As I prepared to face the ka'li, I never expected to end up in the hands of a terrifying, bloodthirsty superhuman. And now that I think about it, I'm not so sure I can escape from her as I was about defeating the ka'li.
"You… you… you did it."
The superhuman began babbling incoherently.
"You took her away…"
Crack!
A cracking sound came from inside my skull. I couldn't feel any pain thanks to the adrenaline, but I was still scared at the thought that my head would soon be crushed.
"You… you killed her!"
"I don't know… I don't know what you're talking about…"
"YOU DID THIS TO ME!!"
There was no point in continuing to talk to her, since this girl wasn't listening to me.
"Agh… fuck it…"
-Don't hesitate.
-Just let it out.
FFFUUUAAAAASSSHH!!!
Suddenly, a sea of dark energy burst outward from every corner of my body. The sudden force of this attack was powerful enough to separate us, forcing the superhuman to release my skull before retreating.
As soon as I broke free from her, I grabbed my head with both hands. There was no blood, which was good, but that also meant the damage had to be internal. However, there was something else.
"My head… why does it feel like this?"
I'm not sure how to explain it, but my head didn't feel like it belonged to me. As I touched my face, it felt as though I were touching something foreign. The same thing was happening with the rest of my body.
"This isn't right…"
It was at that moment, when my confusion reached its limit, that I heard the Specter's voice again.
Robert…
Only this time, his voice sounded distant, very different from the times when it resonated in the depths of my mind.
"SPECTER?!"
I shouted at the Specter, but received nothing but silence.
"Shit…"
Sniff…
Without warning, the superhuman began to sob, only to start crying a moment later.
"Wwaaaa…!"
Tears fell from her empty eye sockets almost as intensely as that black liquid. The pain and rage in her screams were far too evident to ignore. All of this made me wonder:
-What the hell happened to this girl?
"Why…?"
"WHY?!"
"WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY?!"
Then, she started spouting nonsense again.
"I didn't want this… I never wanted this… I just wanted to play and make lots of friends, not this, not this… and the lady… she only wanted to help me."
"I don't understand you…"
I made a grimace of pity as I said this.
"She wasn't supposed to die…"
"Dead?"
Upon hearing her words, my eyes widened, and a deep sense of concern rose from the depths of my heart.
"Is someone dead?"
Crack!
The superhuman let out a cracking sound with her mouth. It was her teeth grinding against one another. She was doing everything in her power to resist the anger within her, all so she could stand upright in front of me and speak as clearly as her condition allowed.
"You were the one who killed her."
There wasn't the slightest trace of doubt in her voice, as if what she had just said were nothing less than the absolute truth of the universe.
ROBEEEEERRRT!!!
The Specter's desperate screams reached my ears. He was calling me, or perhaps begging me? Either way, I had no idea where they were coming from.
-From where?
"WHERE ARE YOU?!"
I shouted at him, but once again, his answer didn't come immediately.
Tap.
I heard footsteps in front of me.
Tap.
The superhuman began advancing with firm steps.
Tap.
She had no eyes, yet she seemed to know exactly where she was and where she was going. That was what disturbed me and unconsciously made me take a step backward.
Tap.
She was already very close. What should I do? Should I fight? What were my chances of winning? More importantly, where were my weapons? I had lost them a little while ago, but there was no trace of them now, as if the floor had swallowed them whole.
ROBERT!
The Specter's voice rang out again just as the superhuman raised her hand. There was no expression on her face, yet I could still feel the anger emanating from her. That same pent-up rage was about to explode.
But then, the Specter spoke.
It's not real…!
His voice sounded like a distant echo, one that made my heart pound violently, awakening something deep within my subconscious.
"It's not real…"
Suddenly, the image of the terrifying superhuman became blurry until her silhouette changed. She had turned into something different, something even more terrifying. Her fingers, hands, and arms no longer seemed to be made of flesh. They now looked like tree branches trying to imitate the arm of a terran.
"It's not real…"
I repeated that phrase. I didn't know why I did it… Well, I did know. My subconscious was clearly trying to tell me something, but even so, I had no idea how to deal with the situation.
"It's not real…"
Tap.
Less than a meter away, the superhuman prepared to unleash all the resentment and rage stored within her body. At the same time, my instincts screamed desperately for me to get away, or I would die.
"...!"
But before I could retreat…
-I can't move.
My body had become paralyzed.
It wasn't fear that kept me from running, nor was it any other kind of feeling or instinct. Something was holding me in place, and when I lowered my gaze to see what it was, I was shocked to discover that a massive mass of darkness had wrapped itself around me, preventing me from moving.
