Thump... Thud... Creak...
"S-stop"
Azrael's weak pleas broke the deafening silence that enveloped her cell as she restlessly tossed around the bed while holding her neck, her nails scraping the skin of her neck. Her eyes were tightly shut as a tear streamed down her face.
Gasp!
"When will I ever have a peaceful night without these damn nightmares?"
Azrael jolted awake. Her head was throbbing and her teeth were uncontrollably grinding. Trembling, she reached for the table on her bedside in an attempt to light a lamp
The dungeon was particularly colder and darker tonight. The cold breeze was suffocating and rough that it almost felt like blades of wind were hitting her skin.
Upon reaching for the lamp, an ominous sensation strike Azrael. Her hands dropped the lamp, shattering it into pieces. Her body shivered uncontrollably as she felt goosebumps all over her. Her heart was pounding and her pupils were constantly dilating and contracting.
Her head felt like a bear was gnawing on it. She couldn't think straight and could hardly breathe. The pain worsen as a strong putrid scent permeates the air.
Creak...
Azrael covered her nose with her hand and headed to her cell's door to ask for assistance. Surprisingly, it was left open.
"Is anyone there?" Azrael yelled with a hoarse voice.
'Is this a hallucination? Am I hallucinating?'
"H-help."
Azrael couldn't bear the pain anymore. She tried to walk out of her cell but as she took a step, the pain began to worsen. Her body couldn't withstand the pressure anymore, collapsing to the cold floor of the dungeon.
She was starting to feel numb all over her body. She didn't know what to do. But then, a familiar energy started to approach her. She tried to open her eyes as she tried harder to catch her breath.
For what felt like forever, she finally managed to open her eyes and scan her surroundings.
'Something was definitely strange. It was all too real for a hallucination. I really felt like dying.'
The dungeon was particularly darker tonight. There were no torches nor was there any sunlight to illuminate the dungeon. As she blinked, she thought she was just imagining things but it looked too real.
The distance of the hallway shortened as a shadow quickly devoured it. Azrael could feel the walls crumbling and the cell gates creaking as the void shortens the distance towards Azrael.
Gasp!
Azrael was blinded momentarily by a sudden burst of crimson light. Azrael felt different. She could no longer feel the coldness of the dungeon nor could she feel the void approaching her.
In fact, she was almost certain that everything around her had took a bizarre change. She could feel the damp grass beneath her, brushing against her skin and the soft breeze that was grazing past her skin. Unlike earlier, she found herself kneeling and unable to see clearly.
Slowly, she took a deep breath, allowing herself to recover from the suffocation she had suffered. However, she was too weak to move and could only keep herself from falling again.
"Kekeke you've got some interesting stories to tell, kid."
A sinister laugh echoed through Azrael's head, mocking and provocative.
She tried to blink repeatedly in hopes of having back her vision. Once, then twice. Azrael kept blinking in hopes of getting her vision back, so much that her eyes began to taer up.
After desperate tries, she could finally outline the scene around her. The moon was shining brightly as countless ravens gathered in the crimson veiled sky. While mountains of corpses and pools of blood surrounded her.
Azrael looked up at the man in front of her. The man stood motionless, his eyes devoid of emotions. He unsheathed his sword and lifted it with no difficulty.
Azrael's head throbbed with the scene playing on her head.
Thwack...
Azrael swung her hand to her side and grabbed something on the air.
At that moment, her surroundings shattered together with a menacing shriek. The moon no longer shine while the ravens start to lose their ability to fly, falling one by one. Everything around her began to change chaotically, reverting back to the dark dungeon.
"You caught me."
Azrael shifted her gaze to the man beside her. Her hand gripped his neck tightly, leaving a mark on his skin.
Unbothered, the man grinned widely. His eyes squinted into a crescent as he laughs, showing his crooked teeth.
"Hahahahahaha!"
The man laughed uncontrollably, flailing his arms around and holding his stomach.
"Look around you. Aren't you familiar with this... Azrael?"
Strangely, Azrael did feel familiar with the void earlier. However, what shook her the most was that the man knew her real identity.
Her hands trembled and let go of his neck but the man aggressively grabbed her hand, preventing her from letting go of him.
"The kid has been waiting for you," the man said with an eerie smile, its tongue smacking its lips.
"Hahaha!"
Azrael shook his hands as his skin melted along with his clothes. He continued laughing as his face became distorted and fully melted to the ground.
Azrael faltered and hastily took a step back. The void was getting thicker and colder. Azrael tried to navigate the way out of the dungeon while trying to understand what the strange man meant.
There wasn't a lot of people who could be associated with Azrael. She had an idea but she didn't want it to be true. Dying meant one thing, but if she were to also drag them with her, it would be different. Before possessing Fleur, Azrael had a job and a team. However, things didn't work out for them.
Azrael continued to tread forward. Her steps were turning sluggish as the void starts to devour her. She knew she was going towards the center of the void.
"If it was really him, then I should know," Azrael muttered under her breath.
Azrael stopped in front of a large cell. It's gate have rusted and crumbled, damaged by the shadow. Azrael couldn't see what's inside the cell as a void that resembled the texture of a black gooey substance had veiled the whole area.
Azrael reaches out to the void, its surface immediately devoured her hands. Its thickness made her hand numb but she was now determined to know what's inside the void more than ever.
Azrael took a step forward. She knew she was gambling everything, her physical state was frail and her spiritual energy had depleted. She knew she wouldn't survive if anything went wrong but she couldn't shake off the sense of responsibility surging within her. The void resembled much of her subordinate's ability.
Azrael felt the substance sticking through her body as she crossed it. As she tumbled inside the void, a man engulfed in shadows entered her vision.
The man was covered with wounds and bruises, a sign of being tormented. His frame had become lighter and his face had become gloomier.
Azrael heaved a sigh of relief as she saw him breathing.
"Were you waiting for me?"