noveldrama
Chapter 84 : Nightmare
Chapter 84 : Nightmare
I'm trembling with fear, unable to face that aberration. My soul hasn't fully blossomed yet, and I feel too vulnerable. I thought achieving a true name in the next three months would be an unattainable goal. I've barely scratched the surface of the experience needed to ascend in rank. I don't feel prepared at all. If I dare to challenge that grotesque anomaly, I know my fate could be sealed.
Panic envelops me as darkness looms threateningly, leaving me trembling with uncertainty and terror.
My eyes, eager to find a way out of this cursed place, scan the surroundings frantically. Suddenly, they widen slightly, and I glimpse a small opening amidst the foliage, a faint hope amid the crushing darkness. But before I can even move a muscle, the ground begins to tremble with supernatural fury.
From the cracks emerge twisted and grotesque trees, with tangled branches rising menacingly towards the darkened sky. Each of them, the same reddish tone as the creature stalking me, seems to vibrate with malignant energy.
My eyes remain fixed on the opening, but my heart sinks as the possibility of escape fades before my eyes. Desperation seizes me as I realize I've fallen into a deadly trap. Every detail of this place seems to have been designed to ensnare me, to condemn me to an eternity of horror and desolation.
A sense of helplessness envelops me as I realize I am completely at the mercy of this living nightmare, with no hope of finding a way out.
Every macabre detail in this desolate scenario now seems to be part of a sinister puzzle designed to trap me. The vast open space that initially gave me a false sense of freedom now reveals its true nature: a deadly trap laid by the creature lurking from the shadows. Was it she who created this twisted place to imprison me, to make me her helpless prey?
The thought paralyzes me with icy fear as I reflect on how the beast toyed with my mind, sowing doubts about my own instincts. Was that first direct contact an assessment of my strength, a test of my ability to be hunted or eliminated? The certainty that I have been manipulated seizes me, and with a sigh of resignation, I understand that I have always been in the center of her hands all along.
Reality becomes even more terrifying as my eyes, almost as if they could see through myself, settle on my hand, transformed into a sword. This is no ordinary detail, and the beast's decision to transform to dispatch me more quickly confirms the dark truth: I am just a puppet in her twisted hands.
A shiver runs down my spine as I accept the unquestionable truth: I am face to face with an abnormal demon of Base-Platinum rank in zone 3. I never imagined that fate was a bitch. The cruel irony of my bad luck presents itself to me in all its harshness, and I realize that facing this anomaly is much more than a challenge; it is a struggle for my own survival in a twisted and ruthless game.
With my gaze locked on the demon, my thoughts race at dizzying speed, weighing the pros and cons of this desperate situation. I have nowhere to run, the options boil down to kill or be killed. This simple and crude principle is the very essence of our world, a reality I had almost forgotten amidst the chaos.
War after war has instilled these primordial rules in us, forged with the blood of thousands who fell before me. I cannot change this fate, that is something I know for sure. Changing fate is a daunting and dangerous task; even fate itself can turn against you, an impenetrable enigma.
But in this moment, an abnormal determination begins to burn deep within me. My eyes shine with fierce intensity, my blood heats up, fueling the fire of life in my veins. I feel the pulses of my heart quicken, my senses sharpen, and my mind plunges into a strange calm. It's like the calm before the storm, the moment just before the battle.
I know I can't change the world's destiny, but I can change mine, no matter what difficulties they put in my way, I will change my way of living, I will change for the better, I will change to be stronger, I will change to survive, I will change to know what mysteries this world hides, I will do it for myself, I will do it even if everyone is against me, A damn demon won't stop me!
And most importantly: if I am going to die, it will not be alone in this desolate place. If I fall, I will take this infernal creature to hell itself. My determination is unbreakable, my will ignites deep within me. The time has come to face my destiny with determination, the advantages of consequences I can think about afterward.
Today will be the day that I will not die, I will survive no matter what it takes, no matter what I have to do to achieve it, I am more than a mere pawn in this game of power and darkness.
My hands grip the hilt of my sword tighter, preparing for the imminent confrontation. In an instant, space seems to come to a complete stop. She and I are locked in a sepulchral silence, our gazes fixed on each other, without a single perceptible movement. The world around us plunges into an even deeper darkness, as if the sky itself were crumbling down upon us.
The gray clouds turn black, obscuring any trace of light, while the air becomes charged with a coldness that cuts to the bone. The moisture in the atmosphere grows denser, enveloping us in a frigid mist that seems to herald the beginning of an epic battle between light and darkness.
The drops fall from the sky, cold as ice itself, splashing against my body and soaking every fiber of my being. Around me, the place resonates with the deafening sound of the rain pounding against the ground, but in my mind, everything remains in an ominous silence.
My eyes are locked on the demon, completely ignoring the rain soaking my clothes and armor, as if in a trance, trapped in a separate world where only she and I exist.
The sky suddenly becomes brighter, as if the storm itself wanted to tear apart the clouds and reveal something hidden. A flash of light illuminates the landscape, causing every raindrop to sparkle like diamonds in the air. But before I can comprehend what is happening, before I can even blink, a deafening sound reverberates throughout the area.
BOOOMMM!
A thunder resounds in our ears, marking the beginning of the battle, one whose end I do not know, it is entirely unpredictable for me to guess any situation at this moment.
Cursing the whole world with resentment, I sink completely into my mind with a single objective: to survive.
AUGE!!!!
*****
Elsa's POV
Huff... Hufff... hufff...
Elsa wakes up startled in the middle of the night, her heart pounding in her chest with an unusual force, as if trying to escape from her chest. The deafening sound of the storm outside had pulled her out of a restless sleep, but there was something else in that thunder, something that resonated in the depths of her being, like an echo of a hidden truth.
A sudden flash illuminates the room, casting ghostly shadows on the walls. Cold sweat soaks Elsa's forehead as her mind struggles to understand what was happening.
"Hmm," murmurs Ema, her roommate, waking up with Elsa's abrupt movement. Her hair, a tangle of disheveled strands, falls over her face like a dark cascade, adding a comical air to the scene. With sleepy but concerned eyes, Ema tries to decipher what's going on.
"What's wrong, Elsa? Are you okay?" she asks with a soft voice but laden with concern, as her fingers seek the reassuring touch of her friend's hand. In the dimness of the room, she can clearly see the distress reflected in Elsa's eyes, as well as the agitation in her breathing, as if she were struggling against something invisible but powerful.
Elsa looks at Ema, who was sleeping beside her on the same bed. They had agreed to share the room that night, a decision Ema had made enthusiastically and to which Elsa had agreed without objections. Although everything appeared normal, a feeling of unease persisted in Elsa's heart since she woke up that morning.
She didn't exactly know what was causing that sensation, so she tried to ignore it all day. However, as the hours passed, the unease seemed to grow more and more, enveloping her in a fog of uncertainty and anxiety.
Now, in the darkness of the night, that feeling of discomfort reaches its peak. Her body trembles slightly, and a wave of despair overtakes her, enveloping her heart and mind in a dense and suffocating fog. She doesn't understand what's happening to her, why she feels this way. All she knows is that she needs to find a way to calm this internal storm that threatens to consume her completely.
Looking at Ema, who is awake and concerned, Elsa forces a small smile. "I'm okay, little Ema," she murmurs softly, trying to reassure her friend. "I just had a nightmare," she adds with a tone of certainty that she doesn't even feel herself. If only it were just a nightmare, she thinks to herself, fervently wishing that the shadows haunting her would disappear with the light of day.
"If only it were just a nightmare," she thinks to herself...