"You… you're a monster…"
The superhuman said this as she wrapped her palm around my face.
CRACK!
Her fingers pierced my skin and dug into my bones. Blood poured out in great quantities as indescribable pain overwhelmed me.
CRACK!
Another crack sounded as her fingers sank even deeper into my skull, destroying my nose, my eyes, and, I think, part of my brain.
I was terrified. I wanted to do something, anything, like run, scream, or at least throw a punch at her, but I couldn't. With all the blood in my throat, I couldn't scream, and because of the darkness, I couldn't move either. It made me feel utterly helpless.
"…"
It would have been better to die fighting…
-No! What the hell am I saying?! I'm not going to die!
I rejected the thought almost immediately. I had already sacrificed too much to give up here.
-There has to be a way out, a weapon, or something that can get me out of here…
My brain was being crushed while, internally, I plunged into a sea of thoughts in search of a solution. Then, from the depths of my subconscious, the word "tool" rose above all the others.
-Tool… The stigma!
That was the solution. I had to control the darkness… No, not just the darkness. I had to control everything.
I clenched my fists with all my strength and focused all my mental capacity on forcing my will forward, driven by the caprice of surviving and escaping this false world.
FFFUUAAAAASSSH!
I finally understood. When I lost my sight and the ability to move my body, I realized how fake everything was. When the darkness blinded me, the only thing I could see was a light flooding everything around me.
Flash!
The walls, the ceiling, the floor, and even the superhuman were covered in an intense golden glow. That was energy, and the tool hidden in my forearm was the perfect means to shape and control that very same energy.
A burning sensation ran through my arm, overpowering the effects of adrenaline and forcing a groan of pain out of me.
"Agh…!"
I didn't let the pain make me forget my objective. I wasn't going to hesitate, much less give up.
CRRRAAAGGG!!!
A loud cracking sound rang out, but it didn't come from my body or the superhuman.
CRRRAAAAAAAGGG!!!
That sound came from everywhere.
I forced my will to fulfill a single caprice.
-Break everything.
A pure white crack formed in the walls and then spread throughout the entire corridor.
Soon, the golden light covering everything around us was replaced by a white flash created by a simple caprice.
CRRRRAAAAAAG!!!
A cracking sound rang out, followed by silence.
Until suddenly…
Open your eyes.
Finally, the Specter's voice sounded inside my head again.
After letting out a sigh of relief, I opened my eyes, hoping to find myself in a more peaceful environment.
"…"
"Shit…"
The moment I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the silhouette of a creature straight out of one of my nightmares, standing at a ridiculously close distance.
GRRR…!
The ka'li had returned.
Fiiiiuuusssh!
At a speed impossible to perceive, the ka'li unleashed a powerful swipe at me, its claws cutting through the air as they advanced. They were aimed directly at my head, and before I could react to the attack, they were already on the verge of decapitating me.
Pop.
However, just before it could do so, a kind of semitransparent dark sphere formed around me.
I had no idea where this thing had come from, but I was certain I hadn't created it myself, since it looked very different from the darkness I usually controlled. In the end, my mind interpreted it as some kind of protective miracle that would save me from what was about to happen.
When the ka'li's claws reached the edge of the sphere, they passed through it as if it were air. What I had initially thought was a miraculous salvation turned out to be a disappointment that would decorate my end. But then…
"…"
Nothing happened… Literally nothing. After the ka'li's claws passed through the sphere, nothing happened.
"Huh?"
Confused, I turned my gaze to the right, toward the source of the attack. When I did, I found myself staring at an enormous palm larger than my head, attached to four claws that could easily be mistaken for a group of swords.
-It's not moving! Its hand isn't moving!
That was my first thought when I saw how still its hand appeared to be, but I was wrong. I immediately realized that it was still moving, only "slightly" slower than before.
"Ack…!"
Taking advantage of this opportunity, I threw myself toward the floor.
Fiiiiiuuussssh!
The ka'li's attack passed over me at a considerably high speed, but it was nothing compared to the speed it had reached when it emerged from the sphere.
BOOM!
As it did so, it disappeared completely from my sight, leaving behind a blurry afterimage. Immediately afterward, the wall to my left exploded with devastating force, and as a result, my body was hurled backward to the end of the corridor.
Tuk!
My body bounced a couple of times before coming to a stop about a hundred meters away from the ka'li.
"Ac…"
I wasn't entirely sure, but I don't think I had suffered any significant injuries, which was surprising.
