“That's enough fighting for today, I guess.”

Seeing that the bear had already received enough punishment, Seth subconsciously scratched his head that was encased inside the helmet.

He wanted to finish the battle once and for all but it seems that he suddenly lost the desire to continue. Despaired after seeing its mother being beaten to an extent that it couldn't move any further, the bear cub cried non-stop. It nudged the unmoving mother with its little nose, wanting to receive a response but to no avail, only heavy panting that reflected its pain was heard.

Seth didn't want to destroy a family especially if it's avoidable. He very well knew the feeling of being alone, not having a family or even a distant relative. Killing the mother that had no ability to fight back was pointless. It was only protecting the cub that was unfortunate enough to be encountered by Seth.

“Then I'll consider this a win.”

As he picked up the shield that was thrown away before the start of the battle, Seth smiled wryly. He then withdrew the gun that was strapped inside it and proceeded to load it with a sedative dart.

“Sleep well.”

A voice, that was devoid of malice but was filled with longing, resounded from the demonic looking helmet. The scene of the cub, still trying to wake up the mother, was reflected into his eyes that was looking through the holographic crosshair.

..!!

With a pull of the trigger, the sound of the air being sliced through was heard. Following an uninterrupted straight path of flight, the dart landed right at the center of the mother's left arm.

Possessing a dose that would probably put it into slumber for about five hours, it took at least a minute or two for the drug to kick in. Eventually, the mother that stood as tall as a tree, fell onto the ground with a large thud.

Seeing that its mother had already been beaten to a point where it couldn’t stand anymore, the cub desperately tried to wake her up. To think that its mother would be defeated so easily, the cub clearly underestimated the creature it latched onto. A threat that could effortlessly end both their lives.

…?

But before it could notice, the black knight that carried an aura of mysteriousness had disappeared. Without even making any sort of noise while carrying such enormous articles of war, Seth left the scene while being followed by the outrageously long tail that was already unfurled.

____________________________________________________________________________

Crystal clear water with an abundance of aquatic life, the two most important quality Seth was looking for when it comes to a safe water reservoir. Not only it could sustain their everyday hydration and sanitation, it could also serve as another way of acquiring food.

At last!

And as if answering his wishes, the sight of the lake came into view. With an estimated surface area of three squared kilometers based on the images from the mapping device, the lake was in the smaller side but was the biggest among the lakes this forest possessed. Judging from the height of water that it presently accommodates, the land wasn’t blessed with much rain during the current season. A few meters of deforested land surrounded the oval shaped lake, allowing Seth to witness the first signs of a healthy ecosystem.

Serving as a watering hole for most of the scarce critters within the forest, Seth saw several mammalian-like animals replenishing their thirst with the spotless freshwater. Deer-like creatures that were several meters tall and a few of the canine subfamily that resembled foxes. Their appearance was almost the same as those found normally in earth except for the fact that they are doubled or even tripled in size.

“The objective has been reached.”

Still attentively reporting every step that he took, Seth transmitted a relieved voice through the intercoms. Even after such an unexpected encounter, he safely arrived in one piece. If not for the armor and weapons he painstakingly made, he would surely be dead by now. Fortunately, after finishing the fight with the mother bear, Seth didn’t encounter any kind of obstruction and followed the straight path as planned.

Not wanting to waste any time, Seth started to dig using the headless hammer, striking the soft and lush soil. Wanting to make a trench for the hose to be buried in, he repeatedly stabbed the ground in a straight line that leads to the lake. The metal rod easily sank with the help of his monstrous strength, followed by an upward stroke the ground instantly deepened by at least a meter.

“This’ll do it.”

Seth embedded the suction hose into the crudely made trench and proceeded to fill it up with the soil he dug up earlier. Followed with a few jumps on the freshly covered soil, the ground was compressed to its limit, ensuring that it wouldn’t form any cavities in the near future.

“Mission accomplished!”

Seeing that the end of the hose was properly submerged in the crystal clear water, Seth rejoiced triumphantly and suddenly had the urge to at least wash his face. Feeling irked of the sweat and dirt that had accumulated on his body, a quick cleaning wouldn't hurt at all.

He removed his helmet but decided to keep the goggles on for a certain amount of precaution if by chance something lurks beneath the lake. It possessed resistance to water albeit limited, so he deemed it safe to be submerged for just a bit.

Shriveled and stinky, his once snow white hair exuded an ashen shade. Even his pale skin showed a few patches of grease, Seth felt repulsed by his appearance that was reflected on the water.

Cold!

Not waiting any longer, he dipped his whole head and felt as if his brain had been frozen solid. Nevertheless, Seth felt refreshed. His mind that was exhausted due to the lack of sleep was forcibly woken up. It was completely unexpected, considering that the forest critters didn't even flinch from that coldness that's enough to cause the tongue to go numb.

!!?

A monochromatic world welcomed him as soon as he withdrew his head from the lake. An exact replica of the forest he was in but was completely devoid of life no matter where he looked. Pitch black miasma spreading from the middle of the lake that was once spotlessly clean. Unholy screams and shrieks of agony filled the world that was bereft of color. Completely devoured by the filth, the lake exuded demonic presence. Rotten limbs, mutilated faces and desiccated corpses exhibiting vigor that transcends death itself.

