Perry and Alaric cautiously approached the remains of the Molten Crawler. The blackened ground beneath it still emitted faint heat, and the air was thick with the acrid stench of charred debris. The creature's twisted remains were barely distinguishable, a grotesque jumble of warped metal and shattered stone strewn across the corridor. The scene was unsettling, an ominous reminder of the battle they had just survived.
Alaric held his dagger tightly, his eyes like a hawk's as they scanned every shadowy corner of the hall. His movements were precise, his sharp gaze lingering on the slightest signs of movement. Only after he was certain there was no lingering threat did he allow himself a measured exhale.
He reached out and patted Perry on the shoulder, his tone a mix of exhaustion and caution. "Looks like this thing is finally dealt with. But don't let your guard down. Who knows if there's something else lurking nearby."
Perry nodded, but he was not completely relieved. His eyes were fixed on the wreckage of Molten Crawler, and his intuition told him that something was wrong with it. Although it had been destroyed, it seemed that some unknown power still remained in it. He couldn't describe this feeling, as if some hidden danger was trying to wake up. He hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but take a few steps forward and lowered his head to carefully observe the details of the wreckage.
At that moment, the air suddenly cooled down, and a piercing coldness rushed from his wrist to his whole body. Before Perry could react, a vague black shadow suddenly grabbed his wrist. The force was extremely strong, as if it brought an irresistible sense of oppression, and instantly froze his whole body. He subconsciously tried to break free, but found that his hands were like frozen, unable to move at all, and even his muscles had lost their response.
Then, without warning, the air around him grew cold, unnaturally cold. A piercing chill shot through his arm, starting at his wrist and spreading like icy tendrils through his body. Perry gasped, startled, as an invisible force clamped down on his wrist with an unrelenting grip. The pressure was immense, suffocating, and paralyzing all at once.
His muscles locked in place as if frozen, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull his arm free. Panic surged through him, and his breathing quickened. He looked down, trying to make sense of what was happening, only to see a shadowy form taking shape before him.
It had no solid form, but its outline suggested a humanoid figure. Made of dense, swirling smoke, its edges writhed and twisted unnaturally, giving it an otherworldly appearance. The oppressive cold emanating from the figure was suffocating, seeping into Perry's very bones.
His heart pounded as realization dawned. He recognized this presence. This was the shadow that had been haunting him, watching him from last night. But why had it chosen this moment to reveal itself? And why was it attacking him now?
"Henry? What's wrong?" Alaric's voice cut through his haze of panic like a lifeline. Perry turned his head slightly, catching sight of Alaric approaching him with concern etched across his face. Alaric's dagger was lowered, forgotten for the moment as he took in Perry's pale complexion and tense posture. "You're shaking. What's happening?"
Perry's voice was strained, his words barely escaping his throat. "My hand… something's grabbing me…"
Alaric's brow furrowed. He stepped closer, his sharp eyes darting to Perry's wrist, but his expression quickly shifted to confusion. "Grabbing you? Henry, there's nothing there."
"You don't see it?" Perry's voice rose, his wide eyes darting between Alaric and the shadow still holding him captive. He could feel it, its cold, unyielding grip and the faint malevolence radiating from it. "It's right there!"
Alaric crouched slightly, his gaze scanning the space around Perry's arm with growing concern. "I don't see anything. Are you sure you're not imagining it?"
"I'm not crazy!" Perry suddenly raised his head and interrupted Alaric. His eyes were full of struggle and fear, as if he was fighting against some invisible force. His voice was low and hoarse: "It's here, I know it exists..."
Alaric's expression became more serious, and he reached out to touch Perry's wrist, with a little tentative and hesitant movement. However, his hand went straight through the black shadow described by Perry and touched nothing, as if the black shadow was just an illusion. He frowned and looked at Perry with both worry and doubt. "Look, there's nothing. This may be a problem with your mental state. We will go to the academy's therapist to confirm it later."
"Impossible! It's here!" Perry's voice suddenly rose, mixed with anger and fear. He stared at the black shadow, as if confronting it. There was no wavering in his eyes, because the cold and powerful force was clearly real. Even if Alaric couldn't see it, he could clearly feel that the sense of oppression was eroding his will inch by inch. He clenched his fists, trying to suppress his fear, but the discomfort all over his body made it almost impossible for him to stay calm.
"Calm down, Henry!" Seeing this, Alaric reached out and pressed his shoulders, shaking him hard, trying to get him out of this state. "Maybe you really need to take a break. Don't forget that you said you lost your memory. The stress during this period may have caused you to hallucinate, which is common."
