Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine

The monster tree, with its enormous maw-like mouth, almost swallowed half of Leo in one bite. The stench of damp wood and rotting moss filled his nostrils as sticky sap clung to his skin.

For a brief, chaotic moment, he thrashed wildly like a trapped animal, kicking and jerking his arms in every direction, but the more he struggled, the tighter the crushing walls of wood became. There was no escaping its bite.

Then, forcing down the panic, he clenched his jaw, breathing sharply through his nose.

Inhale~

Leo filled his lungs, his teeth grinding, and kept hammering his fists against the monster's inner jaw, striking the slick wooden trunk that was trying to drag him deeper. Each blow sent dull pain up his arms, but he didn't stop, pounding harder until splinters cracked and sharp wooden shards cut into his knuckles.

"Come on!!" he growled, voice breaking with desperation.

The maw groaned under the strain. When he spotted the faintest gap between the jagged wooden fangs, he yanked his leg free and kicked hard against the inside of its mouth.

The force launched him backwards—

Thud!

He hit the ground hard, rolling once as the sharp grasses cut his skin and clothes.

Gasping for air, his head shot up... only to see....

The tree loomed over him, its bark writhing as if alive, its trunk bending in unnatural jerks. Dozens of knot-like eyes bulged along its surface, warped and stretched into crescent shapes as if they were smiling.

Its gaping mouth split wider, stretching into a toothy grin, and its roots slithered across the earth like hungry tentacles.

"Holy shit…" His breath trembled.

The ground shook as the tree lurched toward him with crushing force—then… nothing.

Leo blinked, confused, until his gaze fell on the split trunk. The monster had been cleaved in half so cleanly that its upper body sagged before collapsing in two.

Behind the falling tree, a cloaked figure stood motionless, a rusted, jagged weapon dripping with sap clenched in its hand.

"Come on, we need to leave this place!"

Before Leo could respond, strong arms swept him up effortlessly. The figure bolted forward, moving so fast the wind howled in Leo's ears.

He twisted his head—every tree in sight had begun to move, their roots ripping through the ground and writhing toward them.

The roots lashed at their heels like venomous snakes, coiling, snapping, and slamming into the ground hard enough to send up bursts of dirt.

The figure moved like a flowing shadow, weaving between the living trees with a predator's grace. Her cloak whipped behind her, her steps light and unnervingly fast. Leo clung to her shoulder, his eyes darting to every movement.

Crack… Crackk… ssslllss… Crackk…

"Oh no…" His voice was a low tremor when he saw what lay ahead. They were surrounded.

Roots thick as arms had knotted together into a net, stretching high and wide to seal off the path completely. The nearby trees leaned forward, their eyes twitching in grotesque unison, their mouths curling into mocking grins.

"HEHE~"

The figure gritted her teeth, her grip tightening on Leo as her hooded gaze darted around, searching desperately for any gap.

"Just run forward,"

"What?" Her head tilted down slightly, suspicion in her tone.

Leo's eyes locked on the root net ahead. His fists clenched so tightly his nails bit into his palms. He drew a deep, steady inhale, the sound of it low and deliberate, as if gathering something deep from within.

The figure studied him for only a heartbeat before its legs exploded into motion, sprinting with renewed speed. The forest blurred past them; leaves sliced through the air like bullets, whistling and thudding into the ground inches away.

"Closer… Closer…" he muttered, his voice building with heat.

His fists tightened until his arms shook, the veins bulging. Mana surged through him, flooding from his lungs into his hands. His lungs burned, but he kept drawing in more air until his chest swelled painfully. When they closed in on the net—

"Fuck off!!"

He roared, his voice tearing from his throat as he slammed his fist forward with everything he had.

BOOM!

CRACK!

The world exploded... The impact was instant—a bone-shaking, thunderous burst of force. Roots shattered apart in a violent spray of splinters and sap. The wave of pressure tore through the net and kept going, the ground rippling as the shockwave knocked back the trees like a row of toppling giants.

