Chapter 7 - Pervading Chillness

The eye cluster decreased in quantity as the trees grew sparse, the foliage became thinner, allowing the rain to fall more unrestrained. The three-headed beast could relax a bit now, its tensed state easing up a little. It continued to walk without rest, slowly picking up pace now that it had enough room to manoeuvre. Soon, the trees around them began to look normal, no longer containing any beings of monstrosity within them.

The three-headed beast soon exited the forest, looking at the unending meadow before it. There existed numerous brooks flowing across the meadow, with all of them overflowing from the influx of water due to the rain.

Their currents were rough now, possessing a stronger flow as the channels were becoming deeper and wider from the rain. The three-headed beast turned around and broke off an even piece of branch from a nearby tree, holding it in its mouth before treading on the meadow.

Even though it was a flat plain, the three-headed beast dared not sprint, not when it was raining as heavily as now. Moreover, it lacked the energy to create any more air footholds. So, it didn't have a contingency measure on the off-chance something happened, so it trod with caution.

The three-headed beast picked up the pace, akin to fast walking. Splotches were created every time its hooves stepped on the grass-covered ground. The water level had almost drowned the grass by now, looking like the level might increase as the rain fell.

The three-headed beast turned around, gazing at the fog-shrouded forest it had exited just now. It seemed as if a prehistoric beast was slumbering within, just the sight alone making its body tremble. Re'Kha rubbed the sides of its neck the moment she noticed its tremble, calming it down.

The three-headed beast mooed as it continued forth in its journey. After walking for a while, it suddenly stopped, noticing faint flickers exit its body. It had subtly decreased in size once again. As if spurred by a sense of urgency, the three-headed beast motioned for Re'Kha to grab its horns tighter, beginning to sprint.

This time, it didn't hold back, erupting with all the speed its current frame could unleash. Whenever a brook flowed in its way, it would jump over. Sometimes, when the brook had grown larger than its jump could traverse, it would slow down and paddle its way through it.

Even with the weight of Re'Kha pulling it down, the three-headed beast swiftly crossed every brook it came across. Re'Kha had grown silent, her numb body uncooperating with her thoughts. She barely held on to the beast's horns as she laid on its back, wheezing in pain.

Her head spun, the loss in blood affecting her. Her dress was coated with a mild shade of red, despite the rain having washed most of the stains away. Her face was pale while her lips had turned a shade of blue.

Her limbs had become fully numb, her consciousness barely held on through sheer willpower. Just by the actions the three-headed beast took, Re'Kha could faintly gleam the change in their surroundings. She linked it to her memory, deriving the habitat they were passing through. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

'Soon, we'll approach a settlement.' She thought, urging her mind to remain conscious. She tried everything in her means to stay awake, for the moment she fell unconscious would everything be for naught.

Her blood circulation would be impeded due to the numbness until she died from the cold. Only by staying awake and keeping herself warm would she have any hope for survival. She began to breathe roughly, using the intense action to generate a bit of heat through the air she exhaled.

It wasn't much, and she expended a lot of her stamina by doing so, but that was all she could do to keep her chest area warm. Moreover, even though it was faint, the warm air she exhaled brushed past her cheek and neck, slightly alleviating its numbness. It wasn't much, but at least she could prolong her condition using this.

She weakly moved her head, feeling the chill pervading the three-headed beast, feeling sorry for its state. It had to continuously run through water; the cold water splashed on its body and absorbed all the heat it generated.

Despite the state of its body, its only focus was on preventing the water from splashing on Re'Kha. But even then, it didn't matter much, after all, the rain continued to fall, bringing chillness with it.

The three-headed beast made a light leap, splashing on the water flowing through a brook, paddling using its legs, struggling to move forward as the force behind the currents increased all of a sudden, washing it away.

It seemed the rainwater collecting somewhere had been released, flowing down the meadow. They were unfortunately caught up in it, getting washed away. The three-headed beast decisively stomped, creating a mini air foothold by sacrificing its tail and horns.

It rose from the flooded stream and made a couple of jumps while in the air, swiftly crossing it. Without any pause, it continued to sprint, mooing once to alert Re'Kha. Re'Kha barely managed to react on time, circling her hand around its neck as support.

She tried her best not to choke it while still maintaining her hold over it, otherwise, she would fall off. The three-headed beast's body began to shimmer with faint radiance, causing its skin to peel off and disappear as specks of light.

No sooner did it notice this did the three-headed beast break into a sprint, running like mad for ten breaths in time, decisively stopping as it motioned for Re'Kha to get down. The moment Re'Kha alighted from its back, it handed her the branch—that it held in its mouth.

When Re'Kha grabbed hold of the branch, it nudged her with its nose, pointing her in the direction she had to traverse towards. For, faint light shimmered at the far end it pointed towards, signifying the presence of a settlement.

Her voice trembled in sadness as Re'Kha gently rubbed the three-headed beast's head, "Thank you, for saving my life back then and protecting it again now."

"Mooo!" The three-headed beast gazed at the skies as the radiance emitting from its body spiked for an instant before disappearing. The three-headed beast was no more.

Re'Kha supported herself using the branch, finding its length perfect for her, expressing her gratitude, "To think this far for my sake, thank you, Trimukhya."