Chapter Text
It was dark.
The sky had turned black, illuminated only by the moon and stars shining above. Light peeked through the small gaps in the trees, casting long, dark shadows across the forest floor. Scattered leaves flitted by each time the wind whistled through the foliage, filling the quiet with the sounds of light rustling.
Kaeko Sepheru leaned against a nearby tree trunk, taking in shallow breaths as she tried to ignore the aching in her stomach. As the wind blew past, her long dark hair tumbled, revealing a simple white patch taped over her left eye. With a shiver, she adjusted the hood of her poncho, pulling the fabric tighter around her petite frame to stave off the night’s chill.
Slowly, she slid her back down the tree, pulling her knees up to her chest to conserve what little warmth she had left. She was hungry, and she knew she had to refuel her body soon, but right now, the exhaustion outweighed everything else.
For two years, there was nothing to her life other than running. All due to a 50 million zennie bounty on her head.
With a sigh, she tilted her head to admire the moon’s cold, serene beauty before her eyelids began to droop.
Why did it turn out this way?
CAW! CAW! CAW!
Kaeko was jolted awake the next morning by the panicked squawks of birds erupting from a nearby thicket. She was a 15 year old fugitive who spent years honing her endurance and speed, knowing that direct confrontation was a luxury her body couldn't afford. Because she didn't have the muscle to spare, she relied on her instincts to read the subtle shifts in the forest’s weight. She felt the way the air curled, listened to the sways of foliage, and honed in on the absolute silence when a predator approached — like it did right now.
Someone was close.
In an instant, she jumped to her feet and pushed off the tree trunk with her boots, breaking into a sprint. If she could outrun the threat, she would. Always.
"Whoa! Where ya goin', missy?"
A man crashed through the underbrush, swerving in front of her to block her path, which forced her to skid to a halt.
Rather than shrinking away, she straightened — standing at her full, but meager height of five feet. It was a habit she developed to prevent herself from being seen as easy prey.
Now face to face with her pursuer, she narrowed her eyes, evaluating her opponent with a quiet, cold gaze.
He looked like a low-tier bounty hunter, likely driven by greed, which was classic for his type. And his weapon? Currently being twirled around his right hand. It looked like a simple serrated knife.
Kaeko knew he was in way over his head, and she preferred not to fight if she could avoid it.
"Move." She warned coldly.
"50 million zennies says I stay right here." The man chuckled, his eyes lingering on her small frame and the medical patch covering her eye. "What’d a doll like you do to get a bounty like that anyway? Steal some rich guy's jewelry or somethin’?"
To any casual observer, Kaeko looked like a girl who was small, delicate, and a little out of place.
Yet, anyone who saw her as just a mere girl would be making a very costly mistake.
But she wasn’t going to bother correcting him. Let him believe she was small and vulnerable — it was the biggest advantage she had.
"I’m giving you a choice." Kaeko said as her lilac eye narrowed. "Walk away. I don't want to waste my energy on you.”
"Not a chance!" The man shouted, lunging forward with an unnatural burst of speed.
Kakeo knew she couldn't outrun him forever in her current state — she was already starting to feel dizzy.
As he swung his blade, she was too slow to react, impaired by anemia, hunger, and pure exhaustion. She moved to dodge the strike, but the knife sliced through her skin, leaving a shallow, dark line of red across her forearm.
"Ha! Bet that hurts don’t it?!" The hunter taunted with an arrogant grin.
He expected a scream, or for her to collapse and start sobbing for mercy.
But Kaeko didn't flinch. She just watched as the blood dripped slowly down her skin.
A sudden, involuntary shiver overtook the man's body, and the laughter died in his throat. For whatever reason, it felt like death was looming over him — a heavy, suffocating presence that turned his blood to ice.
He looked up, noting that a small, dark smirk had now replaced her tired features.
The next second, the air grew heavy with the thick, metallic scent of iron and rotting sweetness. He realized now, with a terrifying jolt of clarity, that she wasn't too slow to dodge — she invited the hit.
"You started it." She whispered, slowly raising her bloodied arm.
As if on cue, vines erupted from her wound, coiling around her bloodied, extended arm like snakes. The bright red buds at the ends pulsed before splitting open into visceral, snapping jaws lined with rows of teeth. With a gurgle and a screech, they turned their sightless heads toward him.
The hunter stumbled back with a strangled scream.
The girl he thought he was hunting was gone, and at that moment, he knew what it felt like to stare into the jaws of death.