I was on edge, walking across the plain, careful not to touch any windows. The soothing aura of this place was replaced by this sense of dread. It lurked from the corner of my eye, but every time I'd turn… It'd disappear.
'Comet…' I heard a voice call out.
It was her. Whoever she was.
"Huh?" I responded, looking everywhere yet unable to tell where she'd been.
'It's been too long…' She continued.
"Where are you?" I called out, expecting her to appear.
'Right behind you…'
I turned to find no one but turned back around where she was.
'I have missed you…'
"Woah…" I muttered to myself.
She glowed a bright white, and her body was pale white; there was no way you could miss her like this. Her eyes contrasted with the rest of her body, which were black. She wore no clothes, but nothing showed. You could think of it as a very bright full-body suit. She was shorter than me.
Her smile was pure, but her eyes looked demented and distorted. She had long white hair that had many large separate locks. It reminded me of tentacles and tree branches in a way.
'This is not how I usually look…' She lamented.
'But, do you remember me…? Luna…?" She asked, walking closer to me, still smiling.
With each step she took, the grass around her blossomed with color and life.
"Luna…? That name does ring a bell, but I'm coming up with blanks…" I answered.
She wore a pained expression.
'I understand…' She lamented, looking down.
'I hope we can have many more conversations…' She said, jumping up and hugging me.
Moments after she embraced me, her body dissipated into thin air. I didn't get a chance to have a conversation, but it was a welcomed surprise.
"Huh!?"
Suddenly, the particles she'd dissipated into expanded to surround a good portion of the landscape, turning everything white. It was like a vast void of nothingness, white instead of black.
Checking behind me, a group of silhouettes stood there. They weren't in a perfect line or grouped perfectly; they were more scattered but within close proximity.
Nothing except their hair was actually visible.
Black hair…? No! Two black-haired people…
And three blue… No, wait… One blue, three white…
One green… Two greens, technically…
Brown…
Yellow and Red, wait, I've got it wrong!
My vision was blurred, and with the abundance of figures here, I could finally make out that there'd been multiple of most of them.
I dashed toward them without a second thought, but the farther I got, the farther they seemed. I sensed two presences behind me.
One was only a few inches taller than me and had a male figure. The other was almost a foot and a half shorter than me with the body of a female. Their hair color was visible, just like the others.
Red and Yellow highlights, with the rest being black.
These silhouettes…
Why am I feeling this…
Why are there tears running down my face…
"Ko-... Who are you?" I asked, my body moving and reaching out my hand.
I got no response; instead, they both opened their arms, ready for a hug. When I made contact, my surroundings warped back to the plains.
"I'm sorry…" Whispering to myself and wiping away the tears.
It dawned on me that as soon as I exited, I'd already forgotten their hair colors…
"Damn, it!!" I yelled, falling to my knees and clenching the grass in frustration.
That could've been vital information! What the hell!
I'm guessing Luna would have to contact me again so I could get another look.
Putting that aside for now, I had the idea to exercise to warm me up, but that would mean whatever was out there would have an easier time ambushing me mid-set. I gathered and readied myself for whatever was emitting some murderous aura.
Right over there!
Wait…
I'm not sure what that was, but the presence could be felt not too far away, just over a hill. A part of me had the urge to call out 'Hello?' like some dumbass in a horror movie, but that would obviously be stupid.
I'd been so focused on whatever had been watching me that even a slight shift in the wind made me twitch in anticipation. The breeze passed through my hair calmly. Other than the soothing breeze, there was only silence.
Even if I wanted to, using the forest trees as cover was useless because:
A: Too far from me
B: It would still be flawed as then whatever it was could ambush me more easily
"...!?"
Behind me, in front, left and right, and even straight above. Sweat dripped from my forehead, and goosebumps sprawled all over my arms. My body was sending warning signs.
The corner of my eye!
There's something there, but every time I look, it vanishes!
What is it!?
It was only when I completely turned around that I saw someone. Up above on the hill stood a small child with her back turned to me. She wore a long grey dress and had long black hair. Her arms were crossed behind her back.
I walked slowly, aware of my surroundings, making sure to not get too close. Her grey rotting skin became more visible and was still as a statue. The sight reminded me of a taxidermy… ugh…
If she were to turn around, she wouldn't be able to swipe at me without running at me. Only for a moment, I wanted to help her, but how do you help something already dead? Set its soul free?
"...!!!!"
Right there!
I quickly turned to block what had revealed its presence and in that instance…
"AGHH! DAMN!" I shouted in pain, holding what appeared to be a massive hand through my forearm.
Blood gushed from the hand, turning and twisting through my forearm! Fuck!
The nails were razor sharp, giving me an explanation of why it was so easy.
But still, I managed to block it at all. It could've gone worse; I could've got impaled through my abdomen just now.
"Shhhhh…" It whispered to me.
She'd been a tall woman who wore a white dress. Her hair covered most of her face, but the blood oozing from her mouth was definitely noticeable. Her skin was moist. She reminded me of a banshee.
Not wanting to be connected any longer, I violently pulled away.
"YURGH!" I yelped, blood gushing from my forearm.
I managed to unzip and remove my hoodie, wrapping it around the wound. The bad part was that I couldn't tie it into a knot quickly enough, so it had to be left like that.
"Aaaaa uugghhh…" She groaned loudly, taking slow steps toward me.
It may have been my forearm, but my entire body reacted, convulsing and twitching.
"Woah!" Yelling out in surprise as I heard footsteps closing in on me.
I jumped sideways, narrowly dodging, getting a clean cut on my other arm.
