“Damn it!” The girl cursed as she hid behind a tree in the dark forest. It had been a little over an hour since her escape from captivity. The constant running and struggling had left her panting for breath. Blood and dirt stained her ragged clothes, a testament to her numerous falls and a body riddled with wounds. Her suppressed sniffing and reddened eyes were a clear indication of held back tears.

“I have to keep moving. I need to keep running.” She intermittently muttered and reminded herself that the only way out was to push forward. Only if she could escape this predicament would she be able to circumvent a fate worse than hell.

Every hundred years, the moon would turn blood red and light the night sky with a shine that emanated a sense of malice and dread. The sanguine moon would evoke an immense thirst for blood among all the creatures bathed in its light. All form of reason would disappear, leaving only mindless beings that had returned to their roots. They would become stronger and faster like the mythological werewolf on a full moon.

And it was precisely this anomaly that made the forest an extremely dangerous place tonight. Escape was the only priority. She carefully made her way around the trees and branches while trying her best to make as little sound as possible.

Ten minutes into her journey, she heard gunfire. A tiny metal bullet whizzed past several trees before accurately ploughing a hole through her left shoulder.

“Aah!” The girl issued a miserable scream as she fell. Blood oozed out, dyeing her top red.

Two silhouettes walked out from the shadows. The moon’s dim red light penetrated the depths of the forest, illuminating their figures. Both wore the same outfits. A uniform of sorts, black in colour with a small picture of a castle printed on the chest. Three metal stars worn on each shoulder signified their position as squad captains.

Resting her back against a tree, the girl forced herself up and held her shoulder. Fear flashed across her face before being replaced by fury, hatred and disgust. With no intention to go down quietly, she rebelliously glowered at the duo.

“I truly am sorry.” The kinder looking man sighed, “You must understand that we really don’t have a choice in the matter and having caught the Minister’s eye… neither do you.”

The girl gnashed her teeth. From the beginning, she knew that only a miracle would allow for a successful escape. It was a long shot that hadn’t come to fruition. In her frustration, she spat, “You are both proud Premier Knights. Why are you following such orders from the Minister?! Where is your code of honor?!”

“Honor doesn’t put food on your plate little girl.” The colder sibling grunted. “Brother, stop wasting time. Bind the girl and let’s get a move on. We’ve dallied long enough.”

Charles couldn’t help but sigh again. He reluctantly nodded and moved beside the girl before taking out a binding talisman from his pocket. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “It will be easier for you if you don’t struggle.”

“Go to hell!” Taking out a crumpled piece of paper from her breast pocket, the girl hastily jumped away. This was her final trump card. While silently praying for success, she began to mutter an incantation. Halfway through her spell, a fifteen-foot long snake entwined her body. It bound her limbs while resting its fangs a centimetre from her throat.

“You – You won’t kill me! That despicable man will have your heads for it.” The girl tried to sound unperturbed, but the cold sweat dripping down her forehead gave her true feelings away. Her face contorted in pain as the reptile tightened its grip on her. Faced with the snake’s icy eyes, the slip of paper fell from her hands and landed at her captor’s feet.

“A summoning talisman?” James snorted, looking at the girl like a pig about to be slaughtered, “You think that would scare us. Look up brat! Tonight is the night of the blood moon. This snake is a tamed beast and can’t compare to a powerful familiar… but, tonight it’s a different story! The blood moon has strengthened it! Its power now equals that of a King level beast. What could your puny mass produced talisman possibly summon?”

“Brother stop!” Charles raised his hand and solemnly said, “You know that as knights we lack the ability to cast healing magic. The low level talismans won’t do any good if she gets poisoned. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Does it matter?” The girl interjected with a quivering voice. “Sending me to the Minister is the same as a death sentence! You think I don’t know about the other women. About how they ended up after he was done with them?”

With a simple glance, James commanded the snake to retract its fangs. The speckled serpent rested its head on the girl’s shoulder, quietly keeping watch over her every move. Its forked tongue continued to flick in a threatening manner.

Charles gently placed a paper talisman on the girl’s forehead. As the magical item disappeared, the carved spell created a layer of dim yellow light that slowly covered the girl’s skin. The enchantment speedily reduced the small cuts and bruises to scabs. The tiny bullet hole in her shoulder was the slowest to heal, only having clotted.

“You…” The girl could barely utter her protests as she began to pant for breath. Her strength left her body, leaving her with blurred vision.

Pouring mana into a patient to forcefully stimulate the body into healing itself was considered to be the crudest method. Though it could cure the wounded, it would always take a toll on the patient and leave the person in an extremely weakened state. This was precisely why most preferred to instead rely on a combination of healing magic and medicine. Healing spells took on a softer approach.

Watching the talisman take effect, Charles helplessly shook his head. He had a strong sense of honour and was aware of the Minister’s hidden proclivities. He detested not only the Minister but also himself for being powerless to stop the man. As the girl’s eyelids drooped, he lightly said, “It’s to stop you from running away again. While I can’t truly blame you for the way you acted, it is my job to bring you to the Minister.”

The Minister was a man highly valued by the former king. In the past, his keen insights and stratagems had helped the Empire overcome many perilous situations, especially during times of war. However, when offered a position as General of the Army, the Minister had declined, citing that he wasn’t interested in commanding armies or battalions but was keen to live a simple life. He had still promised the king his aid when required. The ruler of the Empire, thus, gave the Minister a lot of leeway.

Along the way, however, the Minister’s personality had undergone changes. It was rumoured that he had begun to engage in certain illicit hobbies which were undoubtedly frowned upon by society. Since his targets were limited to commoners, almost all nobles turned a blind eye to his surreptitious actions. The plebeians of society were left to fend for themselves and could only resign themselves to fate.

James carried the semi-conscious girl in his arms as he began to walk with Charles. A sudden eruption of howling and roaring caused the two knights to freeze in their tracks. Under the bright and ominous moon, the creatures of the night had started to show signs of restlessness. Chaos reigned free in the once quiet forest as some animals whimpered while others began a stampede.

Realizing that a chance encounter with an enraged and desperate beast could end their lives, the knights instinctively increased their speed as they trudged forward in an attempt to escape the forest’s confines.

Unbeknownst to the duo, the girl’s small talisman, which had been forgotten in all the mayhem, had begun to glow with a faint light. It levitated six feet in the air, glowing brighter and brighter until it resembled a miniature sun. The phenomenon lasted for a little over a second before the light vanished, revealing the figure of a young man.

With Max’s arrival, the forest instantly returned to a serene state. The previously roaring animals now quivered in silence, seemingly having finished venting their complex mix of emotions.

Max looked around before clicking his tongue in displeasure. Kicking a nearby stone, he cursed, “What the hell is going on? And where the hell am I?!”