Fear! Despair! Anger! Rage!
They all disappeared and silence spread over our protagonist. Near her supposed death only silence and serenity remained. Calmness spread and she understood her situation more clearly.
The giant black entity in front of her was a being of death. Not because it would kill her but it simply had the Aura of Death. The scent of rotten flesh spread and she strangely thought of it as uncomfortable.
While a huge scythe was about to cut off her head she thought his scent was unpleasant!
She did not know how to react. Scream? Cry?
What use would it be?
The bony hand grasping the black and dark red scythe would hardly stop because of some tears or noise.
What to do? Giving up is not an option. Live is a constant struggle. Give up and it's over. Trying to assess the situation during the last 3 seconds of her life, she spread her senses.
Normally that would be too hard for her but right now she felt strangely comfortable doing so.
While the scythe was lowering towards her head, she was calmly spreading her senses.
Grass. Insects. A dead rabbit. Rotten roots and fractured earth. Her surroundings were slowly overcome by the beings Aura of Doom. She did not see a way out and the chains binding its body did not seem to be as effective as she hoped.
While they slowed it down and left her with more seconds of life she did not have any hope.
Who would help her right now?
[Fesseln des Einen! Erhebt euch, majestätische Umklammerung des einen wahren Herrschers! Fesselt und unterdrückt den der sich erhebt! Bindet ihn an die Erde, verschlingt sein Herz und zerstört seinen Willen!]
[Entweiche im Namen des Einen!]
(Bindings of the One! Rise, majestic embrace of the one True Lord! Bind and suppress him who rises! Bind him to the Earth, devour his Heart and destroy his Will!)
(Disappear in the name of the One!)
An imposing female voice resounded. The markings on the dim golden chains binding the black entity lightened in a brilliant golden color. After the first word, the chains started dragging the struggling being back into the forest.
The chains grew bigger, stronger and more brilliant. Near the end, the female voice sounded desperate but despite its fear, the scythe of the Black Reaper hit the girl!
A tearing sound of flesh resounded as the very tip of the scythe gouged into the girl's right eye. Black mass left the scythe and latched onto the wound!
The wound, despite not being a second old, festered and scrunched.
Pain racked the girl's body. A soundless cry of pain escaped her mouth but was only visibly noticeable.
Pain like no other racked her body. Her eye burned and it felt like a mass of hot, liquid metal was dropped into her eye and head. Trying to grab her head and remove the burning pain she was not even able to do so before her body went limp and dropped to the ground.
Her body was lying on the ground. Aside from the occasional painful twitch of her limbs, her body looked dead. With rapid speed, her body was losing color. Her eye was rotting at an insane speed and shortly afterward there was nothing left and the black mass moved further into her brain.
"DON'T YOU DARE!", a furious voice rose.
The previously scared female voice was now seething with fury.
Right behind our protagonist and Idan, a group of humans was running towards them.
At the front was a woman. She wore a veil and long clothes. Her body was fully covered but based on her curves she appeared to be a beautiful woman.
Next, to her, Emma was sprinting as fast as she could. She was desperately trying to get to "her" little girl.
Behind them was a mass of white-clothed men and women and admits them Lar'ge, Daniel and Jack could be seen. They were trying to catch up to Emma who was somehow faster than them.
The white-clothed people were all holding a silver crystal ball which they infused with their energy. The energy gathered over the leading woman. While she was holding onto her spell she was pushing all her energy into the magical diagram above her head.
Giant golden chains arose and flew towards the black entity.
Seeing the chains and the mass of white-clothed humans the entity released a snarl.
Raising its head it released a screech easily ten times stronger than the previous.
Blasting towards the chains and the people running into its direction, the energy arrived in front of the woman.
Throwing out something similar to a talisman written on red and golden paper she screamed,
[Schild der Ägide]
(Shield of Aegis/Zeus)
A giant shield rose in front of her blocking the soundwaves of the scream.
The shield was red and golden interlined with pictures of lightning bolts and giant mountains.
The picture of a serene face with a big white beard and strongly arched eyebrows was imprinted on the front.
