Valcroy stood frozen, his eyes opened wide as he looked above at the thing that moved across the sky. The silhouette of the immense creature soaring across the sky. It was vast, extremely vast, blotting out everything, making the world experience what darkness was, as it covered the crimson hues with its sheer size. Its form was a strange blend of features, unlike anything he had ever seen, heard, or even thought of.
The body, or what it should be, was broad and flat, spreading out wide like a giant shadow and the point at which those ends, maybe its wings, curved, creating a fluid, undulating motion, like it was gliding through the air. These wings, powerful, flapped slowly, giving the illusion of the creature pressing the very earth down, each movement causing the air to tremble and gust around him.
Behind and beneath that flat body. dangled an unknown amount of tendrils, or maybe they were appendages, long and sinuous. Writhing and twisting in the air, but he couldn't tell what it was, almost as if they were alive with a mind of their own, reaching out and coiling in an eerie, hypnotic dance.
He couldn't see the head of the creature, it was just that giant or maybe it might be on the upper side of the monster's body, he couldn't tell, and was too shocked to even utter a word.
As the creature moved, a dark, spiked tail trailed behind, lashing back and forth with a menacing grace. The entire silhouette was dark against the sky, a black mass that swallowed the light around it, creating an aura of foreboding and dread.
Every inch of Valcroy's body was telling him to run away, but his mind was retorting, where should it run to? No matter how fast he becomes, he can outrun that monster that was literally covering the entire sky.
His mind shut down as he just stared at the giant body that moved in the sky, just then..
Tip*
Tip* Tip*
Rain drops fell, soaking everything in the area. At first, there were just a few drops, but quickly it turned into a steady downpour and soon the entire world got flooded by the grace of heaven, or was it?
When they fell on Valcroy's face, they did the miracle of bringing him out of his shock, like a kick-start. The rain was red, but Valcroy, who was waking up from his daze, courtesy of the monstrous sight, barely noticed at first. The creature's silhouette left a lingering dread in the air, a stark contrast to the eerie beauty of its flight.
He wiped his cheek as he felt the stickiness and heaviness of the drops, bringing his hand down to see it smeared with thick, red liquid. His heart skipped a beat, staring at the reddish hand with wide eyes. This wasn't rain—
"it's blood."
Nothing made sense as he kept looking at his blood hand, his mind filled with thoughts, not noticing the sword in his other hand was greedily absorbing every drop that fell on it and the puddles surrounding it, just not fast enough to make dumbfounded Valcroy realize what was going on.
The realization hit him like a hammer. The ground around him was quickly becoming soaked, the once-dry earth turning into a crimson clay. He looked up again, now with horror, as the creature continued its flight, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
Something hurt it. What kind of creature can do that?
The sky was crying tears of the damned, and Valcroy, not daring to stay there one more bit, started running away, knowingly or unknowingly, toward the direction of the light he saw from the mound.
"GrrrrrrrrRRRROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!"
Valcroy ran, his heart pounding in his chest, trying to break out, but the cage of the ribs kept it in prison, each step fueled by sheer terror. The ground beneath him trembled as a deafening roar echoed everywhere, shaking the very world itself. He staggered, almost falling, but managed his footing and continued his desperate sprint, not daring to look back or up. His body was telling him to not even think about looking back.
Had he dared to glance behind him, he would have been met with a sight so horrifying it could have stolen the very breath from his lungs, made him die of sheer terror. The creature's silhouette, now partially visible by flashes of lightning that thundered because of its roar, revealed a single, immense eye that dominated the sky. This eye was grotesque and eerie, its surface pixelated and teeming with billions upon billions of smaller eyes that blinked eerily, covering everywhere on the creature like it was no longer a creature, but a failed experiment where one tried to make the whole body of the creature with eyes, all of them following Valcroy's every move.
The giant eye seemed to pierce through everything, each smaller eye within it shifting and focusing on Valcroy as he ran. The sensation of being watched, of countless eyes tracking his every step, was overwhelming. He felt as if the creature could see right through him, into the depths of his soul. If only he was in his own body, it would have long passed out on him.
"GrrrrrrrrRRRROOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Another roar erupted from the creature, even more powerful than the first. Everything vibrated from its intensity, and the air buzzed with an unearthly energy. It was as if the roar was a message, a declaration to the world, though its meaning remained terrifyingly unknown to whom it was talking to.
Then, just as suddenly as it had opened, the immense eye began closing. The myriad smaller eyes flickered and dimmed, merging back into the great eye, that shut entirely, plunging the sky back into silence. The creature continued its ominous flight, and with it, the rain of blood resumed, drenching the land below in a red, sticky downpour, wherever it went.
Valcroy, still running, felt the oppressive weight of the creature's presence lifting slightly as it went further and further away from him, but the horror of what he had witnessed would linger in his mind, a nightmare he could never escape.
Huff* Huff*
Valcroy ran for what felt like an eternity, his legs burning and his breath coming in ragged gasps. Finally, he came to a halt, his body collapsed onto the ground, panted like the oxygen was going to run out from this world anytime now. His heart pounded violently, each beat echoing, his lungs struggling for air, expanding and contracting heavily.
As he lay there, panting, a weird feeling overtook him. His chest tightened, and it felt as if someone was squeezing his heart, trying to make it burst. His thoughts became chaotic, like a whirlwind spinning out of control. A sense of dread and fear overcame him as his face turned pale. The monstrous creature may have done something to him.
His vision blurred, sight darkening from the corner of his eyes, like the world was fading away. His breaths came in shallow, rapid bursts, and he felt dizzy, disconnected from his surroundings. A terrifying thought crept into his mind.