Seth wanted to throw up but was unable to, his whole body numbed due to sheer terror and not from the temperature of the water. His goggles automatically scanning every nook and cranny of his current vision, showing an abomination that he deemed impossible to exist.

Is this the end?

Reacting to every little change in the scenery, the goggles did a full zoom. Seth couldn’t move a single muscle but the artificial intelligence integrated into the goggles compensated for it. Bit by bit, something more ominous than all the things he had witnessed began to surface from the middle of the lake.

As if being pushed afloat by the corpses, a head covered in black hair was displayed by the goggles. Deep crimson eyes that carried a glint of fearlessness and mystery, a face showing limitless beauty that could easily enthrall anyone. Wearing a pitch black dress that showed very little of its ghostly pale skin. Hair that reached its waist exhibited a mesmerizing luster, showing that it had been cared for. And a perfect body that would stir the lust of men and the envy of women. Despite the fact that she surfaced from the lake, not a single part of her was wet. Every little detail was crystal clear to Seth which made him quite restless.

Right after fully surfacing from the water, the lady in black began to walk towards him. As if supporting their master, the chopped up limbs formed a straight line. Her bare feet being held by the grotesque hands with each graceful step she took, slowly she made her way to him.

Seth wanted to back off and retreat but there’s a part of him that wanted to stay. An alluring aura that exuded from the lady began to envelop him.

“I’ve waited for so long.”

A sweet voiced escaped from her blood red lips that stood out from her almost lifeless skin tone. She smiled as if wanting to see Seth for a long time, an indescribable longing reflecting from her eyes.

Who the hell is she!

Even after racking his brain out, trying to remember if he did met the lady, there wasn't anything to recall at all. His senses telling him that interacting with this woman would undoubtedly cause his demise.

“Have you forgotten about me already?”

After finishing her dramatic walk across the lake, the lady disappointingly asked the frozen Seth, his spine shivering in response to her every gesture.

“That’s a pity.”

For a moment, a sad expression was reflected on her face that reeked of perfection. The crimson and emerald orbs stared intently at each other. Bending her back a little to match Seth’s line of sight, the Lady carried on with her monologue.

“We were supposed to be with each other for eternity, but you suddenly disappeared.”

Being in such close proximity, Seth couldn’t even think of a retort in his mind. Her aura that was once alluring now reeks of death. As if the miasma was slowly creeping through his lungs, he felt suffocated and disoriented.

“You promised that you would never leave me.”

Her fingers that were as cold as winter caressed his disheveled hair. Darkened nails that lost its vitality traced a path from his head down to his chin. Caressing him affectionately as if wanting to express her love. But instead of experiencing a warm and fuzzy feeling, Seth felt an unbearable coldness from her actions.

“But in the end, you've betrayed me.”

Her demeanor suddenly took a sudden changed as she said that line that contained nothing but hatred. She strangled Seth with enough force to crush his windpipe while maintaining her beautiful smile.

“I'll forgive you this time.”

She released her grip that made marks on his neck. His skin bruised and wounded by the nails that possessed considerable sharpness. Not only his body was frozen, but also his mind ceased to function. As if watching a scene from a TV drama, he had no way of interfering with the event.

“The prophecy of the two of us being united as one seems plausible, now that you've come back.”

Seth’s previous trail of thought convinced him that all the lady had spoken of were all nonsense. He had been so narrow minded because of all the terror that struck him out of nowhere. The lady in front of him was the first piece of the puzzle, he concluded. Not only was she the first human inhabitant of this world he had met, she also seemed to know something about himself that he was completely unaware of.

“WE WILL BE TOGETHER FOREVER!”

Her once beautiful smile that was full of serenity was replaced with nothing but malice. The crimson orbs that reflected warmth became hidden inside a pair of slits. The luscious lips that could stimulate a man's fantasy was nowhere to be found. As if a snake that wanted to swallow its prey whole, her once tiny mouth expanded to its limit and even exceeded it. Big enough to devour him whole with rows of razor sharp teeth, enough to grind him into a meat pulp.

Seth could only watch in shock as the monstrosity had bitten his head cleanly, a fountain of blood emerged from his headless torso. His last memory was tragic indeed, swimming inside a sea of teeth that shredded his head effortlessly.

……

…..

….

…

..

.

“Kuakh!”

Seth forcefully regurgitated the last meal he ate as soon as he retrieved his head that was submerged into the water, dyeing the clear water with gastric juice mixed with chyle. It's acidic content made him nauseous, but it was nothing compared to what he had experienced before.

Wanting to make sure that everything was back to normal, he chose a different spot. Eventually, he settled for an area that wasn't far from his original place.

Reflecting an image of a boy that had his head intact, Seth was relieved. But not everything had came back to the way it was. Across his neck, that should've separated from his body, there were ominous markings. Seven black bars lined up in a straight line, as if indicating the bitten part of his neck.