243: 6.3 Who Are You?

6.3 Who Are You?

"Damn it…" Jillian dragged his body to lean against the tree, sucking in a shuddering breath when the chill seeped through the thick layer of his clothes into his bones. He had already taken off his outer coat and cut it with his sword as a makeshift bandage to stop the bleeding on his leg. But what was the use of it if he couldn't even get out of this forest alive?  2

Jillian let out a bitter laugh and forced himself to remain alert even though he could already feel his body slowly turning numb. His entire body was shaking and he could no longer feel the pain from the wounds all over his body. He rubbed his thumb on the insignia engraved on the sword, firmly grabbing onto the hilt for dear life. At least… At least when the Alpha wolf decided that he was a suitable appetizer for dinner, he could still give one last struggle to defend himself.

Jillian cursed himself once again. What's the use of your stupid pride, Jillian? Look where it has brought you!

He stared at the blood trail on the pure white snow and the corpses of wolves a few meters away, frustrated. He had no plans to die, certainly not here, not for this kind of lame reason. He, General Jillian Lacrosa, ended up in the wolves' belly and bones buried deep in the snow? No way in hell.

Jillian stabbed the tip of his sword to the ground and used it as a leverage to stand up, staggering once in a while. When he could finally stand straight, sweat had soaked his face and strands of hair were sticking messily to his face. Mists puffed out of his mouth and he was sure that at least one of his wounds had torn open, judging from the steady stream of crimson liquid that dripped to the snow underneath his feet. His ragged breathing sounded so loud and clear amidst the tranquil atmosphere.

Something wasn't right, Jillian's instinct clamoured, it was quiet. Too quiet.

He screwed his eyes shut and shook his head hard before opening them again as if he could shake off the haze covering his eyes this way. He couldn't die, he wouldn't allow himself to surrender just like that! He squinted his eyes and… there they were, numerous pairs of predatory gazes that hid in between the dense rows of trees and slopes. The night was descending and the beasts' pupils seemed to glow amidst the dark. Curse Jillian's shitty luck because of course, the rain just had to fall at a time like this. No, judging from the intensity of the thunder above, it seemed like a storm was coming.

They were doing it on purpose, weren't they? Realization dawned on him at the same time with the creeping helplessness. The wolves were definitely waiting until the night fully settled down, waiting until Jillian, this foolish human, to lower his guard or better, die by himself so they could drag his body into their cave and devour his flesh. 

Jillian remained cautious even as he could no longer feel his feet and his teeth were chattering so hard he could feel his body shaking along with it. Adjusting his grip on the sword, he firmly planted his feet on the snowy ground and pointed the tip of it to the direction of the threatening growl. 

"Come." He laughed, hollow and desperate. "Let's get it done as soon as possible."

He leaned against the tree for support and swung his sword again and again, frenzied. His vision was filled with splattering blood, glowing slit pupils and sharp fangs of the ferocious beasts. A few bites landed on his body here and there but Jillian couldn't even feel the pain. He was quickly losing his senses and it was pure desperation and wish for survival that compelled him to move and fight. He couldn't die. That was the only thought left in his mind. He had to get out of here alive!

Blood, sweat and rainwater caused his grip on the sword to slip a few times. Jillian knew he was fighting a losing battle and frustrated tears gathered in his eyes. He stabbed a lurching wolf right on its throat and that attack became the last nail in the coffin; the exhaustion, chill and blood loss caused Jillian's hands to suddenly lose their strength and the sword slipped from his grasp, landing on the snow with a dull thump a few meters away.

He was frozen still, this time with growing despair. White noises echoed in his ears. In front of him were a dozen ferocious wolves with the Alpha on the lead — who had finally made an appearance to deliver the last blow. He had no way to escape, no weapon to defend himself and no strength left to spare.

Jillian choked out a bitter laugh. "Please…" The words came out before he realized what he was saying, tears sliding down his cheek. "Anybody, please help me…"

Right in the next second, the entire world seemed to come to a still. Jillian had no idea if he was imagining it but for a few seconds, the rain stopped falling, the trees ceased rustling and most importantly, the wolves halted in place, mouth pulling back into snarls. But this time it sounded different. Rather than predatory, the sounds they emitted sounded more like… restlessness? And was that hesitation he saw in their eyes? The pack had stopped looking at Jillian and instead, trained their eyes on the empty space far in the distance.

Jillian subconsciously followed their line of sight and an involuntary gasp escaped his lips when a figure materialized from thin air. From his position, Jillian could only see the person's silhouette; they were tall, very tall and slender. They were wearing all white and Jillian's jaws almost dropped when he realized that it was merely a thin, plain white robe with a sash tied to their waist. Someone was wearing such thin clothing… in the middle of the harshest winter…

A closer look told him that the person was barefoot as well. Their steps were graceful and light, it didn't even make any dents on the snow. Jillian finally snapped out of his senses enough to look up and his breath abruptly caught in his throat when he finally got a clear look on their face. 

A man — yes, that was a man — with a feature so impossibly beautiful, so pale and gorgeous like a blooming white rose. His hair was the darkest shade of onyx, deeper than the night itself; hanging down to his knees with strands of it framing his face. The man stopped a few meters away and leveled the wolves a cold glare. Then an unbelievable thing happened. The Alpha actually cowered, lowering its snouts to the ground in submission and scurrying away with pitiful whimpers, the others following behind it!

Jillian's eyes went as wide as saucers and his legs finally gave up beneath him. He plopped down to the ground, staring up at the strange man with a gobsmacked expression. After making sure that the wolves had disappeared, the man finally turned to him and Jillian had the honor of gazing at the clearest, purest silver eyes he had ever seen. The stranger took a step toward him, then another and another, and when he entered the range of the bloody fight, Jillian subconsciously opened his lips, intending to warn him not to dirty his pristine white robe. 

Instead, he could only stare, dumbfounded as the man glided closer almost as if he was floating. The blood and dust seemed to hate clinging onto him and when he arrived in front of Jillian, he was still perfectly unstained and gorgeous.

Jillian blinked the water away from his eyes but still, the man in front of him remained unchanged. From up close, his beauty was so mesmerizing that it took Jillian all his willpower to recall what he wanted to say. 

"W—Who are you…?" He rasped through his utterly dry and pained throat. The mountain spirit? A winter fairy? The Angel from Hell that had come to reap his soul?

The man merely blinked and crouched down beside Jillian. Another gasp escaped Jillian's lips because at that moment, the clouds chose to part to allow moonlight in and Jillian clearly saw that the man's body was half transparent! Not only that, why… why was he looking at Jillian with such gentle yet sorrowful eyes?

"You…" Jillian started but was unable to form any words because of the sudden vertigo that rushed to his head. The stress, fatigue and relief of finally being safe caught up to him and as much as Jillian wanted to keep staring at the man, he couldn't help but succumb to the darkness that had beckoned him in.

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