The Unbreakable Bow

The boy managed to pass the narrow river that separated the small island that his village was build on and the mainland by sliding with his bow on one of his extended arrow.

As the rain poured down in the dim light of dusk, the young boy darted through the tangled undergrowth of the woods, his energy drained after hours of frantic running.

Each step splashed in the mud, echoing his fear. Branches snagged at his clothes, and the dense foliage seemed to close in around him, amplifying his sense of isolation.

Despite his exhaustion, adrenaline fueled his desperate flight, driven by an unseen menace lurking in the shadows.

Each step had him thinking about what he did ,he had just threw everything he had behind even his self-satisfing morals he acted to hold onto so much, he just stole what wasn't his out of selfishness. He harmed people in order to get that done. And most importantly,he abandoned his village , and let it to rot in hopes of gaining a new fate.

It doesn't matter anymore .

He tries to confort himself. He gambled everything on those three keys he held tightly in his grip. He needs to succed or else with what the dignity will he return to continue his lifeless life serving his curse.

He didn't know where to go , he just knew that he needed to get as far as the possible from his once home and the army that held it.

Suddenly, he heard a bizarre echo that went down his spine .

A chilling sound pierced through the darkness—a haunting, guttural moan that sent shivers down the spine of any creature within earshot.

It was a sound unlike any other, a mix of unearthly wails and primal growls that seemed to emanate from the very depths of the earth.

The air vibrated with an ominous resonance as the unseen creature's unsettling call echoed through the forest, filling the hearts of those who heard it with a sense of dread and foreboding.

It was unclear who's sound was it , yet its ghostly presence lingered in the shadows, haunting the imagination with its otherworldly cry.

Aefrine stopped right where he was and tried to figure out this meant.

It continued. Its deep, rumbling vocalization carried across vast distances, a primal call that instilled fear in any nearby creatures. The sound reverberated through the air, a mixture of low-frequency vibrations and powerful resonance, vibrating the ground beneath the towering the teenager 's feet reminding him of how much of a stranger he was in this wide world.

Aefrine close his eyes and focused on the creepy echo with his spuland then he realised that it was above him .

Amidst the dense foliage of the forest at dawn, a shadowy figure was observing the terrain below him, barely visible through the thick undergrowth.

Its massive form was adorned with vibrant plumage, feathers of iridescent hues that shimmered softly in the dim light, almost blending into the surroundings.

Its colorful tail flickered like a fleeting rainbow, a brilliant contrast against the muted tones of the forest floor.

A giant bird with a lizard jaw for a beck was above him starring into the the darkness of the woods .

Yet , it somehow didn't seem to notice the humble presence beneath it . Or did it ?

Thanks to his soul reading ability Aefrine found out that the only concern that it cared about at the moment was its breakfast.

The boy had never seen a creature that was higher than him , let alone an one that could swallow him whole .

His heart stated beating fast , waiting for something to happen . Could this misfortune be due to his curse ?

The beast started to move forward. Aefrine carefully avoiding its massive feet and trying to make the slightest sound still glad and confused by the fact that he was unnoticed.

As the space that separated the two living beings increased so did Aefrine 's comfort .

And then he cracked a fallen branche a bit too hard. We all know what happens next...

The hungry beast turned around to its now clear target in a rush . Aefrine didn't wait for anything whatsoever, he immediately started climbing the huge trees with his usual fashion while advancing away from the monster .

Despite managing to get to a big height from it , the beast was surprisingly able to jump almost that same height. Narrowly missing its lewd mouth, full of sharp dirty teeth , Aefrine made a good progress at distancing himself from it as the landing time the dinosaur needed gave him a headstart.

Yet , it's speed could not be ignored . It quickly catched up. The teen noticed that both of them were heading for a cliff not far ahead. He aimed for far tree and launched a rope-arrow and used the monument to throw himself further forward off the cliff.

Luckily or unluckily, the predator was not dumb enough to follow suit .

Instead,standed watching from the edge. Aefrine struggled a bit to aim from the strong bruise and managed to get an another rope-arrow on the wall of cliff and crashed into it .

