Chereads / Hitori the Golden Magician / Chapter 7 - They who lurk in the dark

Chapter 7 - They who lurk in the dark

 The turbulent force hummed through the lengthy branches of the stocky Dark-Oak Trees. The hums were in tuned with the occasional thrashing of leaves against one another. As Hitori strolled atop the short, dull blades of grass that covered the forest floor, his puffy cheeks fixed into a smile and his eyes sparkling with childish delight. In his hands he held a thick and miniature slab of roasted meat. "So good!" Hitori exclaimed as he chomped on another piece of the meat.

 A near transparent mist swirled ahead of him. As Hitori became enveloped by the mist, he gradually slowed his pace, and took a proper look around. "When did I get in here?" He asked himself with a surprised expression. Hitori's arm hairs stood like row of soldiers. "Nope!" Absorbed in his own cowardice, Hitori tried to leave, but found himself faced with nothing but mist, which had grown dark-grey and cloudy like smoke. "Where do I go?... I guess I have no choice. Hitori looked at his meal. He held his tears and threw the half eaten meat into the mist to test for drops. As the meat hit the ground, he moved toward it. Upon reaching the meat, he realized he had made it out of the mist... "What is this place?"

 A faint glow illuminated the bendy and dark-grey staircase before him. Hitori looked back. "Well that's not an option." Hitori cautiously made his way to the last step, but at the last step, the stairs vanished from beneath his feet as if it were an illusion. The flow of air died as all light ceased to exist within the room. Hitori unsheathed his weapon. Hitori's arms trembled unconsciously as he listened. A single drop of sweat trailed down his forehead. As it came in contact with the ground, the silence of the room was broken by footsteps, followed by low animalistic growls around him.

 The growls grew louder. Without his sight to back his attacks, he began to swing his sword wildly and roaring. "(If I make myself look bigger it might scare them enough for me to run, but where do I go?!)" A voice suddenly rang out from the darkness. "Get down!" Hitori dropped his body to the ground like a soldier taking orders from their superior. An all encompassing crimson flame manifested, and enlightened the room, revealing the creatures that surrounded Hitori... Hitori was caged in by eight bat-like monsters with long perked-up ears, and smooth hairless skin where their eyes were suppose to be.

 The humanoid, but hairless monsters coward when faced with the mighty light. White hair fluttered behind the flame. "Get behind me!" Though the flame was small it's light was concentrated enough to give Hitori space to run. The flame dissipated and the person run pass Hitori. "Follow me!" As Hitori ran behind, he glimpsed a light ahead. The rapid stomping hungry beast followed closely. As they reached the darkness's edge, the stomping lessened till there was no more.

 Upon approaching the light it became two incandescent crystal locked onto the warm off-white walls. Hitori slowed to a stop. "This is a safe point, right?!" "Not exactly... You shouldn't have come to this place." The person turned to Hitori. Her worried expression betrayed her cold and stoic tone, but her grey eyes were blank as if she had reached her mental limits. "Okay. Where the hell am I?" Hitori asked inquisitively with a frightened expression.

 "If you stumbled into this place. I'm sorry, but your life is over." she responded with a serious expression. "That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?" asked, nervousness coursing through his bones. "Not in the slightest" she replied, her tone serious. "Right now this place probably changed one-hundred times... In other word you're in the belly of the beast that is the Devil's Veins."