The Murklin System: Rise of the Dark Hero

Chapter 1

SHE RAN AS FAR AS her feet could drag her. Twigs were slapping, whacking, and hitting her face, and stones were digging her skin underneath her feet. But no matter how painful it was or how tired she felt, she continued to run.

The unknown creature followed suit, but unlike her, it was chuckling while it pursued her. It didn't even feel tired or exhausted. Instead of feeling all those things, it was relishing every moment. Like its prey's anguish was what's making it more eager to continue the chase.

"Ah!" The young girl groaned. The pain from her knee to the shin crawled like a giant needle pricked her. But instead of giving it her attention, she focused on crawling away from her pursuer.

Using a tree as a support, she tried to stand up. But she slumped back to the ground due to exhaustion, pain, and most especially fear. When her efforts to escape were made futile, all she could do was cry and wait for her end. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping that it would end quickly and painlessly.

After some time, everything became quiet. She could only hear the rustling of leaves, the whistling of the wind, and the sound of her harsh breathing, but the sound of the pursuer was gone. The maniac laughter that was following her vanished like smoke in the air.

She double-checked her surroundings, looking for the slightest hint of his pursuer's whereabouts. But all she could see was the dark and creepy forest no one had dared come in. But she didn't have a choice, she was forced to run here and hide. No one would help her anyway. She was on her own.

Her tribe had abandoned her for being different. And different equates to evil. Even she hated herself for what she had become. But what she hated the most was those mortals she treated like her own family and blood. She couldn't believe that it was that easy for them to cast her away. Thinking about it made her feel more frustrated.

The sudden gust of the wind woke her up from her deep slumber. She thought she was safe. She thought she got away from her pursuer. But it was only watching her, waiting for her to regain strength and begin the chase once again.

She whimpered, "Stop! Just end my suffering now. I don't care anymore."

And just like that, her pursuer materialized in front of her. It was a black smoke with a distorted-like appearance. It didn't have eyes, nose, or anything, but she felt like it was staring deep into her skull. Staring at its formless body made her shiver. She thought she was ready to die. But she wasn't—no one is.

The black smoke crawled on the ground, making its way towards her. She tried to avoid it from touching her, but the tree from behind prevented her from doing so. All she could do was whimper and wait for the pain and for everything to end.

When the smoke reached its way to the mortal's body, it entered her mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. She stiffened and her body went completely still. After a while, she went numb and lost consciousness. Her eye sockets rolled behind and all that could be seen was the white of her eyes.

The smoke continued to suck the life out of the mortal's body. It feeds on the mortal's negative emotions without hesitation. It produced a low growl like it was mocking the mortal from its futile attempt to escape from it. But they knew no one had ever escaped a creature like it before.

No one had ever defeated a murklin ever.

*

Finn Erskin wiped the sweat off his forehead and heaved a sigh before chopping the last piece of wood. He was out doing this for almost two hours now, and he had to go back home to cook his family breakfast before they all woke up.

When he was done, he picked up all the piles and climbed back up the mountain. When the thunder roared, that was his cue to run. He didn't want his newly chopped woods to get wet. His mother would surely scold him.