Ignis clutched his spear tightly, spinning around, searching for the source of the sounds. He whirled and thrust, but there was nothing there. He fell silent to listen, but only the crunching leaves underfoot reached his ears. Shaking his head, he moved on.

  The sun had already disappeared below the horizon when he began gathering wood. Black clouds covered the sky, and without the moon's light, he could barely move in the darkness. The only thing confirming he was still on solid ground was the crunching leaves under his feet, like bones breaking. Every time he stepped into a small hole, he was sure he would fall into a bottomless abyss, but he always ended up tasting mud and rusty leaves again. Finally, he managed to kindle a small campfire, creating a twilight island in the blackness. Sparks danced in Ignis' eyes. Leaves mixed with the branches. The fire consumed them, slowly causing them to glow and meld together in new forms.

  He listened to the cryptic conversations of the wild. A pack of predators howled somewhere, fleeing animals cried out for help to their companions, terrified birds screeched. He was hunted just like that. And as it surely happened to several members of the herd now, he was also caught.

  He threw more wood on the fire, and the heart of twilight throbbed once. It burned his wounded, torn skin beneath his shredded, black rags. But beyond that, there were only ugly scars and hard growths everywhere, as if he were a badly carved statue.

  His teeth tore into the food, saliva mixing with the juices of the roasted meat, his taste buds vibrating. She did this too.

  He was half-asleep when human words began buzzing in his ears again. Instinctively, he grabbed his spear and held his breath.

  "where am I? Find me, come on!" it said.

  The campfire's flames turned white, and he started thinking it was all just a dream. He stabbed into the glowing embers. Sparks, countless tiny embers, took flight.

  "You found me!"

  The fire released a specter, which grew white limbs before him. She opened her eyes, letting her hair float like cobwebs. She looked like a snowflake in the air.

  Ignis seized the moment and struck.

  She only had time to cry out. The black tip of the spear pierced the white body, infecting it with its darkness, then withdrew.

  "It's not nice to do that!"

  It was like trying to stab the air. He only passed through it.

  "I was just playing with you," she said, looking sternly at Ignis. In the whiteness of her eyes, the pupil was just a tiny dot.

  "What are you? Some kind of freak?"

  "It's not nice to say that. How could I be a freak?" The muscles in her face tensed. "Look how beautiful my hair is, look how beautiful my face is."

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  "I see." Ignis slashed straight through her head with his spear and took a step back, keeping the tip of the weapon pointed at her.

  "Don't you dare do that again! You know how annoying it is?" She made a semicircular motion with her head in anger. The flock of white hairs followed her faithfully.

  "Get lost, you monster!"

  "Why do you speak to me like that? We are the same."

  "There are more of you?"

  "Many. And we, the eminent ones, are all unique. Interesting. Different. And you are too, special."

  "Where are you going?" Ignis didn't answer, just pointed the spear at her and circled cautiously. The white specter giggled. "You are full of wounds."

  "Begone!" He thrust at her again. "Go away!"

  The creature laughed and was swallowed by the darkness.

  "Later," he heard her voice for the last time.

  Finally, he was alone.

  He stabbed into the glowing embers, letting his rage rise into the sky along with the campfire's red sparks.

  In the morning, he was awakened by the screeches of bloodbirds. They flew in a straight line, undeterred, guided by their instincts.

  The fire was already out.

  As he watched the flight of the bloodbirds, something snapped nearby. He snapped his head in that direction but saw nothing.

  ***

  The forest had become a mass grave of dead leaves. The ground was covered with a sea of red leaves, reducing the paths to thin lines. The constant crunching of leaves followed him everywhere, as if someone were snapping twigs right next to his ear every moment. The wind amplified the sounds. He looked over his shoulder more and more frequently. Birds sat on the black, bare branches of the trees or watched him from their nests. The forest was waiting for his vigilance to wane, ready to add him to the pile of corpses. I will not be the next leaf on the heap.

  ***

  Three lizards circled around Ignis, never taking their eyes off him. Each one was as large as he was. Their teeth were about as long as a finger, and spikes lined the ends of their swinging tails, scattering the fallen leaves. Saliva dripped from their mouths, and they hissed at him.

  Ignis watched the small gaps between the lizards and assessed his chances while jabbing his spear at them whenever one tried to rush him. He jerked his head back and forth to keep all three in view, but even a brief moment of distraction was enough for one to spring from the ground and pounce on him. Ignis heard the crunch of leaves and a roar. In a semicircular arc, the lizard approached Ignis's throat from the air, while the spear's tip came from the other direction. The lizard's saliva splashed on his face. Bits of flesh and cold blood poured onto his arm as he pulled the spearhead out of the lizard.

  Ignis broke into a run, but the two remaining lizards leaped at him with their claws and jaws. Despite his attempts to dodge, one of them sank its teeth into his arm. The lizard tore at him, trying to drag him to the ground, but Ignis drove his spear through its throat. He didn't even have time to take a breath, because the last lizard jumped onto his chest, dug its claws into his shoulder, and roared into his mouth with its jaws wide open. Ignis pushed its head away with the shaft of his spear, saliva dripping onto his face. He thrashed beneath it like a worm, while the lizard shredded his chest rags with its claws and tore into his flesh, repeatedly striking his legs with its spiked tail. He screamed in pain, kicking wildly to avoid the spikes piercing his legs. He didn't dare close his eyes, fearing he might never see the world again through his tear-blurred vision. Gritting his teeth, he gripped the spear shaft, pushing with all his remaining strength while glancing around. He grabbed a rock and smashed it into the lizard's eye. The grip loosened. When the lizard turned its head, Ignis thrust the spear into its soft belly and throat. The lizard gurgled and roared as its bodily fluids spilled over Ignis. Its bloodshot eyes slowly emptied. When it stopped moving, he rolled it off himself.

  His heartbeat drowned out the sounds of the outside world. He gasped for air as if suffocating. He couldn't swallow, and the world blurred and cleared to the rhythm of his pulse. All this was overshadowed by fear. Someone else's fear. Her fear.

  Ignis's eyes blazed.

  Using his spear for support, he stood up, limping and dragging his leg to a tree.

  Leaves crunched, metal clanked. Ignis's breath was knocked out as armed men emerged from the trees.

  They charged at him.

  His hand trembled, the fire reignited within him. I won't die here. By then, they had surrounded him, and unable to find a way out, Ignis just tried to cut through, stabbing at them. They grabbed his hand, trying to pin him down, but he broke free and struck. Then darkness.

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  See you in the Darkness.