Chapter 26: The Return
Persephone
After hiding from all manner of creatures and monsters, we made it the pass. It was unassuming, just a small crack on the wall, but I knew the story, I couldn't look back or touch him. Solskin was still weak, and I worried that he might collapse. I wanted to rest until Solskin was well, but he refused.
I could see a small fire burn in his eyes. He wanted to get out of the Underworld. He had something to do, something to accomplish. I forced a nagging doubt to the back of my mind and entered the crevice. I all could do was hope Solskin could pull through.
The path was long and steep. The floor was unsteady and each step sent rocks tumbling over the edge and into the dark abyss. There was no sound. No rocks hitting the edge, no wind ruffling the clothes, I could not even hear my footsteps. With each passing moment my anxiety grew. I felt a seed of doubt enter my mind: Was Solskin still behind me? The question burned in the back of my head. The temptation to look at Solskin was overwhelming. Occasionally, I would catch myself starting to turn around.
"Look, and it's all over." I berated myself. I tried to think about other things, but eventually, my mind would drift back to the question. It was torturous. I didn't know how, but I managed to find the strength to not look back. The anxiety was suffocating. As I was just about to give in, I could see a light.
"The end!" I screamed with glee. I ran into the light, relieved that it was all over.
I opened my eyes. The world was silent. The early morning shone through the window. I quickly got up and ran to Solskin's body. Ripping away his shirt, I could see the fresh scar from the sword. I pressed my ear against his chest and put my hand up to his nose.
There was nothing. Not even the faintest of breathes or heartbeats. Did he fall? Did I look back without knowing? Did he ever enter the pass? These thoughts quickly raced through my mind. I failed. I didn't save him and now… He was gone. Forever.
I sat back, wallowing in despair. He was dead. I hugged my knees and stared into his face. His eyes were closed and he was expressionless. He looked serene and tranquil. I stared for hours, griefly silently for my second lost friend.
Just when I was about to get up, I felt a soft wind fill the room. It was warm and comforting, like a loving embrace. I saw Solskin's eyes flutter. The movement was so small that I almost didn't notice it, but I was sure he moved. I rushed back down, pressing my hands against his chest, trying to force him to breathe again. Underneath my hand, his flesh turned gray. His face contorted and blood began to trickle out of the his mouth. I felt something tug at my soul. Pain racked my body as I fell to the ground, seizing uncontrollable. I felt like my soul was sucked into a vortex of blades. I stared at my hand in shock. The hand had taken another appearance. It was was skeletal in nature with sharp ends.
Something whispered in my ear, "Be careful of what you touch."
Mordred
Water was trickling somewhere nearby. The constant dripping was the first thing I heard. The next was murmuring. My ear was ringing and I could barely make out the words.
"...the ritual...not too long."
"Great...he?...return."
"...Persephone...deal…"
"...the Hunter…"
The conversation continued, but I couldn't tell what was being said. The voices approached me
before stopping. I tried to open my eyes, but I could barely move them.
"He is awake." The words seemed to bounce around in my head. I jerked awake.
My eyes fluttered open and I could see two hooded figures in front of me. Their faces covered by a white mask. A mask was emblazoned on their robes.
One of them crouched and looked at my face. "How do you feel, dead one?"
Dead one? What did he mean? I looked around the room for answers until I saw it. In the corner off the room was a mirror. The sight made me vomit, but all that came out was blood.
Where I was supposed to be was instead a rotting corpse. My flesh had greenish tint and was loosely hanging off my bones. My disintegrating flesh revealed pale yellow bones in several places. My face was marred by blood and pus. My cheeks had sunken in, and my nose was missing. That was just the beginning. Right at the center of my stomach was a gaping hole, black blood slowly trickling out and some already splattered on the floor. My intestines were spilled out like soggy noodles. My hands were black and blue from the lack of blood. The flesh of my fingers were only held together only by a few strands of ligaments and tendons. I screamed in horror.
"Shhh, shhhh. You will be just fine. Our lord has given you a great gift. You will be the host. He will heal you."
I felt lightheaded for a moment as I realized what he said. My lord. The Kings. Ash. I snarled at the robed man. "Where is that slimy piece of filth? I'll kill him!"
Silently, another figure stepped into the room, carrying a bow. Wrapped in a ragged hunter's cloak, he gazed at my rotting corpse of a body, his eyes filled with pity and regret. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. He quickly closed his mouth, his hands clenched tightly into a fist. He walked out again with a loud slam of the door. On his hand was a tattoo of a skull.
Chapter 27: The Ritual
Persephone
Ever since he woke up, Solskin had not said a word. He just sat in silence. I could only hope that he was alright. Solskin would not respond to anything I said or react to anything I did. I was starting to get worried. Shaking away my anxiety, I went to start my evening prayers. I kneeled beside the bed and clutched my pocket watch my father gave to me. Solskin was unresponsive, I went to open the door. Outside was a woman dressed in servant's clothing.
"Hi there, I was told to draw a hot bath for this room."
"Uh, we didn't ask for one."
"Really?" She leaned back to look around the hall. "No, this is the room I was told. Why don't I just co-" Her face turned pale.
She slowly looked down. The tip of a blade protruded out of the center of her chest. I leapt back in shock. She gasped for air, her wide eyes locked with mine, before collapsing to the ground. Dead.
Behind her now stood a black figure. He calmly wiped the blood off his blade before sheathing it. His eyes were black with flecks of yellow and a murderous tint. It was Xavier.
"Why in Hades did you do that?" I reached for my scythe.
Mordred
They dragged me out of my cell, rotting corpse and all. I tried to struggle, but it was no use. My body wouldn't budge. I swore some of my fingers fell off in the process.
"Let go of me, you imbeciles!" I kicked and screamed all the way until a figure stood before me.
"Are you ready, Mordred?" It was Ash, the crown tattoo on the side of his neck in full display.
"Ash, you backstabbing cunt! You treasonous whore! You puppy-kicking bastard! You… you..." Ash merely raised an eyebrow. I sneered at him.
"How are you? I am great. You can thank me later for reviving you."
"Screw you." I spat in his face, my face flushed with rage.
Ash calmly wiped away the spit and led the procession further down the hall into a large room. It was the lab.
The entire room was dark. Red light pulsated from the runes covering the walls. The air was heavy with an unnatural dread. More masked figures stood around the room in a ring. Their faces were covered with featureless white masks. They chanted in a language I couldn't understand. There was a rumble in the room. A tremor shook the room. There was a low growl filled with rage. The center of the room flickered, light bending towards it. A black sphere flickered randomly, tearing through the fabric of space.
I was slowly dragged under the black sphere. I felt my soul tug towards it, sucking me towards the land of oblivion. It wasn't that it was a scary sight. It just felt like the depths of my soul was about to tear apart. I knew that what was coming would not end well. The only thing I could think about was that sneaking anticipation. As Ash drew closer, I could see his skin darkening. His eyes were yellow. Around his joints, bone began to poke out in spikes and spread, forming a seamless armor. His footsteps became heavy, cracking the wooden floorboards beneath him.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Infurno
Infurno
Just catching this now, but we completely skipped this chapter. It is fixed now, so I hope you weren't too confused
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