《BRITTLE FEATHER》 Chapter 1 - Brittle world The wind felt cold, and the streets were isolated. No sign of a single soul, that''s because they were out here. The ones that bring out carnage. We can''t see them but feel their presence, it''s like a pressure is being exerted on you, something that''ll make you feel crazy, that bends your will and makes it crumble. It''s not a pleasant feeling and no one wants to experience it again. But here I am walking down the street with a bag of beer and smokes for my dad. It''s quiet when he takes them, he doesn''t bother me or the sounds that come out his mouth don''t disrupt my peaceful endeavors. We have been on lockdown for almost two months right now, shielded by celestial beings who swore to protect us till this storm passes. Everybody got supplies to last them a year, but you can''t say that about alcohol and nicotine. This is what he wanted and there won''t be any peace if. I don''t bring it. I don''t want to fill the role of mom in his life¡­. Never again.. It was hard getting these, no store was opened of course that was obvious. I had to break in,it was quite daunting. They said a war is going on, and all humans were told to stay indoors, something we can''t see. Obviously we are ordinary people and our body can''t process something beyond our logic. But we can feel the insane pressure when they''re close to us. The street was isolated and quiet, I felt nothing but the cold. It was dark too and peaceful, maybe it was all a lie and I could stay here, and maybe the man at home can die from withdrawal. I contemplated the idea while standing next to a street light. It''s crazy that there''s nobody outside. It''s too quiet, even my footsteps are so loud even though I''m light on my feet. I don''t know if we were put on a trance to stay indoors, because everybody obediently went indoors. The quiet and peaceful scenery was relaxing, I sat down to a bench next to the street light. He could wait a few minutes to get his poison back. I wish I could just kill him, I hate those feelings,. I hate when I have to behave like mom to him. I hate when he forces me to behave like that. I hate that I have to be careful with what I do when he''s around, he''s always around. I hate it when I feel his breath on my skin,I hate that mom and Sara didn''t come back. I hate that house . I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate. I HATE IT \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ //////////////////////// AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH RGGHHHHHHHHHH Something familiar yet terrifying, pressing down on me, forcing me down to ground, I couldn''t move. My blood vessels were stiff, I couldn''t breathe. I''m going to die, my limbs can''t move. ¡®Help¡¯ the word couldn''t come out of my mouth or the world won''t let it come out. This feeling was a terrifying thing. I can''t believe I have to experience this again because of him, that man, my father. This is all his fault, I can be free from him hahaha yes I can be free, if I die now. I don''t know what moved my head, but I looked in the direction where the pressure was coming from. Normally we can''t move when they''re close to us, but why is my head moving to face it. Why am I curious at the face of death? Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Big jaws, granite skin. Mouth widens to the cheekbones. Yellow ears , teeth curve like sickles, black tongue. I can feel its breath, cold like ice . Why, why am I able to see them? Is it because I''m close to death right now? Haha I was laughing. I don''t know why. It deformed shape and everything left me in awe. Am I being enchanted by this creature of the abyss? Because it was absolutely beautiful, I moved closer to it. Ice cold breath on my face, I want more of it. Everything I have it''s on a platter for it to take. Please take me everything is yours just let me have a feel of your body that''s only what I can ask for. It started moving closer to me, I don''t know if it''s walking or floating. I don''t care, just come to take me. Its hand wrapped around my space like a serpent. Too bright, no blinding or my eyes couldn''t process it. Too fast or beyond my logic, maybe my brain rejected it what my eyes saw and couldn''t process it. Have I ever saw such bright light? I''m not sure.. But that bright light or beam pushed the grotesque creature away from me followed by a loud sound of it crashing on a nearby building. I turned to the direction the light came from and it was majestic, the light it emits was blinding and relieving. I felt light when they touched me, my knees gave way and I fell down. Feathers like snow, they flapped in such a gentle way. Its moments were subtle and divine. A concentrated light in the form of a circle above its head, face perfectly curved and eyes inducing. So this is an angel. It didn''t look at me and just went pass me. In an hostile stance against the creature who is getting the debris of the building off its body. They went against each other at such speed my eyes couldn''t process. Clashing against each other but no sound came out, the angel overpowering the demon who was looking for a place to flee. Our eyes met and it head towards my direction at such speed I couldn''t react. Just a flash it was next to me and forcing my mouth open to get inside it, I don''t know how I was able to swallow it but I did. Burns spread across my stomach and I lost control over my body, all I could do was see and whatever that was inside me did all the movements. The angel had a terrified look on its face and then returned to its normal expression going after me. It swung its sword towards me, my body moved but I wasn''t fast enough, so my legs were grasped by it and a burn spread across them sending me to the floor. Why did the demon enter me? It doesn''t make sense, my body couldn''t keep up. The angel grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall. I couldn''t feel the pain. I wasn''t in control of my body. Its hand still on my neck emitted a bright burning light, my lungs emptied the air in it, the sound that was coming out was not only mine but the other thing inside me. The angel put its hand into my mouth and drew something out of it. The line of light coming out of my mouth. It was something like an essence of life. The angel forced the demon out my mouth, it was extremely painful because the demon was clinging onto me. Forcing me out with it, if I follow it I''ll definitely die, the angel responded by using its other free hand to hold my soul back and then it appeared. I can''t say if it was moving or not because it of the speed which is something my very being can''t comprehend. Three thorns sticking out of the angel chest, it was black like smoke, the trident. The angel stumbled and fell down, its divine wings crumbling. I don''t know where the trident came from but I''m sure they waited for the angel to have its hand full before attacking. The angel body was crumbling, the light leaving its body. No no this was my fault if the angel didn''t try to save me maybe it would have been able to react to the trident. If I just went home to dad, none of this would have happened. It''s always my fault, everything, Sara and mom. It was all a sudden noisy, the wind, insects and everything that made the world feel real. I could hear them. ¡°Hey, don''t be sad.¡± It spoke with such calm and convincing voice. ¡°It wasn''t your fault.¡± It''s my fault ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± I can''t control these tears. ¡°You¡¯re just a victim.¡± No I''m the perpetrator ¡°Be happy, I''m just going back up.¡± I don''t have any source of such things that''ll make me happy. The angel grabbed my hand, it was rough because of the crumbling skin. Its wings are turning gray and withering. The angel removed one of its feathers from its back and placed it on my hand. It was warm and reassuring. ¡°Be careful with it, it''s very brittle and can easily fade away. This is proof I have no ill will towards you.¡± The angel started crumbling to vapor. ¡° Wish on anything and it''ll come to pass¡­.. I don''t know where the thought came from, maybe it was just automatic. Then everything went black. Chapter 2 - Brittle reality I woke up breathing heavily, my clothes stuck to my skin with sweat and head pounding. Felt like I just had a bad dream but I couldn''t remember a single bit of it. Is it really that bad that my brain choose to forget it. Well I don''t care, I hopped off the bed and went straight to the bathroom to clean my face and brush my teeth. Another day stuck indoors what a daunting experience, I have always loved staying indoors. If it had been with anybody but him it''ll would''ve been better. I left the room with my face still wet with water, I don''t care about appearance because I''m staying indoors and got no one to impress. The house is still silent as ever. The TV was on, that''s something new because it was never on ever since¡­. The person sitting on the couch, I don''t want to see his face or hear his voice today. Okay let''s tiptoe to the kitchen, I tiptoed to the living room and went to the hallway that led to the kitchen. Down the hallway there''s a door that leads outside¡­ when was the last time I went there?, two months? Or maybe more. The memories are all foggy, even though it''s only two months since we were sent indoors. I don''t even remember what the knob of the door feels like. Something like a pull drew me closer to the door. I wanted to touch it and maybe open it. Moving closer to the direction of the door, my feet basked in dust. I haven''t cleaned the floor that leads here in a while. What does the outside breeze feels like? I don''t even know anymore. It felt like I had never went outside¡­.. I came close to the door, it felt like the knob had a gravitational pull to my hands, with just a few inches from the knob. ¡°Elana, what are you doing?¡± That voice, how long has it been since I heard it. I have always dreamt of hearing it calling my name, maybe I''m hallucinating. I don''t want to turn around, standing here forever will be okay if I can just hear that voice again. ¡°Why are you just standing there? Are you planning to go outside? That''s against the rule you know right?¡± The voice kept talking to me, what if the voice wasn''t real ? I don''t want to spoil this. ¡°Elana, stop acting weird and come over here, breakfast''s ready.¡± I turned around with my cheeks wet with tears. ¡°Okay mom.¡± She''s real, what''s going on? I don''t care. Mom is right here, that''s all that matters. I walked to Mom and hugged her. The reaction to her body was that of surprise. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you today.¡± She said returning the hug. Her scent, gentle touch and the way she talks. I missed everything. We went to the dining room, and she was sitting there¡­ Sara my sister is sitting next to my sit. Her lips widened by a smile. I sat down next to her. ¡°What were you doing trying to go outside? Have you forgotten the warning they gave to us?.¡± Sara said in a mild tone. ¡°I don''t know¡­ my head is all foggy.