Edward.
His name echoed in my mind, sharp and unrelenting. And that eye… it lingered, vast and consuming, a memory that refused to fade. Then, another fragment surfaced, a poem etched deep into my subconscious.
When the sky is torn asunder,
And shadows stretch with growing thunder,
The Eye of Devour peers below,
Bringing forth eternal woe.
Beware the gaze that sees your soul,
For no mercy will it know.
Its hunger vast, its darkness deep,
In its stare, your end shall creep.
Turn away, do not defy,
For beneath its watch, all must die.
A fate far worse than death awaits,
Where hope is lost and time abates.
When the heavens break and tremble,
And the world begins to crumble,
Seek no answers in the skies-
The Eye devours, and never lies.
The words rang in my skull, haunting and relentless. My head pounded as if the very act of remembering carried a price. A sharp, searing ache bloomed behind my eyes, spreading like wildfire.
I grabbed my head, fingers digging into my scalp as if I could claw the pain away. It felt like nails being driven into my skull, each pulse of agony worse than the last. My vision blurred, the edges darkening with each surge.
What the hell was that?
The poem—or was it a prophecy…
Did I know something would be happening to me….
The words echoed in my mind, dragging with them a creeping sense of dread. The Eye. I had seen it, gazing down from that tear in the sky, its unblinking stare full of malice.
I gasped, my breath ragged, my hands still gripping my head as the pain intensified. I felt like my skull was going to split open.
The questions churned, each one pounding against the inside of my skull, intensifying the pressure. My breath came in short, ragged gasps as I clutched my head, the pain reaching a blinding crescendo.
Then it came—cold and soothing, like ice against fire.
The chill spread from my earring, wrapping around my mind and pushing back the agony. My breathing steadied, the pain ebbing away as clarity swept over me. I exhaled, trembling as the relentless pressure finally lifted, leaving behind only a dull ache.
I could think again. The fog that clung to my mind lifted just enough for more fragments of memory to surface.
Flashes of her. My mother.
Then the name Pairah echoed, heavy with meaning, though the details slipped away like smoke through my fingers. The more I reached for them, the more elusive they became.
But then, another memory surfaced. My mother's voice, sharp with frustration, cutting through the haze.
"You should never have accepted it, Alexis. This… gift will cost you more than you realize."
Her voice was firm, tinged with anger and fear. I saw her standing over me, her expression a storm of frustration and worry. Her hands were clenched at her sides, trembling. But the memory blurred at the edges, and I couldn't hold onto it.
What had I accepted? What gift worried her so much?
The earring.
My fingers brushed against the cold metal of the dragon-shaped earring, tracing its intricate curves. Was this it? The "gift" she had warned me about? It felt insignificant, far too small to carry the weight of her fear. Yet the chill it emanated, the way it seemed to connect to my memories… it couldn't be a coincidence.
Leaning back against the cold stone wall, I closed my eyes. The faint green glow of the cave's moss played against my closed lids, the silence pressing down on me like a heavy blanket.
I ..I.. I need answers….
The thought cut through me like a blade, sharp and clear.
What had happened to me? To my family? To Edward? And what was this… thing that had been done to me?
The names came to me again, weighted and familiar. Mom. Aunt Nora. Alice. Each one a tether to something I couldn't yet see but desperately needed to understand.
And one thing was certain: I needed to get stronger.
Strong enough to stand beside my mother.
I may have forgotten nearly everything, but this - this I knew for certain. My mother was the strongest being on earth. She was powerful, far beyond what anyone else could dream of.
And I? I had been weak. Weak enough to watch the people I cared about die.
That thought burned, sharp and bitter, fueling the ember of determination flickering within me.
I have to grow stronger. Strong enough to not give a fuck about anything.
The thought burned in my mind. The flashes of Edward's death, of the Eye, of the monsters were all tangled up in that weakness.
Not anymore.
I pushed myself to my feet, every muscle in my body screaming in protest. My legs trembled beneath me, barely able to hold my weight. The cave spun for a moment, the jagged walls shifting like liquid, but I steadied myself, pressing a hand against the rough stone for support.
Pathetic.
I sneered at my own frailty, my breath coming in slow, measured bursts. My body may have been weak, but my mind wasn't. Not anymore.
Focus, Lexi. What would Mom say if she saw you like this?
Another deep breath. The cave was silent except for the faint drip of water echoing somewhere in the distance. After what felt like an eternity, I managed to stay upright without leaning on the wall. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.
I began stretching, rolling my shoulders and neck, ignoring the sharp cracks and aches that rippled through my body. Each motion felt like waking up muscles that had been dormant for years. Painful, but necessary.
Then came the warm-up. Slow, deliberate movements at first—light steps, squats, anything to get my blood flowing. My legs burned, the soreness unrelenting, but I kept going.
One, two, three… I lost count somewhere after twenty jumping jacks. By the end, my breathing was ragged, but the trembling had eased. It felt strange, familiar, but distant, like a forgotten habit surfacing from the depths of my mind.
Leaning against the wall again, I chuckled to myself.
