After walking for what felt like hours, Iyak finally dragged himself and the unconscious Lamia girl toward the forest’s edge. The trees began to thin out a little, letting in faint hints of the evening sky.

  He carefully laid her down beside a large rock, slumped down next to her, and sighed like an exhausted old man. “What kind of reincarnation is this? People get reborn as kings, heroes, or literal dragon tamers. And me? I get a daily step count of ten thousand, a poisonous flower punch to the gut, and now a half-snake girl who bites first and faints later.”

  He rubbed his neck, still aching from the bite. “And worst of all, my dumb sense of morality won’t let me leave her. Why, brain? Why do you always make me do the good thing?!”

  As the sky began to darken above the towering trees, shadows swallowed the light quickly. “Yep… it’s getting real spooky now,” he muttered, glancing around. “If I keep walking in the dark, either I’ll trip over a rock, get eaten by a tree, or discover more girls with fangs.”

  With another groan, he decided. “Alright. We camp here tonight.”

  He turned to the Lamia girl, watching her chest gently rise and fall with each breath. “At least she’s breathing… but girl, you owe me a big one when you wake up. And I don’t mean another bite.”

  Then he got up and announced heroically, “Wait here, Miss Chompers. I’ll find us food and fire like a true forest survivor—or die trying. Well… not die-die, because, you know... DEATH skill and all.”

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  After a little while, Iyak returned with arms full of dry branches and a bundle of colorful fruits, most of which he had “borrowed” from some very angry tree-monsters who didn’t appreciate fruit theft. He lit a campfire, placed his worn-out coat gently over the sleeping Lamia, and then plopped down beside the fire.

  Looking at the fruit in his hand suspiciously, he mumbled, “I fought for these like a true hero—well, more like a sneaky raccoon. But I’m not even sure if they’re edible. I mean… they were literally growing on a tree with eyes.” He sighed and stared at the flame. “People get superpowers, laser eyes, flight... and I got Death. What am I? A walking graveyard?”

  Then he grinned suddenly. “But hey! At least poison doesn’t work on me now.” He raised the fruit like a toast and said, “To death immunity and questionable snacks!” and bit into it.

  While chewing, he side-eyed the Lamia girl. “Is she asleep or just pretending? Maybe she’s embarrassed because she bit the only idiot trying to help her.”

  Just then, a rustling sound came from the tall grass behind them. Iyak’s smile froze. His eyes widened. His teeth clenched. “Uh-oh… something’s moving.”

  He whispered like a scared cat, “Nope. Nope. Nope. This is where I die. Or almost die, again. Why don’t monsters ever announce themselves politely? Like, ‘Hello, I’m here to eat you, please prepare your stick.’”

  The rustling got louder.

  Panicking slightly, Iyak snatched up the biggest, toughest-looking stick he could find. It was really just a crooked branch, but he held it like a legendary sword. He stood in front of Lamia protectively and muttered, “God, I know I can’t die… but that doesn’t mean I want to be monster sushi!”

  With his heart thumping like a drum, he lunged forward and swung the stick with a wild yell. “HIYAAHHHHHHH!!!”

  THWACK!

  There was a loud groan—not of a monster, but of a very human voice.

  “OUCH! Who hit my head with a tree?!”

  Iyak blinked. That wasn’t a monster. That was… a girl?

  He grabbed a burning branch from the fire and tiptoed forward, holding it like a torch. As the firelight illuminated the grass, he saw a young girl curled up, rubbing her head and glaring at him with teary eyes.

  Iyak immediately dropped the torch and stood up straight like nothing had happened. He even casually tried to brush off his clothes. “Oh… uh… hi there! Fancy meeting you here! Lovely night, huh?”

  The girl stared at him, completely confused.

  Iyak pointed behind him with his thumb. “You see, I thought you were a monster. Turns out you’re just someone unlucky enough to meet me.”

  Then he leaned closer and whispered dramatically, “Trust me… that’s worse.”