My mind began to fall apart, like an old rubberband that had lost its elasticity. Time started to move forward again, but at a pace so slow that I hardly noticed. With each passing moment, it accelerated as I started to lose my grip on my power.

 

‘No… I’m not ready… I’m–’ The marks on my skin darkened even further as my dark sight became closer to something akin to echolocation than actual vision and I started to see the same blue traces from when I had fought the giant biterweed. Each trace outlined the exact movements everything around me was making as if it had already happened. 

 

With no other choice, I raised my hands and fought like mad. Some of the zombies had swords, and some had other weapons, but they were so close they ignored that all together and fought me with their teeth and claws.

 

Rather than breaking down the opposite happened. My mind went completely blank and I began to move so quickly and fluidly it was almost like someone else was controlling me all together.

 

My fists shot like lightning, crushing through skulls and shattering the crystals that kept them alive. I would block a punch and throw my own, just to get scratched from behind while my first cave in a man's chest. Bones cracked, barely slowing down my hands as they started cutting through them like shadows. My eyes moved so rapidly between them that I began to feel the muscles strain as more than a dozen of them fell at my feet, but more just took their place as the number seemingly doubled.

 

A shriek cried out like a dying bird and chains began to come from the shadows, only intensifying the adrenaline rush. I sharpened my senses even further, and using my dark magic I began to sense the chains, feeling the movements from the abyssal realm more clearly as the black marks on my skin began to throb like blood flowing through my viens.

 

‘I’m slowing down…’

 

As the chains tried to wrap around me I carefully started to reposition my feet again and again, dodging them as I stepped over and even on top of the corpses at my feet. ‘I’m starting to feel like I can’t go another round… So I have at least one more in me!’

 

There was so much adrenaline rushing through me that I stopped feeling any hit I took, my body turning off all safeties and putting everything I had into fighting, even the last of my manna, and further, tapping into my life force.

 

My black vision became stained with a red tint as I continued to enhance my strength, bartering and denting my gauntlet as with each blow until the bending plates began to dig into my hand. One solid blow to a zombie's helmet crushed the front of its mask through to the back of its head, but at the same time, I lost all feeling in my left hand. My magic was starting to fail, unable to hold my body together while enhancing my strength.

 

Unable to attack and barely fending them off I started to panic, and the moment I lost focus, the exact second my mind hesitated, a chain pulled my foot out from under me.

 

I hit the ground like a drunk man bending over to pick up a penny, and as I came out of the daze I was greeted with rotting teeth chewing on me like rats.

 

‘No… Get off…’ “GET OFF!” My mind snapped. I felt like I had been wrong, I thought I was stronger but it was no different. I hadn’t somehow conquered all fear, or even become strong enough to fight against it. I was just bluffing, and that bluff was called.

 

I jerked around, forcing more blood from my eyes as I continued to toughen my skin so they wouldn’t be able to peel the flesh from my bones. First I cried for them to get off, then I cried for help…  Finally, I just started to scream, rolling onto my side, covering my head with my armored hand, and just praying that if I died, it would be from my magic killing me, and not from running out of magic and being eaten alive.

 

“Show me, show me you are worthy…” A black mist enveloped my soul, ripping it from my body as voices began to echo from the abyss. But they were clearer than ever before, more reminiscent of Rafi’s voice than undead echoes, despite each one being distinct.

 

“Fight. Continue to walk where we have fallen.”

 

“The abyss calls to you. Will you answer?”

 

“If your hands fail, hold the rope with your teeth.”

 

“Don’t let yourself turn.”

 

The only one I clearly recognized was the last one. “Come on now. Did I knight you for nothing? How much power do you need in order to simply stay alive.”

 

‘Rafi…’ The childish tone and the way you could tell she was grinning just from a single word made her voice unforgettable. “Well, I’ll give you a little more. Here’s to hoping you don’t become a demon. Dark magic wasn’t meant for fighting creatures outside the abyss you know.”

 

The dark marks on my skin began to throb even more with each scream until they burst out like black flames that scorched the earth, turning to ice as they stuck to everything they touched. The ice spiraled with red and black splotches of color as my manna, lifeforce, and soul all combined into a single spell that either impaled or entrapped everything around me.

 

But not even that put an end to it. They were frozen, many of them were skewered, but some were still alive, clawing at me. I was too afraid to move, completely paralyzed out of all thought. Even if I wasn’t, I used up literally everything that was left inside of me. I wasn’t even tense anymore, just limp on the ground, trying to keep my arm up over my face. Then for a moment, I began to see both planes at once. In one, Rafi was fighting the ghoul with her greatsword made from pure moonlight, and in the other, another girl was slashing through the undead all around me. It was so unreal that for a moment I thought I had died.

