Wishmaker Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Read chapter 15 of Wishmaker by Larch on NovelPedia.

Urgh!? Valentine's face twisted into a grimace as the sound of a high-pitched screech made the trees shudder. He pushed his palms flat against the sides of his head, his trembling fingers digging into his temples, just inches away from tearing through skin. Val's whole body froze involuntarily, unable to move from place and watch the forest around him take on a darker shade. Don't you dare pass out again, dammit! Biting his lip until he tasted iron, he looked up at the source of the sound, or rather, where it was. A shadow flashed over the treetops, vanishing under the cover of dark clouds that stirred as if about to burst. Beneath them, an outline emerged. Spreading wide across the clouds like a formless shadow, painting it black, was a creature akin to an omen of death, with torn wings and a lizard-like tail that made the ground shiver under their weight. Something flashed in the sky, piercing through the cold wind around him. Akin to an obsidian arrow, something swished past Valentine's ears, crashing through the forest behind him with an earthshattering quake. The whole cliffside shook, its edges crumbling to oblivion. With his heart at his throat, he jumped off the old stone with all his strength, losing his footing and almost getting dragged down alongside his slumping surroundings. H-Holy shi-His face paled at sensing himself getting pulled down with the ground. Gritting his teeth, he dashed from the cliff back to the forest, forcing his new legs to do what they had never done before: run as fast as he could. While the cliff behind him was collapsing like a mountain, he dared not turn his head to look at it; the sound of stones cracking and shattering over the edge was enough to make him sweat cold tears. Then, a new shadow loomed over him, snapping violently before his eyes. The pine tree that was the closest to him had also begun to go down with the ground beneath it, snapping at the top and falling towards Valentine's path. Without thinking, he looked up at the falling tree that was rushing to crush him. His body moved on its own. Tensing his leg muscles, he dashed three meters to the side, barely dodging the giant tree trunk that was about to crush him into a pulp. His body, however, was not unscathed, with the branches cutting through his skin, drawing blood across his face. Reeling in pain, he swung his arms, snapping the brittle branches to free himself and get some breathing space. A pained groan escaped from him, still running with his eyes half-closed and half-blinded by crimson. Through the cloudy view, he noticed a path had opened for him, a narrow passage beneath the fallen tree fragments where the ground had sunk down, creating an arch that led to an unscathed area. Th-There! He coughed, holding onto his spasming torso. It was just a moment away from him, but that moment seemed unimaginably long with everything dying around him. Another tree collapsed beside him, its weight sending a tremor that took Valentine's footing and made him roll through the mud, yet as quick as he fell, his nails dug into the grass, giving him a second breath. And that breath was all he needed. Closing his eyes, he leaped through the arch with his remaining strength, the tree that created it immediately collapsing into splinters and dust behind him. The earth shook again, weaker, but still enough to make his body roll back in the opposite direction. Turning on the ground, he landed on an empty patch of grass, lying on his side with no strength left in his limbs. Wood and stone, mud and grass. All of it was slowly consumed behind him, falling down the steep cliff with nothing to catch it below. With his ears ringing, he listened quietly and tensely, waiting for it to end. It was only after a minute that it stopped. The sound of destruction has ceased, replaced by his distant raspy coughs coming from a hole. Valentine pushed himself weakly, sprawling on his aching back that felt as if it were about to break. He looked like a differe