“Hahaha! Run away, coward! Don’t ever come back—unless you have a death wish!”

That was the last thing Riku heard as he ran towards the forest bleeding from a gaping hole in his chest. He knew that if he made it there, few would have the courage to go after him.

“He’s almost at the forest! Stop him! 100 silver to whoever stops him from entering the forest and 5 gold pieces for the one who kills him!" The soldiers chasing him shouted.

Alarmed, Riku looked up in pure exhaustion and saw an armed crowd gathering at the edge of the forest. He scanned the crowd and in a last-ditch effort screamed, “Is this how you treat me? I grew up with most of your children. Some of you even saved my life more than once!” Riku gasped for breath and continued, “Uncle Cecil, remember when I was 5, you noticed that I had a fever and carried me to the village doctor at midnight? Or even Yelmin. You are my best friend; we do everything together, why are you turning on me now? Aren’t we family? Didn’t we promise to stick by each other no matter what?”

“You are my best friend, Riku, you will always be. Please give yourself up. None of us want to hurt you, but it is the only way to guarantee the village’s survival,” Yelmin pleaded.

“Bull shit! You guys are always looking to save your own skin. You guys wouldn’t have shown up here if there wasn’t money to be made. Hypocrites, the lot of you,” Riku gasped out.

“He’s almost at the edge of the forest! You fricken idiots, block him!” shouted the soldiers.

The closer he got to the forest, the more Riku thought he was going to make it without anybody impeding his path. He got happy too soon.

Umpf!

His best friend tackled him to the ground and attempted to restrain him. Riku screamed in pain and felt a weight fly off of his body. He glanced behind himself. The villagers gazed—and what remained of his best friend—in terror. Yelmin had transformed into a mess of scattered limbs and guts. Riku resisted the urge to gag, got up and headed towards the forest as fast as he could. None of the villagers stopped him.

Once he stepped into the forest, Riku knew he was safe; nobody would follow him in. He decided to keep running as long as he could towards the cave he found a few weeks back. As his body slowly gave out, his destination came closer and closer. Upon reaching the cave, his body gave out and he collapsed on the floor.

With his last breath, he uttered, “He better wish I die here because if I survive, I’m going to kill him even if it’s the last thing I do.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, back at the village, the surviving villagers gathered in the village square on their hands and knees begging for mercy, “Spare me! Please! Don’t kill me!”

As Mazark watched the scene with amusement, a soldier ran up to him and gave his report.

“Lord Mazark, the boy got away. We sent search parties after him and none of them came back—their talismans broke!"

“Oh? The boy got away? If the men sent out to track them are all dead, why are you still alive?”

“Sir, I was the one monitor–aaaah!” The soldier burst into flame before he could finish the sentence.

Lord Mazark made a sound of disgust, “I spent two months training you idiots in magic, yet you still let me down. What should I do with you worthless maggots?”

“Spare us, Milord!”

“Hahaha! Die.”

Lord Mazark laughed manically and projected his voice so that anyone within a 50-mile radius could hear, “Boy, if you can hear this, you have won today. You better keep hiding because if I find you...”