Gusion was exhausted and starving, and the soles of his feet were so sore he couldn't feel them anymore.
But he couldn't stop running through the sandy soil of the plains he was taking.
He kept glancing over his shoulder, expecting to see any form following him.
And every glance gave him frustration and fear.
He couldn't see it. But he knew it was there.
He knew there was something following him.
For the last month that he had been traveling south, he was starting to learn what Guinevere always mentioned; feeling someone's presence by their magic.
It was useful during his travel as he always stayed on guard, always being watchful of his surroundings.
And he knew this certain presence was powerful.
He could feel it by the way his gut seemed to cower in fear as he felt it.
He quickened his run, not caring about his legs.
He had to get away fast.
He wracked his brain for ideas on how to lose someone he couldn't even see.
Or was he just going insane?
He'd slept alone for a month, over a tree's branch, inside a cave, in between roots of trees.
He'd fought against bandits, a bunch of lost demons left by their masters, and a couple of woodland creatures that had somehow left him with wounds and bruises.
But as he ran, he knew those foes were nothing compared to this.
He got nervous as he felt its presence getting stronger, and it didn't help that the road ahead was getting misty with the wind blowing the sand into the air.
He had to pull his turquoise scarf up to his nose to avoid inhaling too much dust as he squinted his eyes and continued ahead.
Running out of breath, running out of strength to keep going, and running out of hope, he let his legs give up.
And he fell.
He expected an impact against the ground, or a searing pain that would come from whatever it was following him.
But it didn't came.
He continued falling, into an unknown void that had air too cold against his skin.
He closed his eyes, his lungs finally getting the air it needed and his heart relieved from being pushed too much to its limit.
He didn't care if it was the last of him.
He just wanted to finally rest, without having stay alert.
He got what he wanted, after all; his family accepting him and acknowledging his skills.
The whole kingdom had heard of his name.
He reached his goal.
He didn't need anything anymore.
He fell deeper and deeper...
Then he landed into a slimy substance that was neither water nor soil.
He didn't open his eyes to see what it was.
He just laid there, letting the slimy substance absorb him down its depth.
He was exhausted and starving, too much that death sounded a lot better.
How did he even get here?
Why was he even here, alone, instead of being home, enjoying the proud gazes of his family and the privilege of being one of the Moniyan Empire's heroes.
He could've done anything he wanted and ladies would swoon over his presence.
Ladies...
He could feel the coldness of the substance reaching up in his neck and slowly rising up to his lips.
But his brain struggled to remember something.
Something about ladies...
Or a particular lady...
He was fully submerged under the coldness of the slimy substance, and it was pitch black that he couldn't see any light shining through his lids.
His lungs were starting to run out of air and he cowered in pain.
Paxley! A ladies' voice rang in his mind, confident and cross but mesmerizing. Paxley!
A face became clearer in his mind.
Green eyes, feminine long nose, lips naturally red despite how many days she'd spent without checking the mirror.
Guinevere!
He flailed, panicking.
His lungs was giving up, and he felt the substance holding him down, wrapping around his skin as if becoming a second layer.
He looked around and realized the slimy substance were moving like little leeches all around him.
He felt horrified. his body struggling and his lungs almost giving up.
Some of it came sticking right against his face, covering his eyes, blocking his nose, shutting his mouth.
It was the end of him.
He would die here in this muddy water being eaten by leeches that seemed to have evolved into a stronger species.
But he still had something he must do.
It was the main reason he left the empire.
He had to find Faramis before Alice could find a way to make Guinevere snap.
He just had to.
Even if it would be the last thing he would do.
So using the last strain of energy inside him, he reached for his blade with much difficulty.
He ignited the faint spark of magic he had and slashed.
His blade's glow lightened up the substance he was submerged in.
Turned out it was just water, and what was making it slimy was the thousands of the leech-like creatures filling the water.
He saw a part of them got slashed by his sword, but they merely regrouped and flirted back into his skin.
He swam back up.
His lungs felt like it was going to explode.
He flailed his arms through the water, his legs kicking desperately.
But the creature made it hard for him to move and it made him heavier, preventing him from moving up.
He could see a faint stray of light above the water's surface, but it looked too far away at the moment.
The last thing he remembered was a searing pain snapping right at the top of his collarbones before his lungs gave up and water came rushing into his mouth and nose.