In the previous episode:

If someone could see through the forest right now, they would see a boy running like a drunk arrow.

If someone could hear the boy, they would only hear the pathetic mumbling.

If someone would meet the boy, they would tell stories of a kind you tell your kids before they go to bed...

======================= Recovery =======================

The forest is endless. My boots drag through mud and leaves, each step a reminder of how far I’ve fallen. I remember the start — the thrill of the chase, the certainty that I was the predator and nothing could withstand me. My arrows struck price and true. I was a storm, a devil cloaked in fury.

But storms fade. Devils bleed.

Now I wander, hollow. My quiver rattles with emptiness, my pack hangs limp against my back. I gave everything, and still it was not enough. The target lies ruined, but so do I. My hands ache from the strain, my chest burns with every breath. I whisper to myself, - If only I had one more shot. If only I had the strength to continue.

The woods mock me. Branches claw at my face, roots trip my weary feet. Even the crows above seem to laugh, their cries echoing my failure. I am broken, and the hunt has broken me.

I wondered if only the Great Seven knows how many hours, and somewhere in the dark, a light flickers. A hut, small and weathered, but alive. I recognize the look of a friend’s place. My pride resists, but my body betrays me, dragging me forward. I push the door open, and the words spill out like blood from a wound.

- Help me. I lost everything...

My friend does not hesitate. She sees the ruin in my eyes, the emptiness in my pack. She gives me arrows, enough to fill my quiver once more. Her kindness is like a sun ray, but it cannot mend the ache inside me. My backpack remains empty, my soul still starved.

I leave her with a nod, stepping back into the night . Though it is starting to be early in the morning... The woods await, and so does the blood. My hunt is not over. My hunger is not sealed.

------------------------------------------ A Devils Promise ------------------------------------------

The night air bites at my skin, but it awakens me. The arrows weigh heavy at my side, a promise of violence yet to come. My pack may be empty, but my purpose is not.

I walk the path with renewed fate. Each step is a vow, each breath feels like a curse. The world will know that Tet does not stop. Broken or whole, devil or man, I will hunt until the woods themselves bow to me.

The silence of the forest is thick, but I hear the pulse of prey in the distance. My hands tighten around the bow, my eyes sharpen. The devil in me stirs again, whispering of blood, of vengeance, of the hunt that never ends.

I am Tet. I might be broken, yet I am not finished.

The hunt begins anew.

-------------------------------------------- The Fragile Prey ---------------------------------------------

The forest holds its breath. I move like a shadow, each step measured, each sound swallowed by the night. My eyes detect a target — it seems to be small and fragile. I pause, studying. The prey has a weak defence amulet, as to the point that it would barely shield against a whisper, let alone an arrow. No armor, no guard, no strength. Verdict = vulnerable.

- Is this truly the one Saven has led me to? I wonder, bitterness curling in my chest. After all the blood, after all the torment, my target is nothing but a tr embling soul, unready for the world’s cruelty.

Yet mercy is a luxury I cannot afford.

I draw the bowstring back, feeling the tension hum through my arms. My breath slows, my heartbeat steadies. The world narrows to a single point: the target’s chest, exposed by sleep and unguarded from anyone.

One arrow. One shot.

The string sings, and the arrow flies. It pierces clean. The target didn't even relieve his breath, the weak amulet shattering into dust as life slips away.

I lower the bow, silence pressing in around me. No triumph fills me, no joy. Only the cold certainty that the hunt demands blood, no matter how fragile the prey.

- I am Tet. Broken, yet relentless. And the woods will remember me.

------------------------------------------------------------------ Authors Afterword ------------------------------------------------------------------------

What does Tet learn through this journey? And what are some good things that we could note right now?

I believe that first of them would be this one = be kind to people and don't take away their hopes, sometimes a hope is all they've got.

Another one is no matter how broken you are, keep going and do not stop. When you can't climb, hang on, take a breath and think. Never give up on something important.

Last one would be that having a friend you are not ashamed to come to at your lowest, is a great thing. Find one for yourself.

=================================== The End ==================================

Thanks for reading!

Remember that in GoTWiC you are going the path you choose, sometimes without the people around you! →_→

AlexHarret