"Under the influence of something?"
I absorbed the Umbridge's statement, countless guesses forming in my mind. From what I had experience with, I knew that wraiths, demons, and ghouls could possess people, including zombies. But hadn't I rid Seraphis Kingdom of its spiritual malformation during one of the previous Blood Moons? The illusory wings on my back flared out more, countless crimson eyes gazing in every direction.
Seeing the wings, the demon-dog paused in its tracks, cocking its head slightly. Before I could react, it suddenly lunged forward, opening its mouth and chomping at the air. I moved just in time, my wings sending me backwards in a stumble.
Whenever the demon-dog ran, a trail of shadows followed in its wake, reflecting after-images of the dog's trail of movement. The shadows reflecting the dog swiftly dissipated into the ground and through the snow. Wherever the dog stepped, the shadows that sank into the ground sprouted into mushrooms and fungi. Noticing the fungi, my eyes widened.
My thoughts immediately trailed back to the hallway incident about a month ago. When I watched my bully collapse and die, the same fungi had sprouted from his corpse, signalling an amplified speed of decay and degeneration. Making this deduction, I briefly could guess that this 'dog' possessed similar abilities, possibly related to the Apocalypse pathway to an extent.
At this moment, I recalled the Umbridge's words. They had claimed the dog was under the influence of something, but what could it be? My gaze trailed to the dagger on the ground. It was mostly silverish-white in color, with a sharp blade which was stained in crimson blood. The blood stained the white snow beneath it, painting a portion of its surroundings in a blood-red hue.
Why would that dog have a dagger? Why would it spit it out?
Before I could consider these questions, my body habitually reacted, darting backwards to dodge the next attack from the rabid animal. Now that I was considerably closer, I could truly grasp the size of the attacker before me. In the crimson light, the animal's fur was ragged and messy. Within the crevices of its fur, I saw flesh and blood contorting inside cracks in its skin.
It appeared that this dog was slowly splitting apart, leaving a trail of degeneration whenever it moved. After collecting and analyzing these details, I made the guess that this dog was actively splitting apart—rotting, as it was fighting and running through the streets.
What would have caused the dog's condition? I knew I couldn't neutralize it and look for clues when inspecting its body, as it was either a contaminated street dog or possibly a dangerous creature. The Umbridge, wearing their black cloak, spoke up in my mind.
"If you don't defeat this dog, it'll cause more havoc in the city."
"All right, all right..." I mumbled, gritting my teeth.
I immediately fixed my gaze on Aaron, the man a little pale as he watched the rabid animal. His entire body was stiff, pressed against the wall in fear. If looking around this scene for more than a few seconds, one could easily deduce that Aaron was an obvious victim, but the illusory dog wasn't attacking him.
Am I a bigger spiritual target, worth more of the dog's attention? After all, I was the one with the horns and wings.
I refrained from using Chaos Instinct, as that would only make the dog go crazier than it already was. Currently, the Apocalypse pathway possessed no abilities that could calm down or neutralize a subject. My mind instantly buzzed as I recalled the Whisper-wishing Bone, the artifact that allowed me to communicate with the deceased.
Perhaps I could encounter and dispose of the spirit inside this dog? After all, the Umbridge did say it was under the influence of something.
The image of the ring appeared in my mind, small and black and hollowed out. I extended my hand, projecting a small amount of energy and focus as my gaze fixated on the dog. The dog's crimson eyes bellowed with anger—raw and crackling, and let out a deafening howl. The howl didn't come in the form of an audible noise, but almost like tangible sound waves.
The waves carried a small crimson hue as they soured through the air, rippling the currents around them. Unfortunately, I didn't react fast enough, and they made contact with me. The moment they made contact with my skin, it sizzled and burnt without causing tangible injury. Was this attack completely spiritual?
I suddenly had an idea, and I couldn't help but smile. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. Around me, pillars shot up from the ground, erecting to an infinite height. Above them, an endless sea of dark-colored fog expanded downwards. A stone floor and a carpet formed under my feet, and the chaos of the street quickly dissipated into quiet silence.
When I opened my eyes, the dog was still in its intact condition, looking around the throne room in confusion. Taking a step back, I warily gazed at the animal, cocking my head slightly.
"Y'wanna cooperate?" I asked, diving into my pocket.
This action made the animal tense, its tail shooting up and back arching. It let out a low, menacing growl reminiscent of a rumble of thunder. I slowly took out a small wooden box from my pocket, opening it. Inside were the remnants of my cheesecake I had yet to eat.
"Good boy... or girl? What are you exactly?" I knelt down, slowly sliding the box of cheesecake in front of the dog.
The illusory dogs' ears perked up, and it patted over to the box of cheesecake, bowed its head, and began to devour the meal. Unlike any dogs I had previously seen eating, the dog moved with a rampant, almost malicious manner. It growled, whimpered, and yowled as it devoured the cheesecake. The remnants stuck to its cheeks, teeth, and lips. After it had finished, it looked back up at me with wide, glowing eyes.
