*this chapter has been edited*

I was back in the forest, surrounded yet again by those trees that seemed to devour the night sky and the ominous cloud of danger and death.

Before I could even register what I was doing I started running. My heart rate increased as I ran like my life depended on it, and I knew from the first encounter that it really did.

I didn't even know for sure who or what I'd encounter this time, but memories of what happened before pushed me to run faster.

I couldn't stop not even to catch my breath. I had to keep running.

And so I did, I kept on running, gaining speed and losing my breath.

I was making my way through the forest, the trees seemed to move closer, suffocating me in a detangled mess of branches and leaves.

The night sky got darker, turning from a midnight blue to a hue of darkness. The ominous cloud becoming dense and the temperature fit the mood accurately.

Cold and deadly.

A flashback of my beating heart in the hands of that beast surfaced.

I felt a chill run down my spine at that thought, and I picked up my pace.

I thought I would've outrun the creature by now, but I was surely mistaken.

A scream echoed through the forest. No, it was more of a war cry of some sort. A signal of an untimely doom. This scream was nerve wrecking and I felt my heart stop in fear.

I turned my head slightly, and in doing so tripped on a log, I started tumbling down a hillside.

I tried to stop my body from falling, but that only got me unnecessary bruises and scratches.

I landed near a river bank, hitting my head on a nearby rock. I hissed in pain and touched my temple feeling the warm liquid on my fingertips. My blood.

I groaned in agony, a headache slowly forming. The fight had begun, but was I prepared for it?

Again I heard the scream from a distance this sound wasn't human I could tell.

I pushed my body to a kneeling position, muscles weak, body protesting and out of breath, I lifted myself until I was standing.

My body shook and my surroundings spun so I leaned onto the nearest tree to steady myself.

I closed my eyes, trying to stop the spinning, trying to get find some strength in me that would enable me to go on.

I opened my eyes and checked my surroundings, to my relief a glint caught my attention and at a distance I saw the same bow and arrow I used before.

New found energy spread throughout me and I ran towards it, a piece of paper was stuck nearby, with an emerald necklace hanging from it.

'The hunter shall regain sight. The answers will be found once you seek.'

The words made no sense to me, I was still confused, but I knew this necklace would be a key. I placed the paper in my pocket and wore the necklace, as soon as I grabbed the bow and arrow a foreign power surged through me, filling me with strength and confidence.

I felt the energy course through even the fabric of my clothes, like an electric charge.

My clothes changed color and design, no longer was I wearing my plain clothes, a dark black cloak with a hood surrounded my head and body, a mask on my lower face, and knee length black pants that had a silk cloth that worked as a belt, surrounding my hips, and covering the front and back of my lower body.

I looked down at my attire, astounded and fascinated by this. I pulled down my hood in awe, my red hair looked brighter, I felt empowered, stronger.

I heard the scream again. More loudly. Much closer.

I took a deep breathing, preparing myself, and I turned around to face my opponent, what I saw behind me nearly made my chest pump out of my chest.

A creature that was tall and lean stood by one of the trees. It was so sickly thin that I could easily see its skeleton structure. Its eyes were black with white pupils that seemed to glow in the dark. It had the structure of a human being but its eyes and appearance said otherwise. Its skin was a light grey in color and slightly wrinkled with no ounce of hair on its head or body.

I could not help but wonder what I was up against, even with this new courage seeping through me, I could not help but quiver slightly at this creature.

It looked at me unblinking, tilted its head to the side to the point that I heard a crack, I stepped back from the sound, gripping my bow tightly. It was observing me and I just stood there.

Time seemed to pass excruciatingly slowly. Then after a while it smiled, its canine teeth making its smile even more menacing.

"Dressed for the occasion are we now hunter?" it spoke, making me shiver. Just a few words from the creature and my heart was in my throat. Where was the courage I felt earlier?

I felt myself sway.

"Time to play," it said the smile still plastered on its face, head tilted in an unnatural way. Its voice made me shiver. It was like a million voices were speaking at once, deep voices, feminine voices, child-like voices and even one's I had never before heard were jammed into one being.

Never have I heard anything like it before. Its voice was like a foreshadowing that told me of death, suffering and unbearable pain.

Without thinking I launched my arrow towards it, but the creature dodged bending in an unnatural way, its bones cracked as its head made contact with its knees.

It turned its head toward me smiling even wider, its eyes shining brighter and canines growing. This was bad.

I had opened Pandora's Box when I shot my arrow, unleashing a chain reaction of evil.