The figure froze for a fraction of a second before shooting forward through the opening.

Behind them, the forest had gone still.... The trees stood rigid, their smiling eyes fixed on the fleeing pair in silent, hateful watch.

Leo exhaled sharply, his chest lowered with heat. A thin wisp of steam curled from his lips as he muttered between breaths,

"What… was that?"

The figure didn't slow. "Guards, I suppose."

"Guards?" His brows furrowed.

"Dracula must have set those things to keep anyone from reaching his core."

Leo gave a short hum. It made sense... But the image of those smiling, living trees clung to his mind.

Damn those trees!

But then he asked in a curious tone, his voice quieter than before.

"What about the illusion you mentioned earlier?"

The figure's hood shifted slightly as she glanced at him. "That's a Stage 3 Spell… one that traps you in the illusion of your own deepest fear. Even champions have trouble breaking free from it. Stage 3 Spells aren't something you just… walk off."

Leo swallowed hard, the dryness in his throat making the sound louder in his ears.

Was he really making the right move?

The figure suddenly asked, "So… what did you see? What was your fear?"

Leo's eyes lingered on it for a moment before drifting away. He didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Then how did you escape from it?"

Under the hood, its lips curved into a faint smirk. "To escape… You have to overcome your fear... or just use the brute force"

"I… I see," Leo replied, his expression awkward as he nodded. A short, uneasy laugh escaped him before he sighed inwardly. 'Whatever… that was just an illusion,' he told himself.

It was then he noticed the sky... His brows knit.

"What the…? Wasn't it just evening?"

The figure shook her head slowly. "Actually… we've been trapped inside that illusion for quite some time." Her voice held the faintest trace of guilt.

Leo's lips parted, "No way..."

****

Back in the dark castle—

Drip… drip…

A slow, steady sound of blood falling echoed through a vast, cold hall. Ophis hovered at its centre, dressed in gothic black garments, her pale hands shackled to heavy chains suspended before a massive altar. Her wrists had been slit, and thick, crimson streams traced a path down her trembling arms, dripping onto the altar carved with intricate, ancient runes that pulsed faintly in the gloom.

Her head hung low, eyelids heavy, her breath shallow. When she looked up, her gaze was glassy but locked on her father… the man who stood at a distance, watching with an expression that was unreadable, almost emotionless, as his own daughter slowly bled out before him.

"Don't look at me like I wanted this," Dracula said with a wicked smile, his tone a mockery of compassion.

His eyes shifted past her, toward the great window behind her. The sky outside had deepened into a void-like black, and the moon, pale and swollen, was beginning its slow climb.

"A few more hours," he murmured, lips curling upward, "and soon… You will join your siblings."

He sat down on the ground.

No, not just norma one... rather, there, a large magic circle was etched into the stone—lines sharp and symbols complex. He placed one hand against it and muttered something under his breath.

The circle gave a faint, ghostly flicker.

****

Meanwhile...

Leo and the cloaked figure finally slowed.... More accurately, the cloaked figure, still carrying Leo, stopped running and stepped past the last twisted roots of the forest.

They emerged before it—

A dark castle.

Its towering structure loomed under the darkening sky, built entirely of pitch-black marble that seemed to drink in all light.

The walls rose high, jagged spires clawing toward the heavens. Every surface radiated a cold, lifeless aura, the kind that sank beneath the skin and made the bones ache.

An unnatural stillness hung over the place; even the wind seemed to hesitate before passing by.

KAAAARR... KARRRR

WHOOOLLLL~

The only sounds were the distant caws of restless crows and the hollow, low howl of something.

Though night had only just fallen, here it felt like the depths of midnight. Or perhaps… it was another illusion.

Who could tell?

Leo swallowed, his throat tightening. A strange mix of thrill and fear gripped him. His instincts screamed for him to turn around, to run as far from this place as possible. But his legs didn't move.

After everything that had happened… he couldn't leave her.

Clenching his fists, he forced his fear down, steadying his breath and... stepped forward!