—First Person POV.—
I woke to the sound of a door creaking open and flinched—my face still buried in the pillow.
The sheets clung to my skin, damp with tears, and every inch of me ached as if I'd cried myself to sleep—again. My eyes, gritty and swollen like sandpaper, now stung with the residue of my self-pity.
Footsteps, light and hurried, echoed in the dim silence "(Y/n)," Kinoko's light voice called.
Within moments, the mushroom fae was at my side, hand reaching out to shake my shoulder gently "Get up, we have to leave."
"Leave?" I rasped, struggling to push myself up and squinting at her through half-closed eyes "Now? Can't you see I'm getting ready for another sob-session? And why in middle of the night?"
"It's not night for much longer," She fixed her hat, her star-like eyes flicking to the window "Dawn's coming—and so is his Highness! If we don't go now, he's going to throw us in the dungeon!"
I tried to convince myself "He wouldn't do that.." But even as I whispered it, I knew it was a desperate hope.
And all remnants of mine had been stripped away.
Kinoko didn't waste time with further explanation, she bent down and began gathering scattered belongings around the room—stuffing them into a battered bag with efficient urgency.
"I've heard from the kitchen girls," She hurriedly muttered, her tone low "He's mad that you embarrassed him."
"I didn't mean to.." My voice cracked as fresh tears threatened behind my eyes "But what's the point of running back? The secrets out, won't they rip out your tongue or something when we get back to Kyushu??"
"Stop thinking like that," Kinoko cuts in firmly "Let me handle this, I made a friend who will come with us so we won't have to travel alone."
"Who? You want me to trust some stranger just because you say so? You haven't even been here in the past month enough to know what's been going on." I bite and immediately feel bad—because really, I shouldn't try to take my frustrations out on her.
She's just trying to help.
The fae didn't bother to answer or even acknowledge my words— Instead, she lifted a small sack and held it out for me.
The scent of wildberries—familiar and sweet—mingled in the air, and for a moment I stared at it before sighing and dragging myself up from the bed.
"Fine." I muttered bitterly.
What would happen to us once we reached Kyushu? Nothing good, probably— But at least I'd have some berries before everything falls apart.
We packed in silence, punctuated only by the rustle of fabric and the creaks of the old castle settling into the night.
Shadows danced along the corridor as we stepped out, lit by the crimson glow of potions in Kinoko's satchel as she led me down the back staircase—the one reserved for the servants.
I knew I shouldn't be leaving without the Prince's permission— Didn't he order me to stay in my chamber until he decided my fate? Or was that just an illusion I came up with to deal with my grief?
"What's in that satchel?" I asked, tilting my head towards the glow emanating from her pack "Just a few potions I worked up. Don't worry about it," She answered breezily.
I blinked "I didn't know mushroom fae could make potions.."
She offered no further explanation.
As we turned into a narrow corridor, a very specific, very human noise caught my ear—a muffled gasp, followed by a breathless "Wait, Eij, the headboard—" Then a sharp cry of pleasure that silenced everything else.
A grunt and wood splintering met my attention and my jaw dropped—wide eyes staring down the corridor.
There was a few doors but my ears could probably assume from the muffled ruckus going on—that the explicit noises were hailing from the end of the hall.
"Claws, fuck, right there, harder—" Rhythmic movement with whispered cries crept through the space, unheard by anyone else in the castle.
"Oh." I whispered.
Kinoko grabbed my arm and tugged me along "just ignore them, we've got to go," She urged, her voice calm though her eyes avoided the sounds behind us.
As we turned down another corridor, we reached the bottom floor and stepped outside—I glanced up, seeing that the sky was cloaked in thick clouds that hid the moon entirely.
Kinoko led the way, her strides purposeful as we moved toward the stables.
I soon came upon a cart with a single Shire horse, its dark coat almost completely hiding it in the shadows.
A man clad in a black cloak stepped forward silently and helped me into the cart.
As he released his grip, his rough, scarred hand with knuckles wrapped in tarnished metal rings—brushed mine and my brows furrowed.
Then came a howl—long, guttural, and quickly followed by a nother howl that echoed from the depths of the woods.
Dire wolves..?
Kinoko said nothing as the cart began its journey, but quickly steered off the road and into the thick greenery— Leading us away from Oyshima instead of toward it.
"This is the wrong direction," I comment, brows furrowing as the man briefly glanced back over his shoulder at me.
"He knows a shortcut," Kinoko spoke up, her tone matter-of-fact—I turned to stare back at the driver and met a flash of turquoise eyes beneath his hood—
The color is oddly familiar, but where have I seen it?
My head throbbed with remnants of last night's tears—the salty sting making my face puffy and my vision blurred.
I reached into the berry sack; normally, I would have devoured the wildberries, but tonight they tasted like dirt on my tongue—their usual sweetness tainted by my sour mood.
I chewed slowly, trying to focus on anything but the crushing weight in my chest.
Every time I thought of the Prince or Traveler I never got to say goodbye to, a tight knot of despair wound itself tighter in my chest.
I wanted to numb my mind, to sleep until we reached Kyushu—or even to stop in Oyashima, find a new life, and never look back. But I couldn't abandon my family, not when they needed me most.
After what felt like an eternity of riding in silence, Kinoko finally broke the quiet "You know," She started "I really wanted to stop and fetch Izuku, there's no way he's safe in that castle."
"Huh? Why not?" I paused my chewing—my brows knitting in confusion as I tilted my head to look at the fae.
She leaned back lazily "Because he's a vampire!"
I choked on the berry.