 

The ice shattered around me with each blow glistening into the air and through the abyss. Rafi’s sword did the same, leaving trails of sparkling white flecks as it swung in wide arcs, that matched her sudden devilish smile.

 

Suddenly my soul jumped back into my body and I was right back where I started, surrounded and covered in corpses. They were so densely covering me that I couldn’t see, just feel their pressure. ‘One more… Just one more round…’

 

I tried to channel darksight but instead of giving my vision, I became completely blind as my energy leaked out through ruptured circuits that couldn’t take it anymore. As I canceled the spell tension started to return to my body, but… I could still see. Even without my dark sight, there was a faint blue glow that mixed with the red tint covering my eyelids.

 

“Siya!” The sound of my mind splitting in half echoed through one of my ears. The clashing of metal coming from the other.

 

A bright blue glow appeared around me and suddenly I was lifted into the air and thrown across the room. Before I even knew what was happening I was in Airsidh’s arms, being placed back on my feet as he started to quickly look over my wounds.

 

It was too unreal though. It felt like I was hallucinating again, or being forced to see an illusion. I almost thought that at any moment I was going to realize it wasn’t my brother, but another undead…

 

“Are you alright? Siya, say something….”

 

He must have said that two or three times but I never answered him. Every time he came near me I flinched back, as if somehow he had claws just as sharp as a zombie. My body was void of everything but instinct, and as my vision returned to normal all I could see were black hazy figures. As far as I was concerned I was still covered by the undead, fighting for my life. It wasn’t that I didn’t hear him when he called my name… More like my brain had lost the ability to actually form words. A part of me wanted to ask if it was really him, but the other part was sure it was another illusion. Without my magic, there was no telling the difference.

 

“Hold on a second.” He dropped his massive pack and quickly began rummaging through it.

 

I could feel my feet firmly planted on the ground but I was still shaking, I may have been standing on the cave floor, but I could still feel the sensation of rotting flesh underneath my feet, shifting like muck in a pig pen as I tried to fight. My hands still felt mushy flesh crumbling under the weight of my fists, and my arms still trembled from the gnawing. My whole body was covered in perpetual chills.

 

Keigan’s voice cried out as he happily cut them to shreds. Part of me wanted to turn around. To see the fight, the other part of me just wanted to tuck my head down and never look up again. Somehow I didn't do either though. The only thing I could do was stay how he had set me down just… standing there like a statue. Trying to move was as hard as casting another spell without manna. I was so stiff that my body eventually just crumpled under my weight and I folded back against a wall.

 

“Even if they're not deep we need to treat these wounds, they carry poison and diseases. You could get infected, and then you really wouldn't be having a good day.”

 

I was still tucked into a ball and folded over my knees when he reached out and touched me. I jumped away from him reaching for my sword, but my weapons were still gone.

 

“Siya it's fine, it's over, I'm not going to hurt you, but I need to treat your wounds NOW or you're going to be in a lot of pain.”

 

I lowered my hand back down in front of my face but it wouldn’t stop shaking. Honestly, it was a miracle I was even still conscious. Unable to stop shaking I jumped to my feet, my instincts still telling me I had to fight, that I was still surrounded, but I couldn’t even raise my arms properly anymore, and when I tried to make fists my hands only closed halfway.

 

“She's probably possessed! Stop asking so nicely!” suddenly something hit the back of my knees and forced me to the ground. My bones ached as my wrists were gripped tightly 

and the small scrapes and cuts screamed out like I was bathing in lemon juice. “More–There's a scrape here too– Zu, get Another vial.”

 

Eventually, it all came to a stop and I hugged my knees to my chest. I didn’t even remember how it stopped, or when they let me go, it was just blank. When I finally started to be able to think again I was still shivering, hugging my knees, curled up against the wall, back where I started, only making it all blur together even more.

 

I felt a hand touch my back and I jumped away, running to the wall across from me and trying to pull a sword again… Again realizing it wasn’t there, again making it blur together even more.

 

My arms ached and all of my scratches burned. My mind may have gone blank, but my body still remembered the searing sting of the so-called medicine they forced into my wounds. “Stay back!” I screamed. Finally able to get out a few words.

 

My father took a step towards me, only doing the opposite. He looked so angry… 

Air grabbed his arm before whispering something in his ear.

 

“It doesn't matter!” He yelled as he began marching towards me again.

 

“S-stay away…” For a moment my voice cracked and died, but as he got closer and more adrenaline rushed through me I finally managed to speak again. “Get away from me!” I yelled clearly. Eventually, he came to a stop right in front of me. I didn’t even fight back, slowly sliding down against the wall and covering my face with my armored hand.

 

“Just… stay away… Please…” I whimpered.