Tristan's and the beastly creature's bodies were falling through the air.

  'The b*st*rd is still alive!'

  The creature tried to grab Tristan in mid-air. The beast knew only madness and had no concern for its own life.

  'You damn thing, I'll kill you before we die!'

  Tristan offered his now useless left arm for the creature to grab. The creature seized it with such force that it easily broke. The beast brought Tristan's small body closer to its mouth.

  Taking advantage of his proximity to the monster, Tristan kicked his axe, still lodged in the creature's chest, causing it to howl in pain.

  Tristan gripped the beast's fur.

  He moved closer to the creature's head.

  [Dark Bde]

  "GO TO HELL!" Tristan screamed.

  His small fingers pierced the monster's eyes.

  Tristan aimed to penetrate its brain, but his fingers were too short to achieve that.

  The beast howled in pain.

  "SHUT UP!"

  Tristan shoved his bckened hand into the creature's mouth.

  He sshed the creature's throat from the inside out, though he struggled to cut through the bone.

  In its final effort, the creature bit down on Tristan's right arm.

  Tristan clenched his teeth as the creature's fangs punctured his flesh, but he didn't stop.

  Soon, the top of the creature's head detached from its body.

  The beast was dead!

  Satisfaction filled his heart.

  Tristan gave a bitter smile, then looked at the rapidly approaching ground below.

  'Would he survive the fall?' Tristan wondered if his journey would end here.

  Tristan looked at the sun on the horizon.

  'Well, at least it will end here.'

  And he smiled.

  ***

  Along a mountain route, members of a merchant guild's caravan had set up camp.

  There were about five wagons, mostly carrying fabric.

  A man around 40 years old, dressed in simple clothes, began to walk away from the camp.

  At that moment, a young man, about 20 years old and wearing cheap combat gear, asked.

  "Zhao Lan, where are you going? It's not safe to wander off alone at night in this pce."

  The old man turned to the young man, awkwardly hiding his embarrassment, and replied.

  "Ah... Yi Jian, I'm looking for my granddaughter. She must have wandered off again."

  The young cultivator, surprised, looked back at the camp, searching for the impetuous child, but he couldn't find her.

  'I didn't even notice when she left,' Yi Jian thought.

  He coughed a bit and said,

  "Well, find her quickly then. Oh, and give that troublesome girl a good scolding."

  "I'll be back soon." Zhao Lan said goodbye and began searching for his granddaughter in the vicinity.

  After a few minutes, he thought worriedly,

  'Where is that girl? Ever since she awakened, she's become uncontrolble, wandering off without telling anyone.'

  After a while, he finally found her, in a tree about 10m(33ft) above the ground. A small girl of about 12 years old, her skin lightly tanned by the sun, with light blue eyes and hair, was wearing work clothes meant for the field.

  "Zhao Yue! Why did you sneak off again? Didn't I tell you this pce is dangerous? And why are you up there? Get down here, young dy, you're in big trouble!" he said angrily.

  "Grandpa, you're here! Ah, I'm sorry I left without telling anyone. I just wanted to take a little walk, please don't be mad," the girl said, trying to calm her grandfather's anger.

  She turned her face away.

  "Ah, what's that?" Zhao Yue said.

  "What is it?" Zhao Lan asked her.

  Zhao Yue pointed her finger to a spot about 100m(330ft) ahead of her.

  Old Zhao Lan squinted, trying to see what it was. He noticed something was moving, but he couldn't tell what it was.

  "Something's moving there, but it's too dark, and I can't make out anything," Zhao Lan said.

  "Ah, well then, I'll go see what it is," Yue said, leaping from the top of the tree with the grace of a ballerina and the agility of an acrobat. She then ran, seeming so light that it looked like the wind was carrying her.

  "Damn it, Yue, come back here. It could be dangerous to go off alone," but Yue was already far ahead, and old Lan hurried to catch up with her.

  After a while and a bit out of breath, old Lan found Yue.

  "Grandpa, I'm here!" she said.

  "You little... do you know how dangerous these mountains can be? Don't go off alone like that again!" Lan said in an irritated tone.

  "Ah, I'm sorry, Grandpa," Yue said, looking at the ground.

  Lan sighed and turned his head, hearing a strange noise.

  Now that he was closer, he could see what had been moving earlier, it was a group of crows.

  There were almost 15 of them, and they seemed quite agitated.

  "Ah, it was just a group of crows? An animal must have fallen from the top of the mountain or something," Lan said.

  "It wasn't just any animal. It's pretty big, and I managed to see a horn. It might be a magical beast," Yue said excitedly.

  "A magical beast?" Lan's heart raced at the news. A magical beast could easily wipe out a small vilge, and knowing there might be one so close to them made him worried.

  Yue began to move closer, wanting to get a better look at the creature.

  "What are you doing?" Lan asked, annoyed.

  "Please, Grandpa, I want to see the beast. I've never seen one before." Yue pleaded with her grandfather.

  Lan clicked his tongue and said,

  "Alright, let's take a look."

  Lan took the lead, with the curious Yue following behind him.

  Lan waved his arms, trying to shoo away the crows. As they got closer, they noticed something strange.

  On top of the beastly creature appeared to be a human child!

  Lan's eyes widened, and Yue's mouth dropped in surprise.

  "Why is there a child here?" Yue asked her grandfather.

  Lan's brow furrowed, 'I wonder that too. This pce is far from human civilization. It's almost impossible that this monster could have invaded a human vilge and dragged the child here.'

  "Maybe the boy was part of a group of travelers like us and got captured by the beast. Perhaps the creature slipped while carrying him to its ir," Lan specuted.

  Lan looked at the boy. The child seemed very thin, and both of his arms were injured. It looked like the crows had taken advantage of this, pecking at his flesh and deepening his wounds even further.

  A look of sadness crossed Lan's face. Seeing such a young child having to endure such a terrible fate made his heart sink.

  "Well, we should at least give him a proper burial."

  Lan gnced at his granddaughter, who was no longer in her usual cheerful mood. The boy seemed even younger than his granddaughter, which made him even sadder.

  He approached the boy, intending to carry his body.

  "Ah, what...?" Lan said, confused.

  Noticing his strange reaction, Yue asked, "What? Did something happen, Grandpa?"

  The old man frowned and said in a doubtful tone.

  "I... I think this boy is alive."

  FallenMoon3