CHAPTER 69 : HUNTING THE HUNTER

*1000 years Earlier : Continued*

Dahlia's grip tightened around the man's throat as her magic squeezed his throat tighter. She aimed to kill him and whatever audacity he brought with him. The man continuously tried to claw at his neck, his eyes bulging with fear. He knew that he might not be able to stay alive for long, but he kept on trying.

"You dare shoot me?" she hissed, her voice loud and angry. "I will," she promised him with her voice low, dragging out every single word. "I will rip the soul from your-"

Suddenly, before she could finish, the twang of another bowstring snapped through the air. Another arrow had whistled and pierced deep into Dahlia's chest with a sickening thunk, making her stumble backward. She clutched the arrow, which was near her heart, and groaned as blood seeped through her fingers, thick and warm. She was a witch, and she was certainly not immortal.

Upon that hit, the man who she had been choking dropped to the ground, coughing violently as her hold on him was now released. Though still trying to catch his breath, he snatched his bow quickly, knowing fully well that they could not afford to give her even half a second to get herself.

"Don't stop!" he barked at the others, nocking another arrow himself.

On the man's command, a third arrow slammed into Dahlia's palm.

"NO!" She screamed. 

She tried to summon more power, but before she could, another arrow pierced into her thigh, causing her to stagger and nearly fall to one knee.

"I will kill all of you and your families," Dahlia threatened, her lips curled in a feral snarl.

She raised her uninjured hand toward her attackers and muttered, "Voluntist meraki!"

Immediately, a strong wind pushed the men against a tree, their bones cracking with so much force as they screamed. Their weapons fell to the ground, but there was no backing out tonight. More villagers advanced, and their arrows kept flying, precise and relentless, each one finding its mark.

No matter what it took, they had to kill her tonight, or she would kill them.

"ARGHHHH….YOU ALL DO NOT LEARN!" she roared, thrusting her hand forward. "Calux temari!"

This spell made one man's bow snap in half as he hit the ground hard, but all her spells and magic did not stop the others from firing at her. Instead, it made them more determined than ever.

Dahlia panted, she could smell her blood everywhere, dripping on the ground. She was not given enough time to retaliate again when another arrow sliced across her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain and anger. 

"You will all burn!" she spat through clenched teeth. With trembling hands, she raised both arms and said, "Nasiri sorrenthem! Calumis mortem!"

As she muttered those words, a swirling storm of shadows spun around her. It forced the men to hesitate. Dahlia was calling on the depths of her magic, but her power was faltering. 

With the injury and her growing weakness, it was very challenging to use her magic properly. The arrows did not stop either, they kept coming, with one piercing into her calf and another at her chest.

"Ahhhh!" Dahlia screamed as she faltered. With every step she took, she tried her best to fight back. 

"No… Not like this," she whispered, knowing fully well that this was a trap and a fight she would not be able to win. 

"They know my weakness," Dahlia whispered to herself, and that scared her the most as she figured everything out. On a normal day, they would not dare challenge her, and that was the only thing she could think of that could give them such courage.

The villagers kept shooting, the arrows piercing her ribs and pushing her backwards. She stumbled, clutching her side, trying to gasp for breath. "If I don't escape now, they will surely kill me," she thought. "I will need to heal first, get stronger and take my revenge."

Thinking about all these, she looked around frantically. Soon, without wasting more time, her lips started moving. "In kunbris evinasum selest du," she whispered. Her voice quaked, but the words carried power.

A burst of light exploded around her, momentarily blinding the villagers. The villagers quickly shielded themselves to protect their eyes, the arrows stopping as the smoke swallowed her whole.

When the light cleared, she was gone. She left nothing but drops of her blood. 

"Did we get her?" one of the villagers whispered.

"No," the first leader, who was also part of the people who shot at her, growled as his gaze fell to her blood on the ground, thick, fresh, and dark just like her soul. "But we wounded her. Badly."

"She won't make it far," he continued, and crouched beside where her drops of blood were, touching it with two fingers and then looking at the group with a grim smile.

After he was done, he stood up straight and barked, "Bring the dire wolves. Tonight we hunt her down just like she hunted our children."

"Yes, my Lord." Two strong warriors of the village spoke in unison, bowing slightly before hurrying to go bring the wolves.

In no time, they were back with the wolves. When they reached the spot, the first leader was waiting, arms crossed, although his expression softened as his babies approached. A rare smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Good boys," the leader murmured, stepping toward his pets. There were four of them, and he knelt before the largest wolf which was also the leader and ran a hand over its head, scratching behind its ear the way he used to, while he gave the others some rubs too. 

His wolves were well-trained and would serve an important role in finding an evil soul. "You have been waiting for this, haven't you?" He asked his wolf, as the wolf growled in response.

The first leader smiled and pulled a cloth from his belt, which was stained with the witch's blood. He brought it up to the noses of his wolves, letting them sniff.

"That's right boys…" He whispered softly to them as they sniffed, "You know what you need to do."

The wolves after sniffing waited for the final command and the leader gave it to them. He placed his lips close to the lead wolf's ear and whispered,

"Hunt."