¡± My head was pounding, but I didn''t care about it. ¡°Well some food might help with that.¡± Mom said, while placing her hands on my shoulders caressing them. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Okay¡± I dug in the food, it tasted like a distant memory. I couldn''t get around the taste. But it was something nostalgic. Then it occurred to me.. where is he? That man, his seat is empty. Staring at the empty seat it felt so huge and intimidating. ¡°umm mom, where is dad?¡± The sound left my mouth like a whisper. Mom and Sara turned to my direction. ¡°Who?¡± Sara replied. ¡°Dad¡­ like our father, where is he?¡± I replied, the expression both of them were wearing was puzzling like they don''t understand what I was saying. ¡°Elana, your father died before you were born. Well it''s weird for you to remember him randomly.¡± She replied followed by a chuckle. ¡°You have been acting strange lately, what''s up?¡± Sara replied with her face close to mine like she''s interrogating me. ¡°I told you my head is all foggy.¡± I said while caressing my temples. ¡°Since you have eaten your food, why don''t you go get some rest.¡± Mom replied with a smile on face, She''s really enjoying herself. ¡°Oh..¡± I looked down at my plate and it was all empty. But I don''t remember eating the food. ¡°Alright all done.¡± Sara said while standing up, still kind of bafflingly how she''s the younger one between us because she has the height and build of an older sister. ¡°Elana come let me take you to your room.¡± She said, beaconing me over. Add behaving like the older sibling to the list. I placed my hand on hers, it made me feel like a child. But my whole body felt calm. We went upstairs to my room. Sara placed me on the bed and wrapped me up with the sheets. ¡°Alright, I''m going to stay here till you fall asleep.¡± What is she saying? Treating me like a child¡­ ¡° I''m not a baby.¡± I said while pouting for no reason in particular. ¡° You''re to me.¡± She replied so freely with no care. ¡°I¡¯m the older one here Sara.¡± ¡°And what?¡± ¡±Umm..¡± ¡°See no reply.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an headache, I don''t need you to pamper me¡± ¡°It¡¯s a duty of the younger siblings to take care of the older ones when they are ill.¡± ¡°.....¡± ¡°So stop acting all grumpy and get some rest.¡± ¡°...And yes I''ll stay here till you fall asleep.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Still acting grumpy are we? Do you want some cuddles haha¡± ¡°Why would I need that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s written all over you face.¡± ¡°Urgggh¡± ¡°You are really tiny Elana.¡± ¡°You have yourself to blame for being that big and muscular.¡± ¡°Hey¡­. Well you have yourself to blame for being that short.¡± ¡°Hey my height is normal for my age.¡± ¡°You¡¯re body is all hot, you should get some sleep. ¡°yeah¡­¡± The door opened but I couldn''t see it because I was facing the other side of the room. ¡°Seems you guys are having fun because I could hear your voices from downstairs.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just Sara acting all clingy all of a sudden.¡¯ ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°You need to rest Elana.¡± Mom said in an airing tone. ¡°Yeah thank you guys for being here, I probably won''t be able to get some sleep.¡± ¡°I know it must have been tiring ¡° Mom said in a toneless voice. ¡°It¡¯s painful and dark being alone, it was the same for us too.¡± Sara grip around me tightened. I want to turn back and look at mom but I couldn''t because Sara won''t allow me. ¡°Sara¡ª¡± ¡°You have to keep going, Elana, follow the light and you will find us.¡± Mom said in a sympathetic tone. ¡°Find us Elana, we might not be able to ease each other''s pains but we will bask in each other''s pains.¡± Mom continued, this was weird. What does she mean by that?" ELANA ELANA FIND US . . . . My body felt cold, my eyes half frozen. The smell of alcohol on the ground and my skin against broken bottles. The sky was still dark . Was that a dream? It can''t be¡­. I stood up and scanned my surroundings. It was the same. Were the angel and demon fiasco real? But mom and Sara ¡­. She told me to look for them. What does she mean by that? I felt a tingle in my hand, it was a feather that looked brittle, and won''t come off my hand. It''s like the feather was part of my skin.. something so distinctive but familiar. I don''t remember how it got there, who gave it to me. I DON''T UNDERSTAND I DON''T UNDERSTAND I DON''T UNDERSTAND I DON''T UNDERSTAND Why is this happening to me? I just saw Mom and Sara. Where did they go?. The night was still silent and my every movement was so loud. First I need to go home before I attract any more anomalies. I picked up the bottles that were not broken and started running.. The wind was cold, my tears frozen on my cheeks. My heart is beating fast. I don''t care how loud I sound. I just wanted to goh ome and at the back of my mind I was wondering why fate decided to add me in its game of dice. Chapter 3 - Shattering pressure The house was dark, no light coming from within. Did he trash anything looking for me? I went to the door trying to open it, the knob wouldn''t even turn, I forgot they sealed every opening to the outside world preventing us from coming out. Then how did I come out? All the windows were even closed except mine which was on the second floor. There''s no way I will be able to get up there. I need to sleep to clear my head because my mind is still going back there¡­ I don''t want to believe they''re real so I''ll probably forget them like a bad dream if I get a good sleep. I placed the hand which had the feather on the door knob and the door opened easily like it wasn''t even locked. I entered inside tiptoeing down the hallway trying to not alert him, just need to go to my room. ¡°Elana is that you?¡± His voice echoed through the hallway. I hate that voice. ¡°You are late.¡± I could hear his voice getting closer, I didn''t want to see his face. ¡°Well I don''t care, did you get them?¡± He''s just a few steps away from me. His face was partially covered by the darkness that enveloped the house. I could only see his mouth which was twisted in a strange manner. I handed over the beers to him. Left without hearing his reply. ¡°Elana¡± He called out my name while I was just two steps from climbing the stairs. I turned and looked at him below me, his face still covered by the shadow. ¡°?¡ã¡ã¡ã¡Þ¡Þ¡Þ¡± The incomprehensive words that came out of his mouth didn''t baffle me, I just didn''t care. ¡°Goodnight¡± I replied to him, getting to my room is the safest option right now since he''s not in ¡¯that¡¯ mood right now. I went to my room and locked the door. Falling down to my bed, it felt like ages since I had the chance to sleep on it. The thoughts of what happened when I went outside kept on trying to creep to the center of my thoughts but I pushed them back. This is why I needed that sleep, a good sleep will do everything. Staring at the ceiling, my eyes started getting heavy. I turned to the other side of the bed, facing the window which was opened. I don''t think it''s possible for a human to squat on a window. It''s too small for anybody to do that. When I was going out it was even a hassle getting out through it. Then why is there a old woman there? I can''t even see her face but her nose is more highlighted by the length of it. Noses are not supposed to be that long and wrinkled. The naked old woman sat on the frame of my window looking at my direction. I can''t see her face, it''s all dark in here. It felt like there was something pressing me down, an invincible force I couldn''t move or scream. Scream for what? He would even bat an eye if I was dying, my voice won''t even get outside. ¡°CACACACA¡± The woman started laughing, it sounded like a laugh that''s made by someone without teeth or tongue. It was like a choking sound. Her hair was white, I haven''t felt that type of fear in my life before. The woman was just there looking at me, I need to get out of here, but the force pushing me down won''t let me. The pressure feels like I''m a sachet of tomatoes and my soul is the contents inside which is being forced out by the pressure. The blood in my entire body was flowing to my head, my blood vessels were to burst at any moment because of the pressure. My eyes rolled up, tongue trying to flee into my stomach to avoid this terror. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP. The thoughts are there but the words won''t come out, so this is the end for me¡­ at least I''m relieved from everything. It''s better. I don''t understand how I survived the encounter with that demon just to die here. Was there no special meaning to that? It''s my fault for thinking too much about it. Or I blame this world for setting a special scenario for me, what is it trying to do¡­ making me feel good about myself and shattered everything in the very next moment. Well I''m just a fool, if I could just remember how I got this feather on my hand I''ll probably be able to do something about all this, about Mom and Sara¡­ CLAP CLAP CLAP. The woman started clapping, with each clap the pressure on my head grew stronger, it''ll pop up like a sledgehammer to a watermelon. My nose was wet with something I don''t know. But it''s probably blood, if my eyes rolls any further I''ll probably go blind. But I could still see the naked old woman sitting on the window frame normally which is weird because my eyes are rolled up to my skull right now. The woman started dancing while still on the window frame. My mouth gave way to a big stream of blood, I have never let out this amount of liquid from my body in my entire life. CLAP CLAP CLAP The woman clapping increased. ¡°CACACACACA¡± Same with her laughter. The pressure on my body increased, my body couldn''t take it longer I could feel my blood vessels bursting. My blood is going the wrong way. CLAP CLAP CLAP CACA CACA CLAP CLAP CLAP CACACACACA CACACACACA CLAP CLAP CLAP ¡°ARRRRRRRRRRGHHHH¡± I let out a scream, my throat were probably damaged from it. My body arched up with my sweat soaked back leaving the bed in anticipation of my soul leaving my body. My hands dug deep into the bed forming a root trying to keep my soul intact inside me. It''s probably going to be futile but it was worth trying. Eyes, mouth, ears and nose are wet with blood. The laughter and clapping increased. CLAP CLAP CLAP CACACACACA CLAP CLAP CLAP CACACACACA CLAP CLAP CLAP CACACACACA ARGGGGGHHH CACACACA CLAP CLAP CLAP The chaos ends with a loud thud on my wall. Was it dad? .. No it was a golden spear? The strange object stuck to the wall ended the chaos. The woman was nowhere to be found. The second before it hit the wall there was a scream which sounded like that of thousands of people. I couldn''t feel my body. Its probably in a lot of pain right now. My eyes are still rolled up my skull. I can''t move them. The bed was wet with blood like two liters of it poured on the bed. I couldn''t move, like I lost control of my body and was unable to find the connection. There was a rustle at the window, is the woman back? Two figures appeared close to my bed. Their silhouette that of a male and female. They moved across the room looking for something. ¡° She''s not here.¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± ¡°Why was that witch trying to suck out this kids soul.¡± ¡°It wasn''t just her soul, but her insides too. Look at her organs, they all at the chest region¡­. Eww is she dead? ¡° ¡°No, still breathing which is odd¡± ¡°We could save her.¡± ¡°That''s not what we came here for.¡± ¡°This is the only place her essence is coming from and I can''t find her anywhere here. Is this some kind of trick?¡± ¡°Which is why we should save her, like look at the big picture. This is the source of the essence.¡± ¡°Which doesn''t make sense! Because Aria can''t just disappear like that¡­ she''s bound to this city, her role is to protect it.¡± ¡°And that doesn''t mean we should save her? Like she''s emitting her essence.¡± ¡°I don''t understand¡­.¡¯ ¡°Then get her out of the blood soaked bed before she choked on her own blood.¡± ¡°She''s so light do you think she''ll make it?¡± ¡°Staying here won''t bring us that answer.¡± ¡°Where are you Aria ¡­¡± Whispers to my ears, I can''t understand what they were saying. My ears were the only thing working for me. Buzz to my eardrums, felt like wind, I''m soaring high in the sky. What do you mean by this ? Why are you trying to mold me to something after shattering my very existence. Chapter 4 - Black memories The girl survived which is still weird, there''s nothing special about her. Just a regular human, her body reacted quickly to the pool; other people have done that too; it''s not rare. But was attacked by a witch in true form that had never happened before. But that''s nothing special considering how chaotic everything has been for the past two months and it might get worse if we don''t find Aria. This is all my fault for acting all free minded towards Aria, shouldn''t have left her to wander around the city alone. But whatever happened to Aria is something that has to do with the girl, it''s her fault everything boils down to her. It''s been a week and the girl hasn''t woken up, her body is all healed up. I wanted to wake her up but Eria and the others won''t allow me. We didn''t have time, the balance in the city is shifting and we need to act fast, but everybody is acting so.calm why are they so calm? ¡°Stop pacing around August.¡± Eria appeared out of nowhere, she always does that. I have gotten used to it . ¡°I can''t just keep calm about this.¡± This is going to cost us a lot. Why is it so hard for all of them to get it. ¡°So what do you have us do? August.¡± Eria said that in a sarcastic tone but I''m too hyper to just shut up at the moment. ¡°We should be out there looking for Aria.¡± Yes that''s what we should be doing and not just waiting here for the girl to wake up. Eria had a frown on her face, her bangs covering most of her emerald eyes. ¡°Doing that is just like looking for a needle in a haystack. We all know Aria energy is enormous and can be easily located even if there''s a tiny bit of somewhere.¡± She came closer to me and put her hands on my shoulders. ¡°We''ve looked everywhere and there''s nothing except the girl. That''s the only lead we got.¡± Eria always tries to act the reasonable one. But I''m not in the mood to listen to her even though she''s right. ¡°And that''s the problem, the girl, what did she do to Aria! It''s her fault just¡­.¡± I don''t want to see Eria''s face right now. So I moved down the spacious room that leads to where the girl is currently habituating. ¡°August, have you met her before?¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°Do you know if she''s a victim or not?¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°Do you know if she was dragged into this against her will?¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°Then go find somewhere else to direct your anger at, there are demons roaming around the city that will suit you.¡¯ Eria is really pissed. I don''t want to face her. But the role I was given is weighing me down. ¡°Why won''t she just wake up¡± Eria ignored me and walked towards the transparent door that separates us, I followed her. ¡°She looks so peaceful and cute.¡± Eria said in cute voice. I don''t see what''s cute about the girl, she''s just an eyesore. ¡°What if she''s multi-inhabited and drew Aria close to her and attacked.¡± Eria looked at me in a disgusting way like she saw an eyesore, that''s understandable but I don''t even know why I''m behaving like this towards a girl that I haven''t even met before. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Well can you ge-¡± Eria stopped before finishing her words, her focus on the girl who is now awake. She''s finally woken up, her eyes are half opened. How long has it been that way? She''s probably heard most of what we were talking about. Eria moved to her and sat on the chair next to her. ¡°Hey.¡± She said in a friendly manner and a smile which beamed across her face. Eria is really good at this stuff. ¡°H¡­¡± The girl mumbled something which wasn''t quite clear to both of us. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Eria asked, as she moved closer to the girl. While still putting on that friendly mask so that the girl doesn''t panic. ¡°Fine.. where..¡± She is still fumbling with her words. We need to wrap this off quick. There was a knock on the door, and one of our aides came in. Considering how his expression is, the news he was about to bring won''t be a good one. ¡°Fourth pillar is down.¡± He said that and left without waiting for my reply. This is really bad, what do we do? If the fourth pillar is down it''s over for this city. ¡°Eria, I can''t¡ª¡± ¡°Can''t play this game of pretend with her. Fourth pillar is down.¡± I could only see Eria¡¯s back, it looked small. ¡°Okay.¡± She stood up from the chair, getting way for me. I headed to the seat, but was restricted by Eria''s hand which was on my shoulder. ¡°But know this, you are going to destroy the bridge of trust she might have with us.¡± She let go of me and left the room. The girl sat on the bed with a look of confusion on her face. Well she''s going to make more pitiful expressions later on. ¡°So girl what''s your name?¡± She eyes were still on the door Eria went through. ¡°Hey!¡± She was shaken by the reaction I made and brought her attention back to me. ¡°What''s your name?¡± ¡°Elana..¡± ¡°Do you know why you''re here?¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°Do you remember what happened in your room?¡± ¡°No¡¯ ¡°I know this going to be weird question but have seen an angel?¡± ¡°.....¡± ¡°Answer!¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°You think this is a game?¡± ¡°I don''t know what you are talking about¡± ¡°You were attacked by a witch, who wanted your soul and she was in her true form. Do you know what that means?¡± ¡°I want to go home please take me back¡­¡± ¡°To where? Are you afraid to go back there?¡± ¡°Okay let me make things easier for you to understand. There''s an angel who protects this city from demons which forced everyone indoors. But seven nights ago the angel vanished. We looked for her all over the city. The angel essence were nowhere to be found in any place in the city except you.¡± ¡°And getting to your residence, we saw a witch in its true form forcing out your soul. Witches don''t risk their lives in the open if it''s not really special.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say? I have an angel inside me?¡± ¡°That we don''t know. But did you see anything weird.?¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°Try harder and think of anything.¡± ¡°I don''t know anything, I didn''t even see any witch in my room.¡± This girl is playing hard to get, she clearly knows something but I don''t have the time to sweet talk her to spill it. ¡°Abrit and Den let''s go to the hole.¡± The walls in the room started shaking. The mark of fear spreads across the girl''s face, it''s like something familiar has happened to her before. Abrit and Den came through the wall, they were made up of strange mental alloy which can repel anything no matter what. Abrit went to the left side of the bed and Den the right, where I sat. A metallic wall formed around us, leaving now way of escape. It was like a small room with a roof. The room started descending down to the hole, the girl was breathing heavily like she could pass out any moment from now. After a few minutes the room stopped and the walls around us dispensed letting in a cold breeze, right below us was the hole. It stretches a thousand feet down the Earth''s core. I stood up from the chair and went towards the girl who went to the safer side of the bed. ¡°See this is the hole, people that are tossed down here are tormented by sins, these people stubbornly kept hold of a secret refusing to reveal it.¡± The wind is cool and relaxing, how many times have I done this? ¡°Leaving them down there for a few days, get them back. The first thing they will do is spill out the secrets. And yes they''re never the same after coming back.¡± I grabbed the girl by the neck and lifted her off the bed with legs dangling a few feet above the abyss. ¡°So what is it girl, are you going to reveal what you saw? Or should I force them out of you?¡± The only thing that left the girl''s mouth was constant screaming with her hands wrapped around my arm. Such a familiar feeling, this has become normal to me just like breathing. How many people have I tossed down here¡­. Definitely lost count. ¡°Alright since that''s your answer, off you go.¡± I moved my arm towards the hole, the girl was screaming I could feel her fingers digging deep into my arm. Creating new marks while highlighting the old ones with blood. ¡°AUGUST!!¡± Eria''s voice echoed above us. She was in the room which we descended from. ¡°Abrit, Den now!¡± She jumped, Abrit and Den formed a metallic platform which she landed on and it started talking her towards us. ¡°August, what are you thinking?¡± ¡°I''m just doing what''s necessary.¡± ¡°And how will you explain that to the order, if you had tossed her there.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The order called, they want to see her.¡± Eria said while walking to the girl who was shaking. ¡°Phew, that was close right?¡± Eria said to the girl, but she didn''t reply. ¡°Great now the order are involved, Abrit, Den take us back up-¡± I couldn''t believe my eyes, the girl wrapped her hands around Eria and jumped into the hole. I couldn''t even see Eria''s reaction before the darkness swallowed them. They are¡­. NO THEY CAN STILL BE ALIVE NO ERIA CAN STILL BE ALIVE NEITHER OF THEM HAVE THE P ULLEY WHICH WILL BRING THEM UP ERIA DOESN''T HAVE IT SHE DOESN''T HAVE IT SHE''S GOING TO DIE.. NO NO . . . . Chapter 5 - Pit of sin I opened my eyes and only darkness came in, there''s no sign of light. I thought I had gone blind because of how pitch black it was. The air was wet and hot. I couldn''t scan my surroundings because nothing came to view. How did I get here? Is this hell? Am I dead? A faint light caught my attention, it was coming from my left hand where the feather was. It was glowing, highlighting the feather. I tried to move my legs but there was no reaction. I placed my glowing hand at the direction of my legs, shattered bones, dismembered tissues, ionized blood which lost its red to become black. I didn''t feel any pain at first then my brain realized that it''s supposed to be processing signals my legs were sending it. ¡°Haaaaaaa!