WRANING: Intense Violence
Drip. Drip. Drip. Water continuously fell on Adriel's head as he laid asleep on top of his bunk bed he shared with his brother.
His straight black hair was drenched from the humidity of the old cabin. The old cabin's were the refuge for many of the new knights attending training camp.
The cabin's were small one bedroom houses made of old wood.
Mold and leaks weren't uncommon in these ancient buildings, being around several hundred years old. Adriel began to slowly grow more agitated; trying his hardest to keep his eyes closed.
Drip. Drip. Drip. The water continued to fall on him as his patience reached his peak.
"Fucking shit ass place!" He yelled loudly as he stood up from the bed, "I can't believe this is where the hell they are putting us in training are you serious?" He stormed off the bed, his yelling awakening his brother as Adriel opened a window to provide them light.
He pulled the shutters forcefully causing the rotting wood to snap and break off the hinges as Adriel groaned in frustration.
His brother rubbed his eyes as he began to wake up from Adriel's unnecessary tantrum. The boy's wolf ears twitched on top of his short wavy hair.
The sheets slid off as his wolf tail lifted up; revealing the soft fluffy black fur as it swished in the air.
"Hey Adriel you gotta calm down it's too early for this," He yawned, his tan skin and bright blue eyes glimmering from the sunlight pouring out of the now broken window.
He stood up and stretched his slim lean body; his muscles flexing.
He put on a shirt to cover his upper half and walked over to his brother as Adriel turned to look at him. He stood taller than his human brother.
Being a beastman, He was naturally taller and bulkier than his brother.
He stared directly into Adriel's dark grey eyes. He looked at his round face and down to his slim bulky body. He sighed and walked away, "Put a shirt on, will ya?"
Adriel glared at him and quickly put on his shirt, "I'm so glad today is the last day of this shit Lykos. We're finally about to be full fledged knights! Ha! After all this time we're finally in! No more of this crappy place! We will finally bring honor to our family Lykos. Isn't this great?"
Adriel grabed him by his shoulder smiling.
He was ecstatic at the thought of going back home with one of the highest badges of honor anyone could get in his kingdom of Fringhelm.
Being a knight wasn't an ordinary military position, it was a gateway to being a hero.
Any knight has the potential to rise to be the strongest and protect the people they cherish from all monsters and enemies who dare disturb the peace of the land.
But there was one more thing only a knight could do. A dévourer who obtained the position of knight was now legally able to consume the heart of holders.
Ever since the civil war in Fringhelm, caused by the many dévourer's who illegally consumed holders' hearts by murdering them, the kingdom has been somewhat desolate with dévourers.
Having a child who came out as a dévourer was more rare as the gene had become recessive compared to the one of the holders in the kingdom.
Adriel was one of the dévourers of his generation.
There were even few dévourer's who joined the military, and even fewer who became knights. In his regiment there were only 4 total dévourer's, including him, who managed to pass the training camp to become knights.
Adriel and Lykos both changed into their trousers and tunics.
They both put on their dark blue mantle that had the crest of Fiducia etched on the fabric.
The crest had the design of two lions side by side with ferns surrounding the other edges of the crest. On the bottom the words virtus adiuvat infirma were inscribed; meaning power favors the weak.
It was created by the first lord of the Fiducia family for them to always remember their origins from the lower class.
Adriel began to walk towards the carriage that waited for them outside. Lykos closely followed adjusting his trousers for his wolf tail to fit comfortably.
Adriel began to climb before a loud yelling came from his right side as he turned his head startled.
"Adriel! Lykos!" said an elven girl loudly waving them down as she ran, "Hey you guys! You mind if I bum a ride?"
Adriel looked at her and sighed; annoyed by her presence. "Yeah sure Dania. Just hurry up and get on. I don't want to be in this forest any longer than I have to."
Lykos smiled at Dania, his wolf tail wagging as he waited for her to approach them.
"Hey Dania. Glad you're coming with us to finally graduate from training camp. We all put a lot of effort into this huh?" Lykos said as he helped Dania up the carriage, feeling her soft skin in his hand.
He looked into her bright yellow eyes that glowed in the morning sun, her long silky blonde hair glistened and waved in the morning air, the light green tips of her hair contrasting her golden locks, her pointy elven ears peeked out of the sides of her hair. Lykos looked at her soft peachy face in awe trying not to stare too much.
