Vale's eyes were wide, his body trembling as he clutched the small birds tightly to his chest. The sheer presence of Chimera froze him in place, his instincts screamed at him to run, yet his legs refused to obey. Even without attempting to sense her, he could feel her power radiating outward, a suffocating, tangible force. He was certain that if he dared to probe it, he would be dead before he even realized it.
The skull of Chimera towered above him, easily fifty meters high, an enormous relic of bone and death suspended in the hollow light of the mountain. Slowly, deliberately, she lowered her head, her hollow eye sockets boring into him. She had no eyes, but Vale was certain she could see him. Every aspect of her screamed death, her decayed, undead body, the corrupted aura that radiated from her, the oppressive force that made his bones ache with fear.
'Is this… where I die?' he thought, panic and awe warring in his chest.
But then, as Chimera shifted to take another step, the impossible happened, her colossal frame buckled. With a deafening crash, she collapsed forward, the sound echoing through the hollow mountain like rolling thunder. Dust and debris exploded around him, and Vale barely managed to cover his face with his free hand. He coughed, rubbing grit from his eyes, heart hammering in his chest.
Beside him, the black wolf remained, its bright blue eyes now tinged with sorrow. Vale stared at it, confused, fear still knotting his stomach. His mind raced, unable to form a single coherent thought.
When the dust finally settled, the wolf moved again. Slowly, deliberately, it rose and glanced back at him before padding toward Chimera. A low, somber howl escaped it, echoing off the stone walls. Vale's breath caught. The wolf's gaze met his, icy and unwavering, and suddenly clarity struck him.
'She's dying…'
Vale turned his gaze back to the undead giant sprawled across the stone floor. Chimera's colossal skull rested at an impossible angle, her massive frame trembling with effort as she tried to rise, but each movement faltered. Behind him, every other animal in the forest was bowing, their eyes lowered in reverence. Chimera was their lord, the ruler of this forest-prison.
Turning again to the black wolf, Vale whispered, voice trembling, "I… is it safe?"
The wolf simply nodded.
Vale exhaled shakily and began to move forward, each step slow and deliberate, careful not to startle Chimera further. As he approached, the giant creature attempted once more to stand, only to collapse again. Her dying breaths came in low, gurgling rumbles. Vale's mind spun. Why would the wolf lead him here? He was just a boy, not a healer, not a warrior, just a boy with fledgling abilities. He was nothing special.
'Unless…'
He looked at the wolf. "You want me to heal her?" he asked cautiously.
The wolf shook its head.
Vale's brow furrowed. Confused and still trembling, he glanced back at Chimera, then back to the wolf, breathing heavily. "Then what?" he demanded.
The wolf tilted its head, then lowered it until its muzzle touched Chimera's massive skull. Faint growls escaped her throat, ragged and tortured.
Vale's heart thumped. 'So… I just have to touch her?' he thought, hesitant but compelled. He reached forward with his real arm, leaving the prosthetic one idle, he wasn't certain it would have the desired effect. Chimera could still kill him effortlessly, even in her weakened state.
As soon as his hand made contact, he felt it, her energy, chaotic and raw, like a knotted tangle of wires all converging into a single, unstable knot. He finally understood why she had become a monster. Her power was unbalanced, corrupted, all threads of energy fraying and tangling in random directions.
Vale took a deep, shaky breath. 'This is suicide,' he thought, every instinct screaming at him to pull back. Then, steeling himself, he focused entirely on her energy patterns, reaching out with his mind as he had once learned to do.
Suddenly, the world went black. He felt himself falling, drifting through darkness as if he were being untethered from reality itself. A weak, almost amused smile crept onto his lips.
''Well… I'm dead, then,'' he muttered under his breath.
But if he were truly dead, he should feel nothing. Instead, he felt the rush of wind against his face, a force pushing him downward. He twisted in midair, bracing for impact. Below, a stone road emerged, and he slammed onto it with a resonating boom. Pain flared in his side, but it was less than he had expected. Vale gritted his teeth, grimacing but alive.