¡± It left my mouth, pain. It was too much, I bit my tongue, blood gushing out of my mouth and into it. The floor was mushy like sand mixed with water but the sand it''s in constant motion. Whatever it''s on the floor is alive but that''s the least of my problems right now. I begged death to come but it was distant, maybe it wanted to relish in my pain before it grabbed me with those cold bony hands of his. The light on my hand became a little brighter, I could feel the dismembered bones and tissues in my legs moving, getting back to their original position. It was painful, I don''t think the human body can process this type of pain. I bit my tongue again but the blood went back inside. ¡°Arrrrrrrrrrrgh¡± I felt dizzy and head pounding, my mouth against the floor, biting and drinking those wet particles that house this place, it was bitter and smelling but I don''t care, anything right now I need to numb the pain. My legs moved by itself to straighten it, the sound of bones and cartilage rubbing against each other. My body gave up and I passed out. I woke up, my face was buried deep inside these moist loamy moving particles. A lot of it was in my nose, maybe that''s why I woke up because I couldn''t breathe. My leg¡­ they were alright, no broken bones or blood spillage. Was that a dream? No it was too real for it to be a dream. My hand was still glowing, It was all related to this, my broken legs healing everything started when the hand began glowing. I can still use this glowing hand to find my way around here, yes that''s good, I tried to stand up but my legs hit something, it was soft and a little bit hard.. felt human. I brought my glowing hand to it, eyes bulged out of its sockets, neck dismembered tore out of the skin that housed it, bones visible painted red with thick red blood. This person I know, even with the dismembered features they still look familiar. Eria? Wait Eria, it her ¡­ no no no it can''t be. She''s dead, then just like a flash I remembered it, we were at the hole just a few feet from it then something grabbed me and Eria pulled us down with it. This is the hole, that man said it''ll drive anyone that goes inside mad. I don''t want to be left alone here. ¡°Eria you have to wake up please.¡± I placed her head on my lap carefully so that her eyes won''t fall out completely out of their sockets. ¡°Please, please wake up, Eria you can''t leave me here. It''s so cruel¡­¡± I''m being selfish but I don''t care. I just want her back. That''s the only thing I could think of right now, her chest going up and down with air and those eyes opening that''s the only wish I have. The light on my hands became brighter, almost blinding, Eria''s body jolted, the glow on my hand faded away. It was pitch black again. And quiet, I could not see anything, even Eria''s face was gone from my view. I could still feel her body on my lap. She''s dead, left me all alone in this hell. Maybe this is my punishment for not telling them about the angel. I should just kill myself, I always wanted to do that. It was too dark to find a hard rock to bash my head in, I could just bite my tongue or drown myself in this wet moving soil. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Koff, koff!¡± The sound of someone coughing, but it wasn''t mine, Eria! She''s alive? I brought her face close to mine, air from her mouth hit my skin. It was fast and hot. ¡°Eria! Thank you for not being dead, t than-k kk you.¡± I was crying, but why? Does being alone scares me that much? I have been alone most of my life so why¡­ ¡°Where..¡± She fumbled with her words, confused on where she was. ¡°Eria, it''s me Elana. Do you remember me?¡± I brought her face to mine hoping she''ll see me, though it''s pitch black in here. My hands were shaking, I couldn''t hold her steady. Please remember me¡­ ¡°Elana?¡¯ She muttered my name. Moving out of my hands to sit properly, I don''t know what she''s doing nor can I see her. ¡°Am I¡­ blind?¡± She''s having the same reaction I did when I woke up. ¡°No you''re not, it''s just dark. We fell down the hole.¡± I don''t know how she''ll react to that. Has she been down here before? She won''t go crazy right? I need someone to keep me sane. ¡°Elana? Where are you?¡± She started looking for me. I moved close to her like a child looking for her mother.. ¡°I''m right here.¡± I said, while looking for her, she grasped my hands and pulled me close. I could feel her breathe from here, it was hot and calming. ¡°So we fell down huh?¡± Her reaction wasn''t that of surprise, it was just ¡®Oh so that happened¡¯ type of reaction. Both her wrists brought out light, it was like a bracelet wrapped around her wrists, emitting light. They were brighter than the light that came out of my palm earlier. ¡°Take¡± She brought one out from the little bag wrapped around her waist. I took the bracelet, it was just hard metal and nothing more. ¡°Place it near your wrist and it''ll open up.¡± I did as she directed and the bracelet opened wrapping itself around my wrists,it fit perfectly. ¡°Now just think about lighting up and it''ll react to your thoughts.¡± The bracelet lit up as the thought of light came to my mind. The Light felt warm, mine wasn''t brighter than hers. I wonder why. ¡°Wow.¡± A smile spread across my face, it was just like magic but it pale in comparison to the things I had experienced earlier at least this made me smile. ¡°Alright let''s see.¡± She started walking and I followed her. The height difference between us wasn''t that big, she was just a little to inches taller than me and our body build might be the same. She walked like someone who knew where they were going. I guess she has been here before. ¡°Elana, when I woke and turned these things on, there was a lot of blood on your legs and my face had blood too¡­¡± I started breathing heavily, my body shaking,did she find out? ¡°... We fell into the hole with no pulley from Abrit and Den, Dead..¡± She immediately turned towards me, my body jolted like I was a rat who got caught at night in the kitchen. ¡°We ought to be dead, there''s no way anybody could survive that fall. Do you know anything about how we survived this?¡± Those emerald eyes staring into my soul, like she could read my every thought like an open book. ¡°No,¡± I muttered. ¡°Okay¡± She said, with a look of disappointment in her face, then started walking. It''s better this way I think. There was this gentleness in the way she walked. We dug deep inside the hole, warm moist air against our skin. Each step we took further into this dark pit, left mei with this feeling of us being watched by something. Eria was still ahead of me, leading the way. I don''t know where she''s going but considering this isn''t her first time here. There''s probably a place she has in mind that''ll keep us safe. I felt a pull on my hand, it was Eria''s. She had this surprise look on her face. But wasn''t she in front of me¡­ There was no one at my front, only a narrow, thorny road filled with spikes.what was that? Eria was just in front of me¡­ ¡°What?¡± ¡°See it''s this place, everything here is trying to toy with your mind. If you show them any weakness they''ll get inside you and drive you insane.¡± She had this desperate look on her face like she haven''t experienced this before. ¡°We have to stick together, both of us can''t go mad. If we both do all is lost we''ll never get out of here. Not that we¡­¡± She mumbled the last part, I couldn''t make out what she was saying. It''s like she''s hiding something from me. ¡°Wait, I couldn''t get the last part, what did you say?¡± ¡°It''s nothing, I don''t know what we''re going to see or experience here let''s just stick together okay?¡± ¡°Wait, I thought you have been down here before?¡± ¡°No, I haven''t.¡± Then why is she acting all cool, it''s okay to freak out like me. You don''t have to act cool for my sake. I wanted to say that out loud but decided against it. ¡°See, we are probably going to go mad but let one of us stay sane for the other okay?¡± Eria said with her hand stretched out towards me. Her face had a zeal, like this sort of motivation. I placed my hand on hers and we locked it together. Heading straight into the dark with lights on our wrist acting like a beacon of hope in this tunnel without light. Chapter 6 - Pit of sin part 2 It''s been hours or minutes, I don''t know how to keep track of time here. The walls were moving reacting to the light from our wrist, they were moving slowly I don''t know if Eria can see them. She has been quiet for a while, I don''t know what''s going on in her mind wish I could take a peek. Her eyes seem vacant like and partially opened. Is she hallucinating something? should I talk to her? Those thoughts clash inside my mind. Leaving her alone is probably the best option now,we seem to be going somewhere, not that we have any idea of where exactly and nothing bad has happened. Yeah this is good. ¡°Hmmm¡± Eria mumbled something, like she was answering someone. I looked at her and she still has the same expression, dead eyes and a blank expression. ¡°Eria?¡± ¡°What?¡± Those dead eyes looked at my direction, they look animated. Our hands are still locked together, and I don''t know if it''s possible for us switch place with another ¡®thing¡¯ because Eria is acting different than usual. ¡°You looked different, so I just¡­ thought maybe hallucinating something..¡± A smile spread across her face similar to the one I saw than back on the bed. ¡°Oh, that just my thinking face. There''s a lot going on in my head.¡± A lot of things going on in her head huh.. ¡°Don''t you also have things running around your head?¡± Why would she say that? Of course I do.. or maybe not. I''m not worried about this feather nor I care what it means. Dad? Maybe he''s dead, that''ll be good. Mom and Sara I do have them in my thoughts but a lot has been happening for me to drift back to that dream. If we are able to get out of here, what''ll happen next? What''ll they do with me. I guess those things are on my mind but not my main focus. ¡°Yeah, sure I guess.¡± I answered, there''s probably a lot in her mind like what? I don''t even know anything about her. She works at the same place as that man¡­ ¡°Are you thinking about him?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The man, I don''t know his name the one tried to throw me down here.¡± I can still remember the look on his face when he was about to toss me down here. No sign of remorse or whatsoever, my crying and begging didn''t even get to him. ¡°His name is August.¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Not that I care¡± ¡°He probably left a bad impression of himself on you.¡± ¡°And I hope that''s the last.¡± I said with my emotions quite visible on my face. Eria looked at me and a chuckle left her mouth. ¡°Well that''s August''s problem not mine.