Chapter 78: Chapter 78

“If we keep walking in this direction, we should pass close to Nebula Tower before the end of the day,” my mom said, looking at the map. “If there is anyone still there, we need to warn them about the Demonkin army to the north. It could also be a good place to set up camp for the night.”

Orias nodded. “There might not be enough for everyone, but I am sure the people will appreciate an opportunity to sleep in an actual bed rather than another night on the ground.”

My mom was about to say more when dozens of people started screaming. They found the strength to run this time, as they pushed and shoved their way past anyone else in their way.

Before even my mom or Orias could respond, I ran towards the source of the screams, squeezing past the horde of terrified people. I was nearly trampled when one terrified man ran into me, shoving me to the ground. Nearly a dozen people stepped over me before an elderly woman managed to save me.

“Run child! It is happening again!” she shouted, clutching my arm with both hands.

“What is happening?” I asked, pulling myself free of her terrified grasp.

The elderly woman did not have time to answer before someone in the distance screamed with a voice that shook the air. His shout sounded like he was in pure agony. The old woman looked in towards the source of the scream in terror. She stumbled backwards. Completely forgetting about me, she turned and ran off in the other direction without giving me an answer.

As most of the people ran away, I finally caught a glimpse of what they were running from. It was a man hunched over on the ground. His fingernails tore into the skin of his face as he screamed. His muscles bulged strangely, uneven like there was something moving under his skin. Giant wounds ripped open across his body as they continued to swell.

There was a flash of lightning as my mom appeared nearby. “What is happening?” she asked, looking at the blood-soaked man writhing on the ground.

The words were stuck in my throat as I tried to reply. “We need to ki-kill him now… He is turning into a Demonkin.”

My mom reached for her blade but hesitated. I could see her hands shake as she watched what was happening to the man. “Is there really nothing we can do to help him?”

She paled in horror as giant patches of the man’s skin began to slough off his body. He was becoming more and more deformed as one of his arms had nearly swelled to the size of his entire body. His head began to elongate as his screams of pain transformed into a bestial roar.

My mom was frozen in shock by the gruesome sight before her, but I knew we could not let this continue. Hyperventilating in a failed attempt to calm my nerves, I reached down and drew my dagger. The purple crystal shined brightly in the red mist.

The man’s teeth had all fallen out now, as long sharp fangs ripped through his gums. I could hear his bones popping as his chest heaved and deformed.

Legs shaking, I took a small step toward the suffering man… no, the suffering creature. What was in front of me could not be called human anymore. More of his skin peeled off and splattered to the blood-soaked ground, revealing glistening red scales underneath.

Only once I was standing directly in front of the creature with my dagger in hand did my mom break free from her stupor. “Wren what are you doing? It is dangerous there!”

The creature looked up at me with two red eyes. A few flakes of brown still remained of the original color, but they were quickly disappearing. In his gaze, I could see his fear, his anguish, and an all-consuming hatred.

I activated the power in my own eye as I looked down at the suffering creature. The soft blue light flowed into his body. I could do nothing to prevent what was happening, but I wanted to make the man’s last few moments painless… happy.

I watched all the hatred and pain disappear from his eyes as I spoke. “I… am sorry we could not save you. I know it hurts, but… it will all be over soon.”

For a moment, I felt like I was reliving one of Aurielle’s memories as my hand moved. A glint of steel flashed across the creature’s neck. Blood splattered across my hand and clothes.

I watched as the red faded, and brown returned to his eyes. The deformed and twisted face almost seemed to smile as he grew still.

The squirming and bulging muscles continued to twist and swell for a few more minutes. Even in death, the mutation continued trying to turn him into a monster, but without life, it was nothing but the last twitches of a corpse.

I watched the process quietly. Tears streaming down my face.

I felt a pair of hands wrap around me as my mom hugged me from behind. “I am sorry. You should never have been the one to do that… I just…”

“It’s ok Mom. I know.” I replied, closing my eyes. The warmth from her arms calmed my pounding heart. My chest ached. The sight of those brown eyes staring back at me as his life faded away was etched into my mind. Aurielle killed. I had her memories, but it had always been her doing the killing, not me.

How many more would face this fate before we escaped the mist? How many innocent people would we have to kill? There were thousands now, but how many would actually survive?

 

 

 

 

 

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Held in my mom’s arms, I cried until there were no more tears to cry. She carried me back to our wagon, and I fell asleep in her arms. My dreams were plagued by nightmares. Visions of the man turning into a Demonkin overlapped with Aurielle’s memories.

