Page 17 of Visions of Darkness

But no, she hadn’t come close to understanding the brutality of it.

She’d had no idea how each thought would pierce her like a knife as the Kruen whispered them into the feeble minds of humans who were oblivious to the wickedness they were being fed.

Those with vulnerabilities.

Weaknesses they didn’t know they possessed.

Those who unknowingly opened themselves to evil.

Then there were those who welcomed it, and theirs were the thoughts Aria could not bear.

It was too much.

Too much.

“Take her. She belongs to you.” Through the Kruen’s eyes, Aria saw the vision of a little girl shivering in the corner of her room, saw the perversion of a man towering over her as he undid his belt.

Sickness spun her stomach, and she dropped to her knees, and her hand came free of Pax’s. Her hands flew to her ears, and a wail of agony tore from her soul as she tried to block the voices.

To stop the visions.

To protect herself when she was supposed to be protecting those who needed her most.

Chaos whirled through her mind.

Horror and terror.

Gutting pain.

“Aria,” Pax begged, taking her hand and trying to drag her to her feet.

Aria’s eyes went wide when a shadow amassed from nothing and into a vicious, fiery face. Gruesome and hideous. It rose up high behind Pax, who continued to try to get Aria to stand.

She wanted to shout. To warn him.

But she was frozen, held prisoner by its eyes, which were a blackened abyss of evil. Every sin held in its depths.

A fiery arm streaked out from it. Pax was unaware in the mere flash of a second before it impaled him in the back.

Pain shocked through her Nol and roared from his mouth, his torment so intense Aria felt it cut into her soul.

He flashed and flickered.

Then he was gone.

Aria screamed.

Screamed and screamed.

Screamed as the Kruen’s face lit in twisted glee and lashed out again.

She’d been told.

Warned.

But she hadn’t understood.

She had no way to prepare.

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