¡± ¡°So are you two- what''s your relationship with him?¡± I wanted to ask if they were dating but I guess that''s too direct and they do look like the ideal popular couple. Eria eyebrows moved together in a frown. ¡°He is my- wait that''s rude of you to jump to assumptions.¡± ¡°Well I''m just¡­¡± well this has become awkward. ¡°Okay what''s this hole?¡± I decided to change the topic. ¡°This is the pit of sin, it''s pathway that sin flows to hell, you can say it''s connected to hell and I heard if go deep and deep you''ll eventually see the brimstone and fire.¡± Sin? Hell? If this is connected to the underworld , why are they using it to torment people? ¡°How did you guys even find something as terrifying as this?¡± It doesn''t make sense, since that are working with angels and all that. Why are they still using the forces of evil. ¡°This was one of the craters form when the first one was throw out from the horizon, this hole in particular was formed from a fragment of his tail.¡± I don''t even know what to say it felt so made up, like a cheap story. ¡°Looks like something out of a story book.¡± ¡°Yeah you could say that haha.¡± A dry laugh came out of her. ¡°See there''s something I just figured out. We''re probably not in the hole. We didn''t fall inside it''s just the edge of it.¡± She started saying something I can''t make meaning out of. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°See if we were truly at the hole, the amount of crazy visions that''ll going through our head would have driven us insane the very minute we land here.¡± ¡°So what are you trying to say?¡± ¡°There''s still hope for us.¡± Maybe she''s right, nothing crazy as being happening. I wonder how far down we are¡­ ¡°We are not that deep right?¡± ¡°Yeah¡± I tried to look above us to see how far from the surface we are, but Eria grabbed my head and pulled it down. ¡°What are you doing! Those are things you just saw are damned souls one look at them and your soul is gone.¡± It was like clouds moving, the moment they came to my vision I felt a pull towards them. Could have been a goner right now. ¡°It''s kind of boring right here, the way you guys hyped this place up I thought it''ll be some kind of crazy hellish place.¡± Well that''s came out wrong, because Eria had a distain expression on her face. ¡°It was jok¡ª¡± The walls surrounding us started vibrating and the sound of barking came not too far behind us. It''s was like a human barking, not dog or any kind of beast. The beast or human, I don''t know what type of creature it was, came charging at us. It had a head of a human and the body of a wild dog. It was moving at a tremendous speed towards us. ¡°Eria!¡± I shouted at Eria who had her eyes locked on the beast like she was waiting for specific moment to do something. ¡°Get behind me.¡± I did as she said and went behind her. I felt small behind her back even though we were the same height. The beast jumped at us and I closed my eyes anticipating the impact but nothing happened. Only the sound of the beast flesh hitting the ground at both sides of us. It was split into two by the thing that was emitting light on Eria hands. It was whip that was made out of light with gold flare coming out of it. The whip faded away from her hands. Wow that looked so cool. ¡°Now that taken care of¡ª¡± The wall around us started moving tiny particles forming something long it stretched thirty feet above us. The sound of barking increased and an army of those half human and half dog appeared moving at a great speed towards us. The long tendril that was forming on the wall sprout out four limbs and a head of snake it landed on the floor sending vibrations everywhere. They where all coming at us with malicious intent, there''s no way we can outrun them and still no way for us to beat them. I looked at Eria she was breathing heavily. ¡°Eria, what do w¡ª¡± ¡°We are fucked¡± We stood there while awaiting our impend ing doom from the carnage spit out by the embodiment of darkness. Chapter 7 - pit of sin part 3 This is bad, real bad. The dogs came first, Eria used her whip to repel a good potion of them. The rest came at us. Me and Eria got separated. Their attention was mainly on Eria; it has something to do with the whip on her hands. They hate it,the light and everything they wanted to get rid of. Eria left my view, I couldn''t see her, the beast''s attention was on Eria. They acted oblivious to me, I don''t know if I should be glad I''m not the one at the end of their claws and teeth. The giant snake-like beast with four limbs finally got to us, using its massive tail to slam the pack of dogs and Eria tp the wall which immediately absorbed the dogs and slowly absorbed Eria. The moving particles on the wall entered her mouth, eyes and ears followed by a morphed scream from her. The dark moving particles were moving at an incredible pace entering her like moths to a flame. The whip on her hands faded away and her skin became identical to the tiny particles on the wall. She finally got absorbed into the wall becoming one with it. All I could do is watch, I''m not a superhuman nor do I have any power to fight them. The giant snake was all that remained, it still hasn''t noticed my presence. Something caught my eyes, it was just a few feet above the snake head, insect-like with the wings which resembled that of a fly. Both of its eyes were big as a human head with multiple smaller ones inside. It had this immense aura, my brain keeps on telling me if I continue to stare at it I''ll die. I slowly moved away from both strange beasts, its head turned to my direction. Maybe it was already aware of my presence. Its eyes locked on mine, my feet rooted on the ground like a statue I couldn''t move. Just like a reflect action the snake pounced towards me at great speed with its mouth which was wide enough to swallow me whole in one bite locked on me. I couldn''t move, it was like a spell was placed on me. I tried to close my eyes but couldn''t do it. Not a single body was able to move. My heart was the only thing in my body moving. Aah so this is it¡­ ¡°Elana?¡± Eria pulled my sleeve and it brought me back to reality? I don''t understand what just happened? Eria is alive¡­ I moved close to her touching her face to see if she''s real this time. She shrugged, moving a step away from me. ¡°What''s gotten into you?¡± She asked me with a puzzled face. The scenery surrounding us was exactly the same before that dog came¡­ ¡°Eria we have to run now.¡± I grabbed her hand and started running. I don''t know where I''m going but anywhere far from that place is better. The image of Eria in agony while getting absorbed to the wall flashed across my mind, her face twisted in agony and her morphed scream. I don''t want to see that again.. ¡°Wait, Elana, what''s happening?¡± Eria stopped me, her face still puzzled by my sudden actions. I don''t have the time to explain. ¡°Eria you just have to trust me on this. I saw something¡­¡± ¡°Is the place showing you things? Maybe it''s trying to trick you, you don''t have to believe what you see right here Elana.¡± I get what she''s trying to say but during the whole ordeal my hand was glowing. This can''t mimic that can it?.... ¡°Eria you have to trust me on this¡­¡± Both of our attention was immediately drawn to a sound behind us, it was distant and yet familiar to me. ¡°Eria, we have to run.¡± She nodded and followed me. Maybe she was convinced by the determination on my face. Why am I doing this? To save her? Maybe myself¡­ or just to feel like I did something special.. We dug deep into the dark pit with the light shining bright on our wrists. When we came to this spacious plane everything here was oddly visible. Then It caught my attention two statues that were at least fifty feet tall both of them placed at the edge of the walls. A gasp left Eria''s mouth, her face reflecting her shock as I looked at her. ¡°These are the angels of mutiny¡± The angels of what? ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°In their defiant attempt to silence the fallen which ended in defeat they were turned into these.¡± The massive statues stared down at us. It felt like they were alive and looking at us. The expression on their face seems calm and serene. Are they at peace with their fate or they just accepted this¡­ This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The sound that was following us was closer, and it was part of a larger group this time. ¡°We have to keep on moving.¡± I said while dragging her along with me. As we pass both statues the light illuminating the place faded away. The wings on their backs looked so fragile like it''s about to wither away. It was all dark again, but I can see fractions of things around me even without the lights on our wrists. I guess my eyes have adapted to this place¡­ The barking sounds are getting closer and I can even feel the vibration of their footsteps resonating with the floor. ¡°We can''t outrun them.¡± Eria said, without looking at me. She stared at the direction of the carnage coming towards us. With the same look she has back then. No, it''s happening again. I can''t let this.. ¡°Wait Eria come with me I got a plan.¡±. I hope she''s convinced by the expression I''m making. ¡°Okay, what do you got?.¡± I didn''t reply, I just grabbed her by the hand, heading to the opposite direction the sounds were coming from. I don''t have a plan, I don''t know what to do. Please I need something please. Who am I begging? The universe? Fate? I don''t know¡­. I felt a sting on my left hand, it was glowing again. Something on the wall caught my eyes. It was a hole not wide enough to contain two more people but I think we could¡­. ¡°Wait, let''s get into this.¡± I pointed at the hole, Eria had a look of confusion on her face. ¡°You have to trust me on this.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± She went in first and gave space for me. When I entered the hole it felt cold and relaxing. This is entirely different from the moist and warm air that plague the abyss. There wasn''t enough space for both of us, so part of my body was on top of hers. I could feel her breath on my neck, it was warm and ticklish. We were already in an uncomfortable position. ¡°We just have to wait here till the storm passes.¡± immediately after I said that the walls around us started vibrating followed by the sounds of dogs barking, but sounds were that of humans. They passed the hole without noticing us. It was all quiet, the only sounds were our breaths. I don''t know why but I felt relaxed here. ¡°Elana, it is quite obvious you have something that you are hiding. So I''m going to ask you again how did you know all of this?¡± Eria said in a serious tone, I need to come out about this. Keeping in was just weighing me down. But I don''t have the energy to talk about it right now. ¡°I can''t say¡­.¡±. It''s obvious I''m not the only one hiding something. What if Eria is just here with ulterior motives . I just need to keep shut for now. ¡°It''s something I can''t explain no matter how hard I try.