Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Survival
Suddenly, A wave of terror washed over Aiden as he looked the creature's mind open in an unnatural, unsettling way, and unleashed a chilling, echoing sound.
Chiu!! Chuii!!!
It was unlike anything he had ever heard, a vibration that sent shivers down his spine and gnawed at his very soul. Fear, cold and constricting, squeezed his heart in its icy grip.
His heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
Soon, A guttural chirp echoed from the treetop. Aiden darted a glance upwards, his blood ran cold when his eyes met with something.
A flash of crimson glinted through the leaves, revealing a pair of malevolent eyes.
Panic surged through him. Aiden knew, with chilling certainty, that if he didn't flee immediately, his death was inevitable. Without a second thought, his body propelled him forward, driven by the urge to survive.
The forest floor blurred beneath his feet, lungs burning with each desperate gasp of air.
The creatures, sensing his fear, mirrored his action. With excited yelps, they launched themselves from the branches, their bulky bodies landing on all fours in a flurry of dust and leaves.
Their forms replicated the strange big teeth creature that Aiden had encountered earlier. Their forms varied in size, but their predatory gaze remained constant, a chilling amusement dancing in their snake-like eyes.
He stole a glance behind him, his breath catching in his throat at the sight. Hundreds of the rodent-like creatures, their forms a menacing blur, chased him with unbridled glee. Their eyes, devoid of malice, held only a chilling joy in their pursuit.
Their slavering big teeth dropped a corrosive liquid, etching grotesque scars into the earth as they bounded after him. Each leap forward fueled Aiden's desperation. He poured every ounce of energy into his ragged breaths and aching limbs, pushing himself beyond his perceived limits.
Frustration gnawed at him. Previously his Devil Truth of Misery ability offered no insight into their predatory emotions . No hunger, no fear, no anger.
'Wait… are they enjoying it?'
A horrifying realization dawned upon him - they weren't driven by instinctual hunger, but by a twisted sense of amusement. They were toying with him, enjoying his terror like a plaything.
Aiden's mind raced, searching for any flicker of hope, any strategy to escape.
He didn't know where to run, where to escape. Could he outrun this unimaginable force bearing down on him?
Suddenly his eyes caught sight of the familiar, majestic tree in the far distance. It was the one with the large burrow.
It stood out as a giant even from afar, its massive form easily discernible.
Aiden didn't know why but his mind wanted him to run there. Maybe because it is a place where negligible emotional turmoil is present.
There must be a reason for it!
With a renewed surge of adrenaline, Aiden veered towards the tree.
Time stretched into an agonizing eternity, his muscles screaming in protest with each pounding stride. His vision blurred, exhaustion threatening to overtake him. He didn't know how long he had been running, how far he had come. But He couldn't stop. Stopping meant surrendering to a monstrous fate.
Aiden chanced another glance back, his heart sinking into his stomach. The creatures had also slowed their pace, mirroring his own, but they were clearly not exhausted.
They were toying with him, savoring the hunt and inflicting fear on their prey.
A strangled sob escaped his lips. Despair threatened to engulf him, but a flicker of defiance sparked in his eyes. He wouldn't surrender. He wouldn't become their plaything. He would find a way.
Aiden's heart pounded a frantic rhythm against his ribs, echoing in his ears louder than the approaching thundering of the creatures.
Aiden looked at the Majestic Tree, it was just a little away from him.
Unexpectedly, Their pursuit had escalated, the rhythmic thrum of their footsteps has increased.
He didn't understand the sudden shift in their pursuit. They had been toying with him before, their movements deliberate, almost playful. But now, their pace had quickened, their eyes gleaming with a feral intensity.
Adrenaline surged through his veins, jolting him forward. "Just a little more," he rasped, the words catching in his dry throat.
He couldn't explain why he believed that reaching the tree would offer safety. Perhaps it was a desperate clinging to any hope, a futile attempt to silence the fear gnawing inside in his mind or maybe the human needed something to believe.
He was tired of thinking, of searching for logic in this relentless nightmare.
His legs, fueled by desperation, propelled him forward.
It was a dance of predator and prey, a desperate race for survival.
Ahhh..!
Suddenly, a searing pain erupted from his leg. A smaller rodent creature, a blur of teeth and claws, had clamped onto his flesh, its venom a fiery inferno spreading through his body.
Aiden screamed, the agony was unlike anything he had ever imagined, but still, he ran. The creature clung on, its teeth embedded deep in his leg.
But he wouldn't stop, not even if it meant embracing death while running. This was Aiden's defiance, his refusal to surrender even in the face of the inevitable.
Aiden could feel the poison spreading, its icy tendrils creeping up his leg, stealing his strength.
Another jolt of pain ripped through him as another Rodent creature latched but this time onto his right hand, its bite adding to the symphony of agony engulfing him.
His senses were blurring, overwhelmed by the assault on his body and mind. He yearned to keep running, but his legs, heavy with exhaustion and poisoned blood, refused to obey his command.
Darkness, a familiar companion in his desolate world, crept in at the edges of his vision. Aiden crumpled to the ground, collapsing under the shade of the majestic tree, its silent presence offering no solace.
As his consciousness slipped away, a single tear traced a path down his cheek, a silent echo of a desperate plea, "Father and Mother, I tried hard."
His futile struggle ended, leaving only the chilling silence and the silhouette of a cripple boy.
…..
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
priya012
priya012 If you feel that this chapter isn't meeting the standard, please comment.
I haven't the proof reading of this chapter yet.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone