Frozen with stretched hand Hildebrand woke up and waited but after a while of watching the girl he retracted his hand.
He could not wait any longer.
Giving the lonely girl a last glance Hildebrant turned around to observe the old wooden door while hundreds of prisoners watched him with their black eyes. Their gaze pierced his back amidst the harrowing melody, but Hildebrant ignored them and with pain coursing through his hands he focused on doors.
Putting his ear on their wet surface he listened to any sound coming from behind but the only thing he could hear was snorting and weird sick laughter.
Making sure anyone on the other side was not close to the doors he put his hands on the handle and then while flames flickered out of his exposed flesh, he melted the iron handle and part of the mechanism holding the doors closed and slowly opened them.
Peeking through the gap he created he observed a large corridor cowered in darkness and illuminated by numerous oil lamps. Most of them shined in the green light, but one standing before the doors from prison shined blue right on the face of a towering man who brought him food to his cell not long ago.
Man, eyes were closed and as he watched him man let go of the flask that rolled on the floor around him letting brown liquid fall on the ground. Right after his smile widened, he began to lecherously laugh with a satisfied expression.
Hildebrant face twisted in disgust as a strong smell entered his nose but suppressing his insides from coming out, he pushed the doors a little more open and then stopped when he heard a creaking sound coming from doors.
Giving man another glance and making sure he was asleep he came out of the room and under the gazes of hundreds of prisoners he clicked doors on their rightful place and then let out a sigh of relief.
A small drop of blood fell on the floor from his hand and then under the blue light of the oil lamp he stayed still in place, pondering about his family and friends and what he was even doing.
Letting out another raged breath he focused on pain and then letting go of the melted handle he slowly made his way around the man but as he was prepared to leave rough hand grasped his wrist.
Hildebrant entire body froze and then as he slowly turned around, he gazed right into the familiar and yet unfamiliar black eyes of the man that in a moment of noticing his widened eyes titled his head and then widened his smile.
Melody surrounding him was like an executioner sword hanging above him prepared to descend with murderous efficiency.
The man was just a tool for it and then as they gazed at each other in absolute stillness man's mouth opened.
"Beautiful."
He said and then without change in expression, he yanked him, making Hildebrant lose his balance and fall to his knee.
Not happy with the result man yanked him again but this time Hildebrand was prepared and held himself, but then man's face changed, and his grip made fingers grasping him burrow deep into his flesh to the point that Hildebrant let out hiss of disatisfaction.
Furrowing his brows Hildebrant using his flames burrowed one of his hands into the wood to gain better bearing and then poured even more flames into his other hand that under his furry turned white as red flames from depts of him filled his flesh and crawled out of his skin.
The man's hand holding his wrist melted and then turned into dust, exposing white bones that also slowly began to turn black forcing the man to let go of him and stare at his bones that still had his flames on them with curiosity.
With sweat rolling down his forehead and back Hildebrant then stopped using his flames and without looking back he jumped on his feet and ran with all his might.
While he did man with black eyes did not stop observing his hand but as Hildebrant expected minute later roar of the beast echoed through the entire space shaking the ship and the fire of old lamps.
After the first roar came second and after the second came third and after the third came four, five, six, seven. Each one came from different places and all of them combined with an unhumanly perfect song creating an orchestra for its harrowing glory.
Shruder ran down his back.
Sunlight did not look so bad anymore but after coming around the open room where another man was sitting before the window, he noticed that his main enemy was now cowered by clouds that rained water down on moving water.
When the skinny man turned his head to him, his black eyes shined with brutality and his lips twisted into a smile.
"Beautiful."
The man said that then with a growl he jumped from its chair and sprinted to him on all fours like an animal.
Letting instinct take over his body Hildebrant powered through pain and quickly closed doors but even before he could dash away skinny hand penetrated the wood and stretched its fingers to grasp his neck.
Petrified Hildebrant dodged with nothing but luck and then while man's hand kept whipping from side to side he melted to lock and then after taking some steps back and making sure man would not get out continued to rush through the endless corridor.
Doors from rooms he passed began to tremble and warious animalistic sound flowed right into his ears combining with unholy melody. His mid shook with confusion and various ideas but they all quested down after he pushed the last doors open and used a chair to lock them.
Even as the door began to shake, he did not stop taking a step back until the first drop of rain fell on his hair.
Then as he turned around, he froze.
The wind raged, water slammed into wooden walls of mighty vessels, and droplets of water were slowly pushed out of deck into endless depths of the infinite ocean but what Hildebrant observed was not the sea but a towering monument, the building so giant it shadows cast darkness even on ship he stood on.
It was a fortress built from stone and marble, so grand that the four towers that came from it penetrated the sky and clouds and ascendent beyond them into heavens and realms of gods.
The only thing similar to this he knew was the school of Golden Empire and even that was a small child in compassion to the giant monster of architecture that stood before him.
Lightning fell, sea and waves raged and as he watched the sound of heavy boots slashing entered his ears.
Turning around man with a missing hand made his way on the deck.
Melted flesh dripped from his elbow and old wood creaked under his weight.
They glanced at each other in the middle of the waves and storm.
They observed each other and when the towering wave hit the side of the ship man moved with a smile on his face.