¡± There was no lie in there, I don''t remember how I got this feather on my hand. ¡°Okay I see.¡± Her response was blunt and short. Is she ¡­ ¡°Eria, you seem to be with people protecting us, can you please tell me why we are indoors? Like who are you guys and what do you do?¡± Even before leaving the house, I have always been pondering about it. Why did we all obediently go indoors without even protests? ¡°Elana, that''s something I can''t say, my tongue is sewed. I really want to tell you but¡­¡± Sewed tongue? How tight-lipped are they? Are they even good people ¡­ ¡°I see, we should probably rest.¡± I closed my eyes and my mind went to the time me mom and Sara went on a trip. We passed a field of corn they were bad and withered but the grains weren''t bad, mom said humans nature are just like that no matter how bad and unappealing they are most of them have good intentions. I don''t know why that memory came to me now and how I should use it in this situation. Who are the bad guys?... Waking up, it was hard to open my eyes, the lids felt glued together. I don''t know how long I was out. But this is probably the most rest I have gotten in the last few days. How many days has it been here I don''t even know. ¡°Oh you''re awake.¡± Eria words pulled me out of my thoughts. Her voice was shaky like someone who didn''t get any sleep. ¡°Did you even rest your eyes?¡± I said while knowing the answer. ¡°Someone, has to keep watch.¡± ¡°We are safe here that''s why i¡ª¡± ¡°How did you know we''re going to be save here? Elana.¡± I know where this is heading, changing the topic is the best option here. I came out of the hole and got overwhelmed by the warm moist air. Eria followed suit. Both our eyes were drawn to something malicious right in front of us. It was an imposing and foreboding force, space wrapped around its edges pulling everything close to it inside. My entire being was drawn to it , I couldn''t look away. ¡°Is this..¡± ¡°Yes this is the HOLE, we are out the edge.¡± Eria said with her face fixed on it. I guess it was where the dogs¡­ I feel like we shouldn''t go inside. My body rejects entering it. ¡°Eria, going in there will be the end of us. If we are at the edge, maybe just going back might lead us back to the surface.¡± ¡°Elana, look at your back and forth, wait a moment then look at it again.¡± I did as she said. ¡°Huh? ¡° The scenery was different¡­ ¡°Yeah it''s different right? Even if we turned back. We might get lost and move in circles.¡± ¡°What did we do? What..¡± ¡°Move forward, that''s our only way.¡± ¡°But - y you have to protect yourself and me too that''s going to be too much for you. I can''t fight like you nor do I have superhuman abilities. I''m only going to weigh you down.¡± ¡°Elana, there''s one thing I''m certain about it''s that you''re not an ordinary girl, you''re special.You don''t have to tell me what you can do, we have to protect each other. Show me with your actions and not words.. And one more thing.¡± She bit her lip ,blood flew out of it, staining her lips. Moving her face closer to mine with her breath warm on my face, she pressed her lips against mine. I could feel something sharp on my lip, it was her teeth digging into my lip bringing out blood, our blood mixed together. And broke away from me. ¡° We just made a covenant, no matter what I see you do, I''ll never reveal it to them. If we are able to make it to the surface. Making a covenant in this hell hole is going to make the consequences more malicious.¡±. She stretched her hand towards me. I couldn''t think of anything. My mind was blank. The taste of foreign blood in my mouth, the warm air making my skin itch and the pull of this black spiral in front of us. I placed my hand on hers, and we let the tendrils of the black vortex pull us in bringing us to the gate of hell itself. Chapter 8 - corridor of hell The place was light up by the red fiery flame. It was hot and moist with gas emitting from the brimstones. We found ourselves next to four great pillars that stretch so high we couldn''t even see what it was holding. At the center of them, there was a being or beast I didn''t think it qualified for either. The body transfigured, it looked like a woman with her head bigger than the body that housed it. Massive eyes and mouth, it was plain naked. Mumbled left that shattered mouth of it. It was seated at the line that separated the two side of the pillars, we were at the other side trying to move over¡­ ¡°Mortals, here?! It can''t be.¡± It voice was hoarse and shaky. It sounded like someone with a shattered throat. ¡°You came from the edge, that''s ¡ª impossible how are you not dead, this is not right right right, wrong wrong yes. Need to be corrected! Yes, that''s it. I''ll correct this. Sha Sha Sha Sha.¡± It ends with a weird laugh. ¡°Yes, I''ll send you to the other side of the gate where you rightfully belong.¡± We just stared at it, not a word came out from our mouth. The strange beast started moving, it had no legs but only feet. How does that even work¡­ It leaped in an instant towards us, just a few inches from its claws. Eria pushed me away. We both parted ways. Both of Eria''s arm lit up with bright light, gold flare radiating from it. She produced a whip on her right hand that was up to six feet tall, taking a fighting stance. The beast leaped towards her with great speed attacking with her long claws but Eria evaded them. Eria wasn''t faster but she could keep up. Eria sent her whip towards the beast, it moved like lightning I couldn''t even see it. The beast caught the whip with its mouth but spat it out immediately with its mouth giving out a sizzling sound. ¡°Curse you mortal!¡± The beast screeched, both her mouth and eyes which was closed all this time opened bring out a red flare which beamed it towards Eria who formed a shield with both hwr arms. It hit her in full force but she couldn''t protect herself from the shockwave which sent her flying sent at wall with a great force. Eria slammed her back against the wall with a loud grunt coming from her. No! What am I doing? Just standing there watching, we are supposed to protect each other, that''s the promise we made. My left hand started glowing, my heart was aching, I don''t know why but I felt pain and anger, the glow was getting real bright like it was charging up building to something. My hand up to the shoulder was bright. I placed the hand towards the beast direction and instantly the glow went off. Hitting the beast before it could even react to it, the power from the blast took a good portion of the walls with it. The beast was nowhere to be found, maybe it was pulverized. I ran to Eria, she was trying to get up. ¡°Eria! Are you okay?¡± I helped her up. She was a little dazed by the impact with the wall. ¡°Your arm, iit did that? And it''s glowing.¡± Her eyes locked on it. I looked at the hand and it was still glowing. Can she see it? Other times I used the hand she didn''t seem to notice the glow. ¡°Is that a feather?¡± She said, bringing my hand close to her face. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You mortals!¡± The beast was back but this time it had the body of a giant snake. Its head was still intact, there were scratches on it. Looked like the blast had a great effect on it. ¡°It looks like it''s in its true form.¡± Eria said as her arm started emitting light. And the whip appeared again. ¡°We take off its head this time, it dies for real.¡± ¡°You inferior filths from the surface, when I kill you both I''ll use your souls as jewelry. Sha Sha.¡±. It laughed and came at us with great speed. Eria raced towards it and swung the whip towards it. The beast dodged it with ease, while attacking with its head which thrust towards Eria. Eria evaded the attack and the fang and venom that was meant for Eria hit the ground shattering it. All I think about is help. I need to help Eria, my hand responded by emitting light in the same sequence as earlier. Considering the beast is in its true form, if I shoot this towards it, the beast will definitely dodge it . So I tried my best to visualize a sword, the light enveloped my entire left arm and at the end of my hand was a sharp edge. My entire left arm became a sword made out of light. But there was still more left, I let it flow through my body but the pressure holding it in was too much. It was like trying to stop a pee. It won''t last long, so I have to act fast. I raced towards them. Eria was being pushed back; the whip had little effect on the beast this time. So Eria tried to aim for its head but the beast caught it with its mouth, there was no burning. It pulled Eria towards itself at great speed and Eria was hauled directly towards the beast mouth. I leaped towards them but misjudged the power of the energy flowing inside me,I went higher than I anticipated hitting Eria and changing her trajectory, we both landed on the fall. The beast didn''t wait for us to catch our breath and swung its tail towards us. Eria reacted faster than me and leaped out of the way, I did the same thing but got caught by its tail, seeing this as an opportunity I pierced the tail, feeding it with a large amount of energy. The tall exploded, I was sent flying away by the shockwave. ¡°Arrrrrgh!¡± The beast screamed, its attention on me, something red caught my eyes on its stomach, the red line was building up to its mouth that was¡­ The fire that left its mouth was so hot I couldn''t bear it, the flame incinerated everything it touched. I let out the energy that was inside me using it to form a shield to cover me whole. It was too hot, I don''t know how long this shield would hold. I hope Eria is ok please let her be¡­ The flame stopped, the whole place was filled with smoke. Visibility was bad. I couldn''t find Eria anywhere , the only thing that caught my view was the beast, smoke coming out of its mouth. It was too close to me, I won''t be able to evade any of its attacks. Eria suddenly appeared above the snake head slamming both her glowing hands onto its head. Sending the beast flying straight to the ground. Its head just a few feet away from me. I could kill it, yes I sprint towards it and instantly the beast opened its eyes bringing out fire from its mouth at full force. I tried to get out of the way but it caught my foot. The pain was sickening, I felt my skin burn to the bone. I couldn''t even shout. Will I be able to heal it like last time? I don''t have enough energy for it. ¡°Elana!¡± Eria came over. She had this look of worry on her face. When was the last time I had someone this concerned about my well-being? I can''t even remember. ¡°It''s okay, just a little burn.¡± ¡°What¡ª you saying! Your foot is burnt to the bone.¡± ¡°I said it''s not ¡ª¡± ¡°This is my fault, no no no no.¡± I hate seeing her like this, confused and vulnerable. ¡°Hey! Look, we still have a giant monster to deal with, so this should be the least of our worries. Don''t want to get stir fried¡­¡± I said that trying to get her attention away from my foot. But the pain I''m experiencing is too much. I might pass out any moment. ¡°Okay, ca- can you stand?