The Other Side

Chapter 2: Mysterious Man

“HAAH… Haah… “ It’s been hours since I was walking in the mountain but the herbs were still hard to find.

“I remember that this is the place but why can’t I find them now?” Frustratingly, I looked around and search the herbal medicines.

For I and my late parents used to go here to gather those medicines as treatments to our flock of sheep.

Not until I heard Eureka make a sound again.

“Frrr…. Frr….”

“Shhhhh…” I told him. “I am just looking for the herbal medicines… You might awaken some wild animals in this place if you will growl like that…” I said to him.

But I got nervous when Eureka kept growling, impressing like there was something behind us.

For he was looking behind while growling that loud noise.

Just a moment after that, I heard a rustling in the grass not far from us.

It’s a huge sound.

My eyes widened upon seeing the one who made that sound.

I have never seen a creature whose hands and feet were covered with ice. It’s identical heads were put in place. It looked like a bird but had the body of a tiger that was covered with stripes. But, what captured my attention was the way it stares interestingly at me, as if it had found a prey.

“Oh… Did we awaken you?” Smilingly, I said out of nervousness. For I have never found a creature like that within my entire life.

It was so huge that it is higher than the trees around us.

“Rahhhhhhhh!!!” It screamed so violently, the kind of sound that could damage a person's hearing.

I was afraid. I became really afraid.

Yet, I quickly took the bow and arrows from my back to attack but those arrows stiffened with ice and fell to the ground when it reached the powerful creature.

I guess I have no choice but to…

I ran harder and faster before it could ever caught Eureka and me.

ESCAPE.

That’s the only way I could ever save myself at that moment.

And, I only intended to treat my flock of sheep… How could things end up becoming like this?

I still ran swiftly as I could, having Eureka at my back while recalling the things that happened before I got into this messy situation.

What made me into this?

FIRST, I read the book that my grandparents left to my father and mother about treatments through herbal medicines.

Second, there was like an invisible barrier that I crossed before helping Eureka.

Lastly, I saw Eureka at the ground being hit by a rock.

Yes, there was a barrier, and I went through that barrier separating me and Eureka just to help him.

Tsk… that could be…

The thing which invited me into these…..

I can’t let it be forever like this! I need to fight!

I faced the odd looking creature and aimed my bow and arrows into it. I put kerosene in the arrow and started making fire before releasing it to my opponent.

I aimed the arrow towards its feet that are covered with ice.

Still getting hesitant, I released multiple flaming arrows from my bow.

Right! It hit the creature!

It’s feet were shattered into broken pieces and it fell to the ground.

I was about to turn my back from the creature when at the corner of my eyes I saw how it formed another set of icy feet.

The scene frightened me thinking, how will I be able to defeat this?

Not until someone threw an exploding thing to the body of the creature and its body broke into pieces, falling to the ground.

I was stunned. I looked around to see who it was.

I saw a man standing from behind, a man whose face is covered with black cloth. His hair and body is also covered with the same color. He looked like a ninja to me.

I laughed to myself.

HE slowly paced the distance between us.

“Did you get hurt by this creature? This is one of the wild legendary creatures that can’t be tamed. It is not that powerful but it mainly attacks opponents that are stronger than it.” He said to me and started searching for something around me.

Fearing that he might see Eureka, I hissed at him and said, “You better mind your own self if you are hunting like this at the middle of the night!”

Yet in the darkness, I saw his bluish ocean eyes sparkle, just like with Eureka..

He is not a cat… Why would the color of their eyes look exactly the same?

“It’s dangerous to walk alone at night in this mountain, young lady!" He yelled at me for I swiftly moved far away from him.

“It’s Esmeralda! Esmeralda is my name!” I shouted at him and though we’re far from each other, I saw how his eyes smiled as I mentioned my name to him.