Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 43: Chapter 43 — The Panther’s Game

Chapter 43 — The Panther’s Game

Victor stood perfectly still.

Across from him, the black panther watched.

For several long seconds, neither of them moved. Victor’s attention had been so completely consumed by the Spirit Shrooms that he had allowed himself to forget where he was. He had spent the entire journey through the forest reminding himself to remain cautious. Every sound had been examined. Every movement between the trees had drawn his attention. Then he had seen the mushrooms, and suddenly, they had become the only thing that mattered.

Now, standing beneath the cold gaze of the black panther, Victor understood exactly how stupid that had been.

The forest had given him plenty of warnings.

He had simply stopped listening.

And now he was about to pay for it.

Victor slowly became aware of the energy pressing against him. At first, it had been difficult to notice beneath the adrenaline flooding his body. Then the panther released more of it.

Victor’s breathing grew heavier.

The spiritual energy surrounding the beast was suffocating. It wasn’t simply stronger than the white horned beasts he had fought earlier. There was no comparison between them. The difference was so enormous that Victor almost felt foolish for having considered those creatures dangerous in the first place.

Even if he hadn’t been injured.

Even if his shoulder wasn’t burned and damaged.

Even if his body wasn’t exhausted from fighting magical beasts.

Even if he stood before the panther at the absolute peak of his physical condition...

He would die.

Victor knew it with absolute certainty.

There was no strategy he could imagine that ended with him killing this creature. No clever use of terrain. No desperate attack with his dagger. No sudden burst of strength.

Nothing.

If Victor tried to fight the panther, he would die a miserable death.

His only option was escape.

The problem was that he couldn’t imagine how.

Victor had seen the panther from hundreds of yards away during his previous visit to this part of the forest. Even then, his instincts had screamed at him to run. Now it was close enough for him to see every detail of its massive body.

How was he supposed to outrun that?

The muscles beneath its dark fur looked relaxed.

That was somehow the most terrifying part.

It wasn’t even trying.

Victor slowly began stepping backward, never taking his eyes away from the panther. One step. Then another. The creature remained completely still.

Good kitty.

Victor swallowed.

Good kitty. Just stay right there.

His eyes remained locked on the panther as he slowly increased the distance between them. The beast watched him.

Victor reached what he hoped was a safe enough distance.

Then he slowly turned.

And ran.

Victor exploded forward.

He had never run so fast in his life. His exhausted legs screamed beneath him as he tore through the forest, but fear forced more speed from his body than he had ever thought possible. Branches struck his face. Sharp leaves cut across his cheek. Thorns scraped against his arms and clothing as he crashed through anything that stood between him and escape.

He didn’t slow down.

Roots rose from the ground without warning, forcing Victor to jump over them at the last possible moment. Low branches whipped across his body. Vegetation tore at his clothes. Victor barely noticed.

All he could think about was getting away.

His lungs burned. His injured shoulder screamed. His legs felt like they were beginning to tear themselves apart.

Still, Victor ran.

Then, against every instinct telling him not to, he looked back.

The panther was gone.

Victor’s stomach dropped.

He couldn’t see it. Not behind him. Not on the trees. Not anywhere.

For one terrible moment, Victor didn’t know what was worse.

He turned his head forward.

And froze.

The black panther stood directly ahead of him.

Victor stopped so suddenly that his feet nearly slipped beneath him. The creature stood between two massive trees, watching him.

Silent.

Victor stared at it.

How?

He didn’t have time to answer the question.

Victor immediately turned to the left and sprinted.

The panther followed.

Victor couldn’t hear it.

That was the worst part.

He could hear himself crashing through the forest. His feet pounding against the earth. His breathing. Branches breaking. Leaves rustling. The sound of his body desperately forcing its way through the vegetation.

But behind him?

Nothing.

Victor risked another glance.

The panther was there.

Moving through the forest.

It wasn’t running.

It wasn’t even rushing.

The creature followed him at a slow, almost casual pace.

Victor’s heart sank.

It could catch him whenever it wanted.

And it knew it.

Victor pushed himself harder. His foot caught against an exposed root, and he stumbled forward, barely catching himself before crashing into the ground.