A small blush appeared on Dania's face as she noticed Lykos obsessive stare. She decided to ignore it so as to not embarrass him.
She wore the same uniform as them with a tunic and trousers, except her mantle was light green and contained the crest of the Sylvem family.
The crest was composed of two trees on either side of the crest with an arrow and sword crossed in the center. The trimmings of the crest were made of golden silk and on the bottom it said, memento nostri nativitatis, a phrase the elves said before The Battle of The Split Realm; the name they gave the battle of Vileant and Beudel.
The Sylvem family roots go all the way back to the first few elves in existence to help the holders against the dévourers, and they carry their ancient name with pride.
The carriage began to move and they all sat in silence.
Dania began to feel a little awkward watching both Adriel and Lykos look off at the distance and she cleared her throat, "So… uh Lykos you hear they are rebuilding Zoion? It's been so many years since the attack by Reint. You think you'll go back to your home Lykos? Maybe just to visit you know?"
She looked at him earnestly with genuine curiosity of his feelings about his old home.
Lykos village had been attacked by a neighboring kingdom.
By the time the knights arrived it was too late; his home was destroyed.
His parents had been killed by the attackers as he was forced to watch his mother and father beheaded before his very eyes.
Lykos had been found by Adriel's father, a knight named Eythra Fiducia, and found Lykos drenched in the blood of his own family.
Eythra took him, once they assessed the damage, and brought him to his wife. They both agreed to take care of him, and found it perfect that Lykos was of the same age as Adriel.
It had taken some time, but eventually Lykos and Adriel formed a very close bond.
Lykos shaked his head as he spoke, "There is no reason for me to go back. That is no longer my home." Dania looked at him confused, but decided to not pry any further on his private life.
Adriel turned to them after staring for almost an hour at the grass they passed, "When we reach the royal capital I'd like to thank your father Dania. I never gave him the appreciation he deserved for helping Lykos and I hone our combat abilities."
Dania shook her head smiling, "No need, he already knows. We'd just be wasting our time."
Adriel shrugged, "Just saying it would be nice. Anyways, what are you gonna be up to? Once we become official knights we will need to make a team or find one. Me and Lykos are gonna be together, what about you Dania?"
Lykos interjected before Dania could speak, his wolf tail wagging in a blur, "Hey Dania why don't you join us? I mean we don't mind!" He smiles at her excited about his own offer.
His piercing light blue eyes looked directly at her. Dania looked over at Adriel who had a look of annoyance at his brother's offer, but didn't really seem to mind.
She looked back at Lykos and nodded, "Yeah sure I guess we could do that."
Lykos grinned, "That's great! Isn't it brother? Now we only need one more for an actual knight squad!"
Adriel glared at him, his grey eyes piercing into his soul as his annoyed look became one of agitation, "Yeah Lykos, but how about for the next one you let me pick huh?" He looked at Dania. His face flushed with embarrassment of his outburst, "N- not like I don't want you or anything Dania! It's just you know he cut me off and that was kind of rude…"
He looked at her wearingly, feeling guilty of his possibly insensitive words.
Dania gave him an odd look, but said nothing as she looked to the side.
From the distance she could make out a massive castle with walls surrounding the exterior of the building.
She looked back at them, "Looks like maybe an hour more and we'll be there. I'm kind of hungry, you guys wanna maybe head down to the market first? Or go straight to the ceremony?"
Lykos looked at his brother and then back at her, "We're running thin on time I don't think it's a good idea." His wolf ears droop saddened by having to reject her offer.
"Yeah, what Lykos said, we need to run straight to the castle's courtyard once we reach the gate. We can grab something to eat after the fact." Adriel said, leaning forward resting his hand on his chin. "We also gotta figure out who the hell the other one on our squad will be. If we don't get four we will all be forced to fill spaces for other squads. I don't know about you guys, but I rather not deal with the other knights."
"Oh come on Adriel, they aren't all so bad. I mean yeah sure some of them smell… and are kinda crazy, but that's about it," Lykos said, not wanting to be rude to his fellow knights, "And besides we will likely find two stragglers who haven't found a team yet. I'll find some good people, Adriel, I promise."
The carriage came to a sudden halt as the driver turned to them, "Alright here we are." he said, giving them a small nod.
