Max found himself in a narrow, dimly lit corridor.
The walls stretched high above him, textured with a grotesque blend of pulsating veins and cracked stone.
The floor beneath his feet felt cold, damp, and uneven, the kind of surface that made him unsure if he was stepping on solid ground or something alive.
He looked over his shoulder.
And felt his soul leave his body.
Max quite literally saw what he could only describe as a giant devil that staring at him with four pairs of bright red eyes.
The figure sat atop a regal throne of darkness, ensnared in vines that seemed to have some dark aura flowing through them. It had four sets of horns, arms, and bone wings that protruded from its back.
A sceptre with a gleaming crimson jewel writhing with shadow magic was in one of its arms.
A regal crown of shadow floated above its head. Max could glimpse seven irregularly shaped etches marked across its circumference. Max could tell they were slots meant to contain something, but he couldn't tell what exactly.
That figure had no expression, but as it narrowed its four eyes at Max, he could almost tell that it was smiling.
"So, you parade my realm in search of a fool's errand."
It's voice had layers that resonated with the deepest bass Max had ever heard.
"I'm quite impressed. I didn't expect someone so young to be the last survivor. What even makes you think you stand a chance? Your world was already doomed before you were even born."
Max stood, frozen in fear. He knew without a doubt, that this was Velda, the one who took everything from him. He swore revenge against him, but something about standing in the God's presence made Max want to bury himself six feet under.
"As much as I would love to watch you get yourself killed mortal - even though I admit that would be a spectacle - I sadly don't have time for much nonsense, especially in my world."
Velda spoke with an almost bored countenance.
"You heard me earlier. Playtime is in your realm, so if you really want to entertain, do so under the sun."
Velda waved one of his hands, and Max found himself back home, well, in front of it.
For the first time in a while, Max could see the sun, and could tell that he was back on Earth, except that everything was wrong.
His home, and everything in sight, seemed to decay from a dark blight. The sun was half-eclipsed, the sky was a dull grey, and everything as far as the eyes could see was quite simply destroyed.
The skies rumbled.
Leaves billowed about as a violent cyclone swept through the barren land that looked devoid of life, stripping the trees naked and whistling a horrific harmony.
Max stood at the centre of a cracked tarmac road, fissures decorating its surface. In the distance, a clock tower chimed, a faint monotonous—
Wait a minute.
Max turned towards the horizon. There really was a clocktower, stretching impossibly high to the sky.
Except this time, the clock tower was right in front of him. It stood ominously at the end of the dented road, looming high into a shadowy sky.
What was going on?
He had experienced this before, in his dreams. The exact same road, the dark atmosphere…
"Max, this is just a dream. Velda is trying to play tricks with you. Don't fall for them."
Thea's voice rang through at the back of his mind.
"Well, I guess I'll have to figure out where the fuck I am first."
"You are back in your realm, but not physically. This is your astral form Velda somehow managed to pull straight out of you. How could I be so stupid, I was meant to defend you against this type of thing."
"So it's your fault I'm here basically."
"That's not important for now. We have to find a way out soon, or I fear Velda's games will see the end of you, and if you die here, you die in real life."
Wow…
Max thought to himself. He had only been at Nitmera for not even up to a day and he couldn't even catch his breath.
He thought of the dreams he had earlier. It was the exact same place and feeling, except this seemed to be a continuation, like the new season of a long anticipated series.
Except the only anticipation he could feel was his death.
"Look sharp, Max"
Max glimpsed a swirling mass of shadow coalesce at a far corner, looking like it was building up to something.
When the shadows dissipated, Max knew for sure that Velda meant business.
A white ghostly figure stepped out, white, wistful strips wrapped around its form, like a mummified corpse. It's bloodshot eyes and razor sharp teeth looked as wicked as they came, and it's fingers ended in talons.
Max peered. The yellow flickering stats didn't appear as he expected. For some reason, he hadn't been able to use his power in this state. All he had was Thea's voice.
Great… all I get is a catalog of info.
The figure's head tilted unnaturally, twisting a full 360 degrees to examine its prey from a different angle.
"That's a blood wraith, an A-level Borna.", Thea exclaimed in fear.
"One touch from it would make you wither till nothing's left. Then it would trap your soul within its core in eternal agony"
Even before the blood wraith screamed at him, it's voice resonating with the screams of a thousand dying souls, Max knew he had no option than to run.
And run he did.
The blood wraith didn't run; it simply glided forward, devouring the space between them with every motionless step.
Max forced himself to run faster. The air began to feel tight, the floor crumbling beneath his feet.
His vision blurred, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop.
His heartbeat was deafening now, syncing with his footsteps as he thundered down the cracked road.
A solid wall blocked his path. There hadn't even been a wall there in the first place. Velda seemed to enjoy his short-lived game.
He clawed at it and pounded on it, but there was no escape.
The blood wraith reached him, its bony talons curling around his throat. Cold and suffocating.
Then he felt it. A sharp, agonizing feeling as his skin blackened where the creature touched . He was dying.
And it felt real.
Velda appeared behind the spectacle, but this time, in human size. His jeweled scepter in one arm, and the dark crown still above his head.
This close to him, Max could hear the cries of all the lost souls the blood wraith had killed. But of all the horrifying sounds, Velda's hearty laugh must have been the most terrifying.
"This is what happens when you even think about playing hero."
The poison began to spread its withering essence across his chest. Max could hear his skin crack and crumble. He had to do something.