What would my gym buddies say if they saw me now? Taking this long just to warm up…
The faint glow of moss guided me as I began to explore the cave. My steps were cautious, deliberate, the jagged stones digging into my bare feet. The cavern wasn't large, but its distorted shadows made it feel like a labyrinth. I found a narrow passage in the far wall—the only apparent way in or out.
A single passage? No other way… how the hell did I even end up here?
The thought gnawed at me as I scanned the walls for another exit. There was none. Someone—or something—had brought me here. Teleportation? Some kind of ability I didn't understand?
I sighed, a mix of frustration and confusion. It didn't make sense. But standing around wouldn't help, so I continued walking, circling the cave.
It was disorienting, the way the glowing moss cast everything in that sickly green hue, and before I knew it, I found myself back where I started, the monster's corpse.
I grimaced, the stench of decay hitting me all over again. The sight of it, too. A disgusting, mangled thing, its body twisted and bloated in death. My stomach churned, and for a moment, I thought about just turning away, leaving it to rot.
Aunt Nora's voice echoed in my mind, calm and firm.
"Always analyze them, Lexi. A post-mortem is your best opportunity to identify their vulnerabilities. Examine their skeletal structure, and observe how their body fails. Understanding this will make you more efficient in future encounters."
"Even if that may be disgusting work and you may even stink but it may help you to survive"
I sighed, kneeling beside the corpse despite my revulsion. As much as I hated touching it, her advice made sense. I had to learn—anything that could help me survive.
Reaching up, I grabbed a handful of the glowing moss and lichen clinging to the walls, pulling it free. It still glowed in my hands, the same faint, greenish light. Good. I gathered a bit more, shaping it into a ball, the dim light giving me just enough visibility to properly inspect the monster.
The thing was massive. Around six or seven feet in length, bulky, with broad shoulders and thick limbs. I hovered my moss-light over it, revealing its full, grotesque form. It was an ugly monster that for sure. Rotting flesh clung to its body in patches not sure if that's natural. Parts of its skin looked burned, charred in some places, while others were cracked and festering.
I shook my head, trying to push the lingering nausea aside. I needed to focus.
Ignoring the stench, I traced my hand along the corpse's shoulder, feeling the leathery surface beneath my fingertips. It was firm, almost unnaturally so. Out of curiosity, I knocked my knuckles against it, expecting some give, but the skin didn't yield at all.
Damn. This thing's hide is tough, almost like armor only natural of course.
I moved my hands toward its limbs, and that's when I noticed something that made me pause. Extending from its elbows were long, dirty white blades bone-like, roughly 30 to 40 inches in length, curving slightly at the tip. I leaned in closer, running my index finger very lightly along the edge. Almost instantly, I felt a sharp sting as the blade sliced through the surface of my skin.
I jerked my hand back. Damn it is sharp.ahghh...
I inspected the blade again. Both of the creature's elbow joints had these weapons embedded in them. Taking a deep breath, I reached out and grabbed one of the blades, trying to pull it free.
It didn't budge.
Figured.
Frustrated, I turned to the other elbow and noticed that the joint there was barely hanging together. Flesh and sinew dangled loosely, and with some effort, I managed to pull the entire right elbow free. The blade came out with a sickening squish, the flesh giving way in my hand.
uegh….aeuk
I exhaled and moved to the other side, gripping the second blade firmly before chopping it clean from the rest of the corpse.
I inspected the cleaner bone blade, turning it over in my hands. It was a little shorter than a longsword, but it would have to do. I hefted it, testing its weight, then gave it a few swings through the air. The balance was off.
Sighing, I muttered to myself, "These need work. The weight's horribly distributed… no pommel to counterbalance, and the grip's nonexistent."
Still, the blade's sharpness was impressive, dangerous even.
I shifted into a stabbing stance, the familiar motion coming back to me as muscle memory took over. With a quick thrust, I drove the tip of the blade into the monster's corpse. It pierced the leathery hide with surprising ease, sinking in deeper than I had expected.
"Yeah… with a few adjustments, I could make a decent weapon out of you," I murmured, pulling the blade free and staring at it with a strange sense of appreciation. There was potential here.
Satisfied for now, I moved to the second bone blade, cleaning off the remaining flesh stuck to it. Once both blades were set aside, I turned my attention back to the corpse. Kneeling down, I examined its face more closely. It had an elongated, almost reptilian shape, with slitted pupils that gave it a predatory look. Its maw, though, that was something else.
The mouth was full of teeth. Too many teeth. They jutted out at odd angles, sharp and twisted, mutation and it had gone horribly wrong. I grimaced, feeling a deep unease as I stared at the unnatural formation.
"This thing's a walking nightmare," I muttered.
I grabbed the creature's side, bracing myself as I attempted to flip it over onto its back. The damn thing was heavy, far heavier than it looked. It took all my strength just to move it a few inches, my muscles straining under the weight. Finally, with a grunt, I managed to roll it onto its back, the impact of its body hitting the ground echoing through the cave.
This thing weighs a damn ton.