The skeleton figure siting atop let out an eerie, bone chilling screech as her red eyes stare directly at Omen's.
A sound so sharp and shrill rang in the hall that it didn't just fill the air, it pierced it.
The boy clutched his ears and fell backwards as the scary woman atop the throne let out such a sound that made every nerve in his body twist in fear.
The sound wasn't human. It was too high, too broken, too full of something he couldn't name.
Her thin frame shook violently and dark strands of her hair flew as if caught in a storm.
Then, her head jerked up, and two glowing red eyes snapped open.
Omen froze.
Those eyes, bloody, bright, and soulless looked directly onto his.
He couldn't breathe, couldn't think.
His heart pounded so hard that it hurt.
The air around the throne trembled, vibrating like the ground before an earthquake.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, her body started to crack. Tiny white fractures spread across her skin and a gust of cold wind rushed through the hall, blowing her hair upward.
Omen's mouth opened, but no sound came out as the woman's body glowed faintly for a second, then,
Shhhh…
She shattered into dust.
The ash-like particles floated down gently, disappearing before they could even touch the ground. The throne was empty once again.
"…what…the hell was that," he whispered, voice shaking.
He looked around the hall, hoping it was over, but deep inside, something told him it wasn't.
Because he heard it, a faint voice.
A muffled sound.
It was soft, barely there, like someone was calling out for help.
"…elp…"
Omen stiffened, his first thought was to run. Every bit of common sense told him to get the hell out. But that same sound came again, clearer this time.
"H-help…"
His gut twisted.
It wasn't a ghostly sound this time but weak, broken, and desperate.
He gulped. "…I'm going to regret this."
Still trembling, Omen turned toward the far corner of the hall.
The sound seemed to come from there. Between two cracked walls, he spotted a narrow gate hanging loosely off its hinges. Beyond it was only darkness.
Omen tried calling up the system again, but it was the same as before, it only showed him his status.
[Status]
Name: Omen
Race: Demi-Human / Ghoul
Rank: ???
Endowments: Mutation
Stigma: Overflow
***
He hesitated. "System…can you give me light?"
Nothing happened.
Knowing that fate was a bitch and whatever system this game made was a worse bitch, Omen pushed the narrow gate open with a shaky breath.
It groaned loudly, the sound echoing through the ruins. Behind it, a steep staircase led downwards, each step swallowed by pitch blackness.
"…you've got to be kidding me," the boy muttered.
His body screamed at him not to move, but his legs did anyway.
The stairs were old and uneven. Every step made noises under his weight.
The air grew colder as he went down, and the smell only got worse.
Omen gagged and covered his nose with his sleeve as he descended deeper into the ground.
Halfway down, he heard something drip, then another.
Each drop sounded too heavy, like thick liquid hitting the stone floor.
By the time he reached the bottom, Omen's hands were cold and damp.
The faint red glow from above barely touched this place, but his eyes slowly adjusted enough to see.
It wasn't a room but a cellar instead.
And it looked like a nightmare.
Chains hung from the ceiling. Some had hooks on their ends, some still dripping dark liquids.
The floor was wet and sticky and the stench of blood and urine almost made him choke on his own breath.
Omen swallowed hard, and then froze.
On the far wall…something moved.
It was another figure.
A human shape, no, a woman chained to the wall.
Her skin was pale and bruised, clothes torn and dirty, barely covering her thin frame.
Her arms hung limply at her sides, wrists cuffed in rusted metal. Long strands of messy black hair hid her face.
For a second, Omen thought she was dead but then she let out a weak breath.
"…Help…me…"
He stumbled forward before he could stop himself. His body moving on instinct. "Hey-hey! Hold on!"
The boy reached the wall and tried pulling the chains.
They were tight, old, and cold against his fingers. "System, can I-can I unlock this?" he asked quickly, but the blue screen didn't appear.
"Dammit."
He looked around the room for something, anything that could help.
On the ground, half-buried under dust, was a bent iron rod. Omen grabbed it, wedged it between the chains, and pulled with everything he had.
The first cuff came loose with a loud clank.
Then the second.
And as soon as the chains broke, the woman's body fell forward.
Omen barely managed to catch her.
They both crashed to the ground, the women's frail body landing right on top of him.
"Ugh—!" he gasped, coughing as the smell of blood filled his nose. The girl's hair brushed against his cheek as she coughed weakly, trying to lift herself off him.
She trembled violently, her breath shallow and skin cold as ice.
Omen gently pushed her up. "Easy! You're okay now, well, kind of…"
The girl didn't respond. She sat still for a moment, then crawled away from him on all fours, ignoring his words completely.
Her hands searched the floor like she'd lost something important.
"Hey, what are you—" She didn't answer.
Her movements were frantic, and desperate. Then her hand stopped. Her fingers closed around something small on the ground.
It was a ring.
She lifted it slowly, even in the dim light, Omen could see it clearly.
The ring looked like it was made of black bone, if that even made sense, along with a carving of a twisted loop with faint red markings running along its surface.
The girl held it close to her chest, trembling, then slipped it onto her ring finger.
As soon as she did, something changed.
Her breathing steadied. The air around her stopped shaking and for the first time, she raised her head to look directly at Omen.
Her face came into view, pale skin, sharp features, lips cracked and dry.
But it was her eyes that made Omen freeze again.
They glowed faintly red, just like the woman on the throne.
"…you—uh…" Omen took a step back, unsure whether to help or run. "You're not going to, like, scream and turn to dust…right?"
The girl blinked slowly, still catching her breath. "No…"
Her voice was soft, rough like she hadn't spoken in ages.
"Okay…" he said quietly, staring at her ring and then her eyes. "Then, um…what are you? If you don't mind me asking by the way."
The girl looked straight into his eyes.
Her red ones gleamed brighter for a moment as she whispered,
"I'm a ghoul."
***