The air in the runic chamber didn't just feel heavy; it felt like liquid lead pressing against my very pores. Every vein in my body throbbed, pulsing in a rhythmic, agonizing cadence that mirrored the frantic, panicked beating of my heart.
The atmosphere was thick with a crushing, unseen force that made the simple act of existing feel like a death sentence.
"Who knew... entering the Runes... would be this hellishly painful?" I hissed through gritted teeth, the metallic tang of blood filling my mouth as I bit down against the pressure.
I forced myself up, straining against a weight that felt as if a mountain had been placed squarely on my chest.
I tried to look around, but my vision was met with a suffocating, pitch darkness that seemed to swallow the very concept of light.
I pushed harder, my arms trembling like leaves in a storm, trying to sit upright. Every single muscle in my body screamed in pure, unadulterated agony.
"This really does hurt..." I groaned. My strength flickered out like a dying candle, and my body hit the floor again with a dull, sickening thud.
Why the hell is this happening? Why is my body so heavy? I tried to lift my hands, but they slammed back to the ground instantly, striking the stone with enough force to rattle every bone in my skeletal frame.
"Ahhhh, hell, that hurt!" I gritted my teeth harder and forced my head to the left, my neck muscles bulging with the effort.
"Need help, stranger?" a sweet, melodic voice asked, slicing through the dark like a silver bell.
"Who's there?!" I screamed into the void, the sound of my own voice echoing back at me, hollow and desperate.
"No need to worry about me," she replied playfully. With a sharp, resonant click of her fingers, the entire room ignited. The darkness vanished, replaced by a blinding, pure white radiance that seared my retinas.
She walked slowly toward me, her footsteps light and mocking, then leaned down to peer into my eyes. My face went scarlet immediately.
As she hovered over me, the brilliance of the room caught her form, making her shine with an ethereal glow that left me breathless.
She was a masterpiece of porcelain detail. Her hair was as white as a blizzard, falling in silken sheets that matched her piercing, crystalline grey eyes. Both shimmered in sync with the room's radiance.
Her dress was a marvel of craftsmanship a short, white princess gown that barely reached her knees, adorned with intricately carved snowflakes that caught and refracted the light with every subtle movement.
She was the definition of true beauty, standing before me like a goddess of white.
Then, she smiled a expression that didn't quite reach her cold eyes and lifted her hand. Translucent crystals began to form in the air, swirling with a biting frost. It was ice. It froze rapidly, shaping into a hilt, then a crossguard, and slowly extending into a long, razor-sharp blade of monumental proportions.
"Holy shit, that's a long-ass blade," I gasped, gazing at the weapon in despair. The sword was huge the size of a demon. No, a demon would look small compared to this thing. It was twice the size of her own body. How could someone so delicate lift something so massive?
The blade fell, crashing into the floor and burying itself deep into the ancient stone with a bone-chilling ring.
"Well, since you can't even stand, let's just end this," she said, her lips curling into a sadistic grin that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Wait, hold up! You're way too beautiful to be that evil," I said, forced an awkward, desperate smile as a bead of sweat rolled from my forehead. "How about you give me a fighting chance?"
"Hmmm... another experimental demon, I see," she mused, her voice trembling with a strange, dark pleasure. "You are certainly a talkative one. Most of them just scream... and I slowly put my blade to their necks and watch as it slowly severs the head. The splash of red... Ahhhh..." She moaned softly, her eyes fluttering as she described the gruesome image in haunting detail.
Wait, what does she mean 'experimental'? I'm pretty sure I'm a normal demon.
"Yep, I knew it. Beautiful women are always nuts," I muttered. "But I repeat: mind giving me a fighting chance?"
"What's your name, demon?" Her gaze snapped instantly from twisted pleasure to a cold, murderous bloodlust that felt like a physical weight.
"Why can't I move?" I responded instead, my chest tightening as my heart started beating like a war drum on a rampage.
"You always answer a question with a question," she sighed, sounding disappointed.
"Think of it as my last wish." I swallowed hard, the sound of my pulse echoing in my ears.
"Okay. You can't move because the gravity in this room is incredibly high. Only I can withstand it," she explained, letting out a soft sigh as she rested the frozen edge of the blade against my neck.
"Oh, interesting. Okay, one last request," I chuckled, though the cold was biting deep. "How about you give me a day, and I'll be able to move?"
I felt the frost of the blade sinking into my skin. Frostbite began to form instantly, every cell in my neck dying from the supernatural chill.
"Nobody has ever made it past here, so what makes you think you're special?" She chuckled, drawing the blade closer. I knew I'd be dead before she even finished the swing.
"I'll impress you. You'll see. And after that, we can battle it out if you want," I challenged, my eyes locked on hers.