When he looked up, his eyes widened in shock. He had landed in a medieval city, but it was no city he had ever seen. Everything was aflame. Half-burned corpses littered the streets, black smoke curling into the sky. The stench of smoke and death filled the air, almost choking him. His mind struggled to comprehend the horror before him.
Then, he became aware of movement beside him. The dark wolf was there, standing as steadfast as ever, now facing the opposite direction.
Vale's pulse quickened. "H-hey!" he shouted, panic creeping back into his voice. "Where… where are we?!"
The wolf didn't answer. It simply gestured with the tilt of its massive head toward where it was looking. Vale struggled to his feet, and stumbled as he turned his gaze. His eyes widened further, horror gripping him.
"She… she lost control and destroyed a city," he muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the crackle of the remaining fires.
In the midst of the chaos, a woman sat alone, surrounded by burning ruins and charred bodies, crying silently to herself. Her hands trembled as she held the charred corpses of children, their small forms unmistakable even in the flames.
"That's… Chimera, isn't it?" Vale whispered, looking back at the wolf for confirmation. The black wolf simply nodded once, solemn and still.
Vale's chest tightened. His words trembled as he spoke, voice cracking. "Is this… is this what you wanted me to see? Death? Pain?" He turned sharply toward the wolf, voice rising. "How could seeing her memories possibly help her?"
Before the wolf could respond, movement streaked past them. Vale's eyes widened again, it was the same woman, moving with incredible speed across the burning ruins. "Two Chimeras?" he muttered, confusion clouding his features.
The wolf shook its head slowly, indicating no, they were not two.
The rushing woman barreled toward the crying figure, who still clutched the burned children in her trembling arms. Vale moved closer, straining to hear their words over the crackling flames.
"Let them go!" the rushing woman shouted, her voice sharp but urgent.
The crying woman's gaze lifted, face streaked with soot and tears. "I… I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean to… I didn't want to kill them." Her voice broke as she continued, "It… it took control. The powers… I couldn't stop it."
The rushing woman's face twisted with anger and grief as she pushed the crying woman away from the charred children, lifting her up. "Do you seriously believe that? Don't kid yourself, you killed them! All of them! You were their doom!"
The crying woman's shoulders shook. Her lips quivered as tears mixed with the blood on the stone road. "I… I didn't want to hurt them, any of them," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
The rushing woman's expression softened, the anger giving way to sorrow. "You don't have to," she said gently, trying to reach her through the storm of grief. "But… please. Listen to me. Let them go. Together, we can save those who still need saving."
The crying woman lifted her tear-streaked face. "Can I… really still be redeemed?"
The rushing woman's eyes, reflecting the flickering flames, softened yet remained firm. "You cannot. You know we are monsters for what we've done."
The crying woman's gaze fell, shame and regret weighing heavily on her. But the rushing woman continued, voice steady, almost commanding: "However… that does not mean we cannot save those who need saving any longer."
The crying woman's eyes glimmered with a faint spark of hope. "Who… who are you?" she asked, voice trembling.
The rushing woman gave a sorrowful smile. "I am you."
The crying woman's eyes widened, tears streaming down her face. She reached out and took the rushing woman's hand. And then, Vale watched in awe as the two figures spoke in unison, their voices merging into one, resonating with an almost tangible power:
"I hereby swear, in the name of Alexandria Rosemary…"
A whirlwind of flames erupted around them, spinning with furious intensity, illuminating the ruins of the city.
"…to never let a single innocent perish by my failure, ever again!"
The flames surged outward violently, shooting in all directions, forcing Vale to cover his face. The two women, now one, turned their gaze toward him, eyes blazing with determination.
Vale's heart pounded in his chest as he watched the transformation. He could barely comprehend the magnitude of what had just happened. Then, their merged lips moved, and he caught the faintest fragment of sound, a word he could not hear clearly, as if it were not meant for him.
"Thank… #@#$"the rest was lost, drowned in the roaring wind of flames and the echo of magic.
Then, suddenly, everything went black.