He kept running.

The panther remained behind him.

Then something changed.

Victor didn’t hear it move.

He simply felt it.

The pressure suddenly appeared behind him.

Victor turned.

The panther was already there.

Its enormous body had closed the distance.

Victor’s eyes widened as the creature lifted one massive paw. Spiritual energy radiated from it, and the pressure alone made Victor’s body feel heavy.

The paw came down.

Victor threw up his left arm.

CRACK.

Victor screamed.

Pain exploded through his body as something inside his arm shattered. Then the force launched him through the air.

Victor crashed into the forest floor and rolled violently across the ground. Once. Twice. Again. Again. Again.

His body finally stopped.

For several seconds, Victor couldn’t breathe.

His left arm lay uselessly beside him.

Pain pulsed through it with every heartbeat.

Victor forced himself onto his knees. He could only use his right arm now.

He didn’t need to look at it to know.

The panther was already walking toward him.

Victor’s breath caught.

It wasn’t rushing.

It wasn’t angry.

It simply walked.

Victor tried to stand. His legs trembled beneath him, but he forced himself upward.

For the first time since entering the forest, something inside him began to break.

He could die here.

The thought terrified him.

Victor staggered backward as the panther continued approaching.

Then it moved.

Victor barely saw the creature’s body shift.

A massive claw flashed toward him.

This time, he couldn’t block.

The claws tore across his stomach.

Victor felt them cut through flesh.

Then came the impact.

The force behind the strike was monstrous.

Victor’s body left the ground.

He flew backward through the forest.

Small trees snapped as his body crashed through them. Branches shattered against his back. His vision spun wildly as the world became nothing but flashes of green, brown, and black.

Then Victor struck something solid.

His body hit the ground hard and rolled across smooth stone before finally coming to a stop.

For several seconds, he didn’t move.

Blood began spreading across his clothes.

It dripped from the wounds across his stomach.

Victor slowly opened his eyes.

His vision was blurry, but he forced himself to look around.

Stone.

His eyes widened slightly.

He wasn’t in the forest anymore.

Massive columns surrounded him. They rose toward the cavern ceiling, ancient and weathered, their surfaces covered in cracks and strange markings. The trees had disappeared. In their place stood the remains of something enormous.

Victor had landed on a wide circular platform.

It reminded him of something from the ancient world.

A Roman arena.

Or perhaps some kind of training ground.

There was no time to understand it.

Victor pushed himself upward. His right arm shook beneath his weight while his left arm hung uselessly at his side. Blood continued dripping from his stomach.

Then he saw movement.

The panther stepped onto the circular platform.

Victor immediately began backing away.

One step.

The panther took another.

Victor’s breathing became ragged as blood fell from his body and splashed against the stone.

Another step backward.

The panther came closer.

Victor stumbled.

Another step.

The panther was closer now.

Victor continued moving backward. His body was screaming for him to stop.

Victor knew there was nowhere left to run.

The panther continued walking.

Victor took another step.

Then his foot found nothing.

Victor’s eyes widened.

The world suddenly tilted.

He fell backward.

For a moment, everything seemed to slow.

The panther stood above him.

Its enormous body filled his vision.

Victor stared upward.

His mind went strangely quiet.

This was it.

He was going to die.

Then the floor beneath him broke.

Victor disappeared.

The floor gave way beneath his body.

Victor fell backward through the opening, his body disappearing into the darkness below. As he fell, his eyes remained locked on the black panther standing above him.

The beast watched.

Victor hit the stone floor hard.

The impact knocked the air from his lungs.

His body went rigid as his mouth opened, desperately trying to breathe.

For several agonizing moments, the only thing Victor could do was stare upward.

The panther stood at the edge of the hole.

Watching him.

The panther stared at him for one last moment.

Then it slowly turned around and walked away.

Victor continued staring at the opening above him.

He didn’t understand why.

Why had it let him live?

The question remained in his mind as his vision slowly began to darken.

His body had reached its limit.

Victor tried to stay awake.

But his eyes slowly closed.

And the darkness finally took him.