I could not even begin to count the number of times she had experienced this event, but my unconscious mind was determined to relive each and every one of them. There were faces of friends, enemies, children…

The faces flashed by until they came to a stop in front of one... Lucia. She was Aurielle’s protégé. No, she was more than that. Aurielle raised her since she was little more than a toddler. To Aurielle, Lucia was her daughter.

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I remembered her feeling of panic as she tried to close the doors between the realms before envy could step through. I remembered the feeling of countless reanimated soldiers being snuffed out as they failed to hold him back. I remembered the horror of watching Lucia push Sebastion out of the way as venomous fangs clamped down on her shoulder.

The doorway had been closed. The realm was safe, but Lucia was not. Aurielle held Lucia in her arms as the signs of corruption quickly infected her. It was happening too fast. There was no way to cure her in time. Aurielle knew what had to be done.

Sebastion tried to stop it, but he was still injured from the fight. A single green flame ended a lifetime of memories. Lucia’s last words still ringing in her ears.

“Did I do good? Is everyone safe now?”

 

 

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I awoke with a start. Tears streamed down my face again. I could still feel my mom’s warm arms wrapped around me. I hugged her tightly as the pain radiating from Aurielle felt like it would break my heart.

“Are you ok Wren?” my mom asked, combing my hair with her hand.

“I will be.”

“You slept for a long time. We are almost to Nebula Tower.”

I looked up, half expecting to see the familiar tower from Aurielle’s memories, but all I could see were the mocking faces in the mist.

Wiping away the tears, I sat up straight. I saw the people around us walking and the few other refugees sitting on top of the wagon. There was a twang of guilt for taking up a place someone suffering from the corruption could sit. They needed it more than me.

As I looked around, I noticed something strange about the mist. It seemed lighter. I could see further than I had in days. The faces were less complete than normal too. That should have been impossible, unless…

“Mom, how long has the mist been like this.”

“Like what?” my mom replied, looking around.

“Thinner.”

“There is less mist here than normal isn’t there… I did not even notice. Is it important?”

“Maybe…” I mumbled in reply, “I will know for sure when we reach the tower.”

The minutes ticked by as we got closer and closer to our destination. With every step, the mist seemed to fade more and more.

One of Orias’s men that had been acting as a scout ran up and began gesturing wildly. “Sir, we need to stop. The Demonkin army is ahead!”

“What are they doing here!” Orias shouted, looking around in a panic.

“It looked like… well, it looked like they were attacking Nebula Tower sir, but… you really need to see for yourself. I cannot explain it.”

“Alright, relay my orders. Units two through five escort these people further south. Stay in the trees and out of sight. Unit one with me. We will take a look at this.”

“We are coming too!” I said, hopping down from the wagon.

My mom joined me, followed by my dad, Donte, and Charly. Together with the ten soldiers from unit one and Orias, we moved forward carefully. Our eyes were always on the lookout for any spare Demonkin that might have wandered away from the group, but there were none. After a short walk, we found ourselves outside the tree line and looking at an open plain of rocks and boulders. The mist had completely faded now, pushed back by a soft silver light.

I gasped as I saw thousands of Demonkin stretching out for as far as the eye could see. Countless monsters of all shapes and sizes gathered around a single tower.

It was impossible to miss. Despite the horde of Demonkin, my eyes were still drawn to the tower. It was made of a pitch-black stone that reflected the light like obsidian and dotted with thousands of white crystals. The top half of the tower had collapsed and was lying nearby in ruins, but what remained stood proudly despite the damage it had suffered over the years. However, none of this stood out as much as the bright dome of silver energy that radiated from the tower.

The largest of the Demonkin in the horde roared as they threw themselves against the black stonework with enough force for us to hear the collision echo where we stood. Again and again, the Demonkin threw themselves against the wall, but nothing changed. The tower did not even shake as it withstood blow after blow.

Many of the Demonkin tried to climb the tower, but only a few could find purchase on the slick impervious stone. There were even a couple Demonkin that could fly. They were giant insectoid Demonkin with massive wings that shook the air.

However, both the Flying Demonkin and the ones climbing the wall met the same fate. They were peppered with arrows from hundreds of soldiers standing on top of the tower, then bombarded with fire and lightning from various glyphs and abilities.

I heard a furious roar of a woman from somewhere within the crowd of Demonkin when the last of the flying monsters were brought down.

In response, a boisterous laugh echoed out from within Nebula Tower. “What’s wrong ya dimwitted harpy, havin’ trouble?”

My dad sucked in a quick breath in disbelief as he spoke, “Is that General Arthur?”

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