I knew very well that something strange was happening, not only because of what had just happened with the ka'li, but also because the floor felt softer than it should have.
Without a doubt, this had to be related to that word, since both time and the durability of objects were two of the conditions I had thought of when I said it out loud.
-The conditions… What were the other two? Cutting what doesn't exist, and the other one was…
My help.
The Specter spoke.
-Specter! Is that you?
I'm sorry you had to go through that, Robert.
His voice was tinged with compassion for me.
-Oh, sure, but… exactly what happened to me?
That thing tried to eat your soul.
-MY SOUL?!
I screamed in fear when I heard what might have happened to me if I hadn't used the stigma.
"Agh… I…"
You're safe.
The Specter noticed how shocked I was, so he acted quickly and calmed me down before I could panic.
You already escaped its attack once. The kal'drekiz won't use the same attack again.
"Kal'drekiz?"
The Specter mentioned a word I didn't know. I was supposed to be fighting a ka'li, wasn't I?
Listen, Robert. What you have around you is the range of your makratiz. In simple terms, this is where all the conditions you assigned to the makratiz you created will be applied.
I understood everything the Specter was telling me, but even so, it still sounded confusing.
"I see, so that's why everything feels different."
Exactly, but the most important thing is to extinguish its light. Find the orb hidden inside its body, destroy it, and you'll have won.
"Alright, that sounds easy."
It sounds easy…
FFFUUUUAAAAAASSSSH!
Suddenly, the Specter's darkness emerged from my body with great intensity and instantly spread across my arms and legs until it covered them completely.
"What's this?"
It's my help. How does it feel?
The Specter asked.
I carefully examined my arms and legs. They were covered in a hardened version of the darkness, resembling a kind of armor, with boots reaching up to my knees and gloves extending to my elbows.
"Incredible…"
I replied.
Good. Then get ready.
Thoom!
Deep within the corridor, the sound of an object striking the floor echoed until it reached my ears.
It's coming closer.
Ffffuuuaaaasssssh!!!
I didn't waste any time. I focused my concentration on the idea of defeating my adversary, causing dark energy to emerge from my body. Then, I forced my will to fulfill my caprice, using my stigma to shape the darkness and wrap it around my weapons. My sword and axe turned black as the darkness completely covered them.
"Good…"
Thoom!
The ka'li emerged from the depths of the dark corridor, using its hands to drag its enormous body along the floor. It looked at me with its single, shining golden eye. It stared at me with anger, with a resentment that seemed to have been building up for a very long time.
GRRRAAAAAAAAA!!!
And so, our battle began.
SKRAT-SKRAT!
Multiple spikes shot out from its body, which was made entirely of branches, hurtling toward me at an almost imperceptible speed.
Fffiiiuuussssh!
Each one moved so fast that it seemed to vanish into the air, leaving behind a faint whistling sound.
In a "normal" situation, dodging something moving at that speed would have been impossible for me, but right now…
Pop.
Things were anything but normal.
The semitransparent sphere formed around me again, and when the spikes passed through it, their speed dropped dramatically until I could calculate their trajectories.
Slash!
Clank!
I swung my weapons against them. I cut and deflected every last spike in a matter of seconds, all thanks to that strange sphere.
Now it was my turn to attack. I ran toward the ka'li, focusing primarily on its long arms, since I knew they could inflict devastating damage on the surrounding area.
Grraaaa…!
And exactly what I expected happened. The ka'li swung its arm with the intention of crushing me.
Fuuuuaaasssh!
I quickly used my stigma to create a shield above my head. A floating roof made of pure darkness materialized to protect me, or at least give me an extra second.
BAAAM!
The ka'li's hand collided with the shield, creating a thunderous explosion. Fortunately, the shield fulfilled its purpose and protected me.
Crack!
But only for a second. The shield immediately began to fracture, thousands of cracks spreading across its surface.
As soon as I saw that, I started running away from its hand again, heading straight toward its main body.
CRACK!
BOOM!
Behind me, I heard the shield shatter as the ka'li's hand slammed into the floor.
I kept running without looking back, preparing to swing my weapons at the ka'li.
GRRRAAA!!
To my left, the ka'li swung its right arm toward me. This attack was faster than I could handle, and given its size, avoiding it wouldn't be easy either.
Fuuuasssh!
With no alternatives left, I decided to take a creative approach.
Tak.
Once again, I used the darkness, but this time I didn't create a shield or use it to cover something. What I had just materialized was a step.
-Please work, work, work, work!
I jumped onto it and then used my stigma to raise it into the air. I was already more than a meter above the ground when I jumped as high as I could.
