A gentle melody woke up Jonas. It sounded like a simple bell rung in an upbeat melody.
[ New Level Achieved: 2 ]
[ Attribute Points: 1 ]
[ New Soul Limit Achieved: 842/200 ]
The bell rang again. It took Jonas a moment before he twitched his eyes and finally felt the heat of the blaze that devoured the town.
[ New Level Achieved: 3 ]
[ Attribute Points: 2 ]
[ New Soul Limit Achieved: 642/300 ]
He gasped for air; his throat was dry, filled with ash. He could feel the weight of scorched, hot wood on top of him. Then, the tune blasted one final time.
[ New Level Achieved: 4 ]
[ Attribute Points: 3 ]
[ New Soul Limit Achieved: 342/400 ]
Jonas opened his eyes, but thick black smoke and solid grime on his face assaulted his vision. His body suffered pain in every attempt to move. He groaned as he tried to push the obstacle that pinned him down.
What happened? He asked before he violently coughed up the ashes that rested in his throat.
Unable to see, he relied on his ear. All he could hear was the sound of wood being devoured by the flame; it crackled and let out a soft pop as he pushed away the debris on his body.
Jonas crawled. The ground was hot, the soil felt like small, heated grains. He used his hands to wipe the dirt off around his eyes.
It was blurry, it wasn't clear, but he could see. What lay before him was a field of horror. The towering, narrow buildings were pressed to the ground, the streets looked melted as fire continued to ravage those that had not collapsed, and the air was heavy with black smoke that lingered low.
What happened here? Jonas asked again. He continued to crawl, avoiding the rubble.
As he crawled, he noticed imprinted shadows near where he found himself. It appeared like human outlines standing eerily still.
His mind grew confused, but he kept his pace. Further, he understood what it was as he finally came across charred remains of curled human bodies, posed at their final moments.
It was shrunken, their brittle skin was roasted black, some limbs were missing, and they resembled statues engaged in mundane activities. Most of them are in the midst of their motion, ordinary people hugging, holding, and laughing. It terrified Jonas, and he immediately sped up, crawled faster, even when it hurt.
Finally, he realized. He had no recollection, but he was sure of it.
Wasn't this the town? Where's Lord Hans? Where's Adolf? Where's mom and dad?
As he crawled further away, the debris and remains became less surreal but still terrifying. Caved-in buildings burned and were on the verge of disintegration, and human remains became more discernible, but with melted flesh and open wounds.
The thick smoke was less in these parts. He had gained enough distance, but the misery still prevailed. He continued until he reached what was left of the walls and out of the non-existent gate.
He gasped for the much cleaner air. He breathed heavily, sucked it all into his system. As he composed himself, he saw a bloody trail. There, he saw someone other than himself who crawled away from the devastation.
It was a girl. She was small, her body was burned, her clothes melded into her skin, and few hairs remained on her head. She appeared like a rugged charcoal with soft, human flesh. Her exposed wound leaves a trail of blood.
Jonas was surprised. He was frail but gathered enough strength to stand and run after her. He tried to call her out with his coarse voice, a sound that merely escaped his throat.
Then, Jonas shouts again. It was just a simple yelp, but it was loud enough for the girl to hear.
The girl stopped, she looked over her melted shoulder. She appeared relieved at first, eyes filled with hope. But when she saw Jonas, she shrieked in terror. The sound that came out of her was dreadful. She desperately grabbed the dirt to fling herself away from him as much as possible, clawing her way out.
Jonas paused, confused at her reaction. Then, he chased after her. He staggered in every step; his knees were about to fail him. He reached out his arms and let out a weak moan.
"No! Stay away from me! Help!" the girl cried out.
Jonas tried to speak, but his throat couldn't release the words he meant to say. Is it because I'm a slave? He thought.
Then, he saw his arm. He levelled it closer to him and squinted. He jolted at the realization that his skin was baked and brittle, darkened and dried, resembling the charred, mummified remains he had seen.
The girl kept screaming until she exhausted herself from the effort. Jonas tried to calm her down, but to no avail. Then he stood beside her, crouched, and turned her to face him. The girl's eyes petrified in fear that Jonas felt the grave disgust directed at him. He quickly stood up to not agitate her further.
[ Souls: 343/400 ]
Huh? He skipped a heartbeat.
The girl lay motionless. She finally succumbed. Blood pooled around her as her wound opened wider from her exertion.
What happened? Why did it appear like that?
Jonas stepped back, shaken by what he thought he caused.
Did I kill her? What happened?
Then, Jonas fell, and he sat on the ground. He wrapped his arms around his legs to hug himself. There, he saw his legs. It was also charred and crusty, like a scab, and he traced it until where the dried skin stopped, and he realized he wore no clothing.
Is that why she was scared of me? He regrettably thought.
He traced the darkened crust of the skin again, but it didn't end on his groin or his stomach. He noticed he was covered by it. It was even on his face, and he realized he had no lips, no hair, and no eyes. Only holes that his fingers can penetrate.
Jonas's soul sank, his stomach twisted in the dire realization. He was a walking corpse.
No, no, no, no, no!
Jonas frantically inspected himself, caressing every crevice of his body, but it was certain, his whole body burned into crisp.