Its tongue shot out from its mouth, and it began to pant like a regular, friendly dog.
"Aren't you a cutie," I chuckled softly, slowly extending my hand to the dog's snout.
The dog, its body rippling and pulsing with flesh, blood, and dark energy, began to lick my hand. Its tongue burnt and sizzled my flesh, causing me to grunt softly and yank it back. Now, the skin on my palm had been reddened, and the skin already began to peel.
My sudden yelp seemed to snag the animal's attention, as it scurried back and began to whimper.
"H-hey, what's wrong?" I made sure to speak softly as I turned back to the dog.
I slowly approached the animal gripping my left hand in my right as I knelt back down, meeting the dog eye to eye. At this moment, the crimson flaring within its eyes deepened, and it began to bark wildly. In an instant, it lunged forward and began to snap at me, its teeth mere inches from my face. The wings on my back habitually flared out as I propelled my body upwards.
It continued to bark and growl at me, glaring at me as it watched me fly to avoid its malice. Looking down at the animal, I couldn't help but feel pity. Had my reaction scared it? It surely didn't mean to hurt me, did it?
I suddenly felt a numbing, almost cooling sensation engulf my left palm. When I looked down, I watched, almost enraptured as the torn flesh of my palm began to surface and reform. Within the flesh on my palm, the Apocalypse sigil took form, branding my skin like a fleshen tattoo. The sigil on my palm glowed with a fiery, radiant energy.
As these changes underwent, I continued to look at the rabid dog. Strangely, its tail was now ducked in between its legs, trembling slightly. Its ears shot down, almost curling inwards. Its body stumbled back as it scurried to the corner of the throne room, barking and whimpering instinctively.
Wait, it was just wanting to murder me a minute ago. Why is it acting like this now?
My illusory wings slowly collapsed inwards as I descended, meeting the dog face to face. When I stepped forward, I felt a strange sensation under my feet. The floorboards under me, ashen, almost dark brown, began to ripple and pulse. The flesh and skin on the dog's body began to crash and push like liquidus waves, threatening to spill everywhere.
"What's wrong?" I asked again, looking back at the dog.
Suddenly, the floorboards split open, emitting a gut-wrenching scent of rotting flesh and degeneration. The dog's body rippled even more, threatening to explode completely.
"No, no, no!" I darted over without thinking, holding the dog closely to my chest.
I abruptly gained a sharp pain in my stomach, a pain similar to having immense and painful indigestion. It only took me a moment to realize that the Harbinger potion was actively betraying me once more. It had happened in the market with the thief, now it's happening to a damn dog. My wraith wings expanded, embracing the dog tightly.
"I got you, I got you..." I assured the dog under my breath.
The animal whimpered as its body trembled, habitually seeking more warmth against my own. The torrential scent of decay and rotting material expanded through the throne room in the form of a thin black smoke. It smelt worse than smoke—much worse in fact.
As my hands held it close to my body, I could truly feel the texture of its fur. The dog's fur was patchy and filthy, ridden with mud and dirt. I could also feel the skin moving like a living organism, allowing the flesh and blood to protrude and regress back into its body. The warm, clammy feeling made me want to vomit, but I persevered, holding on tighter than ever.
Without thinking much, I activated the mental projection of the Whisper-wishing bone. At this moment, the dog's eyes widened as it began to whimper, howl, and whine non-stop. The pulsing of its skin continued, the flesh and blood expanding into what seemed like a completely different being.
The form from the flesh and blood appeared to look like a human, standing taller than me.
"Get out of the dog!" I cried, tears forming in the corners of my eyes as I gazed into the figures' fleshen contours.
Without saying a word, it nodded its head. The flesh and blood within the dog changed, trailing out in a mile-long strand that dissipated into fiery, crimson energy. The black, rotting smoke also dissipated, flowing freely into the strand of energy crafted from the flesh. When the throne room finally fell silent, and I could finally breathe again, the dog was limp in my arms.
Its colossal body was limp, almost completely flattened. Its eyes were hollowed out, and it didn't contain a single bone in its body.
The sigil on my left palm suddenly expanded with light, a burning crimson light that engulfed the body of the dog. The crimson, blood-colored light surged over it like a tidal wave, gradually consuming the body of the animal. I watched, tears now streaming down my face as the body of the animal faded from view, embracing its conceptual destruction within the tide of energy.
...
I descended without saying a word, landing on the street with an almost slacken plop.
"Kid, kid!" Aaron cried out, looking around the street in a panic.
The moment he caught sight of me, his eyes widened as he ran over. Aaron helped me to my feet, immediately taking notice of my disheveled, ruined state.
"W-what happened?" He asked, his eyes wide with worry.
"P-pardon me?" A soft voice suddenly sounded behind us.
I turned around, facing the person who had called to us. It was a young girl, about five years old with pale skin, curly hair, and freckles. In her small, trembling hand, she held a small leather collar with a silver buckle.
"Have you seen my dog?"