Adriel, Lykos, and Dania got out of the carriage taking in the towering walls that surrounded the capital of their kingdom.
They were all from noble blood, but never were able to see the capital till now.
They were in awe.
The massive stone walls covered in scratches, each telling its own story of hardship this kingdom had to face to become one of the four powers of the world.
The kingdom of Frighelm rained supreme for their excellency for battle. Fringhelm has the strongest army of the four kingdoms. Although powerful in military strength, they lack much resources needed for their survival.
They turned to another world power, the kingdom of Beudel, known for their abundant agriculture and natural resources.
Frighelm shares their arms with the kingdom of Beudel, and in turn they share their resources with Fringhelm.
"Who goes there?" Yelled a loud voice from above the walls as they leaned down to look at the trio. "State your business for coming to the capital. If it is for your residence you should begin going to the back gate."
The three look up to see the guard looking down at them.
"My name is Adriel Fiducia, son of Eythra," he gestures over to Lykos and Dania, "These here are Lykos, my brother, and Dania, daughter of Irnyl of the Sylvem family."
The guard became confused looking between Adriel and Lykos, "Brother? You're telling me a beastman is your brother when you are human?"
He clears his throat; feeling bad for his inappropriate comment regarding their family.
He knew well of the Fiducia and knew better to question the family, "Well either way your family dynamic is not of concern to me. Sorry for my discourteous remark. Please state your business."
Adriel awkwardly nodded, "Uh we are here for the graduation ceremony. The three of us are becoming knights."
The guard gave them a quick nod before he began to open the gate. As the gate opened, they were greeted by a bubbling market.
Humans, beastmen, and elves alike shopping and selling fruits and vegetables. There were bakeries filling the air with a fresh aroma of hot bread.
From the distance they could view the massive castle that loomed over the markets and small towns that littered its outskirts.
Adriel, Lykos, and Dania walked down the streets as many vendors approached them asking them to buy their small trinkets and food.
Lykos couldn't help but be tempted by a young man selling cherry pie as he strayed off from the group and got in line at the bakery.
Adriel and Dania kept walking unaware of their friend's separation from them; the roads were too crowded for them to keep track of each other.
Adriel grabbed onto Dania's shoulder, "hey where the hell is Lykos?" He looked at her confused, his face with a hint of worry.
Dania looked at him, her eyebrow raised, "I thought he was with you?" she rubbed her temple annoyed, "Shit! This place is huge. Why of all times did he have to stray off now?"
She looked up at the sun as it was reaching its highest peak, "we need to be there by noon, we need to find him no-"
She was interrupted by someone grabbing her arm as she quickly turned, swinging her fist at whoever grabbed her.
With a loud thud Lykos fell holding his nose, his slice of pie on the floor.
He held his nose tight as blood began to drip out of his hand, "Ah crap! Dammit that hurt!" Lykos looked at her, his eyes filled with fury, but also a hint of betrayal as he stood up; continuing to pinch his nose to stop the bleeding. His wolf ears drooped down and his wolf tail went between his legs.
"I'm so sorry Lykos!" She said as she quickly went to check on him as Adriel laughed behind her. She noticed his bloody nose but was unsure of what to do, "I didn't mean to hit you! Well I did mean to hit you but like I didn't know it was you!"
she rubbed the top of his head feeling pure guilt.
"Come on it's just a bloody nose, let's go to the castle," Adreil walks past them, "I'm not waiting on you guys!"
Adriel continued walking, pushing himself through the busy streets. Lykos and Dania quickly followed behind.
They walked for a few minutes, their hearts beating rapidly the closer they got to the castle. They saw many other knight prospects walking toward the castle the closer they got.
They entered through the main gate of the castle walking through a hall brightly lit by hanging chandeliers made of gold. The stained glass windows that depicted the creation of their universe casted colorful lights on the floor below them.
The three of them walked on a soft red carpet that was aligned with golden threads. They were closely clumped together in a group of another ten potential knights; who they didn't recognize from training camp.
The grand hallway felt never ending. They walked for another five minutes silently not sure what to expect. At the end of the hallway, they saw two men standing in front of a gigantic double door.
It didn't take anyone from the group long to recognize those two men.
In front of them stood two of the five elite knights of their kingdom. They were knights so powerful, it was said they could demolish the entire kingdom alone.
They were said to be one man armies yet that still felt too much of an understatement to the magnitude of their abilities.
