"….Ro—"
The sound was unmistakable. Sabrina's voice, but faint—too faint, and filled with a hollow, echoing tone. It was coming closer. Fast.
Percival heart dropped, dread clawing at his insides as he glanced back, his grip on Roderick tightening. The tunnel seemed to close in on them, the air growing heavier with each passing second.
"Keep moving!" Luka commanded, his voice sharp as steel. But even as they ran, the feeling of something unnatural and deadly chasing them loomed larger, casting a shadow over their every step.
The air was thick with tension as Percival pressed his right palm against the cold stone wall. His hand trembled ever so slightly, but his focus remained sharp. A faint shimmer of magic pulsed under his touch, and ancient runes, long dormant, flickered to life across the wall's surface. With a low rumble, the stone wall slid open, revealing a hidden passageway beyond.
"Hurry, inside," Percival urged, his voice tense.
As they rushed into the secret chamber, a soft whisper reached Roderick's ears—just a single word, spoken in a voice that felt like it clawed at the very core of his being.
"Roderick."
The void creature's voice was cold and invasive, and it sent a paralyzing chill down Roderick's spine. His heart seemed to skip a beat as the creature's words lingered, as if the very air around him had frozen.
Once inside, Percival quickly placed his hand on another part of the wall, and with the same low groan, the stone door slid shut behind them. The heavy sound of the stone locking into place reverberated in the confined space, cutting them off from the nightmare just outside.
Silence descended like a shroud. The air was thick with unspoken dread, each of them standing in tense stillness, listening intently for any sign of movement. Their breaths were shallow, their eyes wide with fear. The only sound was the rapid beating of their hearts, a shared rhythm of survival.
The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity, until finally, Luka, always the steady hand in the storm, broke it. His voice was hushed but urgent, trying to cut through the suffocating fear that hung over them.
"We should get going…" Luka's eyes darted between the others, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. "The Black Hound Order isn't far. They'll be able to help us."
As if on cue, a faint, insidious sound whispered from above—soft at first, but unmistakable.
"Roderick…"
The voice was closer now, too close. The same haunting whisper from before, but this time, it came from the ceiling.
Their eyes, filled with dread, slowly turned upward.
There, hanging from the ceiling like some grotesque, twisted spider, was the void creature. Its many limbs clung to the stone overhead, its dark form blending with the shadows, save for its glowing eyes that gleamed with malevolent intent. Its mouth curved into something that might have been a smile, though it was more like a grimace—a perverse mockery of human emotion. The sight of it hanging there, silently waiting, was more horrifying than any beast they had faced.
Before anyone could react, the void creature pounced off the wall, launching itself straight for Roderick with terrifying speed and precision. Its claws stretched out toward him, aiming to tear him apart.
Luka, with a speed born of instinct, leapt in front of Roderick, raising his sword just in time to block the creature's deadly strike. The force of the blow was immense, the metal of Luka's blade shrieking under the pressure of the void creature's claws. The impact pushed Luka back a step, his boots scraping against the stone floor.
"Run!! Run away, now!!!" Luka roared, his voice filled with both fury and desperation. He was holding off the creature with all his strength, but it was clear that even a seasoned warrior like him was barely keeping the void creature at bay.
Roderick stood frozen, his legs unwilling to move, his mind locked in fear. His father's shouts came to him like echoes from a distant place. "Roderick, run! Go now!" Percival's voice was frantic, but it did nothing to break the grip of terror that held his son in place.
Percival's instincts kicked in. Without hesitation, he rushed back to his son's side, scooping the boy into his arms and throwing him over his shoulders in one swift motion. "I've got you," Percival muttered, more to himself than to Roderick, his voice breaking under the weight of the situation. He could feel the wetness of his son's tears on his shoulder, but there was no time to comfort him.
Behind them, Luka struggled against the void creature's relentless assault. Its claws clashed against his sword again and again, the sound of steel on steel echoing through the chamber. Luka grunted with effort, his muscles straining as he tried to hold back the force of the monster.
"It was a pleasure serving you, sir!" Luka called out, his voice suddenly filled with a strange calm.
As Percival turned to flee, he caught one last glimpse of his loyal guard, a man who had stood by his side through countless battles. Luka's entire body was glowing now, a dim light that began to grow brighter and brighter with each passing second. He was preparing for one final act of defiance, one last stand.
A tear rolled down Percival's face as he bolted out of the room, Roderick's weight on his shoulder. The walls of the tunnel seemed to blur as he ran, his heart heavy with the knowledge that Luka—his faithful protector—was sacrificing himself for them.
Behind them, the light from Luka's body flared brighter, illuminating the room in a brilliant, blinding glow. Then, there was a deafening roar, followed by a sound like shattering glass, a burst of energy that reverberated through the very stones of the tunnel.
BOOM!
Percival didn't look back. He couldn't. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, holding onto his son with all his strength as they fled into the uncertain darkness ahead. The echoes of Luka's last stand followed them, fading into the depths of the tunnel, leaving only silence and the weight of their loss behind.
The explosion ripped through the chamber behind them, the deafening sound echoing down the narrow tunnel like the roar of some hellish beast. The force of it sent dust and debris billowing out in thick clouds, choking the air. Percival stumbled, but his grip on Roderick remained firm. As soon as they were a safe distance away, he set his son down, both of them breathless and on edge.
For a moment, they stood frozen, staring at the entrance of the room they had just fled from, now obscured by the dense funnel of smoke pouring from within. Roderick's heart pounded in his chest, and his mouth was dry with fear.
Percival, panting heavily, placed a protective arm around Roderick's shoulder, but his hand trembled as he watched the thick smoke slowly dissipate. His mind raced, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Had Luka succeeded? Was the creature truly gone? A part of him dared to hope, but that hope was fragile, like the smoke beginning to clear.
And then, as if to mock their fleeting sense of safety, the fading smoke revealed the grotesque truth.