The darkness around me was thick, oppressive, as if it was alive and choking the last breaths of light from the world. My chest burned where the demon's sword had pierced me. Every breath was a struggle, my body ached as though it was being pulled apart from the inside. I could barely see, my vision clouded by pain and the smoke that billowed around me.
Lyra… my heart twisted at the thought of her. She had tried so desperately to protect me, her flames flaring with a strength that I could never hope to match. I reached out to her, but my hands were weak, trembling. Her final breaths were a cruel reminder of what I had lost.
"Run… Carrion… far away…" Her voice was a whisper now, fading into the roar of destruction.
I was overwhelmed by a wave of anguish, my sorrow igniting a surge of power deep within me. Flames erupted violently from my core, a swirling vortex of dark fire that pushed back the demon forces and left a scorched scar across the land. The intensity of it all was too much—I lost consciousness, my world falling into darkness.
When I awoke, the silence was deafening. The village, once vibrant and full of life, was now a smoldering wasteland. The debris around me was a stark reminder of the battle's devastation. I could barely move, every inch of my body felt like it was on fire from the inside out.
"This is all my fault," I thought bitterly. "Why am I so weak?"
The sight of Lyra's lifeless body lying amidst the ruins was a stab to my heart. She had been my rock, and now she was gone. I crawled over to her, my strength nearly spent. "Forgive me… Mom. I couldn't save you…"
Tears mingled with the soot on my face as I grieved, feeling the weight of loss and failure. "Everything... turned to ashes. All these memories... turned to dust... and I'm left standing alone in the aftermath."
There was nothing left for me here. I was too injured to stay, too weak to fight. "There is nothing left here... I have to move..."
I gathered a few supplies—dried rations, a water flask, and an old sword I found among the wreckage. The sword was worn and battered, but it was all I had. "These are just scraps of what's left... but I can't give up now. Not yet. It's all I have left to survive."
With one last, sorrowful look at Lyra, I forced myself to my feet. "I'll find a way to make this right... I won't let your sacrifice be for nothing."
Each step was a painful reminder of the journey ahead. The Withered Vale, once my home, was now a desolate, ruined land. As I moved away from the heart of the devastation, I felt a pull, an unexplainable urge drawing me towards the outskirts of the village.
There, amidst the less severe destruction, I noticed a faint glow emanating from a partially collapsed structure. It was an eerie light, cutting through the pervasive darkness. "What is that? A light? It shouldn't be here..."
Driven by curiosity and a strange sense of urgency, I approached the source of the light. It wasn't visible on the surface but seemed to come from beneath the debris. "It's not coming from the surface... something beneath, something hidden. What could be buried here?"
I began to clear the rubble, guided by an inexplicable pull. As I dug through the ash and debris, I uncovered an old stone slab. The slab was partly covered by wreckage but glowed faintly with an otherworldly light. The surface was etched with intricate carvings, forming a rune that pulsed with ancient energy.
"What could this be?" I wondered, my hands trembling as I reached out to touch the rune. The instant my fingers made contact, the rune flared with intense energy. A chilling voice echoed from beneath the earth. "What?? What is this??"
"The curse has been awakened. The time of reckoning approaches."
The ground shook violently, and shadows began to emerge, swirling and writhing in response to the rune's activation. Overwhelmed by the sudden surge of magical power, I was thrown to the ground. My vision blurred, and darkness closed in as the earth around me seemed to come alive.
"Prepare yourself," the fading voice warned, "for the true darkness has yet to come."
As the darkness enveloped me, I felt a surge of fear and uncertainty. What had I uncovered? What was this curse, and why was it connected to the rune? The answers seemed just out of reach, shrouded in the same darkness that had claimed my world.
This chapter focuses on Carrion's internal struggle and emotional state, making it a fitting addition to the narrative as a deep dive into his perspective.