good at hitting his target sometimes. Taking this skill of his to his advantage, he threw the torch at Lowe right away.

The flame extinguished the moment the torch was thrown in the air. Now, except for the light from the blood moon, there was nothing else to illuminate their path.

Lowe had least expected Mael to stop running all of a sudden and face him, let alone throw the torch at him. He was too slow to react and the torch hit his forehead perfectly. Blood trickled down his cheek and chin as he stared at the young prince, who just smirked at him before he started running again.

'Perfect shot.' Mael praised himself with a smile and relying on the moonlight solely, he bolted in the direction his mind told him to. Even though he had made a small achievement against his enemy, it was only because Lowe had been slow in reacting.

Mael scolded himself for not using the sword. 'Considering the situation, maybe I would have killed him or at least, injured him.' He thought. He had gambled with his attack and it had been successful. If not, he would only end up losing the only weapon he had with him to defend himself.

"Mael." Lowe bellowed. He was utterly incensed and he gnashed his teeth when he saw the boy's faint outline. "Bastard, I am going to kill you tonight."

Lowe wiped the blood off his cheeks and ignoring the pain from his wounds, he followed Mael with rejuvenated energy. He was now filled with hatred and he had to kill the boy to calm down.

Mael kept running around in circles, not knowing where he was going. In the dark, every path seemed the same to even him, who used to sneak out of the palace at every opportunity to explore his kingdom. For the first time in his life, he felt that he had not explored his kingdom well, especially at night.

The kingdom of Vatham was near. He only had to find the path that led him to it and then, he could seek help. Although the chances of finding help were less, there was still hope. First, he had to reach Vatham and that seemed a far-fetched dream for Mael at that moment.

"Mael, stop running." Lowe regretted not following Mael on his horse. By now, the boy would be lying dead by his feet. He had acted on his impulse when he had seen Mael standing unguarded and there was no room for regrets now.

When Mael heard him, the hidden wrath in his voice made him shiver and his legs gave away in fright and exhaustion at once. He collapsed and dread filled him when he heard the man's demonic laughter echoing everywhere around him.

Mael turned around immediately as he panted heavily and his eyes dilated when he saw Lowe closing in on him. 'When did he get this close to me?' He wondered but did not have the time to think more about it. Lowe was here and it was the end of him.