# Chapter 22
“Heok, kuk… haa…”
“Breathe, breathe, Rite. What’s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?”
Rite was choking and breathing roughly as if someone was strangling him. He shook his head back and forth while making sounds like metal being scraped, over and over. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of Rite’s trembling body.
Doctor, we need to go to a doctor. The thought immediately came to me, but even with a cloak, Rite’s current state couldn’t be hidden. Then what? Does that mean I have to just watch Rite suffering like this? There wasn’t even time to flounder in helplessness.
After making up my mind, I got up and then knelt in front of Rite again. It felt like my vision was spinning. Thinking he was having trouble breathing, I reached out to remove his clothes but froze. Something was wrong with Rite’s body.
His right arm had torn through the thick winter fabric and was swelling tightly. The horns, which had already seemed larger than usual, began to grow as if alive, writhing on his head and increasing in size. Rite twisted his body in various directions, suffering.
“Aaagh!”
Even at Rite’s scream, I couldn’t do anything. I could only hold the struggling child tightly in my arms and endure.
It felt like Rite might burst. I could feel the heart throbbing throughout the child’s entire body, and the scales that had sprouted on his arm had spread down to his fingers, transforming into something like a monster’s forelimbs.
No, Rite. No. I kept repeating those words while embracing Rite, but hard and sharp claws grabbed my shoulder and pushed me away.
“Urgh…”
It was a force strong enough to tear off one of my arms. I was slammed against the wall and clutched my shoulder. Not just my shoulder, but my back, which had hit the wall, was aching too much for me to get up.
With just my eyes open, I saw that Rite had disappeared, replaced by a monster. I could hardly believe it was Rite if not for the purple eyes looking at me.
To put it simply, it looked like a large lizard. It was clearly not a fully matured organism at first glance. A body covered in pitch-black scales. It had four legs but was balancing itself on its hind legs and thick tail, with its front legs awkwardly pointing toward me.
“…Rite, no.”
Beneath the two horns that had extended outward were complete reptilian eyes. A white membrane that had covered the entire eyeball was peeled back, revealing vertically slit pupils.
I felt like something would happen if I looked away even for a moment. It was hard to breathe, like someone who had been punched in the stomach, but I persistently looked at those purple eyes and got up.
As I rose, Rite’s front legs touched the floor. When all four legs were on the ground, I could finally see the small wings that had sprouted on his back. They were very small compared to his body, but I became anxious. What if he flew away and was discovered by someone?
No matter how much the Winter Forest was neglected, it was only a matter of time before knights would be dispatched once such news reached the imperial palace.
What should I do? Should I pin him down with my body? Though in the form of a monster, he was still smaller than my body. He wasn’t much different in size from Rite in human form. But remembering the strength that had pushed me away earlier, my confidence in winning through physical strength gradually disappeared.
While I was deliberating, Rite slowly approached me. His vertically slit pupils became even thinner. The way he lowered his body and approached cautiously was just like a predator right before hunting.
What should I do? How should I handle this? The room felt too hot. Sweat ran down the back of my neck.
When Rite took another step forward, I immediately kicked the door open and ran outside. There was no time to think anymore. I couldn’t destroy the house. I needed to get out of here and subdue Rite in a more open space.
Heavy footsteps followed me. When I glanced back, I could see hard teeth bared toward me. A large tail swung back and forth, leaving marks on the snow. The sight was truly shocking, enough to dispel any thought that this was the child I had raised.
“Haa, ha.”
Sweat ran down despite the bone-chilling cold. Despite the pain squeezing my lungs, I kept moving my feet without stopping. Though knowing it was dangerous, I ran toward the inner part of the forest. My legs trembled with tension. I continued running, trying to put strength in my legs. If I misstep even slightly, Rite would immediately pounce on me.
Thanks to the dense trees, Rite couldn’t gain speed. Taking advantage of the slightly widened distance, I hid my body behind a large tree. My throat felt like it was burning. My lungs were painfully constricted, and my mouth felt sour as if stomach acid had refluxed. I was about to dry heave, but I covered my mouth and looked around.
Rite appeared through trees not far away. The purple eyes that I had always thought were pretty looked eerie. That’s Rite. The Rite I fed, bathed, and put to sleep for years. I repeatedly reminded myself, as if brainwashing myself. I couldn’t forget that fact.
