In a desolate expanse, the darkness in the skies loomed ominously, casting an eerie pall over the landscape.
Despite the hour being high noon, the sun struggled to penetrate the thick clouds that hung overhead, their ominous presence instilling a sense of dread in all who dared to look up.
Beneath this oppressive canopy, the once vibrant plant life withered and wilted, their leaves fading from verdant green to sickly shades of brown and gray.
The ground, parched and cracked, bore witness to the slow decay spreading throughout the land.
As the woman ventured deeper into the dense forest, the air grew heavy with the acrid scent of burning ash.
Black flakes fell from the sky like twisted snowflakes, their subtle acidity capable of corroding even the hardiest of materials.
Her coat offered some protection from the falling debris, but it was not enough to shield her from the foul stench that permeated the air.
With each step, she navigated through the labyrinth of death and decay, the forest floor littered with the remains of creatures both monstrous and mundane.
Corpses lay strewn about, their forms twisted and broken, some barely recognizable amidst the macabre landscape.
Undeterred by the grim spectacle, she pressed onward, her resolve unyielding in the face of the horrors that surrounded her.
Crunching underfoot, a stray branch caught her attention, halting her advance. Stooping to retrieve it, she examined the broken limb with a mixture of anger and determination.
"So, you really were here," she muttered, her voice tinged with bitterness as she surveyed the desolation before her.
Turning her gaze in a specific direction, her eyes burned with a fiery intensity, their crimson hue reflecting the cold fury that simmered within.
A purplish aura enveloped her form, shimmering like a celestial tapestry adorned with the brilliance of a thousand stars.
In an instant, she soared through the heavens, streaking across the sky with the speed and fury of a bolt of lightning.
Covering vast distances in the blink of an eye, she descended upon the earth below with a resounding crash, her landing marked by a thunderous boom that echoed through the surrounding landscape.
Electricity crackled in the air, dancing in wild arcs around her, illuminating the darkness with its dazzling display.
Before her stood a small wooden hut, its humble exterior belying the horrors that lay within.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of decapitated heads encircled the structure, a grim testament to the violence that had transpired in this desolate corner of the world.
"Come out," she demanded, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade. With sword drawn, she pointed towards the hut, her gaze fixed upon the door with unwavering determination.
But her words were met with only silence, the stillness of the air offering no hint of the presence within. Frustration boiled within her, threatening to spill forth in a torrent of rage. "Don't try to run away again, you bastard! This time, I will kill you before—"
Her voice trailed off as the door to the hut creaked open slowly, revealing a figure shrouded in darkness.
Expecting to confront her foe, she instead found herself face to face with a familiar visage – her mother.
"Mother?" she whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief and apprehension. A cold shiver ran down her spine as fear gripped her heart with icy fingers.
"S-Sophia... I'm sorry," her mother murmured, her voice heavy with remorse. Without hesitation, she reached for the knife clutched in her hand, raising it to her own chest with a steady resolve.
Before Sophia could react, her mother drove the blade deep into her own heart, a single act of self-sacrifice that sent shockwaves through the very fabric of her being.
As her mother crumpled to the ground, life fading from her eyes, Sophia stood frozen in disbelief, her world crumbling around her with each passing moment.
"Nooo!!!" Sophia's anguished cry tore through the air, echoing amidst the desolation that surrounded her.
Her aura flared to life once more, a desperate attempt to intervene, to save her mother from the impending tragedy.
But despite her efforts, it was already too late – her mother's life slipped away before her very eyes, slipping into the abyss of death beyond her reach.
Confusion and despair clouded Sophia's mind as she struggled to comprehend the events unfolding before her.
She was mere meters away from her mother, yet an invisible barrier seemed to separate them, rendering her powerless to intervene.
Amidst the sorrowful silence, a chilling laughter pierced the air, reverberating with a malevolent pleasure that sent shivers down Sophia's spine.
Suddenly, a man materialized above the roof of the hut, his presence a sinister specter against the backdrop of darkness. His crimson hair cascaded down his back, untouched by the biting winds or the falling ashes that littered the sky. Clad in pristine white garments, he exuded an aura of otherworldly power, his smile twisted with malice.
"You're quite late, love," he taunted, his voice dripping with amusement as he regarded Sophia with a predatory gleam in his eyes.
Sophia's fists clenched in fury as she struggled against the invisible barrier that held her captive, her heart wrenching at the sight of her dying mother. Each cough wracked her mother's body with pain, each gasp a silent plea for forgiveness.