"It's not pressure!" Perry almost gnashed his teeth and shouted. He shook his head violently, his eyes showing a stubborn light. "This shadow... I don't know what it is, but it is absolutely real. It's here, and it doesn't seem to want me to get close to the wreckage."
Alaric heard this and glanced at the charred wreckage on the ground again. His expression changed slightly, but he still tried to stay calm. "If there is really danger, we should stay away from it. "
[Perry, this situation is too weird,] the system's voice sounded in Perry's mind, with a rare hesitation and caution. [The shadow can interfere with your movements, but there is no energy fluctuation, which is completely out of common sense. Moreover, in that wreckage...]
"What is it?" Perry asked in a low voice, his doubts and uneasiness in his heart became stronger. He couldn't help struggling again, trying to break free from the cold power. However, at this moment, the shadow suddenly let go of his wrist. He thought this was a turning point, but a more ominous feeling instantly enveloped him.
[Perry, something is wrong in the wreckage..., abnormality detected...] The system's voice suddenly stopped, as if it was forcibly cut off by something. Perry's heart was shocked, and he immediately called the system in his mind, but he didn't get any response. The familiar connection disappeared in an instant, as if it was isolated by some invisible barrier.
"System?! System!" Perry's heart was filled with panic. He kept calling in his heart but got no response, which made him feel isolated and helpless. He looked at the black shadow again, but saw that it began to slowly wriggle, emitting a disturbing breath like a living thing.
The shadow showed no sign of letting go, but seemed to be approaching Perry's heart. He could clearly feel the cold thoughts it conveyed, not words, but a shuddering intuition, as if it was eroding his consciousness. His chest began to feel stuffy, and cold sweat slid down his forehead.
Suddenly, the shadow expanded, spreading out like an invisible tide and engulfing Perry completely. A bone-chilling cold seeped into his skin, penetrating his very bones and nerves, as if countless icy needles were stabbing into him all at once. He tried to fight back, to move, but his body was entirely immobilized. His limbs felt bound by unyielding chains, and even his breathing became labored, as though the air itself had turned into a suffocating weight.
"Alaric! Help me!" Perry forced out the words, his voice hoarse and broken. He could feel the shadow's power seeping into his body, as if it were draining his life force or tearing apart his very consciousness.
"Herry!" Alaric's eyes were full of anxiety and helplessness. He began to believe that something was holding Perry. He waved his dagger to try to dispel the "shadow" in the air, and shouted to try to call Perry's attention. However, his dagger just passed through the empty space in vain and touched nothing. He gritted his teeth and roared: "Damn it! I can't even see it!"
The shadow's grip tightened, and Perry's consciousness began to blur. His vision became hazy, as though shrouded by a thick black mist. The shadow's will transformed into an invisible cage, threatening to consume him entirely. In this life-or-death moment, a surge of defiance rose within Perry. He let out a sudden roar, pushing back with all his might against the overwhelming force. Yet his cry seemed to vanish into the void, leaving no trace.
His vision continued to fade, and though he could still hear Alaric's voice, it felt distant, muffled as if filtered through a heavy veil of water. His chest felt crushed beneath an enormous weight, his breaths growing faint and labored. He wanted to speak, to call out, but his throat refused to make a sound.
"Henry, hang on!" Alaric shouted, panic flashing across his face as he saw the color draining from Perry's skin. He knew there was no time to waste. Clenching his jaw, he made a swift decision. "I won't just stand here and watch you die, I'll get help. Hold on!"
Without hesitation, Alaric raised his hand and chanted a string of incantations. The air around them shifted violently, and a brilliant white light erupted beneath their feet, forming an intricate magic circle. The glowing lines pulsed with erratic energy, reflecting the instability of Alaric's emotions. But he didn't falter. Pouring his will into the spell, he activated the teleportation circle, pulling them both away from the scene.
In the split second before they were transported, Perry felt his body being torn apart. The shadow clung to him even tighter, its oppressive force crushing him until his mind was left blank. His vision dimmed into darkness, and even Alaric's desperate shouts faded into a distant hum.
"Henry! Stay with me! Do you hear me?" Alaric's voice trembled, betraying his fear and desperation. He was completely out of his depth, but the sight of Perry's pale face filled him with dread.
