Chapter 25: Chapter Twenty-Five: Endless Agonies Of The Gloom

× Neslyn ×

The night was still. But not quiet.

Neslyn and Ryo picked up their pace, cleaving through the wind with dread latching around their throat.

An uproarious snarl emitted from behind them and Neslyn's heart flooded with unspoken fear and panic.

Everything had happened so inhumanely fast. One moment, an innocent girl stood in front of them. And the second, darkness rippled through that small body, tearing it apart to awaken a monster resting beneath.

A monster that was swallowed by the darkness around. A darkness that swallowed everything apart from the large pair of bright golden eyes that viciously devoured them with murderous intent before chasing.

Neslyn didn't dare to look back. Didn't dare to lay eyes on the monster chasing them. So, she just ran with Ryo, legs swiftly carrying her away and away from danger.

But the monster was rather fast. . It tore through the labyrinth behind them, leaving coldblooded disarray in its wake.

Neslyn's heart thrashed with every corner they rounded, awfully expecting a dead-end every time they did so. It would be nightmarish, driven to a corner by whatever is chasing after them. And Neslyn prayed and prayed it didn't happen.

But fate was cruel. And it always played it's cards well.

Because another corner did not lead to another path this time. It was a dead-end this time. A deafening dead end.

Neslyn and Ryo skid to a halt. They faced the wall.

It's over. Neslyn thought.

It's over.

She repeated it again and again and again in her head. Like an unpleasant mantra that forcefully ingrained in her mind while smothering the flames of courage that she tried so hard to rekindle.

A low, satisfied snarl thundered behind them.

Neslyn and Ryo slowly, very slowly, turned around and silently faced the monster breathing in front of them.

It had been a little girl, she cruelly thought, this little, innocent girl now wore the hide of a deadly creature.

The pale twilight shone brilliantly above. shone, illuminating everything and nothing under its alabaster gaze.

Even the monster.

Neslyn stopped breathing.

She had thought the darkness had swallowed the monster. But that was not the case.

This monster was darkness. A large form of just darkness and darkness. It had no arms, no legs, no nose and no mouth. Its viciousness zeroed into the two pairs of golden orbs.

Neslyn squinted through the fear. The beast was nearly molded like a slug. A really big, humongous slug that wore the skin of a moonless night.

It stared at them silently. For a moment, Neslyn hoped that it wouldn't do anything. But simply stand there as they quietly escaped from under its non-existent nose.

But it didn't happen.

The creature threw its head back and released a really loud, really abhorrent growl to the night.

Drops of dark, slimy liquid rained down on the ground in front of it. Neslyn stiffly stared as the murky droplets touched the ground and sizzled with an accursed murmur.

"Ryo, that is-" she panted, eyes widening incredulously.

"I know." He conceded quietly.

Neslyn's fearful eyes remained fixated at the dark liquid.

Poison. Deadly poison.

She swallowed hard.

The monster slowly slithered closer.

For a moment, everything stilled as the monster just looked down at them. Looked down at them with those golden eyes.

And started singing.

Singing in a voice that didn't belong to a man. In a voice that didn't belong to a woman. In a voice that solely belonged to the darkness and darkness only.

By the meads of Jovahare

There lived a man and a woman

Who gave up their babe

For wearing the skin of the big, bad bear.

Neslyn wrapped her shaking hands around herself, trying to tune out the cruelly mystifying and disturbing melody that had rooted itself deep within her.

The creature stopped singing and growled into the night before dragging its head back and pushing it forward. A mouth opened and black, venomous liquid shot straight through it.

Ryo immediately jumped in front of Neslyn.

"Kazo!"

A bright light stung her eyes and she immediately closed them. For a moment, it was really quiet.

When she opened them, Neslyn gasped out,

"Oh my God.."

Bodies after bodies formed a barrier around and above them, creating a dome of the dead and protecting them from the onslaught of the monster's deadly poison.

"Hey, you're safe. Don't worry." A small boy next to her spoke.

Neslyn held her breath as she stared at the pasty grey skin and the blood-red eyes.

A ghost.

She managed a nod. "T-Thank you."

He gave a toothy grin.

A face emerged from above to look at them.

"Took you long enough to call for us, Ryo."

Ryo just smiled. "I thought you hated it when I awoke you from your slumber, Leah."

Leah hmphed. "Not when you're in danger."

Her gaze slid towards a wide-eyed Neslyn.

"Why, hello there. Doing good?"

Neslyn didn't know what to say to that.

A thunderous growl rumbled again.

"Oh shit." The girl cursed.

The thirteen bodies separated and they placed themselves before Neslyn and Ryo with their knees bent in a defensive position.

When Neslyn was wondering how they would fight this monster, something emerged out of their grey skin. Weapons of all kinds and shapes grew out of their skin and materialised itself in front of her eyes.

Neslyn couldn't help but be amazed at the scene in front of her.

The monster's growl shook through her senses and Neslyn immediately equipped her weapons.

The monster drew back to attack but something happened just then.

A shudder tore across the world. The air rippled and the ground shook. The monster straightened up and raised its eyes to the night as if listening.

After a few moments, it slowly faced them. They grew alert. But the creature didn't do anything. It simply turned around and slithered away, leave a black mass of poison in its diabolic wake.

