Kana pressed her back to the wall, trying to breathe as quietly as possible.
The massive, formless creature in the center of the room hadn't stirred yet. Its body pulsed slowly, like it was breathing—or dreaming.
Its flesh shimred and shifted, a swirling mass of darkness that refused to take on any clear shape.
Only now and then would sothing vaguely humanoid ripple through its body—a limb, a mouth, or an eye—but it always lted back into the shifting mass.
Kana took a slow step back toward the door.
Just a little more. Just a little further and—
Her foot hit a loose floorboard.
Creaaaaak.
The monster twitched.
Kana froze.
Its mass rippled violently as it jolted upright and let out a wet, inhuman cry. Within seconds, its shape began to contract and compress, forcing itself into sothing... smaller.
When it finally stilled, a little girl stood in its place. No older than five or six. Pale skin. Long hair that floated as though underwater. Her eyes were too large for her face, and they glowed with hunger.
"You...stay..."
The girl said in a voice that didn't belong to a child.
Kana bolted.
She yanked the door open and slamd it shut behind her. The mont it closed, she heard the sound of sothing crash against the wood.
The staff heard it too.
Screams echoed through the mansion. The housekeepers, the maids, the cooks—all of them dropped what they were doing and fled toward the exit, panic painted across their faces.
Kana sprinted through the hallway, breath ragged, heart pounding. But she wasn't fast enough.
Behind her, she heard the sound of sothing chasing—no, skimming across the floor. That thing was too fast. Too wrong.
And then—
"There she is."
Luna's voice rang out, calm and cold.
Kana turned the corner and nearly ran into her. Natasha stood beside her, and both of them had already noticed the monster closing in behind Kana.
Luna's eyes narrowed.
"A sha. It wasn't supposed to be like this."
She murmured.
She raised her hand.
Snap.
Chains erupted from the ground and coiled around Kana's legs and arms, dragging her down.
She crashed to the floor with a gasp.
Luna walked toward her with a deliberate, almost bored expression. She crouched down and gently tapped Kana's cheek with the back of her hand.
"You really had to make this difficult, didn't you? We wanted you to enjoy your last night. We were going to give you pleasure, not pain. Let you drift into a dream before the end."
She said sweetly.
Kana glared at her, struggling against the chains.
"But no. Now we'll have to go about this the rough way. You'll still be sacrificed—but it won't be clean. And we'll have to silence a lot more people to cover it up."
Luna sighed.
"You're insane."
Kana hissed.
Luna only smiled.
Behind them, the small girl-monster was closing in again, giggling as its form wavered and snapped.
"Luna. The power. Soone's here—"
Natasha said suddenly, her voice tense.
BOOM.
A wave of searing light burst through the corridor.
Luna was flung back and crashed into the far wall, the chains around Kana vanishing in an instant.
Before she could even rise, Kana scrambled to her feet.
Natasha lunged for her, but Kana—driven by pure adrenaline and sothing stronger—grabbed Natasha's arm and yanked.
Her strength surged to its max.
Crack.
Natasha was thrown off, and Kana ran—legs burning, lungs aching, heart screaming toward the presence she could feel at the mansion's edge.
Lysera.
Irielle.
She had no idea how, but she could sense them.
Outside the hallway, light bent and twisted—then Lysera appeared in the corridor, her eyes sharp, gloves gone, her hand still faintly glowing from the magical blast she had fired.
Her gaze swept over the scene, landing first on Kana, then the child-shaped monster, then finally on Luna and Natasha as they staggered up.
"I knew sothing was wrong the mont I saw this place. Luna Maison. Natasha Maison. You are under arrest."
Lysera said, voice hard.
Luna's lips twisted into a smile even as blood ran down her temple.
"Arrested? On what grounds?"
She repeated.
Lysera's hand glowed again.
"For harboring a formless entity without registration or containnt. For luring and harming civilians. And for your role in the attempted murder of Kana Asrel."
Luna laughed.
"You talk like a real officer, Lysera. But aren't you in hiding?"
"Try ."
Lysera said coldly.
Behind her, Irielle appeared, blade already unsheathed, her face unreadable.
"If you don't surrender now, we'll make you."
The child-monster twitched violently, its form growing unstable again.
"I suggest you start with that thing. Because the next ti I attack, I won't be aiming at you. I'll be aiming at it.""
Lysera added, pointing at the creature.
Kana collapsed into Irielle's arms, trembling. Irielle held her tightly, murmuring sothing Kana couldn't hear.
She didn't care what ca next. She didn't care about Luna or Natasha or even the monster.
She was safe.
For now.
But not everyone was as relieved as her.
"You dare call her a thing?"
Luna hissed, her voice trembling with fury.
Lysera didn't flinch.
"It is a formless entity, Luna. Barely stable. Unregistered. Dangerous."
Luna's hands curled into fists, her body shaking.
"She is my daughter. My sweet girl! You don't get to speak about her like that. You don't!"
Natasha's expression darkened.
"Luna. Calm down. This isn't the ti."
She warned.
But Luna didn't listen.
Rage twisted her features as she raised both arms into the air. Magic erupted around her like a tidal wave, red and black energy spiraling outward, tearing through the walls and floors.
The mansion shuddered under the weight of her fury, paintings falling, floorboards cracking, and chandeliers shaking from the ceiling.
Kana flinched, her breath catching as the walls trembled around them.
The girl-monster behind Luna responded to the chaos by letting out a low, distorted whimper, its form flickering violently, barely holding together.
"She's going to bring this whole place down."
Kana whispered, panic rising in her throat.
But in the next second, warm arms wrapped around her.
Irielle pulled Kana close, shielding her with her own body. Her presence was calm and solid, grounding her instantly.
"You're safe. I've got you."
Irielle whispered gently.
Kana looked up at her.
"But Lysera—what about her? Will she be okay?"
Irielle gave her a confident smile, eyes still watching the chaos.
"She'll be fine."
Kana hesitated.
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure. All we have to do is trust her. Let her handle this. You and I—we need to get you out of here."
Irielle said.
Kana's legs felt weak, but she nodded.
Because sohow, she believed her.
As the hallway behind them filled with light and the sound of magic colliding, Irielle held Kana tighter and stepped back through the corridor, her boots silent against the shaking floor. They had to move fast, but not carelessly.
Because Lysera was still fighting—and they had to believe in her.
Kana stole one last glance over her shoulder.
Luna's fury was only growing.
But Lysera stood tall, unmoved.
And that was enough. She would be fine...at least, that was what Kana hoped.
"Let's go. That's what Lysera would want as well."
Reviews
All reviews (0)