CRAAASH!
Beneath my feet, I saw the ka'li's arm tear through the ground.
Pop.
A fraction of its arm entered the range of the makratiz, somehow immobilizing it for a brief moment, as if it had been caught in some kind of trap.
"Heh…"
This worked out perfectly for me, because now I had it in the ideal position to launch my counterattack.
SLASH!
Using my sword and axe at the same time, I delivered a deadly double slash to its limb. The darkness cleanly pierced the branches that made it up, and in response, the ka'li let out a menacing roar.
GRRAAAAA!
SKRAT-SKRAT!
It didn't give me even a second to rest.
I was still in the air when the ka'li fired another volley of its sharp spikes, only this time there were considerably more of them.
FUUAAASSSH!
I knew I couldn't block them all, so instead of wildly swinging my weapons around, I materialized a sphere of darkness around myself.
Clank!
Inside the sphere, I could feel hundreds of those spikes striking it with tremendous force.
CRACK!
Suddenly, multiple cracks appeared on the sphere's surface. Light from outside began breaking through the darkness.
CRACK!!
At that moment, it was the first time I had ever seen an object created from dark energy break apart.
CRACK!!!
A hole formed in the sphere. Through it, I caught a brief glimpse of the outside, but unfortunately, the only thing I saw was a large object approaching me.
PAAAM!
The ka'li's arm struck me and sent me flying along with the remnants of the sphere.
Tuk!
I think I traveled a dozen meters backward before landing on top of a table.
Crack!
The table broke.
-Get up, get up, get up…
My body still had some energy left. I just needed to motivate myself.
"...!"
Or so I thought, but then I saw that large spike lodged in my abdomen and… I think I can get up.
"Aaa… aaaaagh."
A stream of blood came out of my mouth, leaving me unable to speak or scream.
"Aaaggg…"
FFUUAAASH!
I used the darkness to lift myself up and then created a pair of poles to help me keep my balance.
"Agh… damn it…"
Bbzzz!
"...!"
Suddenly, the air began to vibrate.
-I remember this…
Bbbzzz!
In the distance, I could see a trail of golden light.
-Shit!
Flash!
Fuaaash!
A beam of light shot toward me almost at the same time as I created a wall of darkness.
CRASH!
But it was too late. The beam split the shield in half, along with everything behind it.
"…"
Fortunately, I was safe, or so I initially thought. When I turned my head toward where my right arm should have been, I found a charred stump of flesh.
"Agh…!"
I had lost almost my entire right arm. All that remained was my shoulder and the charred stump.
"A… aaaaag…"
This shouldn't be happening, but… I think it hurts… It hurts so much.
"Aaaaagh!"
The adrenaline was supposed to block all kinds of pain, yet right now, pain was the only thing I could feel.
Tump.
Unable to bear it any longer, I fell to the floor again.
-T-this doesn't look good…
Thoom!
Thunderous footsteps echoed in the distance. The ka'li was approaching.
"…"
I… I had no strength left…
"No… I don't want to… I have to… go back…"
All I wanted to do was close my eyes, even though I knew I would never open them again.
Thoom!
Those footsteps, which should have been getting closer, sounded like an echo fading into the air.
I had to go home, hug my family, apologize to Lois, and also…
There were so many things I needed to do that I didn't know where to begin… but now… there was nothing I could do anymore.
"Mom…"
Thinking of my loved ones, I closed my eyes.
***
"…"
"Mmp!"
"…"
I opened my eyes and… woke up somewhere different from what I had expected, or so I thought. Honestly, I had no idea what would happen when I closed my eyes, but this… is surprising.
A completely empty place filled with fog. That was where I had awakened.
"Damn it…"
I had been so close. After going through countless corridors and defeating the entities, I had failed.
"I almost made it. I almost defeated the ka'li. I almost… survived."
I covered my face with my hands as I began to sigh.
"…"
Sniff…
And then I began to sob.
"Hic… hic… this isn't fair…"
I wiped away my tears, but it wasn't enough to get everything out of my system.
"Shit!"
I could no longer hold everything inside, so I began to scream.
"I had to go back! I had to go back! Damn it!"
I tried to punch something, but there was nothing here to take the brunt of my anger. Nothing except myself.
"Hic… I had to go back to them…"
"...Them?"
"...!"
A person's voice sounded behind me…
I quickly turned around to face them, but I was stunned when I looked into their eyes.
"…It's you."
Standing in front of me, a beautiful young woman with green hair and amber-colored eyes asked:
"Are they waiting for you?"