I stood frozen beneath the merciless gazes of ten towering warriors from the carnivorous tribe.
Every one of them was powerfully built, their cruel expressions devoid of even the slightest trace of mercy.
A wave of dread washed over me.
For the first time since entering this cursed place, loneliness settled heavily in my chest.
No.
This wasn't the time to break.
I couldn't let these man-eating monsters see my fear.
I refused to feed them with my misery.
If I was destined to die today...
...then I would die as someone who stood her ground until the very end, not as a coward begging for mercy.
"Looks like someone just signed her own death warrant."
The deep, merciless voice sent a chill racing down my spine.
I slowly lifted my head.
The owner of the voice possessed the most terrifying eyes I had ever seen, cold, bloodthirsty, and overflowing with hatred.
My heart lurched.
I wanted to scream.
To cry.
To run.
To beg for my life.
Yet somehow...
I remained perfectly still.
"Should I call this bravery...
or pure stupidity?" another voice asked, calm and unusually gentle. "Invading forbidden land takes quite the courage."
His voice was soft.
Too soft.
For a fleeting second, I wanted to believe compassion still existed among these people.
But I knew better.
Sometimes...
The gentlest voices belonged to the most dangerous monsters.
I raised my eyes to meet the speaker
...and froze.
It was him.
Impossible.
Out of everyone I could have encountered...
Why him?
The so-called Water God.
Zoah's greatest rival during the Herb B Competition.
My breathing hitched.
What was he doing here?
Why was someone like him standing among this supposedly extinct race?
Should I feel relieved...
...or terrified?
Please...
Don't recognize me.
If he remembered who I was, things would only become worse.
After all...
I was the girl standing beside the man who had defeated him.
He had every reason to hate me.
"Why would anyone willingly walk the path of death?" another warrior asked.
Seriously?
Would they stop asking questions already?
No matter what answer I gave...
They were going to kill me anyway.
So what was the point?
"Is she mute?" another guard scoffed.
My patience began to wear thin.
No.
Getting angry wouldn't help.
I should be thinking of a way to escape.
Escape?
Who was I trying to fool?
Even if I somehow broke free...
They would hunt me down before I got ten steps away.
"My Lord Miguel," one of the warriors suddenly reported, "this woman stole something from our sacred grounds."
"Argh!"
The frustrated cry escaped my lips before I could stop it.
Silence.
Every pair of eyes turned toward me.
Surprise flickered across their faces.
I suppose they had assumed I couldn't speak.
After all...
Since my capture, I hadn't begged.
Most prisoners pleaded for their lives the moment they were caught.
But not me.
I had a feeling these monsters delighted in the cries of their victims.
I wasn't about to give them that satisfaction.
"So..."
The water god folded his arms.
"She can speak after all."
Lord Miguel's cold gaze shifted toward the guard.
"What did she steal?"
The warrior swallowed hard before answering.
"Herb D."
The words struck like thunder.
My heart nearly stopped.
So...
They had discovered it.
Of all the possible moments...
Why now?
Whatever punishment awaited me had just become far worse.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
Lord Miguel's furious roar shook the air itself.
My entire body trembled.
Instinctively, I lowered my head.
I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes.
Seeing the hatred burning within them would only make my fear worse.
The atmosphere grew suffocating.
My body shook uncontrollably.
Adrenaline surged through every vein.
Run.
Fight.
Freeze.
My instincts couldn't decide.
"Oh, look at her."
One of the guards grinned cruelly.
"She's terrified."
He licked his lips.
"The frightened ones always taste the sweetest."
Disgust churned inside me.
Without thinking...
I spat directly into his face.
The world fell silent.
The guard slowly wiped the saliva from his cheek.
For one terrifying second...
I expected him to kill me on the spot.
Instead...
He looked at the moisture on his hand...
...and laughed.
A dark, unsettling laugh.
I immediately looked away in disgust.
"Search her," Lord Miguel ordered coldly.
"Recover my herb."
Three enormous warriors stepped forward.
No.
Absolutely not.
If they wanted to kill me...
Fine.
But I refused to let them violate my body under the excuse of searching for a herb.
I instinctively took several steps backward.
