‘I can’t… Why?’ Isla dug her fingers into her face, almost trying to tear it apart. Her heart and soul were shaking as if they were being assaulted by something invisible. She could barely breathe or move.
This was by far the worst state she had been in in years. She was someone who could keep their composure in the worst situations but this was far more than just a bad situation. This was a deep scar that she hadn’t healed from and it had been opened again in an unexpected turn of events.
The clouds of fog closed the distance on her and Isla was aware of it. But… Was there really a point in even trying anymore? She admits that she lost and yet the battle wasn’t even over. Her eyes stared up, devoid of emotions.
The clone of the man she knew was staring back at her. His grin was now distorted into a devilish smirk that sent chills down her spine. That was never the smile she was familiar with. That warm and loving smile she grew up seeing. It had been completely ruined.
Seeing that broken look on her face, the grin widened as he said. “You’re a fucking disappointment, Isla. I hope you know that.”
*CRACK*
That was it. The words that made it crack. Isla’s ears rang loudly as they heard those words. Then, they went completely static, stopping all sounds from reaching her head.
‘No… No, no, no…’ She shook her head as she bit her lower lip so strongly that blood seeped out. ‘I didn’t… I…’
The words echoed around, making her hold her head tightly. Her heart raced and her breathing turned erratic and panicked. ‘No! No! No! Get me out of here! Get me out! I don’t want this!’
She was so panicked that she even forgot that she could leave the game on her own and spare herself from this hell. But, it was far too late. The terror had robbed her of all her abilities.
“Get her.” The clone said as he pointed at Isla. “She is no more.”
*Swish*
Without hesitation, the clouds closed the last few meters, aiming for her heart. However, at that very moment, something suddenly moved out of nowhere.
Like a ghost, it quickly cut through the air at an insane speed. Passing through the swarm of clouds, they instantly turned into balls of ice. Nobody reacted to that in time including Isla.
“What the hell is going on here?”
‘Huh?’ Isla’s eyes opened as she looked up quickly only to see a familiar person standing in front of her, blocking the haze of the blinding fog around her.
“I didn’t expect to see you defeated, Isla,” Arthur said as he crouched down to her level and looked at her. “Are you ok? Can you hear me?”
Arthur, although didn’t understand what was happening, still could see the truly abnormal state the girl was in. This was the first time he had ever seen Isla in such a terrified, weak condition. The look of true horror in her eyes and her shaking body. Arthur could recognize those symptoms anywhere.
‘She’s going through a panic attack.’ His face darkened considerably when he noticed that.
“… I…” The girl, still in a daze, looked at Arthur as she gasped for air. “I… I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine to me. Here, let me help you stand up.” Extending his hand to her, he pulled her up and made her rest against the tree. “Now, take a deep breath then exhale it a few times. Focus on your breathing.”
“Who are you, bastard? How dare you save that disappointment of a human being? Hm, do you wish to die too?” The clone said with a deep scowl.
“Now, look at me, keep your eyes on me.” He said as he stared at her. Isla surprisingly listened to his words and did exactly what he asked. “You’re fine. Nothing bad happened.”
She blinked silently as she slowly nodded her head.
“Bastard! I’m talking to you!”
“This is just a fog. It’s not the real world.” Arthur continued, ignoring the clone.
“I sai-”
“Can you shut up for a second, geez?! You have been blabbering for the past several minutes like an idiot.” Arthur lashed back at him with a cold look.
“…” The clone clenched its teeth in frustration. Hearing that disrespectful tone this stranger had, it ticked it off greatly.
“Don’t tell me what to d-”
*Swish*
Before it could even finish the sentence, several red arrows had already cut through the air, reaching it in less than a second. It couldn’t even react in time as it pierced through it… Instantly turning it back to mist.
“Tsk, annoying bastard. Don’t try me next time.” Arthur murmured as he quickly turned to Isla. The girl had finally calmed down a little as she was staring deeply at him in silence. Her expression was now more composed and her body stopped shaking visibly.
“How did you… find me?” She asked.
“Uh… That’s a long story…” Arthur muttered.
***
*Several Minutes before that*
“The same footstep?! Are you telling me that I have been going around in circles this entire time?!” Arthur rubbed his hair aggressively. “This has to be a joke!”
Looking at the footstep, he cursed loudly. The reality had turned on him and he found himself in the same spot he had been in before.
“Great, so this fog has disorientation properties too. Good job, you have truly tricked me.” Arthur grumbled as he looked around him. ‘Now, which direction should I even go in?’
Closing his eyes, he thought about it for a moment before he opened them again. “As they say, ‘If you don’t know where to go, just go try your luck.’ or something like that. I don’t know.”
Since his plan of going opposite of the energy waves turned out to be a failure, he could only go in the most random direction possible. That way, not even the fog could know where he wanted to go.
‘If I don’t know what I’m doing, then it certainly doesn’t know what I’m doing.’
***
“With that, I just closed my eyes, turned around several times, and then ended up going in the direction I faced. This led me to you.” Arthur explained.
“…” Isla blinked silently.
“Hey, don’t even ask me. I don’t know how this fog works either. It’s confusing.” He shrugged. “Though, now that we’re here, that was actually a really good decision I took. We can work as a team which is way better.”
“…” Hearing that, Isla looked down for a moment.
“Now, what should we do? The fog seems to have calmed down for a moment but it will probably attack us again as soon as we start moving. We need to find our way to the heart of the forest or to the others if we can. I hope they aren’t in trouble.”
“Arthur… I…” At that moment, Isla cut him off as she tried to say something. However, the boy looked away.
“You don’t need to say anything.” He said. “We all have scars that last a lifetime. I don’t know what you have been through but… give yourself a break.”
Isla’s eyes slowly widened. Her pupils flickered for a moment.
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3
