Page 14 of Of Shadow and Moon

I barely have time to draw my dagger before it lunges, teeth snapping for my throat. I dive to the side, feeling a rush of air as its claws slice past my face. I hit hard, my leg taking the brunt, rolling to my feet in time to see it spin for another attack. This time, I'm ready. I sidestep its charge and drive my blade into its side, aiming for the space between its ribs. It lets out a shriek that shakes my bones and rakes its claws down my thigh, twisting away. Pain explodes, hot and blinding, but I grit my teeth and hold my ground.

The Grimmaw falters, its movements wild with dark viscous fluid oozing from the wound. I seize the moment to pull out my dagger and push it deep into its neck, twisting until it falls in a heap. My leg throbs, blood is soaking through the fabric of my pants, but I keep going.

By the second day,my clothes are in tatters, my body a canvas of bruises and cuts, and the forest is intent on breaking me. Through the canopy above, the first light of dawn makes its way through, greeting me with my next challenge, a Razorspine. It is a mass of muscle and bones; its body filled with overlapping plates of metallic scales unlike any other, which shine like polished steel. Its back bristles with razor-sharp spines, each one leaking a thick green poison that sizzles as it hits the ground. Its eyes are sunken pits of yellow, shining brightly before it makes eye contact with me.

This is honestly such bullshit, and let me be real for a moment. I’m a huge complainer, like the queen of allcomplaining, I just keep it in my head. And right now? This sucks so bad, but what do I do? Keep going or die. So, I keep fucking going.

My movements are exact with muscle memory, but my mind feels disoriented and unsure.

It charges without warning, head lowered like a battering ram. I fling myself to the side barely as it crashes into a tree, the impact splintering the bark and sending shards flying. I roll to my feet, dagger in hand, ribs screaming in protest. The Razorspine snorts, pacing as it sizes me up. This isn't a beast; it's calculating, intelligent. Deadly.

I know I have to get in close if I'm to stand a chance. When it lunges once more, I duck beneath its side, driving my blade into the soft flesh beneath its armored ribs. There’s more resistance than the other two, but the Razorspine roars, twisting violently in an attempt to shake me off. I hold tight, my fingers slick with its blood, and twist the blade deeper. With one final, agonized shriek, it collapses, its huge body smacking into the earth with a sickening thud.

I stumble backward, gasping, my muscles shaking with exertion. My arm's slick with blood, not all mine, fortunately, and my leg's wrapped in a makeshift bandage torn from my shirt.

One more day.

The third dayis one big blur of pain, exhaustion, and will. Every step is heavier than the one before; my body screaming for rest I can’t give it. The forest knows that I amweakening, and with dusk, it has revealed its final trick?a Nightfiend.

It emerged from the shadows like something out of a nightmare. It looms over me, its skeleton covered in sinewy, pitch-black fur that draws the light into it. Its eyes burn with deep, smoldering red and its mouth opens to reveal rows of needle-like teeth, covered in a thick black spittle that sizzles as it hits the ground. Long scythe-curved claws gleam with a wet sheen, promising agony.

The Nightfiend doesn't hurry. It thinks it’s the predator here.

It circles me, its movements languid and calculated, its eyes never leaving mine. It knows I'm tired, that I've been bleeding and limping for days. It's waiting for me to slip up.

But I don't.

When it lunges, I'm ready. I duck low, the claws meant to decapitate me, slicing through the air above my head. Pain bursts in my shoulder as one claw rakes across my skin, but I grit my teeth and spin, slashing my dagger across its side. The blade cuts deep, black blood spraying as the Nightfiend lets out an ear-splitting roar. In an instant, it's on me with terrifying speed, its jaws snapping inches from my face as I throw myself backward.

Suddenly filled with adrenaline, I surge forward, plunging my dagger into its throat. The Nightfiend thrashes about, its claws raking across my arm as I twist the blade, severing the artery. It falls back, its glowing eyes dimming as the life drains from its massive form.

I stumble back, my chest heaving, every inch of my body screaming in pain. Blood drips from countless wounds, my clothes are in tatters, and my vision swims. But I’m still standing. Against all odds, I’m still here. Theforest may want me dead, but it’ll have to try harder than this to break me.

I limp forward, every step agony, but force myself to continue. The edge of the forest has to be near. It has to be. Trees start to thin out, slightly, and through the branches, I can see the most beautiful shimmering of light. Taking a deep breath, I grit my teeth and continue on, not taking notice to the ache resting in every inch of my skin and muscles.

I don't stop running until I break through the last line of trees, stumbling out into open air. I collapse to my knees, my vision blurring, and let out a shuddering breath.

I made it.

Then everything goes black.

Chapter 7

Selestina

Iwake with a jolt, my body screaming in protest. Sharp pain radiates through every inch of me, as if each bruise and cut has taken on a life of its own. For a moment, I lie still, eyes closed, letting the ache wash over me. It’s overwhelming, yet familiar, a reminder of the journey I’ve just survived.

When I finally open my eyes, the massive silhouette of Obsidian Academy fills my vision. I turn my head slowly, each movement sending new waves of pain through my body.

I press my palms into the ground, feeling the rough earth beneath me, and push myself up, gritting my teeth as my muscles protest. I let the pain ground me, fueling my resolve.

I take a moment to pull out a clean set of clothes from my bag and dip a washrag into my water-sack. The cool water stings as I scrub away the grime and blood, but no amount of cleaning is going to hide the fact that I look like I’ve had my world fucking rocked. Still, as much as I’d love to march in looking like I survived a war, I know better.That piece of shit might’ve been the one to throw me into this mess, but he’d lose his damn mind if I showed up drawing any kind of attention to myself.

As I walk towards the entrance, the forest's cacophony fades, replaced by a silence that seems to amplify the weight of the academy’s presence.

Vines of obsidian and ivy weave around the stonework of the academy, blending nature with the structure's imposing architecture. Gargoyles perched on ledges glare down at me, their eyes seemingly alive with suspicion and curiosity. The massive gates, wrought from blackened iron and etched with cryptic runes, guard the entrance, their surface shimmering with an invisible barrier.

Obsidian Academy was once the heart of the entire realm of Tonalli, the grand capital where the gods themselves walked among mortals. It was here that the greatest decisions were made, where the fabric of our world was woven and unwoven by divine hands. However, La Guerra de Dioses changed everything. The cataclysmic battles left the capital in ruins, and in the aftermath, the academy was established to ensure that such devastation would never befall our world again.

---