Out of the broken moon, which was now a gaping maw of darkness, stretched an immense arm of a figure. The limb was a twisted amalgamation of shadow and bone, the fingers long and tipped with talons that gleamed in the flickering light of the dying city. The arm reached down, down, until it was mere feet away from where Aldwyn and Master Sewell stood, frozen in awe and horror.
The hand itself was monstrous, large enough to crush the entirety of Helgarde in its grasp. Each digit ended in a pointed, blackened claw that looked as if it could rend the very air. It hovered there, a silent promise of doom, the crimson liquid dripping from its skeletal knuckles like the blood of the damned.
The hand's fingers flexed, the sound echoing through the city like the toll of a funeral bell. The air grew colder, the very shadows around them seeming to coil and writhe in anticipation of the creature's next move.
As the hand hovered above them, a head emerged from the swirling darkness of the moon's gaping maw. It was a grotesque amalgamation of flesh and shadow, with a mouth sewn shut in a silent scream and a single, vertical eye that took up the entire upper half of its face. The eye remained closed, as if the creature was savoring the moment before it unleashed its full wrath upon them.
Every single person who was still alive looked on in fear and horror, unable to tear their gazes away from the monstrous spectacle unfolding before them. The crimson tide lapped at their feet, whispering secrets of ancient evils long forgotten. The very air seemed to thicken with dread, making it hard to breathe.
Then, as if in a nightmare, the creature's vertical eye cracked open, revealing an almost transparent orb that was eerily reminiscent of a blind man's gaze. The pupil, a tiny speck of blackness, swiveled and focused on Aldwyn and Master Sewell, as if searching for something. The silence was so profound that even the screams of the dying city were muted under its weight.
With a muffled scream that seemed to come from the very depths of the crimson liquid, the streets of Helgarde began to writhe. The viscous substance that had pooled around them rose up in waves, as if the very essence of fear had taken on a liquid form. The buildings groaned and shuddered as the energy surged through the city, coalescing around the creature's outstretched hand.
The eye of the creature in the moon opened wider, the vertical pupil dilating like a black void reaching out to claim them. The ripples grew into waves that crashed against the monstrous hand, the red liquid climbing up its skeletal fingers like a living tide, drawn by an unseen force. The hand began to tremble, the shadowy flesh stretching and distorting as if it could not contain the power it had been granted.
The liquid shot into the sky, spiraling upwards like a tornado of blood, and as it reached the eye, it was absorbed into the creature's essence. The eye pulsed with the energy, the crimson light flickering as the creature fed.
When everything was absorbed, the creature's eye closed briefly, as if savoring the power it had claimed. Then, with a jolt, it reopened, the pupil now a pitch black void surrounded by a sea of scarlet fury. The malice in that gaze was palpable, a tangible force that seemed to suffocate the very soul of the city. The creature's hand clenched into a fist, the shadows around it stretching and pulsing with the stolen power of the Crimson Moon.
With a sudden, violent motion, the creature ripped the stitches from its mouth, revealing a gaping maw lined with teeth like shards of midnight. The act was not one of pain, but of a creature reveling in its own monstrous form. The streets of Helgarde quivered in response, as if the very earth itself felt the horror of the creature's unleashed wrath.
The creature surveyed the city once more, its single, unblinking eye scanning the carnage below with a hunger that was both terrifying and mesmerizing.
It let out a hideous and shrill scream, the sound a cacophony of a thousand tortured souls. The scream pierced the night air, resonating through the very bones of Helgarde, and shattering the last vestiges of hope that still clung to the hearts of its people. The buildings trembled, the very earth beneath them seeming to quiver in fear.
Master Sewell doubled over, his broken sword clattering to the ground. His eyes widened, and blood spurted from his mouth, staining his once pristine vestments. The scream was like a physical blow to his very being, echoing through his soul and leaving him gasping for breath.
Aldwyn staggered back, dropping his revolver. His silver eyes searched the sky in disbelief as he felt his insides twist with agony. The sound was a knife in his very core, ripping through the barriers that had held his pain at bay. His knees buckled, and he followed his mentor to the ground, blood spilling from his own mouth as well.
Virgil clutched his head, the scream of the creature piercing his very being like a thousand needles. His knees buckled and he collapsed, the pain unlike anything he had ever experienced. He had felt the rage of the Hollow before, but this was different—this was a hunger that transcended the mere need to destroy. It was the hunger of a being that craved the very essence of life itself.
Enigma, watching the horror unfold from a rooftop, felt a sharp pain rip through his chest as if the creature's scream had reached into his very soul. He clutched his heart, his eyes squeezed shut as the crimson liquid spurted from his mouth. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt before—it was as if the very fabric of his being was being torn apart.
On the streets below, Vidan watched the unfolding apocalypse with a mix of horror and fascination. He too felt the creature's scream resonate through his very core, the pain unlike anything he had ever experienced. His hand flew to his mouth as blood spurted forth, mingling with the foul liquid that now coated his teeth and tongue.
The Lycans around him were not so lucky. Their connection to the moon, the very essence of their being, was being torn apart by the creature's shriek. They fell like leaves in a storm, their bodies convulsing, fur receding and bones snapping as their forms were contorted by an unseen force. Their cries of anguish were lost in the monstrous symphony that filled the night.
When the creature fell silent, she surveyed the city again, her eye a maelstrom of power and malice. Her gaze swept over the devastation, lingering on the pockets of survivors huddled together in pain. Her hunger had not been sated; it had only just begun.