The face meet the sound waves and they were instantly absorbed and the previously slightly intangible shield manifested its presence and advanced towards the Black Reaper.
Once again snarling, the entity attempted to raise its scythe to meet the shield but under the influence of the additional chains, it was to slow.
The shield impacted its chest and threw it back, while the shield moved around its body and formed an additional layer of captivity.
"YOU BASTARD!",
[Gerechte Sterben und die Ungerechten Leben! Im Namen des Einen wird gerecht gewaltet! Prüfe die Sünden und bereite die Strafe! Gerechte Strafe ist der Weg des Einen!]
[Urteil des Einen!]
(Righteous die and the Sinners live! In the name of the One, Justice shall be served! Judge their sins and prepare the punishment! Righteous Judgement is the way of the One!)
(Judgement of the One!)
Noise blared. Clouds gathered in seconds and lightning formed into several giant fists. They condensed and, in rapid succession, descended onto the black entity. Upon meeting its body chunks of the black rope and whatever was below evaporated and craters were struck into the ground.
Screaming and snarling, the reaper suffered the pain and damage brought by the amplified spell, specially designed for beings of its kind.
Even while keeping the reaper at bay the group was still rushing towards the edge of the forest.
Some of the white-clothed people were kneeling or lying on the ground.
Some were heavily bleeding from their orifices and some others were attending to them.
The shield was not able to block everything and some of them were lying around, not moving or breathing.
The leading woman and Emma finally arrived at the convulsing body of our protagonist. The woman instantly kneeled in front of her body and took several bottles of green, shimmering liquid out of nowhere.
She opened several of them and poured them onto the girls face.
The festering wounds and the rotten skin slowly stopped spreading and slowly reverted back.
Instantly a wave of death Aura erupted from the inner parts of the girl's eye. The liquid was kept in place and was not able to heal her any further!
"Shit! Fuck! Shit! YOU'RE KIDDING ME!", furious the woman bit her wrist and let her blood drip into the girl's eye.
"IF YOU LIKE IT THAT MUCH LET'S SEE HOW SHE'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER!"
Furious the woman began chanting once again.
[Die Geburt des Bösen ist nicht böse! Entscheidungen wählen den Pfad! Wer wählt hat die Folgen zu tragen! Der, der du wählst, hast du diese zu ertragen!]
[Fesseln und Ketten! Licht und Dunkel werden dich halten! Gefesselt und Gebunden! Gebunden an Fleisch und Blut, wählst du deinen Käfig!]
[Vertrag des Blutdämons]
(The birth of Evil is not inherently evil! Decisions decide your Path! He who chooses has to bear the result! You who chooses has to endure the suffering!)
(Shackles and Chains! Light and Dark will keep you! Shackled and bound! Bound to flesh and blood, you choose your prison!)
(Contract of the Blood demon!)
The blood dripping from the woman's wrist became a stream and her face went pale.
The exhaustion was visible but she was able to keep herself stable.
Drawing from the energy above her head she infused it into her blood and proceeded to bind the mass of black energy to the girl's eye socket.
Slowly a small black ball became visible and slowly grew. The mass of black energy was scared.
Struggling and fighting it attempted to escape the girl's body, but a blood-colored membrane stopped it from doing so.
Hindered by the membrane the mass trashed around inside the eye socket. The girls face grimaced and she winced in pain. She was unconscious but the pain was enough to make her spasm.
"Fucking stay!", saying so she once again bit into her wrist and let more of her blood stream into the girl's eye socket.
She reached into one of her pockets and took an old locking wooden box from inside.
The book was embedded with small pieces of metal.
It was silver-green and seemed almost...alive!
The top was adorned by pictures of various creatures and worlds. A nebula, planets, a galaxy, a giant bear, lion, various dragons, and humans, elves, demons, devils, saints and a lot more.
Grasping the wooden box tightly with her right hand, since her left hand was bleeding, she mumbled to herself,
"Let's hope your parents have given you something good. It might save you but it is all up to you."
Her face was slowly overcome by a determined expression and she resolutely opened the box.
