"We have a few minutes before they die." Alex lightly jogged up the stairs, addressing the male behind her.
"..."
"I'm going after the beast so I suggest you return."
"..."
Isaiah struggled to keep up with her pace, his legs sore from exertion and did not bother responding to her. Alex slowed at the end of the stairs, allowing him to recover. He hungrily took in quick, shallow breaths, his chest heaving, nostrils flared and the girl in front of him looked refreshed in comparison.
Alex pointed to the end they had come from. "That's the way back. Fire won't reach there. This is your last chance to retreat peacefully." Her voice, laden with impatience, urged Isaiah to make a choice likely because of the compact time frame they had to work with.
As their surroundings were pitch black, Isaiah could not see her, but he could sense her position and movements with his other senses.
"No thank you."
Alex said nothing to dissuade him and ran towards the beast, her speed surpassing what Isaiah thought to be her limit. Accommodating him would ruin her already slim chances of defeating the beast and she needed achievements to accomplish her goal. Her figure cut through the inky black, blitzing through the hallways, bringing her to her destination much faster than expected. She reached the colossal beast. However, their meeting was not as she expected.
°°°
The beast raised leg after leg, marching forward, yet stuck to the same spot. Its back faced me, everything else blurred into the background as I noticed the scattered symbols on the beast's lower back. Transcendent and mystical, shimmering brightly against the contrasting canvas, the back of the creature. Each of the five symbols had a different shape and size, and I could tell each had its distinct purpose. They drew me in, a mystical pull tugging me closer. I obliged.
Lost in the symbols, a glance inadequate to decipher their mystery, I felt a palpable sense of familiarity. I moved closer to the beast, anything to comprehend the meaning behind the symbols. They glowed with pulsating power. I stretched my fingers, tracing each symbol at a time, and a previously shallow connection deepened, drawing me further into the symbols. At the back of my head, my instincts flared alerting me of the dangers ahead, but for once I pushed aside my doubts, pursuing a risky unknown.
I slowly traced the first one on the creature's lower back but with growing joy. I savoured every moment as I connected with the unknown symbol. Once I finished tracing the first symbol, a word resounded within me. A word I knew to let out.
"Bound," I said.
That symbol disappeared, and I felt a faint sensation blossom within my mind. My essence rejoiced, and my fingers quickened. Onto the next one, I traced the next symbol with renewed vigour.
"Kill,"
"Discern,"
"Confuse,"
"Seek,"
I was overflowing with a strange, throbbing liveliness. What was once a faint connection now drummed powerfully within me.
My fingers moved on their own, with steady confidence, and traced a symbol on the beast's bare back. I observed my masterpiece, etched on the back of the kneeling beast.
"Drain," I spoke, my voice containing a commanding power. In a flash, wisps of black and red escaped from what was once a mighty beast, leaving dried skin and bones, and rushed into me. The mystic energy rushed into my body. It never left, but it reached a place I could not feel. My trance broke with this, and like a wake-up call, the world went black.
°°°
Isaiah chased after Alex, pushing his body to the limits. His previous achievements made him much faster than a regular human being, but even that did not hold a candle to Alex.
He did not blame her for leaving him. They could not afford to waste time when the battle could end any second. His only regret was not buying any [Enhancement potions] in the waiting room. That would have been helpful right now. It took him an entire five minutes at full speed for him to reach her. Sheer willpower brought him this far. He had to see what exactly gave her the confidence to face such a terrifying creature. Life had taught him that understanding people and predicting them was the only way to survive, yet he could not understand or predict Alex. That was unacceptable.
He came across a well-illuminated area. A faint light shone in every direction, its source eluded him.
Isaiah skidded to a stop and his eyes widened in shock as he saw Alex face to face with a kneeling beast. Its rough, spiky back faced hers and her finger glided across the surface of the beast. He could not understand what she was writing as he could barely see, but her strong gentle strokes reminded him of brush calligraphy, at least the ones he had seen on TV.
Her lips parted, but no sound emerged.
His eyes widened even more as her short hair grew and transformed into an unblemished white. The moment she lifted her finger from the beast, its once hulking form reduced to skin and bones, Alex stood silently, watching for a few seconds before she fainted.
Isaiah stood in disbelief as he watched the unfolding scene.
'How? How did she do that?' His mind was in disarray, as he simply could not comprehend what had happened in these few seconds.
°°°
"Just tell us what happened!"
"I don't know what happened!" Dahlia and Isaiah argued at the centre of the room as an unconscious Alex lay on the couch.
"But she was with you,"
"Do you think I'm fast enough to keep up with her?"
"So where were you, then? Because you weren't with us."
"In the hall-"
"So you're telling me you stayed in that dark hallway throughout, as if."
"Isaiah, Dahlia, you guys, this is pointless. Isaiah doesn't look like he knows what happened." Maria tried to play mediator, and then Elijah joined the conversation.
"A bit of sense would tell you Isaiah couldn't even hurt Alex if he tried to. I think the problem here lies with not him."
"Elijah, don't get involved. Your bias is showing." Maria politely told Elijah to shut it, her smile still present.
"Do you believe I can kill you for talking to me like that?"
"Try me."
"She's awake." Avery's mellow voice cut in between Maria and Elijah's budding argument, causing all eyes to turn to the girl lying on the couch.