Sol drifted in and out of consciousness. Her minor moments of clarity were used to keep her head above the water. Her lithe body raced downstream and subjected to the river’s tantrums. More than once, a solid impact against a rock or drifting log pulled her back from the brink of total blackout.

Her mind was buzzing throughout the entire trip and her sense of time had long since flown away. Next thing she knew, Sol awoke to a shallow stream running under her. Her hand clasped the fine sand and she started assessing her body’s state.

Slow contractions of each limb and gentle movements eluded to the sorry state she was in. Her arm bone was in immense pain, likely fractured. Her leg was locked up and was frozen stiff. Luckily, she could still feel it so she suspected a swollen joint, pinched nerve, or dislocation. A deep breath nearly choked her as she felt a rib grind against itself. It too, was likely fractured.

All in all, she managed to pull her lips into an ironic smile. Such a weak body was battered, bruised, nearly drowned, and infested with fever and yet there she was, alive. She struggled with what strength she could find to lift her body up while grumbling to herself.

“If that cruddy Doctor tells this Lady her body’s weak after this, this Lady will punch that old man in the nose and twist his beard off.”

The immense pain seared her mind with every movement. Her labored breathing grew heavier by the time she managed to balance herself. She stood shaking and used any sarcastic comment that came to mind to help distract her from the pain.

Despite her coping mechanisms, Sol was fully engaged in trying to survive. Her injuries could always be healed, however her life was the most precious thing to her. It was already a diminished product, why would she give away the little that remained?

Sol took account of her surroundings. Many small rivers surrounded her and the sand beneath her was a fine sediment. She immediately knew she was miles away from her initial location. The nearest distributary for Dominatic Forest should have been 30 to 40 kilometers away at least.

The realization left her with mixed feelings. She was unclear how long she remained unconscious, however the bandits wouldn’t be long if Sir Leory was unable to keep them back. Her mind went fuzzy long before she saw if their plan went as expected.

Gritting her teeth, Sol dragged her stiff leg and shambled across the fine sand to the delta nearby. Her soaked body was infested with fever at this point and she understood how serious her situation was. Despite that, she could only move forward.

As she struggled forward, her body gradually heated up. The water that once cooled her off had long since evaporated. Compounding her issues, Sol found herself unable to even sweat. Even without a third party, she understood her life was at serious risk.

Her steps became more uncoordinated and her mind grew fuzzy once more, yet her will to survive only grew stronger. Her labored breaths echoed the resentment she held towards her impending death. Effort and will can only take you so far though as Sol had long since surpassed her body’s limits. Another 3 steps later and Sol collapsed to the ground. Her mind bounced and her vision flashed sporadic colors.

“Is this how I die?” Her thoughts slowed to a crawl and she failed to recognize the approaching hoofbeats behind her. The bandit who finally managed to reach the distributary was amazed to find a trail of messy footprints leading into the delta.

He had long since expected the girl to have been dead by the time he arrived. The bandit pressed his horse forward and followed the obvious trail until he came across the body of the girl collapsed to the ground. Her chest was only faintly rising and falling and her skin was flushed pink.

Anyone could tell at first glance the girl was at death’s door. There was a moment of pity the man held while looking at the girl who could have been his daughter. However, his eyes turned sharp a moment later. It was either his life or hers, he couldn’t hesitate.

Leaping from his horse, the bandit drew his sword and kicked the girl over to face the sky. He found the girl holding a fierce glare. Despite being at death’s door, her eyes didn’t betray the slightest desire of surrendering. She was powerless, yet the ferocious desire to live was raging inside that gaze.

Sol’s mind had long since turned fuzzy. All she held onto was the desire to survive. The complexities and cunning that typically drove her forward were lost at that moment. Only a raw desire remained as she saw that blade hovering near her.

Sol watched as the man raised his blade to end her life. The final spark for survival shattered something within her and her mind went blank. That blade that was about to drop froze in place as the man’s face contorted in fear. Sol’s black eyes had faded to a dull silver and her skin started to shrivel as if her life force itself was leaking away.