¡± I nod, but in reality if I do this I''ll probably be damaging my foot permanently. ¡°I get an opening for you to finish it off¡± ¡°Yeah I only got one shot at this¡± I said while looking at my hand. The sword was almost gone with my hand slightly becoming visible. The smoke cleared out with, the beast finally got a clear vision of us. It moved towards us, Eria used her whip on its head, it moved like lightning leaving the beast dazzed. Using the beast confused state as an opportunity, Eria wrapped her whip around the beast neck and spin around bringing the beast out of balance, sending it flying to the other side of the wall. Wow how strong is she¡­ The vibration resonated with every pillar situated there. It stood and shook iits head which has become more snake-like in structure . It was furious and raced towards Eria, who was running towards my direction. They were so close to me what is she thinking? She ran passed me without saying anything. The snake opened its mouth wide in anticipation to swallow me. I felt something wrapped around me. It was Eria''s whip ,she threw me towards the snake mouth, in a split second I was inside the snake mouth, I made sure that the part of my body that hit the skin was the sword. It was a clean cut I tore out of the other side of the snake. Its head fell off, my main problem was landing, if I land with the foot, I won''t be able to walk again. Something caught me by the waist, it was her whip pulling me back towards her, and she caught me. ¡°Are you okay?.¡± Eria said with her face so to mine, like personal space doesn''t exist to her. ¡°yeah.¡± We were literally exchanging breath considering how closer her face was to mine. A smile flash across her face, I did the same. I don''t know how to put it but there was something physically different about her face compared to when we fell into this pit. She was really¡ª ¡°Well, well that was a really cool flashy fight. Top tier entertainment.¡± A voice said deep inside th e shadows, the source of the voice came out and it was a human being¡­. Chapter 9 - Snare The man came forward, he looked normal. This place didn''t affect hiim. Not as disoriented like us, I couldn''t stand up so I just sat on the fall. Eria back facing me I couldn''t even see the expression she was making. ¡°Oh that was splendid. Too bad it ended so soon¡± A smirk on his face was a wicked one. Yes this guy is going to be trouble. How are we going to¡­ ¡°Who are you?¡± Eria barked at him, I could see her hands shaking. She''s trying to keep a strong face. It''s probably because of me. If I didn''t get hit maybe.. ¡°Can''t you see? I''m just like you, a human haha¡± The man forward to us, the smirk still on his face. ¡°Stop there, not any step closer.¡± Eria arm started glowing, it wasn''t bright, probably the lowest I have ever seen it. ¡°Hey, hey why the hostility? I''m just trying to help. You are not probably in a shape to fight¡ª and the other one behind you is out of commission.¡± The man said with his eyes fixed on me. It made me shiver. ¡°What made you think that? You have seen what I can do. I was just warming up back then.¡± A smirk cracked on her face. The mask she was trying to put already had cracks on them. I feel so useless. I should be the one right there. Eria has protected me quite enough. ¡°I can see your hands shaking, you''re trying to control your heavy breathing. Your heart is racing. Do you smell that?¡± He twirled, this whole situation seemed fun to him. ¡°Fear! I can smell it. It''s all over you. Hmm, you''re not afraid for yourself but ¡ª¡± ¡°You tricks wouldn''t work, I have seen the likes of you countless times, so just caught the chase, what do you want?¡± Eria seem pissed at something but what¡ª ¡°Ooh, so you caught up, but listen I''m not like the others you have met. And please can you control the fear reeking out of you? It''ll rail up unwanted attention.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Eria arms glow brighter, I can see the pain on her face. ¡°See that''s the problem, I don''t want anything but you need something for me.¡± He started biting his fingers, the smirk still on his face. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°You want to get out of here right? Seeing how rough up both of you are. You were brought down here probably by mistake.¡± The spat out the fingers that he had been gathering in his mouth. ¡°I can help you guys out.¡± He snapped his fingers and the ceiling disappeared leaving a bright blinding light. The room was above us. The room I woke up from¡­ ¡°But you have to give me something in return. It''s a give and take agreement. Easy peesy.¡± The smirk never leaves that lips of his. ¡°What the you want?¡± Eria moved further away from me. I couldn''t see her face or she didn''t want me to see it. ¡°Finding a way out this abyss is going to cost a lot¡ª¡± ¡°Just tell me what you want!¡± Eria stopped him from finishing, her breathing increased why is she acting¡ª ¡°Something dear to y¡ª no let me rephrase that, one of you is going to give up their soul,¡± The smirk highlighted when every word leaves his mouth. ¡°So think this thoroughly, who will bite it or¡ª¡± ¡°Fine. I accept¡± Eria''s response was blunt. Wait, is she trying to sacrifice herself for me? No no I hate being a burden like this. I hate this. HATE HATE HATE. ¡°Oh, that was quick. So who is dying?¡± The man had a bored look on his face like he already knows the answer. ¡°Her.¡± Eria finger pointing at me. I felt my ears ringing. She looked at me this time, finally. Her face blank gave out nothing. She was looking me straight in the eyes. This look on her face I have never seen before. How many masks does she have? Who''s the real one? I could feel a sharp pain in my chest. Why am I feeling this way? Isn''t this what I wanted? The man was clearly shocked by Eria''s answer. It didn''t last and his smirk returned. ¡° Oh, I didn''t expect that hehe¡± ¡°Because you looked a lot concerned about her well being back then.¡± ¡° Yeah I know, because I had a gut feeling that I''ll meet someone like you.¡± Eria back was turned at me, I couldn''t see her face. Yeah it''s not bad being sacrificial sheep. I feel like I''m weighing her down. Yeah that''s fair, the genuine concern she had for me was weird and too good to be true. I''m fine with it, but why is my chest aching a lot? Why is it hard for me to breathe? My vision blurred, I felt something wet dropping on my cheeks. Huh? Tears why am I crying? ¡°Awwn m, would you look at her, she''s crying¡± The man said with the never disappearing smirk on his face. Eria didn''t look at me, why wouldn''t she look at me. If this is the end of our journey together why is she ¡ª ¡°I have a condition¡± Eria suddenly spoke up. ¡°Yeah, and what is that?¡± The man asked with his eyebrows raised iup. Eria brought out a blade from her ankle and threw it towards the man with a boast from her arm. The blade tore through the air, aimed directly at the man''s palm. It tore through his palm judging from his reaction he could have probably dodged it but didn''t. Eria walked towards the man and removed another blade from her other ankle, making a clean cut on her palm too. ¡° We''re going to make a covenant, in case you got back on your words.¡± ¡°Haha that''s brilliant I accept it.¡± The smirk still glued on his face. He stretched his crimson hand towards Eria. Eria grabbed the hand mixing both blood together. ¡°O the gathering of the dark. If this man or whatever he is, has a way to send me back to the surface, take the soul of the girl behind me and place it on his hand. But if he lies, turn him a sign that''ll lead us out of here.¡± Eria was fast , the words left her mouth so quickly before the man could interject. ¡°Hey what are you doing!¡± The man to break free from Eria''s grip. But her arms glowed bright, locking both hands together. The man screamed, his body morphing into something that looked like his true form but flame followed burning through him. The demon exploded and turned into a ball of fire. The ball moved swiftly piercing the air disintegrating the wall while leaving a trail of flame on the floor. Eria turned and looked at me, I felt she was looking at me for real this time. Her teeth were exposed by a smile. Oh she used me as bait¡­. Chapter 10 - scales of love We are following the tracks of flame left by the man¡ª or demon. It''s been like ten minutes and Eria hasn''t said anything, she''s currently supporting me. Only one of my legs are working. The other one is currently on fire, but I don''t want to squeal that should be the least of our problems. My mind kept on going back to when she said that¡­ does she really mean that? What if the demon actually had a way of sending us back? Will my soul become his to take, is she okay with that ? Do I even mean anything to her? I don''t know why I''m saying this, it''s only been a day since we met. Of course I''m just one of those victims she''s helping. Eria is just doing her job but why am I so pained to acknowledge that? I even accepted it back then, to be useful to her maybe I''m just deluding myself. Would I have sacrificed myself for her? I''m not sure if I''ll do it for another person. Eria''s eyes are fixed on the trail of flame, she hasn''t said anything, or even talked to me. I really want to ask her why she did that, it''s so heavy on my chest I won''t be able to think of anything else if I don''t ask her. Am I that dependable to you? ¡°Eria ¡ª¡± ¡°I want to get out of here.¡± Her voice was quiet and shaky, it''s like she knew I was going to ask the question. ¡°I really want to get out of here. I don''t know how much longer I can hold it in. You see Elana¡­¡± She was looking at me this time. A new expression on her face I haven''t seen before. Yeah I guess that''s true I don''t know her why am I surprised when she does something new. ¡°.... I have been keeping a tame face since we fell down just not to alarm you. I don''t know how you do¡ª resisting this place. But I don''t know if I''ll be able to fight it back like you. I think I might go crazy and hurt you really bad.¡± ¡°And you think what you did earlier didn''t hurt me?¡± Ha I let a few emotions slip into those words. ¡° I would have been basically dead! Do you think there''s anything worse than that?¡± I was breathing heavily. I couldn''t look at her. My eyes fixed on my feet. ¡°That would have been better than me hurting you and the look on your face while doing that¡­ the demon taking your soul would have been quick and easy you won''t face pain.¡± How did you know that? Have you done that before? ¡°You''re just trying to save face. Nothing more. All you just said is that ¡®yeah I would hurt but I don''t want to feel bad while doing it¡¯ you could have just said you don''t care that would''ve been easy!¡± ¡°Elana I care¡ª¡± ¡°No you don''t! You''re just like that guy. Do you know how cold his eyes were when he trying to toss me down the pit? I didn''t know what was going on but he didn''t care! Both of you are partners so I guess you share the same philosophy of treating humans like shit!¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Elana wait I didn''t mean¡ª¡± ¡°I''m weighing you down right? You can leave here and go your own way! Maybe you will be able to get to the top in time.