Rite was looking around, unable to find me. Taking advantage of that moment, I scooped up a handful of snow from around me and packed it. The tips of my fingers, frozen and not moving properly, were frustrating. With my teeth clenched in tension, I threw the tightly packed snowball hard at a tree to the side.
With a thud, the snowball hit the tree. In the moment when the heavy snow accumulated on the leaves fell with the vibration, something black quickly passed by.
A loud roar was heard, making the sound of the snowball hitting earlier seem trivial. The tree tilted as if Rite had rammed into it, and then collapsed. It gave me chills. Not just strength, but reaction speed was superior as well.
After checking the fallen tree, Rite turned his gaze. His head was still facing forward, but his eyeballs smoothly rotated and fixed exactly on me behind him.
There was no time to think. I got up and ran again. Damn it. That level of impact didn’t even make him stagger. But I couldn’t use weapons or machines meant for hunting monsters. Those were devices that prioritized firepower. There was no way I could adjust them properly. How could I point such dangerous things at Rite?
It was too risky to go deeper into the forest like this. I changed direction when I found a suitable gap. I wanted to go back to the cabin, but because Rite was chasing right behind me, I had to go in a roundabout way. Trying to move my increasingly heavy legs, I crashed my body into a tree visible ahead.
“Ugh…!”
In my hurry, I used the shoulder that Rite had pushed earlier, and my bone resonated with pain. Gritting my teeth, I immediately rammed into the tree and quickly rolled on the snow. The heavy snow that had accumulated on the tree poured down on Rite, who was following behind. Having narrowly avoided it, I immediately hid behind the tree in front and watched Rite.
The monster’s roar echoed through the forest. Rite’s sound made me anxious. It would be troublesome if other monsters were attracted. It was hard enough to take care of myself, let alone protect Rite who had lost his reason. I got up again without even catching my breath and immediately ran toward the direction of the cabin.
Rite, who had been staggering a bit, also chased after me again. I felt like sensation had disappeared below my knees. I was moving my legs mechanically, but there was no feeling that they were moving by my will. I’m going to fall at this rate. As soon as I had that thought, my strength gave out. I rolled on the snow field and crashed into a tree.
“Urgh… haa, haa…”
When I opened my tightly closed eyes, the whole world was upside down. In my inverted vision, I could see Rite. White breath poured from Rite’s large mouth. I needed to get up and run again, but I didn’t have the strength. I felt like I didn’t care anymore. It was time to settle this.
“Rite.”
It was certain that the monster before my eyes was Rite, but it was hard to accept. I wasn’t even sure if this creature in front of me could understand my words. Though my whole body felt heavy, I barely extended my arm. Rite, whose thoughts I couldn’t fathom, was quietly approaching me.
“We practiced putting the horns away, haa… didn’t we?”
Up close, Rite looked a bit tired. A forehead covered with hard scales touched my outstretched palm. It was cold. The child used to have such a high body temperature. Maybe it was because of the snow he was hit with earlier.
“Close your eyes and concentrate.”
I didn’t expect him to listen to me. I was only afraid that he might open that large mouth and crush my bones. But unlike my trembling hand, Rite obediently closed his eyes. Instead of the soft black hair, I felt leathery skin as hard as armor. Deliberately ignoring the unfamiliar sensation, I slowly stroked. Somehow, it seemed to be getting a little warmer.
“It’s just like before. Imagine putting your horns back in. I’ll count to ten.”
I also closed my eyes and slowly began counting. It was a much longer time than ten seconds. I was afraid of what I would see when I opened my eyes after counting to ten.
What if he doesn’t return to his original form? Would I be able to continue taking care of him? But he seemed to understand what I was saying.
While I was worrying, by the time I counted to eight, I felt something writhing under my palm.
“Nine.”
Now it was the complete feeling of hair, not scales.
“Ten.”
When I opened my eyes after counting to ten, I saw Rite with tears filling his eyes. His forehead was swollen red, and his eyes were moist. Rite murmured blankly.
“Arden…”
It felt like all the strength was draining from my body, but I couldn’t just collapse because Rite was rushing toward me. I hugged Rite tightly as he wrapped his arms around my neck and got up.
“Arden, Arden… Arden…”
Rite kept calling my name. His voice, mixed with tears, became even more indistinct as his face was buried firmly in my shoulder. I slowly exhaled while patting the shoulder of the child who had returned to his usual appearance. It felt like my lungs were filling with Rite’s scent.
“You did well, Rite. It’s okay.”
The only thought I had was how fortunate it was that he had returned to my arms.