Neslyn plopped onto the ground and breathed out in relief.

"Well, that was no fun at all," Leah commented before sliding her red eyes towards them.

A movement caught her attention. She slid her gaze towards the ground, towards the poison painted there.

It started gurgling.

"I think the fun is just starting," Ryo said, eyes fixed on the ground.

"What?" Leah's eyes crinkled before she turned around, noticing Ryo and Neslyn's line of stupefied gaze.

The liquid undulated and quivered.

Neslyn slowly got on her feet and stared at it.

And then, the black liquid surged.

Under the moon and above the ground, dark bodies surged to life. They were eerily akin to the monster, the only difference being that they were smaller in size and had no eyes but everything else that needed to be in a living creature.

Nose, mouth, legs and arms. Arms that extended to really long, really sharp claws that oozed with poison.

Neslyn couldn't help but shudder at the nefarious sight that was brought to life before her eyes.

Hundreds of these monsters stood before their eyes. And with a loud growl from their non-existent mouths, they attacked.

Neslyn grabbed her twin daggers and launched forward. Ryo, too, pulled out his sword before fighting alongside her.

They fought and fought and fought under the moonlight, slaying monsters one after the other.

Neslyn, amidst the turmoil, couldn't help but notice how incredibly Ryo and his ghosts fought. The young Guardian harmonized with the dead, bringing the monsters in front of them to their mercy.

Neslyn recalled her battles with Ayra and Valda and in the wake of killing down another monster, sent another prayer for the day. She hoped her friends were safe. She hoped her friends were unharmed.

Neslyn wanted to see them.

She choked on a silent sob.

The fierce urge to see her best friends overcome her remaining fear, and with a harsh cry, she slashed another monster across the neck and soundlessly watched it liquefy to the ground.

She felt a sudden presence behind her and was immediately met with claws coming for her neck. Neslyn swiftly raised her arm and took the hit before plunging her dagger through its neck.

She gasped out loud and lurched back when raw pain consumed her senses. Black veins appeared around the injury of her skin and Neslyn grit her teeth when the poison began to seep in.

"Neslyn!" Ryo hollered.

Neslyn shook her head. "I'm alright! I just need someone to cover!" She had to remove the poison out soon.

"I gotcha!" Leah leapt in front of her, attacking all the monsters hovering around Neslyn.

She laid a hand over her injured skin and pressed the tip of her fingers on the unharmed area of her skin and right in front of the spreading venom.

Neslyn held her breath and softly awakened and summoned the warm magic flowing through her veins.

A pale, milky green light illuminated her hands. She shut her eyes close when her magic forcefully began to suck out the venom. Her injury pulsed at that but Neslyn didn't bother to cower away from the pain. She'd take care of it after the venom was out of her system.

Neslyn did a quick once over at Ryo and signed in relief when he was doing just fine. She withdrew her magic and tore the edge of her tunic before tying the piece of cloth around her injury.

She'd mend it later. Later, that is, after they make out alive.

Neslyn picked up her daggers and rushed forward, lightly tapping on Leah's shoulders to signal her that everything was okay now. Leah swiftly nodded before releasing herself at the vicious monsters.

"Are you okay?" Ryo questioned beside her, swiftly dodging when a monster attacked him. He raised a leg and kicked it, sending the creature flying towards another ghost who immediately raised his iron hammer and pummeled the monster down.

Neslyn grimaced but didn't lose focus.

"I'm alright." She answered his previous question.

Ryo nodded his head and continued slaying their enemies down.

Almost a difficult hour passed by inside that maze, with Neslyn and the others ruthlessly and endlessly fighting down these creatures.

When the last of these monsters were dragged down to nothingness, Neslyn dropped down to the ground.

She was covered in blood and sweat. The thick, pungent taste of poison and blood filled the air. She felt pain all over but she was tired. So tired that she couldn't bother to heal herself.

Ryo slumped against the high wall of the maze. The ghosts had already disappeared and they were the only ones amidst the pool of dark blood.

"We need to go." Ryo breathed out but made no move to rise.

Neslyn slowly pulled herself up.

And that's when they heard the screams.

Screams so painful that Neslyn's spine locked with unsettlement.

The disturbing feeling drew its claws out and stretched over her heart when she realised that the voices were eerily familiar to her ears.

After sharing an alarming look with Ryo, they swiftly straightened up to their feet and ran towards the direction of those cries.

The screams were louder this time. And were coated in pure agony.

Neslyn fairly recognized that voice but she denied it. She swallowed hard.

This can't be happening.

No.

This absolutely can't be happening.

She surged forward, putting more pressure and pushing more energy to her feet.

Move faster, she demanded.

Ryo and Neslyn tore through the maze, rounded every corner and dreaded a horrifying scene to unravel before them. Her heart thrashed against her ribcage, threatening to rip apart and run away from the fear that paralyzed her completely.

The night grew heavy.

The screams drew closer and closer. Each time louder with agonising pain that drowned Neslyn with pure terror.

They rounded another corner before sliding to an abrupt, deadly halt.

"No.." Ryo breathed.

Neslyn couldn't speak. Couldn't even lift her finger. Couldn't even breathe as she stared ahead.

Amidst a pool of their own blood, lay Aslan and Rydan, deadly still and unmoving.