Chapter 7: Running Away

"I guess we better start running." The moment Caelan said it, he gripped Eveline’s hand tightly and ran at full speed.

"Ahhh!" Eveline screamed as her feet started running on their own too.

"Faster!" Caelan shouted.

"I am running as fast as I can!"

They ran through the snow without even looking back. Caelan’s legs were already hurting from fighting that Bloodfang, but he didn’t dare stop. The loud sound of paws hitting the ground behind them kept them moving.

*THUD.

*THUD.

*THUD.

"They’re coming!" Eveline shouted.

"I know!" Caelan looked behind him for a second.

The four Bloodfangs were chasing them through the forest. Their red eyes were glowing in the darkness, and they were moving way faster than them. Caelan didn’t even know how they were still ahead at this point.

"This is bad..." He grabbed Eveline’s hand tighter and swallowed.

"Don’t let go, okay?" Eveline looked at him in surprise but quickly nodded.

They continued running together. Branches hit their faces as they moved through the trees. Snow kept getting into Caelan’s shoes, making every step more difficult. His lungs were already burning, and his legs felt like they were about to give up.

"How much farther?!" Eveline shouted.

"I don’t know!"

"You don’t know?!"

Despite everything, Caelan almost laughed. This situation was ridiculous.

He had died, got a second life, met a goddess, received an SSS-Rank Blessing, met this woman, fought a giant wolf, and now he was running through a forest while being chased by four more giant wolves.

And he had only been in this world for a few hours.

"What kind of second life is this?!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Nothing!"

They kept running until their breaths became heavier with every step. Eveline was struggling too. Her face was getting pale, and her hair was all messy from running through the forest.

"Caelan..."

"What?"

"I can’t..."

She suddenly stumbled, but before she could completely fall, Caelan quickly grabbed her.

"Are you okay?" he worriedly asked.

"I can keep going," she answered, but her breathing was already ragged. "But what about you? You’re exhausted too."

She wasn’t wrong. Caelan’s legs were shaking too, and he could barely feel his feet anymore. But then he heard another growl behind them, and his adrenaline rushed through his body.

"Come on." Caelan pulled her forward again, and she stood up right away.

And, of course, they just ran again.

And ran...

And ran.

They ran until they had no idea how long they had been moving anymore.

The forest seemed endless too. Every time Caelan thought they were finally getting somewhere, another group of trees appeared in front of them. His only goal was to put as much distance between them and the Bloodfangs as possible.

Then suddenly, Eveline stopped.

"Caelan!"

"What?"

"Look!" She pointed ahead.

Caelan looked forward and saw that there was no forest anymore. Instead, the ground suddenly disappeared.

"Wait..." He stopped so quickly before he could fall.

A cliff. ℴ

There was a massive drop directly in front of them. Behind them, the sound of the Bloodfangs was getting louder. Eveline looked at Caelan, and he looked back at her.

"We’re trapped," she whispered.

"I guess it’s our end now," she muttered. She sounded like she had already accepted that they had no other choice.

Caelan looked back and saw that the four Bloodfangs were already coming through the trees. They were only a short distance away.

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean?" Caelan looked down the cliff.

It was deep, but...

"Caelan, don’t tell me..."

"I’m sorry." He grabbed her hand before she could even react.

"Hold o— CAELAN!"

And then he jumped, pulling her with him. For one second, everything became silent. Then gravity took over.

"AAAAAH!"

Eveline screamed as they fell. Caelan hated to admit it, but he screamed too.

The feeling in his stomach as they fell didn’t feel good at all. He immediately wrapped his arm around Eveline and tried to keep her close.

The wind hit their faces, and everything started getting blurry.

But then Caelan looked down and saw that the bottom of the cliff was getting closer.

"Oh, this is definitely going to hurt."

"WHAT?!"

"Nothing!"

Clack!

Tshhhh!

Pak!

A second later, they crashed into a large pile of snow.

The impact knocked the air out of Caelan. For a few seconds, he couldn’t move. He just lay there, staring at the sky.

"I’m alive."

His body was already covered in wounds. His arms and legs were scraped, and there were several scratches across his body.

But even then, he still felt okay. Or maybe it was only the adrenaline keeping him okay.

Caelan slowly turned his head and saw that Eveline was lying beside him too. She wasn’t moving.

"Eveline?"

"Ugh..." She suddenly groaned.

"Are you okay?"

"I... think so." She slowly sat up.

Just like Caelan, she was covered in bruises and scratches. Most of them were on her legs, but she looked like she hadn’t even noticed them.

Caelan stood up too, but that felt like a mistake.

Soon after, his entire body started hurting. His clothes were covered in snow, and his legs felt like they weren’t even there anymore.

But somehow, they were alive. This was better than getting eaten by those wolves...

Caelan looked back up at the cliff and saw the Bloodfangs standing at the edge. They were looking down at them.

For a moment, Caelan thought they were going to jump too, but they didn’t. They simply stared at them before disappearing into the darkness again.

"Thank God." Caelan let out a long breath.

"Did we really just jump off a cliff?" Eveline looked at him in disbelief.

"Yup."

"..."

She stared at him for a moment before suddenly laughing. It was a tired laugh, but it was still a laugh.

Caelan smiled too. When he looked toward the opposite side, he noticed lights ahead of them. He slowly stood up and looked in that direction.

"Wait..."

"What is it?"

"There." Caelan pointed ahead.

Beyond the trees in front of them, there looked like a large town. It was completely different from Westmere.

Bright lanterns lined the streets. People were walking around. Shops were still open, and Caelan could hear voices coming from the distance. There were even carriages moving through the streets.

Caelan stared at it in disbelief.

"How long have we been running?" Eveline asked.

"I don’t know." Caelan looked at the town again. Before he could think about it any further, a message appeared in front of his eyes.

[You have received 1 Hollow Fragment for reaching the city safely.]

[You have gained +50 EXP]

[You have gained +100 EXP from protecting Eveline Ardent.]

[Level 5 -> Level 6]

[EXP: 50/100]

"Looks like we’re safe."

"Really?" Eveline looked at him.

Caelan nodded.

"Thank goodness." Eveline released a breath she had probably been holding for the last several minutes.

"Let’s find a place to stay first," she muttered.

Together, they started walking toward the town.