'Am I… dying?'
'Again?'
The thought came to his head, repeating over and over like a broken record. He was having a panic attack, though he didn't know what it was. All he knew was that his body and mind were betraying him, his control over himself was slowly slipping away, spiraling into a state of sheer panic and helplessness.
A tear started flowing down, unknown to him why it was like that, he didn't even cry the first time he was dying, so why was he doing so now?
The sounds slowly faded, slowly being replaced by a deep, haunting silence. It felt as if the flickering flame of his life was about to go out, finally leaving him in his much needed deep and everlasting sleep.
Just as his eyes were about to close, he felt a strange sensation, a resonance deep within him.
"Huummmm…"
It was a low, vibrating hum, a call that seemed to come from the core of his being. His mind, though fuzzy and on the brink of unconsciousness, held onto this feeling. Something was calling out to him, urging him to keep going.
With what little strength he had left, Valcroy began crawling forward, his destination unknown. His grip on the crescent jagged blade kept firm while he dragged his tired body, the cold metal striking against the ground as he dragged his exhausted body, the blade still absorbing the blood.
After dragging himself for a while, Valcroy's fuzzy mind slowly regained clearness as he stopped crawling, the fear and dread in him lessening, his breathing became stable, and his eyes regained clearness.
He lay down on the ground, looking at the crimson sky, devoid of the giant creature from before like it was not there to begin with, that his mind was playing a trick on him, but the fear etched deep into his bones were telling him it was not a trick, the 5-meter tall monster and the monstrosity he saw in the sky were very real.
He lay down there in silence, even forgetting that he was in a foreign world, in a foreign body. Everything became meaningless to him as the first thought in his mind was, survive. Everything else was secondary. He didn't know why he was thinking like that, but this was the only thing that he was clear about. Survive, everything else will follow.
Staying where he was not in the "Survive" guide, it was too open, other than some pile of bodies and puddles of blood, it was open.
Just as he lifted his hands up, he saw a strange thing. The sword that he was holding onto unknowingly was gripped even more firmly now, it was crimson now, he could see the letters over it pulsing in white light, just as he was about to let go.
Ba-dump*
His heart skipped a beat. He felt like the moment he let go of the sword, he'd die, making him grip the weapon more tightly. His breathing started becoming erratic once more and the panic attack from before was about to follow but before it could affect him, a warm feeling washed over him once more, like a warm touch of a mother, it soothed him, making him calm down, his breathing stable. He felt every cell in his body was flooded with that warmth.
He didn't let go of the blade, not knowing why, but his eyes were still on the blade, who was now surrounded by the crimson mist, now openly absorbing the blood.
Valcroy didn't know what was going on, but he could see some of the rust on the blade was falling, like the weapon was repairing itself. How was it possible? This was also going in his mind, but he didn't ask as he just stared at it, not knowing that he had been doing that for hours as the surrounding blood dried up. The blade had absorbed everything. Only after it stopped pulsing did Valcroy come out of his daze.
He gave the blade one more look before looking away, not wanting to stare at him anymore. Everything in here made no sense. Ever since he had arrived here, it had been one nightmare after another, each more horrifying than the last. The single thought of survival in his mind was slowly slipping away as it got occupied but other.
"I want to go home."
This single sentence echoed endlessly, a desperate plea that brought no relief. His breath hitched as his chest tightened, his eyes grew misty, his vision blurring with the hot tears that welled up. His shoulders shook with silent sobs, each one wracking his body with the weight of the emotions he had tried so hard to suppress.
"Please...sniff* sniff*"
His shoulders kept trembling. Even if he had the body of a 40-years old who weathered the storm of this world. The current soul hosting it was that of a 17-years old. A boy who had once been carefree, filled with dreams and hopes that now felt so far away. He wanted none of this. He didn't even want to become a knight, but the situation pressured him to do so.
'Mom, sister, please... help..me.'
Sniff* Sniff*
"Elder Brother, I'm cold."
His voice becoming almost inaudible, his voice barely audible as the tears streamed down his face. He felt so small, so lost, skin to a child wandering through a cold forest, in search of warmth and safety. But there was nothing there and no one to guide him, no one to comfort him in this desolate place.
His instincts, honed by the harsh realities of this world, screamed at him to move, to find shelter, to do something—anything—to survive, but he was so tired; tired of everything.. All he wanted now was to sleep, to let the darkness take him and wash away all the horrors he had endured.
"Maybe just for 5 minutes…" he mumbled, his voice trembling as his tear-filled eyes grew heavy. It was so tempting, the thought of letting go, of closing his eyes and drifting into the comforting embrace of sleep.
"Hummm."
As his eyelids began drooping, a familiar hum resonated within him, a gentle but insistent vibration that urged him to resist, that warm feeling from before appeared once more. Something inside him knew that if he gave in, if he allowed himself to sleep, he might never wake up again. It was the same feeling that had kept him going before, the mysterious force that had refused to let him die. But this time, Valcroy didn't want to hold on. He was too weary, too broken to fight anymore. Something had broken him.
His eyes continued to close, the darkness sitting on the edge of his vision. Just as he gives in completely, a voice echoed in his mind, clear and strong, cutting through the fog of despair.
'Val, what are you doing?'
The voice, gentle like a breeze, yet filled with concern, a tone that was both comforting and filled with concern. It jolted him awake, his eyes snapping open, filled with shock. The voice felt very familiar to him, but it was impossible—it couldn't be.
"Mom?"