Page 86 of A Kingdom so Crimson

Their rotting touch was more evil than before, crawling up my body, ready to consume every inch of me as I thrashed against it.

Control it, Eliah, because that will be all you have left.

The memories stopped for a fraction of a second, sending ripples throughout my seizing body as fear crept and licked at every ounce of my soul. I gasped in terror, but no sound escaped my open mouth as I lay paralyzed in my own body.

You must let it happen.

The fear gripped me tighter like crashing waves threatening to consume me, driving me to flee blindly from its suffocating grasp and sensing its spidery tendrils chasing me into the deepest recesses of my mind.

Focus on what it feels like.

More memories surged, a relentless onslaught threatening to overwhelm me with its oily and wicked grasp. Amidst the tempest, a fleeting image emerged from my childhood of tranquil woods bathed in the gentle light of dawn. I seized the happy memory with desperate determination, refusing to surrender any further. I honed in on the sensory details—the fragrant aroma of flowering trees and the delicate caress of spring air against my skin.

Light surged, colliding with the oppressive darkness and forcing it to recede, pushing the haunting memories further away as it scraped my mind, sending pain crashing down my body.

Channel your anger.

I harnessed the roaring energy of my wrath, feeling it burn deep in my core, and allowed it to swell within me. Every ounce of anger fueled the blaze until it consumed me entirely, sucking all sensation with it. With a blinding flash of light, a cavity sliced through the veil of the dark abyss, revealing the cobbled alleyway and the distant glow of the castle before me. I screamed out against the encroaching darkness, feeling its oily tendrils rake across my body, but I pushed back harder against the pressure. My anger slashed through the darkness, deepeningthe cavity until it sizzled and shrank into its final icy breath, receding completely before finally ceasing.

I snapped back into control, tasting coppery blood swell in my mouth, and gasping for hot air for the first time in what felt like hours.

Weakness engulfed my trembling limbs as they slowly tingled back to life. Through a hollow tunnel, the city's sounds slowly filtered back into my consciousness. Despite the lingering throb in my head, I focused my mind to let the city chatter awaken me.

Tears blurred my vision, streaming down my cheeks unchecked, as I cried out into the empty air, uncertain if my words were mere whispers or anguished cries or if I said anything at all. With each passing moment, the sun sank lower, casting long shadows that seemed to mirror the depths of my despair, knowing I could be killed for not showing. The weight of my predicament pressed down on me, suffocating any semblance of hope.

Gasping for air, I struggled to steady my erratic breaths. The cool touch of the evening breeze offered a fleeting reprieve from the turmoil as I lay paralyzed against the cold stone. I gulped a few more deep breaths, forcing myself to settle and wait, scolding myself for venturing out here alone.

Click.

The sound shattered the silence, sending a bolt of fear coursing through my veins.

Click, click.

I held my breath, trying to hear where each click was coming from but each click echoed off the walls like a countdown to some unspeakable horror.

Cllliiick.

A cold chill gripped me as I felt a soft touch brush against my skin, icy fingers of terror tracing patterns of dread across myflesh. I dared not move, praying desperately that it was merely the chatter of insects crawling home for the night.

Click.

Tears filled my eyes as I slowly turned toward the source of the sound, my heart pounding so hard it echoed in my ears like a death knell. A slithering scrape grew louder, echoing off the alley walls with a sinister resonance as if it were announcing the arrival of something far more terrifying than any nightmare.

With trembling limbs, I blinked through my tears, my body aching as I struggled against the paralysis, desperate to move my arms. A dark creature swayed from side to side, creeping closer with each slow, high-pitched click. I blinked harder, and as the beast came into full view, a wave of terror crashed over me, sinking deep into my soul.

Its black, writhing form was like a grotesque and monstrous centipede that came from the depths of a nightmare. Each shaft of its body twisted and swayed unnaturally. Jagged, contorted legs—long and skeletal—ripped into the ground with razor-sharp claws, dragging its huge body forward with a slow, deliberate scrape. Every inch it moved sent a fresh wave of terror through me, as though its twisted form was a living embodiment of dread itself.

I whimpered as the creature crept closer. Its eyes were empty black voids, completely devoid of light, and its gaping mouth dominated its twisted face. The back of its body tapered into a thin, narrow end, where a bloody stinger jutted out. Waves of terror surged through my trembling body, my heart pounding furiously in my chest. Desperately, I cried out for help, my voice hoarse and frantic, as the horrifying realization hit me: this was a Breva.

"Help!" I screamed, the words torn from my throat in a desperate cry for salvation. But the alley remained eerily silent,save for the sinister clicking of the creature and its thick body slithering against the ground.

My senses flickered in and out as the world spun around me in a dizzying blur. I shouted as I fought to reclaim control, feeling the tendrils of darkness of Their presence taunt me.

A shout rang out behind me, bouncing off the alley walls, followed by the rapid sound of footsteps racing toward the Breva. I stared in horror as the creature hesitated, its movements faltering. Then, with a piercing, high-pitched squeal, it jerked violently as a flash of steel sliced through the air, severing its stinger with a sickening crunch. Black blood sprayed from the wound, splattering across the cobblestones in dark, oily streaks.

"Kaizen,"I whimpered out, my voice barely a whisper as my arms slowly tingled back to life. I began dragging myself away from the gruesome scene, the eerie black blood splattering around me like a morbid painting. The clicking sound of the Breva filled the air, turning my bowels watery.

With a swift, deadly grace, Kaizen sprang into action like a silent guardian among the carnage of horror. He leaped off one wall, using its momentum to propel himself toward the Breva's grotesque form, his sword slicing through the air with lethal precision, finding its mark in the creature's flesh. It emitted a blood-curdling sound followed by fast, unrhythmic clicks.

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