Page 93 of Demon Monster's Little Human

"I never wanted this."

"But you?—"

Liora sobs.

The vision shatters.

I stagger, the force of it knocking me back. My heart thunders against my ribs, my claws aching from how hard I’m flexing them.

No.

No, no, no.

This is not Amara.

This is not then.

But the dark presence laughs.

Liora’s body bows forward. The shadows coil tighter, digging into her skin, her very essence. I lunge to rip her free.

She speaks.

A name.

A name that should have been buried. A spell.

"Vellrith."

My blood turns to ice.

The presence recoils.

The name strikes it like a hammer, the very air trembling under its weight. The shadows contort, writhing in agony, screeching so violently that my ears ring.

Liora collapses.

Blood spills from her nose. From her mouth. From her eyes.

"No."

I catch her before she hits the ground. Her body is limp, her breathing too shallow.

"Liora!"

She doesn’t respond.

Her pulse is weak, so gods-damned weak.

The presence shrieks once more, retreating into the abyss, vanishing into the trees. But I don’t care.

She isn’t breathing. She’s slipping away from me. Again.

I shake her, hard. My claws press against her chest, searching for her heartbeat, my own pulse hammering out of control.

"No, no, no?—"

The bond between us still exists.

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