In the next morning, Carn wakes up. His mother wasn't with him, probably out buying groceries and food with the innkeeper's wife. Carn sits upright and scratch his messy bed hair and let his feet on the floor. He stretch his body and stand up, his smile resumes as he take a change of clothes for his daily walk around town to collect power. Fiddlesticks was groaning and urging him to dress faster but Carn calm him down
Carn walk to the door and open it. Morgan was standing before the door, combing her hair when suddenly the door swing back. Carn's face shook a little and Morgan take a step back in surprise
"C-Carn."
"Hello Morgan, you're up and at my door again, do you have anything to tell me?"
"Ah, n-no."
She was being shy all of a sudden to which Carn raised an eyebrow. Her face goes rosy and Carn crouch down to her level. He touch her forehead with his hand and feel heat coming off. Carn's smile was still there. He stand up while Morgan look at him with wide eyes
"Are yu sick? Your forehead was hot and your face look red, did you-"
"Ahhhh!"
She ran off into the hallway and goes out. Carn shake his head, still thinking of what Fiddlesticks said as Morgan. He walk out and close the door behind him. He walk while stretching himself more since he still felt sore on his shoulder. Carn came to the front and was surprised to see no one. Usually some of the regulars would've been here for a morning mug or cup or maybe even breakfast but no one. Carn shrug and leaves the inn
Carn make his usual route to the slums and went inside. The same happened, someone was on his tail. But, Carn didn't know yet. So, he seek out some children or someone sleeping. If he sneak around, it would look suspicious. Carn look like he's taking a stroll and whistle. Then, Fiddlesticks' voice resounded
'Enemy… hunted.'
"Enemy?"
'Behind… kill?'
'No, let's lure.'
Fiddlesticks and Carn smiled as it seems that they don't have to look around much. The slums were surprisingly quiet today, for some reason, Carn felt something off. Carn make several turns and roundabouts to confuse and shake his stalker but nothing worked. Carn was getting annoyed and then saw a large abandoned house. He goes in, prompting the stalker to follow him inside, thinking she'd had him cornered
But, upon entering, she saw nobody. She look around but didn't think of looking up, to which Carn was hiding. From his back, four thick tendrils were sprouting from his back without damaging his clothes. The four thick tendrils were impaled on the wall and two were wrapping around the beams of the house. His stalker look around in confusion just as Carn drops down from above, behind her
"Hello~."
"Ah!"
The stalker jumped forward and turn around to see a black faced monster with four black, thick tendrils from it's back. Carn approach her and then belatedly found out her identity. She was the woman who helped out that child from yesterday and the main culprit that foiled most of his fun. He didn't say anything though and just smiled, thinking of how to extract so much power from his enemy. He opened mouth and it's inside was full red with his teeth now razor sharp like knives
The woman back away in terror, frightened by the monster. It look at her in uncomfortable ways, it was like it's inspecting it's meal. The monster spoke in a distorted and cracked voice
"Scream, shiver, aren't you afraid?"
The monster taunts her. The four thick tendrils aim it's pointy and deadly looking tips at her. She was scared, yes, that's a fact. But, the reason why is because she know that the moment she screams, she would be killed. Her child's image flash through her mind, she clench her hands together into fists and stand resolutely
"No."
"Ohoho? Still have some fight, yes, very good~. I'll enjoy the meal."
The monster's hand then start to manifest some kind of black smoke as it approaches her slowly. Her now resolution was faltering as it reach it's smoke covered hands out to her face. She back away as far as she can until bumping into a wall
The monster grinned menacingly and lick it's lips with it's red, monster-like tongue. As the hand was reaching out, she close her eyes and slap the hand away and push the monster down but the two lower tendrils impale the floor to keep the monster leveled while the other two stretch out to grab her
"Ehahahaha, enjoy your greatest fear! Give me pleasure!"
The monster grab her face as she squirm to break away from the hand. She breathed some of the smoke in and then her respiratory system begin to ache. The monster releases her but still, she doesn't feel good. She collapse on the floor and her sight begin to become foggy. Then, when she look again, shoes were in front of her
'Wait.'
She recognize those shoes, the shoes of her late father. She look up to the monster, now in her late father's image. He was an old man with a short beard. His face was stern and his clothes were like royalty. Metals were worn on his left chest, his royal clothes were none other than the military's clothes of the Aeris' kingdom
"You disappointed me, you escaped like a coward."
He look at her in disgust. Her face was pure terror, she look at him with wide eyes as he berated her
"You're a disgrace to the family."
"Worthless trash."
"Whore!"
More and more figures begin to manifest. They were her late family. They berated, call her names, even physically assaulted her. She couldn't do anything as she was paralyzed in terror and shock. The monster, or Carn, was enjoying her expression of terror and shock as she jerk her head around. In truth, she wasn't being assaulted "physically" but what he's doing is inflicting what's known as phantom pain, replicating the pain of being slapped, kicked and punched mercilessly
But, after some minutes of "physically" assaulting her using her greatest fear, she didn't become despair. Fiddlesticks growls as it says, 'Let me take over!'
Carn was looking with a blank look as she jerk her head and spit out saliva. Carn sighs as he reply, 'Sure, knock yourself out.'
Fiddlesticks take over. Now, Carn's eyes turn black with red irises. He dispell the fear that he'd inflicted onto her and she regain her normal sight. The monster was now right in front of her face. One of the four tendrils plunge into her stomach. She grimaced and grit her teeth in pain. Fiddlesticks growled in anger, ta other tendril plunge into her body but this time, slowly
"A-ahhh."
"Why won't you scream. Scream!"
She look at the monster and smirked, she then spit at him. Fiddlesticks close his eyes to avoid spit getting into his eye and the hisses. The two tendrils withdraw from her body in one go. She gritted her teeth, the monster kick her in the face. He crouch down and grab her neck. He lift her up with one hand and lick it's lips a second time while opening it's mouth wide. The tongue extend towards her and lick her face
"Ahahahaha."
The monster laughed as she endure the gross tongue on her face. Then, it went urn into a blade and slowly slice her cheek. Blood overflowed as Fiddlesticks lick some of the blood. After that, he roughly throw her down and stomp on her side. She spit out saliva and grab her side. Fiddlesticks then smirked as he think of one thing that he could do
The blackness disappear from Carn's face and the four tendrils disappear along with it. A black and red swirling orb escaped from Carn. This hurts him as he felt like a shard or piece of himself was missing. The orb enters the woman through her mouth and she spasm. Her eyes turn black, her consciousness was elsewhere and Carn was deeply confused
"The fuck just happened?"