Xhaelyn moved through the forest, her tiny feet barely making a sound against the damp earth. Every step was careful, measured. The towering trees loomed above, their thick canopies filtering the sunlight into patches of gold and green. It was beautiful in a way. Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Her instincts screamed that she wasn't safe. This wasn't an ordinary woodland—it was teeming with something unnatural. The air felt heavier, charged with an unseen force. She had already encountered a beast the size of a bear just minutes after waking up. This place was crawling with predators.
A magical forest. One filled with beasts.
Xhaelyn exhaled through her nose. This wasn't the worst situation she had ever been in, but in this small, unfamiliar body, everything felt wrong. She lacked the strength, speed, and precision she once had. Every movement was sluggish, her steps unsteady, her reach too short.
Unacceptable.
She would have dwelled on it longer if not for a faint sound—the gentle rush of flowing water.
Water.
Her throat ached at the thought. How long had it been since she last drank? Hours? More? Her small body was already exhausted, and dehydration would only make things worse.
She sharpened her focus.
"It sounds close."
With cautious but swift steps, she followed the sound. Soon, she emerged from the thick underbrush and found herself standing at the edge of a wide, clear river.
Xhaelyn didn't rush forward immediately. Her crimson eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any signs of danger. The trees on the other side were dense, their shadows deep enough to hide anything. The water itself was calm, too clear to conceal lurking threats.
Safe enough.
She approached the water's edge and knelt, dipping her small hands into the cool stream. The sensation grounded her, pushing away the growing haze of exhaustion.
Then, as she leaned forward to drink—
She froze.
Her reflection stared back at her.
Almond, dark red eyes—neither the abyss-like black from her first life nor the vibrant red she had worn contacts to conceal in her second.
And her hair—a striking fusion of both lives.
Her first life, spent in a dark and twisted world, had given her layered violet strands with spectral silver-white ends. Her second life, the normal world, had given her a natural black base with warm golden-brown gradients.
Now, both had merged.
She wasn't just Xhaelyn, the ruthless assassin who had lived and killed in the dark. She wasn't just Xhaelyn, the quiet student who had tried to live a peaceful life.
She was both.
And yet, she was neither.
Her fingers curled against her palm. The universe seemed determined to remind her that she didn't belong anywhere.
She scoffed. Like hell she was going to let that stop her.
Then her gaze trailed lower—
She stiffened.
Pale.
Unnaturally pale.
Xhaelyn had always carried the same medium skin tone in both her past lives. But now? Her skin was ghostly, almost sickly, as if all color had been drained from her body. The stark contrast made the dark bruises scattered across her arms and legs stand out even more.
Her fingers hovered over them. Some were old, faded to a sickly yellow-green, while others were fresh—dark purple splotches marring her small limbs.
As if someone had grabbed her. As if she had been handled roughly before being dumped in this forest.
Her jaw tightened. What the hell happened to this body before she woke up?
Her attention shifted to the tattered dress hanging loosely around her tiny frame. Simple but elegant. A dress meant for a child of status. The fabric, though torn and stained, was still of fine quality.
Too fine to belong to a random street kid.
Was she supposed to be someone important in this world?
None of this made sense.
Xhaelyn exhaled sharply. She couldn't afford to dwell on this now.
She cupped more water in her hands and splashed it over her arms, rubbing away the dirt. The coldness sent a shiver down her spine, but she welcomed it. Anything to feel more like herself again.
Then—
A noise.
She stilled.
A commotion.
Voices.
Faint but urgent.
Her pulse quickened.
People.
Xhaelyn's mind sharpened. She wasn't sure whether they were friend or foe, but one thing was clear—she wasn't alone in this forest.
She hesitated. Should she approach or stay hidden?
Logic dictated that avoiding unknown people in an unfamiliar world was the safest option. But she couldn't ignore the reality of her situation—she was small, weak, and alone.
If she wanted to get out of this forest, she needed information.
Friend or foe, it didn't matter.
She was not scared at all.
Xhaelyn crept closer to the source of the noise, keeping herself hidden behind the thick foliage. When she reached a better vantage point, she saw them—a group of men locked in battle.
They were fighting three of the same monstrous beast that had chased her earlier.
A massive, wolf-like creature with a thick, bear-like frame. Its matted fur bristled as it prowled, its yellow eyes gleaming with hunger. Even with its size, its movements were eerily silent, making it all the more dangerous.
One of the men gritted his teeth as he barely dodged a swipe from the beast's massive claws. "Damn Duskrend Beasts!" he cursed. "These things are relentless!"
"Just hold them off until I finish casting!" another shouted.
Xhaelyn's eyes flickered.
Duskrend Beast.
So that's what they were called.
She had barely escaped one earlier. These men were fighting three.
And they were losing.
As Xhaelyn observed from her perch, she noticed a figure dashing toward the group from a distance.
A man.
He seemed to be one of them, arriving late to the battle. His expression was sharp, focused.
"Fall back!" he shouted.
The other men responded immediately, breaking away from the fight. At the same time, the man raised his hands, and Xhaelyn felt it—a shift in the air.
Energy surged above him, raw and powerful.
In the next breath, dozens of jagged earth shards materialized, floating in the air like deadly spears.
With a sharp motion of his hands, the shards launched forward.
The Duskrend Beasts, already weakened and slowed by the relentless, collaborative attacks of the group, had no time to react. They barely moved before the shards pierced through their thick bodies in an instant.
A deep, guttural howl echoed through the forest.
Then—silence.