But Perry's consciousness had already slipped into the abyss. The darkness surged over him like a tidal wave, drowning all his senses. Unable to fight any longer, he finally succumbed and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Alaric stood frozen for a moment, his gaze fixed on Perry's limp form and the ominous shadow still lingering nearby. A heavy weight settled in his chest as he exhaled shakily. Gathering his resolve, he bent down and picked up Perry, glancing around to assess their new surroundings after the teleportation.
Determined, he muttered to himself, "I have to find help, whether it's a healer or one of the academy's mentors, someone must know what to do. I won't let this go any further."
Without wasting another second, Alaric tightened his grip on Perry and set off, his mind racing with plans for their next move.
In the darkness, Perry felt as if his body was torn apart, and the shadow seemed to be more closely attached to him, and the oppression made him unable to move.
Perry felt as if his body was torn apart by countless sharp blades, and the pain penetrated deep into his bones, almost tearing his entire consciousness into pieces. He tried to shout, but his voice was suppressed in his throat, and he could not make any sound. The shadows were wrapped around his limbs and torso like countless hands. The oppression was not only a restraint on his body, but also an erosion of his mind. It was cold and sticky, like an endless deep sea, ruthlessly devouring his remaining strength and reason.
His vision began to blur, and the world in front of him was gradually swallowed by the dark shadow. There was a dead silence all around, and he could not even hear his own heartbeat, leaving only the faint whispers in his ears. Those whispers were as ethereal as the wind in his ears at first, but soon became clear, with a strange eagerness and hunger, as if coming from a distant abyss, and as if exploding directly in his mind.
"Hungry...hungry...I'm so hungry..." The voice repeated over and over again, with a chilling obsession. Perry tried to cover his ears, but found that he couldn't lift his arms at all. He could only let the voices erode his thoughts layer by layer.
"Help me...help me..." The voice gradually took on a pleading tone, shrill and desperate, as if it came from a soul on the verge of collapse, shouting helplessly. The voice hovered in the depths of Perry's mind, tearing at his consciousness. It was restless, like a hungry beast, constantly making low whimpers, and a strong desire was revealed in the suppression.
Perry could feel that this hunger was a demand for food and a desire to devour his existence. He began to feel that he couldn't tell the source of the voice. Was it that strange shadow asking him for help? This blurred boundary made him more and more uneasy.
As the voice eroded, his mind became blank, and his thoughts seemed to be pulled out of his body by an invisible hand, becoming lighter and more illusory. His senses seemed to have lost their function, and the darkness around him was no longer a simple color, but gradually turned into an oppressive existence, shrouding him. He vaguely felt that he was being dragged into a deeper space of consciousness by some invisible force.
At this moment, an image suddenly appeared in the darkness. At first it was just a vague outline, but gradually became clearer. He saw that he was in a huge cave. The walls of the cave were uneven, covered with slippery moss and tangled vines. These plants emitted a faint fluorescence, outlining a gloomy and strange outline of the cave. In the center of the cave, a huge waterfall poured down from a height, and the water seemed to tear the air apart, making a deafening roar.
His eyes were subconsciously attracted by the waterfall, and he looked down along the water. On the rock under the waterfall, there was a vague figure fixed there. As the line of sight gradually focused, the figure became clearer. It was a person - a person who was firmly tied to a boulder by an iron chain. The iron chain was thick and covered with strange runes, emitting a dim light, as if absorbing some power.
The man's appearance was unbearable to look at. His long black hair was scattered in a mess, covering most of his face, revealing only a small part of his face, and it was impossible to tell his age. His clothes were already tattered, with only some pieces of cloth hanging on his body, and the exposed skin was pale as if it had lost its blood color, and even exuded a creepy coldness.
"Save me..." The low voice sounded again, this time it seemed more urgent and closer, as if it had penetrated the space directly and rang in Perry's ears. The voice carried an irresistible power, as if it was calling directly to his soul.
Perry's breathing suddenly quickened, his body froze in place, and he wanted to look away but found that he couldn't do it at all. He could only stare at the figure blankly, and a strange throbbing rose in his heart. The pain and despair emanating from the man grabbed his heart like an invisible tentacle, making him feel suffocated.
The man seemed to sense Perry's presence and slowly raised his head. As his long hair fell, part of his face was revealed, but it was blurry, as if shrouded in a layer of fog, making it impossible to see clearly. However, his eyes were extremely clear, a pair of creepy eyes, revealing a bottomless darkness.
"I'm so hungry... Help..." The voice became more and more shrill, mixed with fear and anger, directly attacking Perry's reason. A thought unconsciously emerged in his mind: Who is this person? Why was he imprisoned in such a place?