It was that little girl!? I knew there was something up with her!
She was fast! Screeching and Swinging at me aggressively with her sharp ass nails, jumping to swipe at my head. I ducked and weaved all of her predictable attacks.
Wait! Where was the other one!?
My question was answered as soon as I bumped into her from behind.
"Shhhhhh…" She whispered in my ear, her arms already embracing me.
Her long hair fell over and covered my vision. I attempted to break free by ducking under the banshee's arm, but it was too late; she'd already caught me. Moments later, the girl's footsteps approached quickly and stopped before me. The only separation between us was the massive locks of hair.
The banshee made clicking noises while groaning, reminding me of a zombie. Curious, I looked up and made eye contact with two white-dotted eyes. Her mouth gaped a hollow black and oozed blood that made its way down to me. It looked like she was going to devour me.
"Hehehe…" The girl laughed from the other side.
The banshee's grip on me was too tight, but I still struggled. I was more surprised that she hadn't already cut me open from behind like she did my forearm.
Just like a curtain, the hair had been spread, and out came the hollowed face of the taxidermy-like little girl.
"Heh…" She scoffed, smiling.
Both her eyes and mouth were hollow. She'd had neither of them and still smiled eerily at me. A chill ran down my spine; it was like she was whispering something to me.
*PLORK*
"AG_MMRF!?" I yelled out in pain, feeling her nails penetrate the bicep of my right arm. The banshee prevented me from making any noise.
Why were they only aiming for my right arm!?
She twisted and turned, causing even more discomfort.
"MMFRR!" I agonized.
She stopped after some time, but only for a mere moment. She placed both hands around my neck, but her nails obviously hadn't made the experience more comfortable.
But was this it!? I didn't have the strength to break free, and they weren't gonna stop until I was dead. Was this what Sothis was talking about? If so, then why isn't anything happening! I can't fail, not now! Not ever!
I won't lose!
Those words repeated in my mind.
And then it happened.
"HIYAA!" I roared, my left arm moving on its own.
*BOOM*
I broke the tight grip and swung at the taxidermy girl, my arm enveloped in a blue flame, hitting her square in the face.
______________
[Comet Koilos]
Physical Status:
[Right Arm (Severely Damaged)]
[Left Arm (Thin Cuts)]
______________
The girl was launched from the small explosion when my fist made contact. This simultaneously recoiled and sent me, with the banshee, flying in the opposite direction. Luckily, she lost her grip on me, but that meant there was nothing to cushion my fall.
"UUF!"
I landed straight on my back with a little bump, sending shocks of pain. On the bright side, I hadn't landed inside any of the mirrors.
"Shit…"
After getting my footing, my sloppily tied hoodie bandage came loose, revealing the grotesque and punctured forearm. I gagged, seeing that my arm was such a mess. I saw this as an opportunity to re-tie it while they were getting back up.
"hehe… hehe…" The girl giggled, but from where, I couldn't tell.
Hehe hehe hehe hehe he he he he he he
She's trying to disorient me, but I can't let her!
I frantically scouted my surroundings.
Up Down Left Right
But she wasn't visible.
Speaking of visibility, I lost sight of the banshee!
"She was just several meters from me!" I exclaimed.
He he hehe he he he he HA!
"YARGH!?" I yelled out in pain from the ambush of the girl from my side, penetrating my right arm AGAIN! What the hell!
"Like it wasn't enough already!" I raised my voice, focusing on the girl.
She was prancing around me, taunting me, and giggling the entire time. This lasted for the next few moments until she thought I lost track of her and lunged at me.
"You thought!"
As she got within range, I pivoted my ankle and kicked her horizontally, sending her flying. She landed near the mirror's edge, which caused it to ripple.
I honestly couldn't help but giggle a little bit at the sight of her being launched.
"AGH!" I shouted, getting my right arm punctured AGAIN!?
"Shhh…" The banshee whispered.
These dickheads are really trying to make me an amputee!
My frustration was apparent, and I could feel the anger slowly rising deep in the pit of my stomach.
__________
Skill: Small Fire Burst
Cooldown: 00:01
Status: *Ready*
__________
A pop-up menu appeared in my vision, prompting me to a skill. There's no reason to hesitate…
"HYAA!" I roared, pointing my left palm toward the banshee.
My arm, like before, became engulfed in blue flames. The flames traveled from my shoulder to my palm into a collective. With a literal fireball in my hand, I stood back and launched it at the banshee. Within the instant of contact, she hollered in agonizing pain. What I didn't realize was that this fireball was pulling in the unconscious girl, too. As soon as both were covered in fire, a loud and ear-piercing explosion followed, engulfing me in the process. It hadn't affected me, though, so there was that.
The surrounding grass was scorched, and the mirrors remained unaffected. Finally, with that followed the quiet and peaceful breeze complimenting the night sky. It was that certain afterglow of a fight, although my opponents weren't that strong, so there was no reason to be proud. It was so calming that it made me forget about-
"AGH! SHIT!" I shouted, squeezing my arm tight to stop further bleeding.
My right arm was paralyzed, and yet I could still feel the throbbing pain. My arm was like a warzone, covered in open wounds and punctured muscle and tissue.
"There's no way I'll be able to move it normally now…" I lamented.
With that finished, I sat down, keeping my arm squeezed with my drenched hoodie. No more murderous aura could be felt, leaving me at ease for now.
__________
Constellation Progress:
— — — _____ _____
1 of 3 Trials Completed
__________
Just two more to go.
"I'll just wait, agh, until Sothis comes back."