CHAPTER 100: A GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE.

Anya Sterling ran.

Her breath was a sharp, painful burn in her lungs. The branches of the dark trees in the Whisperwood whipped at her face, leaving small cuts that she did not feel. Every muscle in her body screamed for rest, but she could not stop.

To stop was to die.

The world she knew was gone. Her family, the proud Sterling clan, were now just empty bodies walking around with blank eyes. The other great families were the same. The entire province was a silent graveyard, and the dead were all controlled by one person.

Kaelen.

The name was a cold stone in her stomach. The arrogant, insane boy from the Labyrinth was now the master of a dead province. He had won.

Her only choice was to run. But where could she go?

She thought of Rhys. The man who had taken over Silverwood. The man who had commanded an army of the dead and defeated a Titan. He was powerful. He was the only person in the province who could possibly stand against Kaelen.

But she could not go to him.

The thought was a bitter poison in her mind. How did she know he was not one of them? Kaelen’s poison had spread through the meat of the spiritual beasts.

Everyone who had celebrated the end of the beast tide was now a puppet. Had Rhys eaten that meat?

Did his people eat it?

She could not trust him. She could not trust anyone. The entire province was a trap. Every friendly face could be a mask worn by the enemy. Every town could be a cage.

So, she ran east. Towards the Endless Ocean.

It was a suicidal plan. The coastline was a wild, untamed place, and the ocean was vast and empty.

There were no ships, no friendly ports. It was the edge of the world. But it was the only direction Kaelen’s army of the dead could not easily follow. It was her only chance, no matter how small.

For three days, she ran. She used all the skills she had learned in the Labyrinth. She moved through the dense forest, avoiding monsters as her Pathseeker ability helped her find the safest routes.

She ate wild berries and drank from clear streams.

But she was also being hunted.

Kaelen was playing with her. It was a cruel, terrifying game of cat and mouse. He was not trying to kill her quickly. He was enjoying her fear. He was breaking her, piece by piece.

On the first day, she found one of her own alchemical daggers stuck in a tree on her path. It was the dagger she had lost in the Labyrinth.

It was a message. He knew where she was. The most horrifying part was that she had no idea where he was.

On the next day, she smelled something familiar in the air. It was the scent of Silverwood Tea, her mother’s favourite.

I know what you love. I can take it away.

On the next day, the game became more horrifying. She came into a small clearing and saw the bodies of several high-level monsters.

They were torn apart, their blood and organs arranged in a strange, artistic pattern on the ground. It was a pattern she recognised. It was a drawing of a flower she used to make when she was a small child.

I know your secrets. I know your past.

She felt a cold, deep terror. He was not just hunting her body; he was hunting her mind. He was showing her that he knew everything about her, that there was no escape from him.

Her hope, which had been a small, flickering candle, was almost gone. She was tired, she was scared, and she was alone.

The next day, she finally reached the edge of the Whisperwood. She could see it through the trees: the dark, endless water of the ocean. She could smell the salt in the air. She had made it.

She stumbled out of the forest and onto a high, rocky cliff overlooking the sea. The wind was strong here. It whipped her hair around her face and tore at her clothes. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below was loud.

She stood there for a moment, breathing in the cold, salty air. She had escaped the forest. But she knew she had not escaped him.

She turned around.

He was standing at the edge of the forest, leaning against a dark tree. He was no longer the broken, bleeding boy from the Labyrinth.

He was tall and powerful, his body radiating a dark, corrupt energy. The manic, insane smile was still on his face.

He had been waiting for her. The entire chase had been a game to lead her to this exact spot.

This was the end.

Anya felt a strange sense of calm. The fear was gone. There was no point in being afraid anymore.

She took out her own dagger, its blade shining in the pale light. If she was going to die, she would die fighting.

Kaelen pushed himself off the tree and began to walk towards her. He moved with a slow, confident grace, like a predator that knew its prey was trapped.

"You have been a very entertaining mouse, Anya," he said, his voice a low, mocking purr. "But the game is over now."

He stopped a few feet from her, his red eyes looking her up and down.

"The game is over, cocksleeve," he said, his voice dropping low. "Time to become a real sleeve."

Anya felt a surge of pure, cold hatred. She raised her dagger, ready to lunge, ready to fight to her last breath.

But before she could move, another voice spoke. It was a cold, calm voice that cut through the sound of the wind and the waves. It came from behind Kaelen, from the shadows of the forest he had just left.

"Yeah," the voice said. "The game really is over."