His head hurted but he was still grateful to survive that close encounter with the wild animal which he was staring at it as it was continually staring back.

Its head went upwards for a bit extending its neck from which a soft light inmated . And returned to stare at Aefrine just to breathe a slow-falling orange flame that was released from its mouth.

Aefrine hastily removed the rope and targeted the closest tree and fled to safety, observing the falling flames and then the beast that waited for a bit before it went back to the woods searching for easier prey .

As the sun rises higher in the sky, its warm embrace envelops everything it touches. And so, another day begins, bathed in the timeless beauty of the rising sun. Aefrine continued moving ,this time more careful so he doesn't end up under an another monster's belly ever again .

For two days and nights, the boy journeyed across vast expanses of wilderness, his path winding through dense forests, sweeping plains, and winding valleys.

During the day, the sun beat down upon him, casting dappled shadows through the canopy of towering trees as he traversed the cool, shadowy depths of ancient forests. The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, and the distant calls of unseen creatures echoed through the verdant canopy, he didn't dare to approach any.

As night fell, the landscape transformed, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight and the twinkling embrace of a thousand stars. The boy pressed on, guided by the faint gleam of distant constellations and the rhythmic chorus of nocturnal creatures.

Through valleys carved by ancient rivers and across vast plains where the wind whispered secrets of times long past, he continued.

Until he finally met the only sign of civilization in the last three days.

In the midst of a sprawling green plain, where the grass swayed gently in the breeze and wildflowers dotted the landscape with bursts of color, stood an old well, weathered and worn by the passage of time. Its stone walls, covered in moss and ivy.

Surrounded by a ring of weathered stones, the well stood as a silent sentinel, its wooden bucket long since rotted away, leaving only the rusted remnants of a pulley system dangling above the dark abyss below.

The water within shimmered with an otherworldly luminescence, a reflection of the sky above that seemed to beckon to those who dared to peer into its depths.

Aefrine did what any other person would do and checked the well for any water , he wasn't thirsty but the thought of washing his tired face with cold water was too satisfying to resist , only to be shocked.

He wasn't disappointed by the absence of water , for the well had plenty, he got surprised by two things.

First, a skull that looked directly at the sky floating in the calm well which made him back forward a step in fear . Moreover, the second thing hit his head like a lightning bolt which was the gentle rusty welcoming voice that came from the well :

" 'i, I'm Larry !"

The innocent greeting made Aefrine hide behind the well's Wall, he sat there for a moment before checking again .

Perhaps, he was just hallucinating from the long journey.

Yet , the skull was still present and it greeted him again :

" 'ello , sir !"

Aefrine again went back to the same spot and began thinking what was going on .

Skulls don't speak as far as he knows . Could it be something to do with his curse ?

"E' , sir , are you still t'ere ? Can you 'elp me ? My bones are all wet and I can't get out of this 'ole ." Said the skull into the empty clear sky .

Does really need help ? A skull that can talk ? If only he had a way to know the truth from the lie. Wait , he does have !

" Sir ? Are you still t'ere?"

He focused on the voice but to his surprise, he sensed a pure embodiment of happiness as well as some anticipation. As much as he tried, he could only find an unchangeable presence of complete happiness and joy within the speaker's voice . This was the first soul that was too much happy. He couldn't thought of any that could be this happy...It wasn't human either but it wasn't the same soul type as Ryuji...

Guess Ryuji isn't a talking skull..

"I am here , i-i am alright. H-How can I help you ?"

"O' , my bones are struck 'ere , can you please get t'em out of the water ?"

Aefrine looked into the well ,the bones were just floating as bones would normally do.

"So , you want me to get your bones out of the well "

"Yes sir , I would do anyt'ing to get out of 'ere."

"Ok , I will be right back "

Aefrine searched the area until he found an old bucket laying on the ground. As he examined it , it was full of holes from the inside but not from the bottom. It was enough to extract the bones .

Using his arrow as always like a rope , Aefrine took out the bones one by one from the skull itself to the tiny bones .

Until the skull told him "T'at 's it , all of t'em are 'ere ,t'ank you sir!"

"You 're welcome... I should get going if there isn't anything else.."

"Wait !"