Its upper body came back into place, cracking with each movement. The smile never faded and I knew that smile was a warning.

I tried to move, but in a flash it was right in front of me. It grabbed me by the throat and pushed me against the tree. Its head tilted side to side, like a receiver trying to find signal. My hands had instinctively gone to my neck using my nails to claw at the creature's hand trying so hard to free myself, but to no avail.

It laughed and again I felt the chill going down my spine, "Dressed for the occasion is the hunter, yet the hunter has become prey."

"I thought you'd be more of a challenge than this," it taunted, "Oh well I guess not all Sarions can live up to their names." I furrowed my eyebrows at this.

A Sarion? It sounds oddly familiar I've heard it somewhere, the question is where?

"If you'd let me go, I'll show you what type of challenge Id be." I choked out.

"You'd be a challenge if you were able to release yourself from my grip hunter, but you cannot. You are weak!" It said, tightening its hand around my throat. Its white pupils slowly grew in size, eating away at the darkness that surrounded its eyes, turning black eyes to plain white eyes.

My eyes widened in fear, and I yet again started scratching at the cold hands that were still around my neck, it was like trying to detangle a boa constrictor, its hand tightened the more I struggled.

"Tsk, tsk, your kind used to be stronger than this, but let's have some fun, right? You and I will be one, do you know how? Simple, I'm going to eat your soul." It laughed at its dark humor, but my face showed that I did not find any of this funny.

My heart rate increased, I was surprised I hadn't gotten cardiac arrest at the rate my heart was going at. "I'm going to suck your life force. And youre going to be in a lot of pain." It stated with a grin.

I didn't even put up a fight, yet I had done some damage to the first creature.

Its mouth was agape, cracking and splitting as it grew to an un-human size. I felt my fast heart beat decreasing, my body felt weaker and my hands dropped to its side.

A second crack resounded, but this time it was from my own skin. I let out an ear piercing scream as I felt something break. Looking at myself not only were my bones being broken.

My body temperature was soaring, I felt as if I was being roasted inside out. My veins became more prompt in my arms that they started turning from green to black.

I screamed again as I felt my bones grinding and being mashed together in my body. More of my veins appeared and were turning black throughout my body. The pain was excruciating. I wanted it to stop.

I felt my bones puncturing all my major organs. My eyes rolled at the back of my head just as my essence was absorbed by the menacing creature.

"You won't be a challenge to me Sarion, Every last one of you will pay with your death."

I woke up with a start, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from my body.

I was shaking, scared and alone. Fresh tears threatened to spill forth.

I never asked for this. I didn't want this. Whatever was happening I didn't want any part of it.

Frustrated, I roughly laid my head back down on my pillow.

I was so close to tears that I bit my lip to stop myself from crying and laid a hand on my chest, cold chills swept through me as I felt a cold metal around my neck.

Shaking physically, I reached for the light switch and held in a scream when I turned on the light, the same emerald necklace from my dream was hanging around my neck.

Angrily, I tried removing it from my neck, but it did not have a clasp on. I grabbed a scissor from my desk and tried cutting it. Nothing.

I quietly left my room and went to the kitchen, grabbing the kitchen knife I tried cutting it yet again.

"I don't want you, come off," I grunted, frustration oozing off my pores. Breathing heavily I threw the knife across the floor in anger, "Why don't you come off!" I questioned, trying to forcibly pull it out with my hands. Still, nothing.

It only left me with red and slightly swollen hands. I wanted to scream in frustration, throw something, and to get this necklace off me.

I sent a quick text to Aria, while trying to even out my breathing. I checked the clock and it was 4:03 a.m.

I knew she'd probably be asleep but I had to talk to someone, I dialed her number and waited while it rang, contemplating what to say her. It went straight to voicemail.

Sighing heavily, I redialed her number.

Voicemail.

Frustrated I threw my phone onto my bed and crouched on the floor, losing all my energy and resolve.

Why this, why now?

I couldn't fathom even why Sauran Valley was being targeted. I had no energy to sleep, if this kept going on I might become an insomniac.

I grabbed my phone to see if there was any message.

Nothing.

I ran a hand through my hair, but as I was doing so I noticed something on my hand that made my heart stop.

It was an engravement of a bow and arrow.

That's when my world crumbled and the tears I tried holding in came pouring out.

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I hope you enjoyed this edited version. I can't wait for what's coming up next. See y'all in the next Chapter. Love you mwah! Don't forget to share, vote, and comment if you loved it.

Mercy💜