Noctis bolted towards the trees as fast as his legs could take him. In his panic, he took no notice of anything else around himself but for his destination. After leaving the pavement, he stumbled over some rocks and almost fell to the ground. The man was clumsily able to regain his balance before he fell over and then made it into the cover of the forest.
There was no relief once he'd arrived. Noctis knew he was not safe. In near darkness, the young man continued forward, fear forcing him. He pushed past thick foliage and branches, getting some cuts in the process. He didn't pause when heard the sound of someone else entering the forest behind him. His terror increased but all it did was spur him to try and run faster. He just needed to lose those monsters somehow. It was his only hope. Perhaps then, he could survive this night.
Noctis let out a frightened cry when he heard something gaining on him, much faster than he thought possible. Whatever it was sped through the underbrush. The man felt a dark aura and could almost feel something reach for him. He swore he felt his heart almost stop. But instead of a monstrous hand latching onto him, all Noctis heard was a startled cry, one not his own. Too inhuman, it belonged to whichever of the monsters was behind him. There was the sound of branches breaking and a thud as something was knocked away. Then laughter.
"Bastard!" One voice hissed out, not sounding as angry as it was before. Even through his fear, Noctis recognized it as Somnus.
"Just making this a little more interesting. Wouldn't want our fun to end too soon now would we?" Despite the abnormal and sinister quality the voice now held, Noctis recognized this second voice as belonging to Ardyn.
Noctis did not hear the response as he used this time to get as much distance from the two Daemons as he could. Faintly, he could hear sounds like the two were fighting once more. There came another thud, some more chillingly inhuman cries and then a loud crack. Then the sound of something far larger than either Daemon hitting the ground resounded across the night. More laughter, but it was a different voice than the first time.
A tree had likely broken in the struggle between the monsters, Noctis thought to himself. He shuddered in fright, realizing the creatures chasing him could easily break him. The fleeing man knew he could not allow himself to get caught. He could not stand against them.
**********
For a short time, Noctis thought he'd lost his pursuers. Despite his exhaustion and the many times he'd almost run headlong into a tree, he had forced himself to continue until he could no more. And now, for some time, there had been no sound of pursuit.
The man stopped for a reprieve, leaning against the trunk of a large tree. His clothing was dirty and torn in several places, having caught on several rather sharp branches. Noctis had even tripped twice and fallen face first onto the ground. He knew if he survived he'd have some nasty bruises for the next week.
Noctis gasped for breath, the sound harsh in the silence around him. He attempted his best to slow his breathing so it was not as loud. The less sound he made, the better. The man's mouth was painfully dry and he found himself wishing for water.
Though he was now certain Daemons existed after finally witnessing one of them in full, Noctis still found this truth to believe. A part of him felt as if this were some awful nightmare and he would soon awaken from it. But the sharp ache in his chest and the pain of his bruises made the man well aware this was no dream.
When Noctis tried to use his phone, he realized quickly it had no service. Like his car, it was not working. Perhaps the monsters had something to do with it or he was just that unlucky. The man berated himself for being fooled by Ardyn. He'd been stupid too, not telling anyone where he was going this night. He should have told someone about all of this but he'd been too worried what they may think of him. He felt they'd just believe he was crazy. Noctis knew too late he should have trusted his friends and family so he would not have ended up in this situation.