Alym and Gyrell stood before them, their power radiating from their mere stares. Alym was well known in the kingdom as the Ever Glowing King.
He was one of the strongest holders of the kingdom; wielding the blessing of light. He was given his title of elite knight the day he severed an entire army's forces with a wave of his hand; emanating a light so bright everyone was left blind temporarily.
Once their vision was retained, all that was left was severed limbs and smoldering ashes. He was quickly revered as one of the strongest in the kingdom of Fringhelm, becoming an idol for many young children.
The word of his power reached far and wide to all kingdoms in the world.
Gyrell was an anomaly.
He was never a knight, until the King assigned him to be an elite knight. He was discovered out of the blue, working at a mill in the outskirts of the kingdom.
Alym happened to wander upon him with his small militia as he patrolled the outskirts, searching for a group of runaway assassins. When he stepped foot, his weight shifted tremendously, but he managed to stay on his feet although with struggle.
As for his men, they were all crushed to the size of small balls laying in a puddle of their blood. Alym asked for Gyrell to be registered as an elite knight the following day, taking him on as a partner.
Alym glared at the group of knights as his voice boomed in the massive empty hall, "You're all late! Do you think your graduation to the highest branch of the military is some sort of pointless event you could blow off and show up whenever?" He walked closer to them, stopping a few feet ahead of the group analyzing each one of them.
He turned to Gyrell and signaled him to open the doors with a shake of his head, "Go on you idiots. The rest of the knights are in the courtyard. Hurry the hell up before I personally revoke your chance of graduation."
He moved aside letting the group walk past, but never let his eyes off of them.
Lykos, Adriel, and Dania quickly walked towards the courtyard, their bodies shaking from the nerves of interacting with such a powerful figure.
Them and the rest of the knights they had gathered with to go to the courtyard were all visibly shaken from their encounter.
They kept walking towards the courtyard where they finally met up with the rest of the knights, a group of thirty or so.
In the center laid a wooden stage where the King sat on a luxurious wooden chair with velvet colored padding and adornments.
On the center of the podium stood a man in a military uniform. His clothes were made of silk and cloth woven together in an intricate design.
On the back of his shirt the symbol Fringhelm was woven with golden thread. The symbol was of an ace with two swords crossed in the center.
The man was the general of the army, Horv Hauster.
He had pure black hair. His face was chiseled yet wrinkled by age. His frame was massive as his muscular shoulders and arms pressed tightly against his clothes. He had dark brown eyes that were haunted by the many battles he had fought.
Although he wasn't the strongest in the military his overwhelming strategies on the battlefield earned him his position.
His blessing was earth, allowing him to control the terrain around him and mold the battlefield to his own image.
Horv looked down at all of them. His eyes pierced them; looking through their facades of confidence and pride.
Deep down they were all scared, being a knight meant also risking death. Horv knew this well and so did many other knights who have held their position for many years.
Horv was going to weed out the weak and to make sure only the most fertile seeds would bloom in the group of new knights that stood before him.
Horv walked closer to the edge as all the knights stood still and upright staring right at him.
He cleared his throat and hit his chest lightly with his fist before moving his hand behind his back, "hello and congratulations," he began pacing side to side on the stage, "You are all here today because you have proven yourself better than the rest of your peers. You are no longer foot soldiers held back by law, but knights who are above all restrictions for the safety of our kingdom."
He stopped walking to look at the King before continuing his speech pacing once again, "Your training was nothing but the start of your inauguration as knights. Although legally you will be knights, your mind and body will not be of the equal caliber that your title may imply. It will take you countless missions before you can truly understand what it means to be a knight, and some of you may not even live long enough to find out."
Horv's eyes scanned them all as he kept pacing before staring dead into the eyes of a random knight, "Death will soon begin to follow all of you. I don't mean it figuratively either. Reapers will track you down in order to restore the power balance. The more you kill and the stronger you become the more likely you are to be targeted by the mercenaries of the underworld. This isn't a job for everyone, and you all aren't just anyone. You are all the best of the best and I wish you all luck on your journey."
He suddenly stops his pacing and stares into the crowd, "Welcome to knighthood!"
He began to clap, every stood idly before they all slowly began to clap.
Their claps soon turned into cheers. They all had finally done it, they had become knights.
