The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 111 - Predator and Prey

In the shadow-thick stillness of the forest, eight demon figures stood cloaked in darkness. Their armor was scratched, cracked in places, and stained with old blood. Clearly worn down from more than just the journey.

"They’ve got a good scout, I’ll give them that," one muttered, pacing restlessly. "No one’s left a clear trail in days."

"Good scout? Fool!" the leader snarled. "I don’t care how well they run. They won’t survive in this forest forever. If they haven’t already died, they will."

"But I swear," another said, his voice sharper, more anxious. "They were here not long ago. I can smell them."

Without warning, the leader turned and struck him across the head with a backhand blow. The impact sent the lesser demon stumbling back with a growl.

"Your nose is the fool here!" the leader spat. "We don’t need to chase ghosts. We find them, we kill them, and we finish this damn task!"

The arguing didn’t stop. It only shifted, became sharper. The demons began to raise their voices. Their armor clanked, their movements sluggish. A few limped. One still clutched a gash across his ribs, wrapped haphazardly in torn armor.

The leader’s eyes burned with fury.

"Damn it!" he roared. "Ten Gaia Masters! Just ten! And yet we can’t catch them?! This is draining my patience!"

He stood there, breathing heavily, fists clenched, surrounded by frustration and failure.

"We rest here until morning," the leader growled, his voice sharp and bitter. "Those stupid lizards get too aggressive at night."

The group of demons grunted in response, some already moving to sit beneath the trees, their backs slouched and weapons resting at their sides. A few tore into their rations, while others remained restless, tinkering with their gear or silently tending to their injuries.

The leader paced for a moment before snapping again, his voice rising with fresh irritation.

"Whoever’s still in one piece, scan the area. I don’t want any damn monsters ruining my sleep."

Several demons stood without argument, gathering their weapons and slipping away into the dark to patrol the edges of the forest clearing.

Time passed.

Then. One of them returned, moving quickly, almost stumbling.

The leader glared at him. "Why are you running back like some idiot with no head?"

"Commander," the demon panted, "I think... I found them."

The leader’s expression twisted. "You think? Are you hallucinating again, or are you finally useful?"

"No. I heard them. They’re not far. They’re camping. I could hear them talking, settling in for the night."

The leader rose at once, his armor creaking as he stood to full height. Around him, the others followed suit, gripping blades and growling low.

"Then show me," he said coldly. "Lead us there. Quietly. If they escape again, or if you’re wrong..."

His voice dropped into a low, dangerous snarl.

"I’ll kill you myself."

The eight demons moved together once more, gliding into formation like wolves closing in on prey. Their bodies blended into the shadows almost unnaturally. Steps silent, armor barely making a sound. The forest seemed to darken around them as they advanced.

The demon who had brought the intel led the way at the front, motioning the others to follow. They moved for several minutes, winding through twisted paths and uneven ground.

The leader’s expression began to sour.

"How much further?" he snapped under his breath.

"Not far," the scout replied quickly, almost stumbling over his words. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

And then. The scout slowed, raising a clenched fist in silent signal. The group halted. The demons dropped lower, pressing into the trees. Shadows swallowed them whole as they crouched behind thick trunks and peered through the darkness.

Then they heard it.

"We’ve been stuck in this place for two weeks... I can’t take it anymore. It’s really starting to break me."

"Yeah... I know. Every night feels longer than the last."

"It’s like we’re moving forward, but we’re not getting anywhere. Just more monsters, more fog, more death waiting around the corner."

"And we’re tired. No one says it out loud, but we all are. I can see it."

"I keep thinking, what if I’m next? What if the next monster we fight is the one that ends me?"

"We don’t even know how big this Rift is. What if we’re not even halfway through?"

"...What if there’s no way out at all?"

Muffled voices. Soft conversation, just loud enough to be caught by their ears. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

"That’s them," the leader whispered, a slow, cruel grin curling at the corners of his mouth.

"We don’t let them escape this time," he growled. "Kill all of them. I want no one slipping away. Flank from both sides. No gaps."

The demons instantly dispersed, half circling left, half veering right, moving to encircle their prey under the veil of night.

The demon leader stepped forward from behind the tree, walking slowly, silently, toward the cluster of faint voices in the distance.

He couldn’t yet see their faces, only the soft glow of their firelight between the brush, the low murmur of conversation.

But they were close. Too close.

And this time... They wouldn’t run. They couldn’t!

Then, suddenly. Movement flared in the distance, followed by urgent shouting.

"Enemy spotted! We’re under attack. Run! Run!"

Panic exploded from the direction of their targets. Figures scrambled, shadows broke apart. It was chaos, and it was exactly what the demons had been waiting for.

The demon leader’s eyes flared with rage. "Don’t let them escape!" he bellowed. "Chase them down!"

All at once, the demons surged forward. Their speed was monstrous, unnatural, shadows twisting at their feet as they tore after their prey.

The humans had broken into a sprint, rushing into the deeper part of the forest, where the trees grew farther apart, the moonlight stretched thin, and escape seemed possible.

"Spread out and cut them off from every side!" the demon leader roared, sprinting at the head of the group.

They weren’t just fast. They were built for this. Creatures of darkness, born with high affinity for the Dark Element. This forest, this night, this chaos. It was theirs.

The chase pushed deeper into the woods, branches snapping behind them, ground thudding under their feet. The ones they were pursuing were still visible ahead, just barely, but something about their speed was... strange.

They were quick. Too quick.

"They’re not spreading out," the demon leader snarled between breaths. "Fools! Staying close only makes them easier to kill. They’re sealing their own fate!"

He picked up speed again, the thrill of the hunt burning in his blood as he and the others tore through the trees. This time, he wouldn’t let them go.

This time, they die.

The demons surged forward, closing the gap fast as the fleeing figures became clearer, just ahead, darting through the thinning trees toward an open clearing.

The moment they broke through the last line of trees, the demons burst out together. Their boots slammed against the earth, surrounding the targets now caught in the center of the exposed field.

The prey froze, right where the demons wanted them.

And with a roar of fury, the demon leader leapt forward, landing just a few steps in front of them. His blade drawn, his eyes burning with cruel satisfaction.

"Weak. Pathetic. Worthless scum!" he bellowed. "You all die. Now!"