The large root carried a powerful current of wind, screaming as it plummeted.
Terror momentarily eclipsed everything else in Akhil's mind as the root descended. He had always been close to death, but he was never more certain of it than he was now.
Just as impact seemed inevitable, the root paused, suddenly rigid and unable to move further.
Akhil tilted his head, seeing the Gordian knot the roots had managed to tie themselves into during the chase.
"It worked," Akhil breathed, letting out a heavy sigh of relief as he fell onto his back. He lay there, gasping, desperately trying to catch his breath.
He hadn't felt this depth of relief since the apocalypse of a game started. Among all the near-death experiences he'd ever had, after the wolf, this was the second time he had entered a situation with absolutely no planned escape. If the root had hit him, he was certain he'd be flattened into meat paste.