"Enough!"
My voice echoed through the clearing.
"I won't let you touch me."
The three men exchanged amused smiles.
"We expected that," one of them sneered.
"But you don't have a choice."
"You want to search my body?" I snapped.
"Not happening."
"I'll report every single one of you to the authorities!"
The water god burst into laughter.
"I must admit..."
He smiled faintly.
"You're far more entertaining than I expected."
I glared at him.
"You think this is funny?"
"I'll report all of you to the police."
His smile widened.
"And exactly..."
He stepped closer.
"...how do you intend to leave this place alive?"
His words hit harder than any weapon.
Because deep down...
I already knew the answer.
I wasn't getting out of here.
Alive.
He stepped closer.
Closer.
And closer.
Until I could feel his warm breath brushing against my face.
Oh no...
Did these people have no concept of personal space?
Then another thought struck me.
I was beautiful.
What on earth?
Could my appearance affect even these monsters?
Was Natasha right all along?
If they found me attractive...
Would that somehow increase my chances of escaping?
Or was I simply fooling myself?
Instinctively, I stumbled backward.
Only to crash into Lord Miguel.
My eyes widened.
Great.
Without question, this was the most embarrassing moment of my life.
I quickly slipped away from him, putting as much distance between us as possible.
But their eyes...
Their shameless eyes continued to roam over my body.
Disgust twisted inside me.
I would never allow them to touch me.
They looked at me like hungry predators admiring their next meal...
Yet instead of eating me immediately, they simply stared.
"Tell me," Zoah's competitor said at last, breaking the suffocating silence, "how exactly do you intend to escape?"
I remained silent.
Truthfully...
I didn't know.
Could Zoah somehow rescue me?
He had always accomplished the impossible.
Or...
Had he already escaped with Natasha?
He must have.
That was exactly what I had told him to do.
I was alone now.
Completely alone.
Waiting for what was likely to become the most horrifying fate imaginable.
Only then did realization strike me.
I should have left after the Herb C Competition.
Ever since meeting Zoah...
My life had become one dangerous mission after another.
"Wait a minute."
The Water God narrowed his eyes.
"Why were you so confident about escaping just now?"
My heart skipped a beat.
That wasn't good.
Had I really sounded that confident?
"If you don't want to be searched..." Lord Miguel interrupted coldly, "...then return my Herb D."
Relief washed over me.
Thank goodness.
The conversation had shifted.
Zoah's competitor was different.
He wasn't focused on the herb.
He was observing me.
Thinking.
Watching.
The three warriors stepped toward me once again.
I instinctively backed away.
"Why are you making such a fuss over a tiny amount of Herb D?" I challenged.
"You have plenty more."
"Surely such a small piece won't make any difference."
"Besides..."
I frowned.
"How did you even notice such a tiny amount was missing?"
Lord Miguel's expression darkened.
"You think you can steal from us and walk away unharmed?"
"I think," the Water God said calmly, "she's deliberately buying time."
I knew it.
I'd been right from the very beginning.
The quiet ones...
Were always the most dangerous.
"I'm not buying time," I replied, forcing confidence into my voice.
Lord Miguel looked toward him.
"Is she delaying us on purpose?"
"The question isn't whether she is," Zoah's competitor replied.
"It's why."
A chill crawled down my spine.
Now I understood why he had dominated the Herb B Competition five consecutive times before finally losing to Zoah.
He wasn't just powerful.
He was frighteningly intelligent.
"She wouldn't be stalling," the Water God continued, "unless she had an accomplice."
"Someone she's trying to buy time for."
"Either to escape with Herb D..."
"...or to find a way to rescue her."
"Impossible," one of the warriors objected.
"Her accomplice couldn't have escaped."
"The only exit is through the trapdoor, and no one has come through it."
Zoah's competitor slowly shook his head.
"Unless..."
"They never used the trapdoor."
Silence fell.
Lord Miguel's eyes narrowed.
"Hmm..."
"It seems we're dealing with someone who possesses extraordinary powers."
"I don't have any powers!" I blurted out.
"I'm only human!"
Lord Miguel stared directly into my eyes.
His next question made my blood run cold.
"Who is your accomplice?"