Horv raises his right hand as a signal for them to quiet down. He waited for all the cheers to subside before clearing his throat, "Alright then, everyone you must now need to find yourself a squad. I want no more than six and no less than four. Is that understood?"
Everyone nodded and mumbled in affirmation.
He shook his head in acknowledgement and continued, "As for the dévourers," He paused for a second scanning the crowd; his eyes falling upon Adriel and three others, "Come with me. Everyone else there is a banquet at the dining hall, eat to your hearts continent as I can assure you that will be the final good meal you will have for the rest of your career."
With that, Horv began to walk off the stage.
Lykos turned to Adriel, giving him a small nod, "Go on Adriel, me and Dania will find us a few more for our squad, leave it to us alright?" He patted Adriel on the back smiling; clearly excited about his graduation.
He then left with Dania to the banquet hall, his tail swishing from excitement of the events that day.
Adriel went ahead and followed Horv; the other three dévourers ahead of him as they walked through the courtyard.
They entered the castle again through a different entrance they had come from. It was decorated the same as the previous hall Adriel saw.
Horv kept walking before stopping at a door further down the hall. He pulled out a key ring, and began to fumble through them.
He inserted different keys, each of them being wrong as he mumbled obscenities to himself.
The dévourers kept watching him fumbling with the keys until he finally found the correct key. He turned the key and with a quiet click, the door opened. He motioned them to follow with his hand.
Adriel walked through the door. In front of him laid spiraling stone steps that went downward into the depths of the castle. He began to walk down the steps. The lower he got the colder the air became. Adriel couldn't help but shiver as the temperature continued to lower.
One of the dévourers turned to him, his face confused about their situation, "Hey, you got any idea what he wants with us?"
Adriel shook his head, "No sorry, I'm just as lost as you are." The dévourer gave him a small nod in response as they continued walking forward.
The spiraling steps stopped as it converged into a long stone hall. Torches hung on the wall illuminating their path. Horv turned to them, "when we reach the door only one of you may enter at a time understand?"
They all nodded and Horv continued walking.
They reached a small wooden door and Horv signaled for one of the dévourers to enter before closing it.
Adriel waited outside, and after a few minutes the dévourer walked out of the room, a smirk on his face.
He seemed ecstatic to what occurred in the room. A small smudge of blood was on the top part of his lip as he wiped it away.
Adriel took in a deep breath as the dévourer walked by. His nose was isolated by the strong scent of metal that his breath emanated.
Adriel turned around to see the other devour to be pulled into the room.
Again after a few minutes he walked out a grin on his face. Adriel turned to the door. He peeked inside revealing a wooden chair with leather straps.
He walked into the room looking at the chair. Stains of blood were splattered onto the wood. As he took a step closer he heard a wet plopping sound of his foot stepping in some sort of puddle.
The overwhelming stench of iron hit his nose as he looked down to see a puddle of blood that made a trail to the chair.
Not long after Horv came in holding a man who was gagged yet there were no signs of wounds on his body.
He strapped the man on the chair, a wicked smile on his face. He turned to Adriel and his smile grew wider, "Congratulations…er-," He looked at him confused.
"Adriel, my name is Adriel, General sir." Adriel said, his body was stiffening unsure how to feel about the gore surrounding him.
"Oh yes well Adriel congratulations on being a knight. We don't get many dévourers who make it this far, but you are one of the few who did," He pulled out a dagger from his side and began wiping the blood off with his handkerchief that he pulled from his breast pocket, "Tell me Adriel, why did you want to become a knight?"
Adriel was taken aback slightly by his question, he had never really thought of it till now, "Well I guess I'd like to repay the citizens who helped me grow up as a child and protect them from harm."
Horv laughed, "So noble of you! Yet so foolish," He walked up to Adriel and pressed the blade towards his neck, "You do know how dévourers become strong, don't you? Isn't It ironic? The man created to eat the very kind of people who raised him wants to protect them? Your nature as a dévourer goes against all your morals Adriel."
He moved the dagger away from his neck, "I'm not surprised considering you're from the Fiducia family though. All of you are a bunch of idealist fools." He walked toward the gagged man who stood still. His breaths are quiet.
"Do you know why I brought you here, Adriel?" Adriel shook his head.
"As you know, dévourers are banned from eating hearts until they become a knight. And well, you just became a knight Adriel. We can't have you out working on the top missions powerless now can we?" We walked around the chair and grabbed the gagged and bound man by the shoulders.