"Mother!" Sophia's voice cracked with emotion, tears streaming down her cheeks as she reached out desperately, longing to bridge the seemingly insurmountable distance between them. But try as she might, her efforts were in vain – she remained rooted in place, her movements restricted by forces beyond her control.
Frustration boiled within her as she turned her gaze towards the man who mocked her plight.
"Again with your tricks!" she said her voice laced with venom and anger if looks could kill her expression right now was the definition of that.
"They say you are the hope of humanity..." The man's words cut through the air like a blade, his tone dripping with disdain as he regarded Sophia with a mixture of disgust and contempt.
"But you can't even save your mom?" he taunted, his laughter echoing with cruel amusement.
"You fucking BASTARD, let go of her!" Sophia's voice rang out, raw with anguish and fury as she struggled against the invisible chains that bound her.
"NN? Sure~~~" the man responded with a sinister grin, snapping his fingers with a flourish. Suddenly, Sophia felt a slight shift in the air, a subtle loosening of the oppressive force that had held her captive. With a surge of adrenaline, she lunged forward, her movements no longer hindered by the unseen barrier that had restrained her.
Rushing to her mother's side, Sophia's heart pounded with a mixture of hope and desperation. "Mother, don't worry, I will—" she began, her voice trembling with emotion as she reached out to cradle her mother's broken form in her arms.
But before she could offer any comfort, tragedy struck with swift and merciless force. In a blinding explosion of violence, her mother's body erupted with a force that shook the earth beneath them.
Pieces of flesh and bone scattered in all directions, leaving behind a gaping void where her mother had once stood.
"Mother?" Sophia's voice trembled with disbelief, her eyes wide with horror as she gazed upon the devastation before her. But her shock was met with only cruel laughter, the man reveling in her anguish with sadistic glee.
"HAHAHAHa~!" His laughter reverberated through the desolate landscape, a chilling symphony of malevolence that seemed to mock the very notion of hope.
"Man did God really choose you? Kukuku~!"
In a fit of rage, Sophia's primal scream tore through the air, her voice a symphony of fury as she launched herself at the man before her.
Every fiber of her being was consumed by a relentless desire for vengeance, her eyes burning with a fierce intensity that could rival the flames of hell itself.
Their swords clashed with a resounding clang, the sound of metal meeting metal echoing through the desolate expanse.
Despite ophia's ferocious assault, the red-haired man remained unfazed, effortlessly parrying each blow with an ease that bordered on nonchalance.
"Wow~!" he exclaimed with a smirk, his lips curling into a taunting smile. It was evident that he was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, relishing in the chaos and violence unfolding before him.
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, CRIMSON!" Sophia's words rang out with a primal intensity, her voice laced with unbridled rage as she poured every ounce of her being into the relentless assault.
But the man merely chuckled in response, his laughter a cruel mockery of her suffering. "Sure~" he taunted, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he effortlessly dodged her strikes.
With each passing moment, Sophia's madness intensified, her mind consumed by a maelstrom of anger and despair.
But no matter how fiercely she fought, it seemed that her adversary remained forever out of reach, an elusive specter dancing on the edge of her sanity.
As she screamed with unchecked madness, the crimson-haired man simply laughed, his amusement a twisted symphony that echoed through the desolate landscape, mocking her futile attempts to defy fate itself.
Then as their Auras clashed...!!!
White light covered everything....
Taylor bolted up from his bed, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
His body felt cold, clammy with sweat, and he trembled with the residual fear still coursing through his veins.
It was the first time he had encountered such intense hatred and bloodlust, and the memory of it lingered like a dark shadow in the recesses of his mind.
'Was that another nightmare'" Taylor mumbled to himself, wiping the sweat from his brow with a trembling hand.
The sensation of terror he had experienced felt all too real, leaving him shaken and disoriented in its wake.
As he tried to make sense of what had just transpired, Taylor realized with a sinking feeling that he was back in his room, safe from the horrors of his dreams but still haunted by their lingering effects.
He couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at him, a sense of foreboding that hung heavy in the air.
'A dream about Sophia again... and that Crimson bastard...' Taylor cursed under his breath, frustration bubbling within him as he grappled with the tangled web of memories and emotions that plagued his subconscious.
Try as he might, he couldn't comprehend the connection between himself and the enigmatic red-haired figure that haunted his nightmares.
With a heavy sigh, Taylor resigned himself as he laughed like an old man….