Chapter 52: Red in the Dark
Fear and panic ran through Eirin’s whole body after she heard footsteps coming after her.
"Why the fuck are you running away!?"
Shade Cromwell chased after the teenage girl, screaming.
Eirin continued running, thinking that it would be better not to respond to the illusion of the young man chasing after her. She thinks she can’t leave the place because she’s been with an illusion all this time. Her eyes were getting clouded as she breathed heavily. The vines that were once nowhere to be found started creeping on the ground, surrounding Eirin and even trying to trip her.
The teenage girl was quick on her feet, dodging and escaping all kinds of attempts from the vines. A smile formed on her face, thinking how thankful she was for being a ballerina with fast reflexes. The satisfaction she felt made her oblivious to the words of the young man screaming for her to come back.
"You idiot! Come back here before I let you die on your own!"
Shade kept calling out to Eirin, but the fear of being controlled by the never-ending illusion filled Eirin’s mind as she wished to be able to leave the forest and never come back. The young man clicked his tongue after the vines swung right through his torso, slamming him to the ground and trying to separate him from the teenage girl. He burst into flames, burning the vines into crisps, causing a loud screech to echo throughout the forest.
Eirin halted as she covered her ears due to how ear-breaking the screech was.
"I told you to get back here," Shade said while wincing as he struggled to walk towards Eirin.
"Stop pretending to be Shade Cromwell!"
"It’s because I’m— you idiot! I’m not an illusion, you freaking idiot!"