The man jumped and whimpered startled.
Horv looked at Adriel in the eyes, "Are you hungry Adriel?"
Adriel glared at him, "No."
Horv chuckled at his response before tossing him the dagger which Adriel caught, "Do it. Kill this holder and eat his heart."
Adriel stared at the man who began to cry. He was unsure of what to do. He didn't want to kill without reason yet he knew this was his job.
He would be unable to protect everyone he loved if he couldn't take the lives of others to eat them.
He looked down at the blood smudge dagger and back at the bound man, "I don't think I can sir I'm sorry. I have no idea what this man has done to give out such an exter-"
"Shut your fucking mouth!" Horv yelled as he struck the gagged man across his face, cutting his cheek open. The wound then slowly began to heal.
Adriel was taken aback by the sudden outburst of Horv.
Horv pointed his finger at him shaking violently, his eyes looking at him manically, "You are stupid," He said with his voice low and shaky, "You think I was asking you a question? It was an order. Now do it. He is a Holder with the blessing of life; his wounds will heal fast so you must be swift."
Horv stared at Adriel waiting for him to move, but he remained still, "Do it!" He yelled once again causing Adriel to stumble backwards, dropping the dagger.
Adriel quickly fumbled to pick it up again and went towards the man.
He looked at him in the eyes before raising the dagger upwards.
Horv nodded in approval, clapping, "Yes! Yes! Now do it! Kill him! Become the beast you were born to be Adriel! Accept the gift that Vileant has blessed you with! Come on now you devil! Eat! Consume! Become strong to help those who you care for! Kill to save lives!"
Adriel thrusted the dagger downwards yelling as the man began to shriek in pain.
Blood splattered all over Adriel as he constantly drove the dagger up and down the man's chest, tears streaming down his eyes, "I'm so sorry!" He weeped as he savagely stabbed the dagger into him.
The man shook violently as the dagger began to shatter through his bone and pierce his organs. Yet his wound kept healing.
Adriel drove the knife down again, and again, and again, but the man's healing was too fast as the man's flesh began to envelope the dagger and his hand.
Adriel tugged as hard as he could until he eventually drove his hand out of the mending flesh, tearing through his skin.
Adriel drove the dagger into the man's throat, and began to dig through his chest.
He forcefully pushed through his sternum crushing it as his hands dug deeper inside of his body, the man continued to yell, cry, and vomit through the gag.
Adriel finally felt his hands on his heart and tore it out and suddenly, silence. Adriel panted, tired and breathless.
He lifted the heart up as Horv laughed clapping his hands, "Very good, now reap your reward. Take a bite and begin your story dévourer."
Adriel looked down at his hands. Blood stained him as the heart continued to beat. More and more blood dripped onto the floor as the heart contracted and relaxed, pumping it out onto the floor.
Adriel couldn't help but feel conflicted.
He knew it was wrong yet deep down, He wanted to eat it. His mouth began to water the longer he stared. He began to cry as he gave into his temptation.
He opened his mouth and took a bite.
His teeth sunk into the hearts as he bit down and ripped off a chunk as he began to chew.
He continued to ravage the heart, his stomach crying for more and more. Blood dripped from his mouth as he stuffed his face full of the organ. He could feel the power flowing through his body as put the final bit into his mouth and swallowed.
Adriel fell onto his knees satisfied with his meal.
He closed his eyes when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his head.
He grabbed it and began to yell as he heard voices, his vision becoming blurry as the world around him changed and shifted. When it all calmed down all he could see was twelve pillars one of which was lit on fire.
A loud booming voice was heard behind him as he quickly turned around terrified at his newly found hellscape.
In Front of him stood a behemoth of a creature with stone skin and cracks where his blood flowed, "It has begun! The awakening of a new dévourer has started!" The creature stood up looking down at a blurry figure.
All Adriel could make out was a large purple scythe that rested on the ground next to the individual, "Yeah, yeah, you say that every time a dévourer eats a heart Vileant," said the blurry figure, "I'll ask some of the class C's to take a look at it boss."
Adriel held his head as his vision became blurry once more.
His vision faded slowly, the words of Vileant and the blurry man became distant.
Tendrils of blue and red began to wrap around his face and go into his eyes before finally it all went black.