"Hah... help... please... soone."
Anyone.
He was willing to accept help from anyone.
’I don’t understand.’
"Please. I need help!"
Athiel scread at the top of his lungs. The hallway ahead of him felt like it kept stretching farther and farther, no matter how fast he ran.
But that didn’t matter.
He kept running, even as his breathing turned shallow.
He kept running.
Because that was after him.
’I thought I already made things right.’
He wasn’t going to let that take him back.
’I need to get ho. I have... to get ho. I—’
"What is going on here, Your Grace?"
Athiel’s eyes widened.
A knight.
A random knight he didn’t recognize, but the sight of him lit a desperate spark of hope in Athiel’s chest.
"H-Help ... please. He’s... he’s after !" Athiel stumbled forward and grabbed the knight’s arm. His entire body was shaking.
The knight stiffened in surprise. "Your Grace? Who is after you? Is there a threat? Should I call—"
Sothing black flashed past them in an instant.
The knight barely had ti to react before it struck.
And then—
Red.
"Ah... agh... ahh!!"
Athiel’s scream tore through the halls as thick, warm blood splattered across his face, his clothes, his hands.
The knight in front of him was hit by sothing black, sothing alive, sothing moving.
His body crumpled.
Crushed.
"No, no, no!"
"ATHIEL!"
A dark voice thundered from behind him, reaching him before his mind could even process the horror sprawled in front of him.
"No, please. I’m sorry. I’m sorry!" Athiel cried as he tried to move again, even though his entire body was trembling. "I’m—ah!"
He took one step.
Then his foot slipped.
Athiel fell hard to the ground, straight into the pool of blood. It soaked into his clothes, sared across his skin, warm and sticky, making his stomach churn.
He couldn’t bring himself to stand.
’Why is this happening again?’ Athiel thought, staring blankly at the blood beneath him. ’I don’t want to go through this again–’
Sothing wrapped around his leg.
Soft.
Squishy.
And pulsing.
A scream tore from his throat. "No, please. I just want to go ho. Please." Athiel clawed at the floor, trying to grab onto anything as he felt himself being dragged backward. "No! I want to see my family. Please. What did I do?! What did I–"
Athiel was yanked backward.
Fast. So fast his head spun.
His body scraped against the stone as he instinctively dug his fingers into the floor. His nails bent, skin tearing as he tried to hold on.
Pain shot up his arms, but whatever was pulling him didn’t slow.
It didn’t work.
He was dragged across the blood-slick ground, his grip slipping again and again until his hands finally gave out. A broken sound tore from his throat as he was hauled farther down the hall.
Then it stopped.
So suddenly that his body lurched forward, his chest slamming into the floor. Athiel lay there, gasping, his whole body shaking.
There was breathing behind him.
Heavy.
Slow.
Close. Too close.
Athiel froze.
’It’s him.’
A loud slam echoed through the hall as a hand struck the floor beside his head. The stone cracked under the force.
Athiel trembled as his eyes drifted toward it.
The familiar clawed fingers.
Blackened, and stained with red.
His vision blurred. "Prince Vaelor," he whispered, his voice barely holding together. "Just tell what I did. I thought... We were okay. I thought—"
A low growl brushed against his ear.
"I told you," the creature murmured, his voice thick and dangerous, "not to call that."
The words sank into Athiel’s bones, sending a violent shiver through him.
Then the other clawed hand grabbed him, rough and unyielding, forcing his body to turn.
Athiel squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to look at his face.
"Look at ."
He shook his head, breath hitching. "P-Please. Just let go."
"Master," the voice said again, quieter now, yet more commanding. "Look at ."
A soft whimper slipped from Athiel as he slowly turned.
He didn’t know why he was able to move now. Only that the tone used to call him was painfully familiar, the kind that sank deep into his chest and left him with no strength to resist.
As Athiel faced it—
No.
As Athiel faced him.
More tears spilled from his eyes.
There was an expression on his face, one Athiel wasn’t prepared for. It looked almost... hurt.
Was he in pain?
That monster?
"Why?" he asked, his voice warped and broken, the sound alone enough to confuse Athiel.
"W-what?" Athiel stamred.
"Why did you abandon ?"
"A-Abandon?" Athiel whispered, his eyes widening. "I didn’t abandon you. I... I helped you get back. I had a feeling you were—"
"TELL THE TRUTH!"
"Kree—"
"Unless you tell everything, you’re staying here," Kree whispered. His bright red eyes glowed as he straightened, closing the distance and grabbing Athiel.
"W-What? But that is the truth—"
"You were never a good liar, Master," Kree said softly as his hand closed around Athiel’s head. "Now sleep."
"N-No, no. Please. You don’t understand, I—"
Athiel couldn’t finish.
A heavy drowsiness washed over him. His limbs grew weak, his vision blurred until the only thing left in focus was a pair of glowing red eyes.
’I rember...’
Athiel thought as his eyes finally closed.
’...his eyes were also the last thing I saw before dying.’
Reviews
All reviews (0)