This feeling… no matter what I do, it won’t go away.

We come to rest at the final Rest Point of the night. The fourth week soon approaches but we’re only three quarters of the way there. I might need to execute phase 2 of the ration plan but that’s not the main of my concerns.

This gut-wrenching sensation as if a ball has been stuck to the windpipe in my throat. Whenever I feel this way, it is usually because there is someone close and ready to strike. However, I can’t detect anything around us which makes this feeling even worse.

The crackling of burning wood and bubbling simmering water is all the sound that’s around us. The night is silent with not a single trace of movements in the shadows. The typical monsters that would observe us from a certain distance had the same feeling as I do.

Still, I keep watch of the treelines being 20 metres in radius away from me. Lusaia sits besides me enjoying the creamy mushroom soup I made for tonight’s dinner.

“Papa should eat too, soup is bad when cold.”

“Ah… yea, I should.”

This nervousness caused my hands to freeze though it is killing me. I shouldn’t waste good soup like this.

I scoop up a spoonful and raise it to my mouth. Then, I dropped it.

I threw away the bowl and shot up out of my seat.

“Papa? what’s wrong?”

Lusaia worries about me but I hush her up.

A kilometre away and all around us, I finally sense them. This nerve wrecking feeling in me is because of them. They surround us and there’s at least 30 of them. Their physique is large as they rumble along slowly towards us.

“Lusaia, pack up everything.”

I spoke without breaking eye contact at the presences in all directions.

“W-what’s wrong, Papa?!”

Lusaia asks, her words confused and scared.

I ignore it and get to work in instant. Lusaia looks around with uncertainty but got her bearing together to follow my actions as well.

In record time that we have never achieved before, everything but the campfire is stashed away back into the sacks of supplies we brought with us.

Lusaia approaches me wanting to know what is happening but she doesn’t get the chance to open her mouth when I picked her up.

In the centre of the Rest point, there is a lone tree with the same height all the others in this forest dungeon. I carry Lusaia and scaled up the tree to the highest point that she doesn’t dare go.

“Papa, Lusaia is scared… What’s going on?”

Placing her on a branch as if it could snap at any time, Lusaia finally finds the opportunity to speak up again. Again, I ignore her words.

“Stay here.”

I turn around and prepare to leap back down to the ground. Something grabs onto my arm just then and I turn around.

“Papa! Tell Lusaia what’s happening! Lusaia is scared…”

Lusaia grabs onto my right arm and doesn’t let go. It’s only then I realise that I’ve been too focused on the defence strategy I planned in the past few days for this very moment.

“Sorry, I must have worried you.”

The tense feeling in the air caused me to become like this so I apologise to her.

“Is… something bad going to happen to Papa and Lusaia?”

She must have picked up such an idea from my frantic actions. I nod but before I can explain what it is, Lusaia cuts in.

“This must be because of Lusaia… Lusaia is a cursed child…”

Eh? What’s all this about.

From the dim orange glow of the campfire below, I can see something reflective welling on the side of her eyes.

“Mama told Lusaia that she’s a cursed child which is why Mama don’t want Lusaia anymore… Lusaia must also be why both Papa and Lusaia can no longer go home… Lusaia even made Papa die so… so…”

She looks up at me, her face looks like its about to explode into tears

“Papa, please don’t die! Lusaia don’t want to be alone anymore! It hurts…”

Ah… I see. Lusaia hasn’t really talked about her life before I met her. I didn’t really probe for it myself since it’s probably something that hurts her to talk about. Now that she’s talking about it herself…

I can’t stop myself from doing this.

Voluntarily, I take Lusaia into my arms and hold her tight. Lusaia flinches in surprise but hugs back as well.

“You’re not a cursed child and no one is going to die tonight. Papa can promise you that.”

What am I even saying? Hah. Calling myself “Papa” … I’m gradually becoming her real father, aren’t I?

“Lusaia, you’re a normal little shark girl. Remember that. Your Mama is a bad Mama for calling you such a thing and you should forget it… If anything, the only cursed one here would be me so don’t be like that alright?”

I wipe the tears from her eyes and pat her head.

Lusaia lets go of my arm but before that, she gives me a big tight hug.

“Papa won’t die?...”

“Nope, Papa can never die and will always be with Lusaia. Remember that well, hahaha!”

I laugh haughtily brimming with confidence but deep inside I can’t say the same.

Maybe it’s because I have experienced the sensation of death so many times that I understand what I can and cannot live through.

I smile wryly at Lusaia and pinch her puffy little cheeks.

“Hehe! Papa stop that! It tickles!”

Seeing her smile like this… you truly are like my daughter.

I leap down and look at the sacks resting by the base of the tree.

The presences are pretty far away so I’ll be able to set something up sufficiently…

----

Beyond the treeline and into the deep dark woods, dots of faintly illuminated torches flutter to show the silhouette of the presences. Their figure is tall and large. A pair of pointed horns are fitted to the heads of their bull shaped skull. On their shoulders, the familiar stone war axe rests ready to be deployed for battle.

Among the thirty, one of them is unique. Red skin and no fur. Its status seems to be higher than the others as the axe it carries reflects a metallic silver. A steel axe? That would not be fun to get hit by.

All at once, they step past the hedgerows along the treeline and enter the perimeter of the Rest Point. They look unfazed by the Rest Points magical ability to ward off monsters.

The minotaurs continue their march forward until 10 metres before me, they stop.

The red one steps forth. Its axe is drop to its side making a large BOMP! as the earth reverberates from the axe’s hefty weight.

“Greetings, gentlemen… gentlebulls? How may I help you this fine evening?”

I smiled and spoke politely. Hiding every shred of caution and alertness to their intimidating presence.

“I am the leader of this group of minotaurs. Human, hand over the Messiah and we will leave you alone.”

It speaks? That’s a first. Maybe because it is superior compared to the other minotaurs around that it has this ability. Though, at least I know that they are after Lusaia…

“Messiah? Excuse my rudeness, but who or what could that be? I’m a wandering traveller so I’m not familiar with-”

“Silence! I will not ask again. Hand over the girl or prepare to forfeit your life- What?!”

Just as it had cut my words, I cut the minotaur leader’s words by pulling a string attached to my fingers.

Puffs of white powder shoots into the air in large batches all around the minotaur.

“This is… flour? What do you thing you’re doing?- Gah!”

“Moooooo!!!”

With the thick canopy above acting as a lid and the densely pack wall of tree and foliage as the container, the particles of flour makes contact with their torches and sets off a chain reaction. The minotaur drop their axes and cover their faces while bellowing in pain.

The torches still remain on their hands but that is no problem. I lift up a tarp with a pile of rocks. Taking this opportunity while they’re distracted, I aim and launch these fist-sized rocks at full force. All make impact and the fires get extinguished.

At the same time, I run for the campfire and doused it with a bucket of water I prepared beforehand.

From a pile of leaves by my side, I plunge my hand into it and a slightly chipped sword is pulled out from below.

The space in the Rest Point is plunged back into the darkness under this moonless night. The minotaurs cannot see me but I can “see” them. The frantic footsteps of their hooves as the pain dissipates away and the commands of minotaur leader shouts out.

I charge forth as the battle begins.