I Have the Sacred Sword?

“Come on, climb higher! We can’t stop here!”

Aiden continued giving orders as he watched his group struggle to keep their balance and move among the branches.

Marta and the healers were already a little further up, but the wolves didn’t stop trying to reach them, leaping from tree to tree with terrifying agility.

However, the higher they climbed, the harder it became for the creatures to keep up.

The wolves, as fierce as they were, began to miss their jumps, losing precision and falling to the ground with frustrated howls.

Darius and Thorne kept cutting down the wolves that managed to get too close, but their numbers were dwindling.

Finally, Aiden could see that one by one, the wolves began to fall from the heights, unable to keep up with the group.

The beasts crashed into the branches or collapsed to the ground, unable to maintain the same control and agility in the treetops that the group had managed to master.

“Marta, stop using your magic!” Aiden ordered, turning quickly toward her. “Don’t waste your energy. We’ll run out of resources if you keep casting spells.”

Marta, breathing heavily, nodded without saying a word.

Though it was hard for her to accept the order, she knew Aiden was right. They had climbed high enough, and the wolves were no longer managing to reach them. Stopping the fireballs was the logical thing to do. She just had to hold out a little longer.

Aiden took a brief moment to catch his breath, observing his surroundings.

The sky was darkened by the canopy of trees, but the height gave him a clear view of the terrain around them, thanks to the glowing leaves.

The remaining wolves below howled and ran in circles, searching for another way to reach them, but Aiden knew they wouldn’t last much longer if the group kept moving.

“Which direction did Alexia’s group go?” Aiden asked, without taking his eyes off the horizon.

For a moment, no one answered. Camila, who had been almost entirely silent until now, stepped forward, pointing with a trembling hand to the northeast.

“Over there... Alexia and the others headed that way.”

Aiden looked toward where Camila pointed.

The trees in that part of the forest seemed taller and more stable, which would allow them to move more safely.

Aiden nodded to himself, feeling a slight sense of relief.

“Good, then that’s where we’re headed.”

The group began to move again, now with more calm but with the constant sense of danger still present.

Looking down, the height from which they were moving was unsettling.

The ground was much farther away than they remembered. Any fall from this height would be fatal.

Fear tried to creep into their minds, but Aiden kept them focused.

They had jumped before, even under the pressure of the wolves. Now they just had to do the same, without the earlier chaos.

“We’ll do this in turns,” Aiden explained firmly as he positioned himself on one of the thicker branches. “Jump one by one to avoid losing balance. Each branch seems strong enough to hold us, but we can’t take unnecessary risks.”

Marta and Camila were the first to position themselves for the jump.

Camila, a mix of nerves and determination, eyed the distance to the next branch.

Her heart pounded, but she knew she had no other choice. However, when Marta took her leap, something went wrong.

The branch under her feet was slippery from accumulated moisture, and as soon as Marta took her first step, she lost her balance. With a stifled gasp, she tried to regain control, but her body wobbled to one side. Instinctively, she reached out, and in her desperation, she grabbed Camila.

‘What…?’ Camila thought as she felt the grip.

The pull was sudden, and before Camila could process what was happening, she felt her body being dragged into the void.

The air whistled around her, and time seemed to slow as she fell. The impact with the ground came quickly.

The pain was immediate, sharp, excruciating. A crack echoed in her chest, followed by several more.

She had landed badly, and something inside her had broken.

Camila let out an involuntary scream, a cry of pain that echoed through the silent forest.

Marta, beside her, was also on the ground, gasping from the impact.

The situation was worsening. In the distance, the remaining wolves began to approach again, drawn by the noise of the fall.

As Camila tried to comprehend what had just happened, a flash of light whizzed past her head, embedding itself in the ground right beside her.

It was a sword.

Aiden had thrown it with precision, barely grazing Camila’s head, but avoiding injuring her.

Camila, still dazed, stared at the sword in disbelief.

Her mind was in chaos.

‘Why?’ Camila wondered as she struggled to catch her breath. ‘Why did Marta have to slip right now? Why did she have to drag me down with her?’  

Frustration and adrenaline began to take over her body.

She knew the circumstances couldn’t have been more unfortunate, but she couldn’t afford to die like this.

Not without a fight.

Gritting her teeth, Camila slowly got to her feet, ignoring the pain radiating from her ribs and arms.

She knew something was wrong, that several bones had broken in the fall, but at that moment, all she felt was an indescribable rage.

Looking up, she saw the wolves drawing closer.

Their eyes gleamed with hunger, and fear pierced through her like a blade. But along with that fear, something else was born inside her: a fierce determination.

She would not die without a fight.