Her pitch black hair faded to a soft gray and her breathing became more shallow. Despite these changes, the man wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was fixed on the amorphous silver blob just behind Sol. The blob extended portions of itself and eventually grew four legs and a head. Moments later, a creature resembling a deer stood before the man staring at him.

The animal was silver in appearance with the exception of its blue crystalline eyes. The two stared down at each other as if waiting for the other to make the first move. What hesitation the bandit first held dissipated after realizing the creature was only watching him.

He gulped and tried to decide if it was wise to ignore the deer and kill the girl, or kill the creature first. It was obvious that Sol’s condition was getting worse, so the man decided to deal with the deer first. It was only watching him, however the deer was, frankly, creeping him the hell out. Its head traced his movements to the tee and there was a subliminal pressure that irritated the bandit.

He raised his blade and jabbed out at the deer hoping to stab it and end its life. With uncanny speed, the deer dropped its torso dodging the blade. Before the bandit even managed to express his surprise, the deer emitted a gutteral snort.

Its mouth opened and it charged at the man knocking him over. The unexpected body shot took the bandit down and his body rolled backwards. Before he could regain his stance, the deer stomped down on him and pressed his body to the ground. It stomped down a targeted strike and crushed the man’s sword wrist without hesitation.

The bandit screamed in pain but refused to go down without a fight. His free hand drew a smaller blade from a hidden sleeve in his boot. He slashed at the deer, cutting its chest and drawing silver blood from it. The deer roared once more and its blue eyes turned a crystalline red.

The deer continued roaring while stomping down on the man repeatedly. Bruises, fractured bones, and other extensive trauma was immediately inflicted onto the bandit. Despite that damage, the deer remained enraged. The roars escalated and turned even deeper as if to match the madness growing within its eyes.

The roaring mouth opened further, tearing away at the cheek skin. The bandit watched in horror as the once pretty deer turned into an unfathomable abomination. His final scream died out as the deer clamped its awkward jaw over the man’s head and crushed his skull between its teeth.

As if unfazed by the man’s death, the deer continued to stomp at the man’s corpse. Each landing crushed the bandit’s corpse a little more until he was no more than a meaty pulp mixed with soil. The silver fur of the deer was stained red and it continued to roar with its hideous face arced to the sky.

Such was the scene An saw when he arrived. His gaze remained fixed on that abominable creature and eventually drifted to the nearly unrecognizable girl laying behind it. He could tell at a glance Sol’s condition was atrocious. An intended to ignore the rampaging creature and apply first aid to Sol first, however the moment he moved within a few feet of her, the deer leaped before him roaring as if it had lost its mind.

Time was of the essence and Sol’s life was slipping away. An glanced at the creature and attempted to engage it. “Your master is about to die. You’re draining her life force right now. Move, or I’ll destroy you.”

His threat seemed to awake the beast as it froze on the spot. That malformed head looked at the dying girl behind it before looking back at An. It released a pleading groan before its figure dissipated into wind.

An watched the creature leave and raced to Sol’s side the moment he was able to. His hand went straight to her abdomen and he started injecting energy into her. Although he took a moment to speak with the creature, his spiritual awareness was already scouring Sol’s body to gain an understanding of her condition.

It appeared that her will to survive was so massive that she tore through the natural limiters on her body and converted her life force itself into energy to feed that beast. An knew it was only the beginning and the girl before him was a hidden monster, however he remained surprised at just how absurd she was.

As An injected more energy into her, Sol’s shriveled skin regained the luster one would expect from a child. Her dim hair regained its youth and those silver eyes of her eventually returned to their black luster. An understood from this event that it was time to teach the girl a few things to prevent her from ending up so helpless once more.

Teaching secrets to lower realms was typically considered a taboo, however he was certain at this point that Sol was who he was looking for. She never belonged in this plane to begin with, after all.