¡± I try to free myself from her grip. But she won''t let me. Why am I angry? I hate the feeling but I want to be selfish just for a while. ¡°Let me go!¡± ¡°No Elana stop, that wasn''t the intention.¡± ¡°I don''t care, let me go!¡± ¡°Oh, an interesting lovers quarrel we have going here¡± It was a voice deep and melancholy. A female voice. Not mine or Eria¡¯s. It was behind us,I could feel Eria grip around me tightened. ¡°Oh? Why did you stop? go on. I have been spectating for a while now. I want to see how this ends¡± We both turned our heads to the direction of the voice. The place it resides was dark, I could feel chills from it. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.haha you''re going to be frozen by my beauty.¡± A force pulled our heads back. I could feel her presence closer to us. Something touched my skin. It was cold and distant. Her hand was soft and its movements were gentle. ¡°You¡± Her mouth was close to my ear. ¡°Your eyes they''re different. I think they will be able to withstand my ice cold freezing beauty. So look.¡± It was like a command, my entire body moved towards the being direction. Hairs made out of snakes. Perfectly curved face, enchanting eyes. Chest was robust. Her torso was of a snake. Her tongue slipped out the cage that housed it. The tongue was long and parted at the end. It was beautiful, I have never seen such such beautiful thing in my life.. am I even worth gazing at this beautiful being¡­ I could feel my heart racing. What''s happening to it ? A heart attack? What''s this feeling? ¡°Yes, that''s it, praise me. What you are feeling is just a normal reaction to seeing my beauty. So don''t panic. Wait, you can do that too. It''s normal.¡± She moved closer to me, she was heads taller than me but she crutched down to make our height differences even. ¡°Come. Embrace me¡± She spread her hands open. I moved closer to her and wrapped my hands around her. She felt warm in a comforting way. I felt relieved. ¡°Your eyes and left hand will you give them to me? Elana.¡± Why is she even asking? Just take them. ¡°Yes. My hands, eyes, everything are all yours . You can take them all. I swear and promise. They are all your.¡± My grip around her tightened, my skin brushing against those soft scales. ¡°Elana, do you love me?¡± Why would she ask that question? When she already knows the answer. ¡°Yes.¡± Her head came closer to me, tiny bit of snakes dancing at the corners of her head. Her mouth part revealed sharp fangs and an elongated tongue. It was an invite and I moved closer to her. Something caught my eyes. It was Eria. She was bright.. no her arms were bright maybe blinding they have never shone this bright before. She moved out of her frozen state before my lips touched the stellar being next to me. In a fit of rage. She attacked but it was no to avail. Her hand was caught like it was paper and the glow it had instantly faded. ¡°Hmm, that''s a little reckless. Eria, why the rush¡ª¡± Her voice faded away. I could hear her speak but couldn''t make out the words. It was like my ears were under water. I couldn''t move to see what she was doing to Eria. ¡°Sorry about that Elana.¡± She moved back to me. I was able to move freely again. Eria¡­ was frozen, her body was stony, she had a terrified expression on her face like she saw something that¡­ ¡°Enough of her now look at me.¡± She pulled my attention from the statue that was once Eria back to her. The way she moved, her face, eyes and smile though they''re distinctive but they reminds me of Eria. ¡°Oh? That''s interesting. You see her in me?¡± A chuckle left her mouth. ¡°Eria hmm what should we do with you?¡± She moved to the statue that has the resemblance to Eria. She placed her finger on the statue''s lips. The stony skin became soft, the locked limbs started moving. The statue turned back to Eria. The beautiful being still had her finger on Eria lips. A snake slid off her finger into Eria''s mouth forcing it way to her throat. Eria coughed and choked, her eyes bulged out. Trying to resist the snake but she gave in and finally swallowed it. She fell to the ground while howling in pain. ¡°I have left my seed in you. It''ll be interesting to see how it progresses.¡± ¡°And now Elana, do you know fate is quite funny? Let''s see how these webs interconnect us. What you promised me I''ll collect them but not now. I''ll be back to collect them. Have a safe trip.¡± I felt a tingle on my foot. But I didn''t look at them. My eyes were locked on Eria who was vibrating on the floor, her entire body moving. The being¡ª woman left and it felt like I was back to reality. Eria was screaming and choking, her eyes rolled up her head. She was in pain, I stood there just watching her. Why am I doing nothing? Am I enjoying this? Maybe she deserved this for what she did to me back then. Eria went on knees and a hoarse sound came out of her mouth. Her pupils are vertical and yellow. Two long fangs sticking out of her mouth. Her tongue elongated and parted at the end then she collapsed. Silence rang across the place. ¡°Eria?..¡± Chapter 11 - spark of hope Go on without me. That''s what she kept on repeating. I remembered it vividly. Comparing those times to now maybe I gone back and relived those moments, replaying those memories in my mind over and over again has become numb, maybe I should have left her there¡­. If that was hell then what should I call this? + Eria mouth is moving non stop muttering something I couldn''t hear what she was saying properly. But it is somewhere down the line of her saying I should go on without her. Did she think I would do that? Trying to make me feel bad without even lifting a finger. She has been doing this even since we fell into this pit. All the problems and trials we faced. I have loathing myself for not being able to do anything. I hate that feeling and here she is trying to make me leave her. We have been walking for hours now and no demons or whatever have attacked us. My legs have gotten strained because Eria on my back couldn''t move or do anything. The only words that came out of her mouth was¡­ The journey so far has been smooth. Maybe that woman did something to protect us? I don''t know what trance I was in back then, my mind was on another realm. I could still feel her presence next to me like she''s lingering here. ¡°Argh! Leave me bitch!¡± Eria screamed behind me, her voice was different. Her body shaking, why is she trying to make me feel bad. I didn''t reply but kept on walking its painful. ¡°Please don''t leave me¡­ Elana it''s dark here¡± the grip around me tightened. Her voice was back to normal again. This has been a recurring thing since I started walking. I don''t know what to make of it so I just kept quiet. My foot was healed for whatever reason I don''t know if it was related to that woman. Every time my mind went to her I felt a chill down my spine. But that''s not the problem now. Getting out of here is the problem. The trail of flame was still there directing us. Everything has been going fine so far and it made me feel uneasy. My body wants something to happen maybe¡­. I need something to take away my thoughts from Eria and that woman. We came to an open plane with blinding lights from above, the sky? Is that the surface? My eyes couldn''t adapt to the light I had to cover them. Eria hissed behind me like a cat. I pretend not to feel concerned. I''ll just ignore it. I don''t understand how the light from above is able to reach here. ¡®I hope you have a safe trip¡¯ those words echoed in my mind. A spell? Curse? Whatever it is, the journey so far has been safe. And it seems we have a way back to the surface. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Eria, we might be able to go back.¡± She mumbled something I can''t make out what it meant. But I bet she understands what I said. Whatever happened to her, they''ll be able to do something about it when we get up there I hope. Now how do we get¡ª A disturbing pressure was exerted on me, it is familiar I know it too well. My breathing increased, the scenery around me spinning. I could feel Eria muscles stiffened. My fingers were shaking, my legs couldn''t keep their balance. What is this feeling? Fear? ¡°You''re bound to feel that. You filth, that''s the only logical reaction you can make.¡± A voice but I can''t make out where the source is. A force from above slammed me and Eria to the ground, it was like gravity around us increased. I couldn''t move and the impact with the floor felt like I shattered a few bones. My skeleton is forcing itself out of my body trying to bury itself in the ground. I wanted to scream but my throat wouldn''t produce anything. My eyes were wet, tears? No this felt thick and by the smell it can only be one thing, blood. My vision blurred, my heart struggling to beat. Everytime it moves I feel an astonishing pain. I don''t even know what Eria is going through. Death, yes dying is better than this. Please just end it whatever you are. End it already. Please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please. ¡°Yes, beg for death. Beg for the mere escape it''ll give you. You''re tied to this place, even death wouldn''t make you escape this. Your fate¡± The same voice, I still don''t know where it''s coming from. Something caught my eyes. An insect-like creature bigger than any land animals I have seen. It looked familiar, I have seen it before, yes the vision I had with the snake and dogs it was there. It saw me looking at it. Floating right above me. Its wings didn''t move like the need for it wasn''t there. It looked like a fly but there''s something distinctive about it. ¡°Lilith, strange behavior from her protecting you. And even giving you a way out. I think she has her own interest. Don''t flatter yourself thinking you are in love with her. That''s her charm working and you fell for it very easily. I feel sorry for her going through all that trouble to protect you. Too bad for her I already had my claws wrapped around you the very moment you fell down here. She can''t take what''s already mine.¡± ¡°Before, you even think about it, my interest in you is just to destroy you to my own amusement. It''s nothing deep like Lilith¡¯s even though the conclusions are the same.¡± ¡°The surface have been acting quite impulsive in their own interest not taking account of those above them and we. It''s quite predictive that the one''s above are still protecting them. But not for long.,¡± ¡°Why am I saying this to you? Well you''ll be dead soon, don''t worry yourself.¡± ¡°Enough listening.¡± My eardrums exploded, both my ears filled with blood. My teeth grinding against each other, I could feel them breaking. Legs turning the opposite direction twisting. I could feel them shattering. My left eye was pulling itself out of the socket. My entire body is going to get crushed under this pressure. At least after this there will be silence. That''s good right? But why don''t I feel happy about it? What''s making me cling to life? My left hand, maybe I could¡­ Just one thing Give and take Take Give Take all of me and give me all of you.