"Huh?!"
"Wasn't it obvious?" Kinoko giggled "The fangs—or how he's so mysterious like, never eats, never sleeps, and remember when he caught your hand before you nearly fell in the west wing? Oh, plus the fact he's always wearing a cloak!"
Something in my stomach twisted.
"Wait.. How do you know about what happened in the west wing?" I question.
And Kinoko pauses, her light eyes flicking my way before she rolled them with a smile on her face "You told me, remember?"
"No, I didn't." I sat up slowly, hand bracing on the side of the cart as she stared at me—unblinking.
Then she blew a huff from her lips "Whoopsie, we've got a smart cookie."
Kinoko's leg snapped up, slamming into my side with brutal force—pain burst through my ribs as I tumbled from the cart, crashing onto the rough ground.
My head swam as dirt invaded my senses, and I snapped my attention upwards to stare in disbelief at Kinoko's gleeful golden eyes.
"You know," She sang sweetly "He killed that man in the alley and you helped him get away afterward."
The man in the black cloak turned, letting me see his scarred face as his hand reached out—blue flames enveloping his palm "Could've picked a better place to do this, I would've preferred a ditch somewhere."
I froze in my spot on the floor—eyes wide with the realization and pain searing in my abdomen.
"No, leave her," The fae calls, her face melting off her body to reveal blonde locks and a fanged smile that matched a certain Travelers.
"It'll be a blood bath, my love will smell it and finally come on out to feast," She purrs, gold gaze sweeping over my body as she shudders and ran her tongue excitedly over her teeth "God, he must be starving."
The man paused for a moment, contemplating before checking to make sure they had the satchel of potions before finally whipping the reins—and the cart raced off.
My breath came in harsh gasps as I hurriedly pushed myself to my feet and turned back in the direction of the castle.
I heard a branch snap somewhere far off and quickened my pace, sprinting up the hill even as the rocky terrain tore at my feet.
Suddenly, a chorus of howls split the silence—a wild, terrifying sound that sent my blood freezing in my veins.
Dire wolves.
Panic surged through me—my tired legs trembled with newfound adrenaline as I ran, now dodging low-hanging branches and gnarled roots.
Glancing to my left, I saw a lone wolf pacing the trees, roughly forty feet away—a second and then a third appeared, emerging from the darkness like specters.
I skid to a stop and snatched up a fallen branch—something sturdy enough as I turned to face the creature, drawing in a deep, steadying breath.
But as if on cue, a third and a fourth wolf materialized mere feet from the first, their yellow eyes glinting as they circled in a silent, menacing semicircle—and a fifth wolf emerged from the trees at the edge of my vision.
Shit, the only reason they looked smaller before was because they were further away.
But these weren't just Dire wolves— I actually don't know what these things are. The exposed brains along their large heads weren't normal.
Their ears grazed the tree branches due to their size, showcasing the fact they were giant creatures—all stalking toward me slowly, their movements fluid and terrifyingly quiet.
The closest one suddenly lunged forward, and I raised the branch and slammed it into its snout—its sharp teeth clamped onto the branch, then onto my wrist.
I grunted, snapping my free hand out to grip its upper jaw tightly— And thank fuck I ate those berries just now.
I squeezed until a wet, sickening snap echoed in my ears and was immediately followed by a cry of pain from the creature—its hind legs kicking at the dirt below to free itself while its large claws pushed at my shoulder.
Blood dribbled down my arms as I released my grip—causing the Dire wolf to flop down in a heap of whines while its body scrambled on the ground with a crushed upper-muzzle.
I raised my fists up.
"Come on, then," I spat through gritted teeth—though, my thoughts ran rampant against my survival instincts.
Because maybe if I died here, it would be better for everyone.
I caught another wolf by the neck, nails biting into its fur as a squelch ripped through the air and I racked my arm back to tear its esophagus free.
Its body slammed to the floor just as the next one charged at me—another choosing that moment to bolt in and sink its teeth into my calf.
I screamed, a raw, anguished cry, and lashed out with my fist—sending the one before crashing into a nearby tree.
My hands grabbed the corpse beneath me, eyes in a crazed haze I lifted it and slammed it down on the damned wolf that'd chomped on my leg—it yelped and let go.
I raised the limp body up and slammed it down again, battering the creature into the floor.
I fucking needed this.
A frustrated scream of a million emotions fell from my throat as I beat the wolf into the ground—blood and bones breaking apart to paint everything around me as the corpse gave way under the hits.
The now-patch of fur and crimson on the floor wasn't even moving as I dropped the fragments of the second wolf onto its comrades puddle.
And turned, glanced back over my shoulder with my chest rising and falling in a shuddering rhythm.
There was another wolf crouched, poised to strike.
This was never ending.
Either my vision was tripled, or I saw a hundred glowing eyes trained on me from the surrounding woods.
Then, suddenly, an explosion of blinding light burst overhead—a searing blaze that set the forest aglow with an almost otherworldly radiance.
A deep, demonic growl, layered with a man's voice, reverberated through the trees, drowning out the snarls of the remaining wolves—the sudden inferno of light and heat swallowed the darkness, and for a moment, all the terror, the fury, and the bloodshed dissolved into that overwhelming brilliance.
I closed my eyes, disoriented by the cascade of searing flames that rained down over the forest floor—engulfing the wolves in a terrible, purifying fire.
In that moment, as light vanquished darkness, I could only wonder if my death here might be an end to all this unbearable pain.
I'm so tired.
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All y'all that read 'My Stupid Heart' before this are prolly losing y'all's shit, huh