What greeted her was no golden shine, majestic lights, the sound of trumpets but only 5 pieces of rotten wood.
Brittle and completely black, the wood looked as if someone burned it repeatedly.
Not irritated or confused the woman took all five pieces of wood and crushed them above the girl's eye. Slapping her hand on top of the girl's eye socket the pulverized wood entered the black mass of energy and mixed with it.
Without delay, the energy stopped struggling. Slowly spasms spread from the inner part of the growing blob of black mass.
Quivering, a whimper rose from the mass and suddenly the black ball imploded.
There was nothing left inside the girl's eye.
"Eh?! Wh-What...what...happened?", the woman was obviously confused. Her face was not visible but her whole body depicted how scared, confused and terrified she was.
Along the implosion of the black energy, the body of the girl stopped spasming.
She was now simply lying on the grass. No breath, no heartbeat no signs of life.
"No..No...No..NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!", teh woman started screaming.
"You can't die! NO NO you CAN'T!"
"What am I gonna tell them! I'm dead!"
"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!!!!!!!!!",
In desperation, she falls forward and her head landed on the girl's chest. With a thump, the girl's body suddenly shot upward and a blast of energy extended outwards.
Thrown aside by the blast the woman turned to look at the girl's body.
The body had been lifted into the air for a few seconds but slumped back onto the ground.
Her head was turned into the woman's direction and she could see how a new eyeball was growing inside her eye socket. The new eyeball changed its color repeatedly but alongside its growth, the body of the girl became increasingly pale and shriveled.
Horrified the woman realized that the spell was no longer supported by her own blood. It was currently draining the girl's blood. Scrambling to get back to the girl's body she was unable to do so and the injury at her wrist and the lost blood made it impossible for her to reach the girl fast enough.
Emma, who had been watching everything, grabbed the woman's arm and dragged her to the girl's body. Arriving next to her she wove several spells over her growing eye and supplied a last portion of her blood.
Having finished her work she could see how the finished eye looked.
A black and silver eyeball surrounded a pure red pupil. The eye was dim. Even dimmer than her still intact emerald green eye.
They both displayed a stark contrast.
Thankfully the rotten skin, flesh, and the scars faded with the disappearance of the black mass.
While she did not know that the mass had not disappeared she was satisfied knowing that the girl was supposedly safe.
In a weak voice, the woman addressed Emma,
"Emma...bring me one of the better healing potions and call for the best healers. I need some support and we still have to banish the Reapers Soul. Please hurry."
Trying to support her body with her elbow, the woman weakly looked at Emma.
Emma responded with a firm nod and ran off to get what she needed.
Turning to the girl, the woman knew that today's exhausting activities were far from over.
"Hopefully, you'll appreciate my help. While I do owe your parents a lot I would not mind to associate with a future ruler."
A weak smile surfaced as a small breeze lifted the woman's veil.
Below the veil a scarred mass of burned flesh appeared, that extended to right below her eyes.
Her eyes were a beautiful sky blue color. Brilliant and deep.
So beautiful that you could dive into them and lose yourself.
Weakly lying on her back the woman spoke to herself,
"What will the future bring? Your parents never talked about you. Suddenly appearing and pushing your child onto someone else is not exactly polite. Ha ha...but they do have their way of convincing you."
Looking back at the girl, the woman used her healthy right arm to drag the girl into her embrace.
The girl's body shivered for a second and the woman patted her head.
"Shh. Shh. Everything is alright. Don't worry. You're safe now."
As if hearing her comforting words, the girl's body slowly stopped shivering and she fell asleep in her arms.
"Haaa. I wish I could go to sleep now."
"MYLADY! We are here! What has happened!", a very concerned group of white-clothed humans appeared and flocked around the woman.
Pressing a finger on her lips she threw a glare at the group.
"Be quiet! Don't wake her up! Just heal me and let's seal that monster!"
Standing up with the girl still in her hands the healer went to work and fixed her body as best as they could.
Walking to the front of the group she went back to her task.
"Now let's get you back to where you belong!"