"I haven't had that much pleasure in such a long time... ripping demons piece by piece, limb from limb..." she moaned again, a flush creeping up her neck. She removed the blade from my throat, and I let out a heavy, shuddering sigh of relief. "You better not disappoint me."
"Don't worry, I won't," I responded. She stood back and watched me, her head tilted, clearly savoring the sight of my pathetic struggle.
"Okay, let's make a deal," I said, digging my gaze into hers. "If I lose the battle, you can remove my head from my shoulders. But if I win... you serve me."
"Well, it's a good deal. You really think a mere demon can defeat a High Human?" She laughed, walking back to create distance, her gown flowing behind her.
Wait... did she say High Human? My mind raced through the books I'd read. What was a High Human doing in tthe Runes? They were supposed to be on Earth, the legendary protectors of humanity.
"High Human??" I asked, my voice cracking.
"Yes, I am a High Human, darling. I am manufactured to kill demons. I love how your blood turns from brilliant red to a dull black after life fades... and the taste is so divine." She touched her lips, licking her finger and crossing her arm over her waist, her body swaying in a perverse sort of bliss.
"My name is Yuri Sakumora, ranked 5th among the High Humans." She gave a mock, mocking bow.
5th?!!! That couldn't be right. If she was only 5th, how terrifying was the 1st? I could barely shift my weight in this gravity, and she was dancing like it was nothing.
"I am Justin voidborn Khoas, son of the 4th Demon Lord," I said, trying to project a calm I didn't feel, even as the scent of my own fear filled my nostrils.
"Ohhh, royal demon blood! I wonder how that would taste," she squealed with delight. "Well, you get one day to move. If not, you die."
Despite my bravado, despair began to sink its claws into me. My heart was racing, my chest so tight I could barely draw breath. Then, I remembered the ring. If I removed the ring, the seal would break, and my power would erupt.
I fought against the crushing gravity, forcing my hands toward my chest. After twenty failed attempts with Yuri laughing hysterically at my struggle I finally managed to lock my hands together. I slid the ring off. It hit the stone floor with a sharp, metallic ring. The violet flame in the crystal went silent, turning a gloomy, void-like black.
I stood up instantly, as if the gravity had simply vanished. "Oh, I thought more was going to happen," I muttered, inspecting my hands. "Well, I guess she was "
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed my heart. It felt like a jagged, red-hot knife was being dragged through my chest. I doubled over, catching my breath in heavy, ragged gasps.
The agony grew louder, pulsing in perfect time with the drum in my chest. I fell to my knees, my eyes beginning to burn with a white-hot, blinding fire. My vision went from blurry to pitch black.
Then came the sound of snapping bone. My shoulder blades ripped open with a wet, sickening crack. My forehead burned as if my very skull were being dragged outward. I screamed in agony, facing the ceiling as I tried to claw the pain out of my head.
Finally, the pressure in my skull ceased, but my eyes became a fiery furnace. I screamed again, trying to gouge them out, my nails digging deep and peeling the skin from my sockets.
Tears flooded my face until the pain finally subsided. My vision returned, and I saw a massive, intricate magic circle glowing over my head, with an identical sigil drawn on the floor beneath me. I looked to the side. Yuri was staring at me in pure horror. Her eyes were wide with a child-like fear, her overconfidence shattered into a thousand pieces.
A ray of pure, dark light blasted into my body. I screamed until my voice gave out. I was lifted into mid-air and slammed back down. When I looked at my legs, they were longer, bursting with new, corded muscle.
My nails had sharpened into long, obsidian talons. I looked at the floor and saw black feathers falling slowly, like snow from a dying world.
Terrified, I looked over my shoulder. There they were. Wings like an angel's, but saturated with a sinister, dark energy. They were pitch black, darker than the void itself. I flapped them, and the resulting gale whipped around the room, lifting me into the air as if gravity were a joke.
I began to grin, and that's when I felt my teeth. They were razor-sharp so sharp that when I moved my tongue, it was sliced open instantly.
'Blood... give me blood... I need blood!' A voice roared in my head, growing louder and more ravenous.
'BLOOD! BLOOD!'
The burn in my eyes returned. "Get yourself together, Justin! We can't lose control yet!" I slapped myself hard, the sting silencing the voice for a moment.
I shifted my predatory gaze to Yuri. A dark, jagged grin danced on my lips. She stumbled back, falling to the ground and frantically scuttling away, her sword forgotten. Her eyes bubbled with tears as she shook her head in disbelief. I could smell her fear. I could hear the frantic rush of her blood through her veins.
I snapped my wings forward and thrust myself toward her, moving with a speed that defied the laws of the world.