The full moon was gleaming that night, stars were shining brightly, and the forest path was visible without torches or lanterns.

  Vaelor was already running for a long time. He could hear his breath getting heavier with every second. With his face and hands covered with sweat, he could hear leaves crunching under his feet and gusts of wind passing through him.

  He looked back to check on Theo, who had fallen behind and was pressing his hand to his stomach, bleeding fast. Vaelor stopped to let Theo catch up and said, “Come on, we don’t have much time, or that thing will catch us.”

  Theo was also breathing hard, his body was growing cold, though his hands were slick with sweat. Vaelor put one hand on Theo’s shoulder and the other hand on his stomach and began to move at a slow pace.

  Crickets chirped in the distance. The strong coppery smell of blood reached his nose. It was Theo’s blood on his hand. “We are not far—” He said, turning toward Theo to find his eyes were closing, and he grew heavier as he leaned on Vaelor more and more.

  After a while, the pain became too much for Theo to handle. He stopped and said, “Hey, wait, Vaelor.” After removing Vaelor’s hand from his shoulder and laying down beside a tree. He started gasping for breath.

  Vaelor put both hands on his knees and began breathing faster than ever.

  “I cannot go any farther than this. Leave me here and run. That monster is still a little far. You can make it,” Theo whispered.

  “What are you talking about? I am not leaving you here in the dark.” Vaelor paused for a moment and continued, “You saw what's chasing us. Now get up and run.”

  “I can’t, I am bleeding too much. I can't go any farther,” Theo’s head was resting on the root of the tree and one hand on his stomach.

  “Then let me pick you up. I am not leaving you behind.” Vaelor rushed toward Theo to pick him up, but Theo interrupted, “No, wait. I will only drag you down. Just leave me.”

  A loud roaring sound came toward them from the forest. Vaelor saw a bird come and sit on a branch near him. Its red eyes were fixed on Vaelor and Theo. It made no sound and didn't turn to look at anything else.

  “It is here,” Theo said, looking at the bird.

  Vaelor was also staring at the bird, and not long after, he heard the footsteps of something coming toward them.

  “You don’t have much time, Vaelor. Just go,” Theo said after looking at the bird. “I will hold him off as long as I can.”

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  “No, don’t say stupid things.” Vaelor’s voice cracked as he started crying silently. “The boat is close, so come on, we can make it.”

  “Hey, listen. Remember when we were kids and wanted to travel this whole land? We did it.” Theo paused, gasping for air, and continued, “The time I spent traveling with you was the best of my life. Now leave! You have to warn the people of the island about the danger of this land.”

  Theo put both his hands on the ground and tried standing up slowly. Finally upright, he drew his sword and put one hand on his stomach again. His whole hand was covered in blood and sweat. He hunched forward, facing the forest.

  Vaelor couldn’t stop crying.

  “And don’t forget about the weapon, okay?” Theo whispered “That's our only hope of finding a new home.”

  “Please don’t do this.” Vaelor stood there still, both hands covering his eyes. He was trying to stop his tears, but it was clearly not working. “I never wanted to leave the island. You convinced me to come, and now you are leaving me?”

  “Oh, come on, this journey was fun. We achieved more than any group. You should be proud.” Theo's voice cracked as he shed tears too. He was not turning around to look at Vaelor.

  The loud roar came again from the forest. The footsteps grew louder with each second. “Remember, Vaelor, you have to survive. This is not about you or me. It’s about our island, our home. If you don’t leave right now, then the people of the island will never know about the danger, and we'll never save our people. Please just leave and let me die a hero.”

  Vaelor wiped away his tears, his eyes hardening. Soon he started running toward the coast. On his way, he looked back one last time. Theo stood there with his sword raised when the creature finally appeared before him. Vaelor closed his eyes and kept running as fast as he could. His eyes were filled with tears.

  The air around Theo got heavier all of a sudden. His hand started shaking, his mind became foggy. The creature in front of him had its eyes closed, while it looked down at Theo with a calm and gentle smile. One hand was raised in a blessing posture, and the other held a staff.

  Theo paused for a moment, tightening his grip, he screamed, “I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!”, and charged toward the creature. But he was not strong enough. The creature was big, twice the size of Theo. He easily lifted Theo up and crushed him with his hand. Theo’s sword fell to the ground, and he died in an instant.

  Vaelor was way ahead at this time. Theo had bought him time. He ran as fast as he could. Soon, he saw his boat. He could not hear the creature following him. While running, a memory flashed through his mind—the day they set sail for their journey to the mainland for the first time. They both were smiling while looking at the island’s people who were gathered at the dock to say goodbye to Vaelor’s group.

  With tears streaming down his face, he reached the boat, climbed in, and set off as fast as he could.

  It took him three days to reach the island. When he finally arrived, he was exhausted and terrified. Two islanders saw him lying on the beach beside his boat.

  They rushed to help him. He was unconscious when they took him to their house, where he remained unconscious for a few days. Another few days passed, and after resting a bit, he finally told everyone what they had discovered about the mainland—everything except the weapon.

  They all gathered in a small hut on the hill, where Vaelor had started living for now.

  Of everyone listening, Arix was the most excited to hear the story of the mainland. He was a young man, twenty years old. With a short black hair. He knew that if he wanted to go there and find his father, Vaelor's story would guide him the most.

  “What types of monsters are there on the mainland?” Arix asked. Everyone turned toward Arix and then toward Vaelor, expecting the answer.

  “They are big, and they like hunting humans. Of all the things I have learned, the mainland hates humans,” Vaelor said, staring into Arix’s eyes.