AnnouPlease read on Tapas for the Image.Chapter 45 - Priest

  The world around me was a desote wastend, a ring of charred earth where life ohrived. Everything on the circumference of the bear had been ed by the ravenous fmes, leaving behind a stark reminder of nature's fury. The air was thick with the acrid st of smoke and ash, a bitter perfume that g to my lungs as I struggled to breathe. Yet, amid the devastation, I felt an odd sense of trol; my fire bound to my will, a flickering ember of hope in the chaos. I raised my hand to my right eye, feeling the heat radiating from my skin. My fingers brushed against my bangs, slick with sweat and soot. I o stay scious; I o remain anchored in this moment. The world around me swirled like a fever dream, colors bleeding into one another as the heat ed around me like a suffog b. Suddenly, a violent shiver coursed through my spine, sharp aric, as if a thousand icy fingers had gripped me all at once. My body was burning hot, yet I felt the cold creeping in—a paradox that sent waves of fusion crashing over me. My mind raced, struggling to grasp the reality of my situation. Was this the o of a fever? I ched my jaw, letting go of my eye as I pressed my palm into the scorched soil beh me. The ground was still warm from the fmes that had ravaged it, but it felt oddly grounding against my feverish skin. As I focused on the earth, another wave of shivers wracked my body. Each tremor felt like pins being plunged into my head; my own flesh revolting against me while my miered on the edge of sciousness. The heat within me surged and receded like a tide—high one moment and dangerously low the . My thoughts began to spiral, eaore fragmeha. Breathing became bored, eahale a struggle as though the very air had thied into a viscous fog. The relentless shivers tiheir assault, and I could feel myself slipping away from reality. My vision blurred at the edges, darkening like an encroag storm cloud. I don’t think I'll— The thought shattered like gss before I could finish it. The world tilted violently around me, colors swirling in a dizzying dance before fading into darkness. With one final gasp for breath that never came, I lost sciousness and colpsed onto the scorched earth—a silent wito the aftermath of destru that surrounded me.*Blink**Blink**Blink* My eyes opened, but my vision remained unclear. I blinked several times, attempting to dispel the haze that enveloped me like a heavy fog. As my surroundings gradually came into focus, I discovered that I was lying on a hard mattress, the fabric rough against my skin. The bed was covered with a faded quilt, its uted and worn, with frayed edges that suggested years of . The mattress sagged in the ter, cradling my body in an unfortable embrace, and I felt the ess of the room seeping through the this. As I pushed myself up on one elbow, the dim light filtering through a grimy window caught my attention. I was no longer my horse riding attire; instead, I found myself dressed in a long, full-sleeved white nightgown that felt fn against my skin. Dust motes danced zily in the beams of light, illuminating the stark features of the room. The walls were lined with cracked stoheir surfaces rough and uneven, while remnants of peeling aper g stubbornly to the ers. A solitary wooden chair occupied one er, its legs uneven and splintered as if it had been abandoned long ago. The air was thick with a musty st—a blend of dampness and somethihy that made me wrinkle my nose in distaste. My gaze traveled to the far side of the room where an old wardrobe loomed, its doors slightly ajar as if invitio explore its secrets. As I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, I felt the ess of the floor beh me; it was posed of uohat appeared to have been id without care. My bare feet quickly grew numb from the chill. The floor tiles were so broken that it felt as though some of the stones could easily be dislodged. A single beam of sunlight broke through the grime on the window, casting a soft glow on the scattered dust and debris littering the floor. Beh that window y a rge piece of gss surrounded by small mounds of sand. Scattered screws and nails also littered the ground. As I tio run my hand along the dusty wall, just behind the window and still close to the bed, suddenly—the brown door swung open with a loud creak that made me flinbsp;"AHHHH!" screamed, the PRIEST. That damn Priest who greeted me at The Shrine of Hidden Springs Temple. As the Priest's scream echoed through the room, I felt a surge of emotions c through my veins. The sight of him—that same rotund clergyman who had greeted me at The Shrine of Hidden Springs Temple—ignited a peculiar mixture of pt and intrigue within me. My teransformed into an expressionless mask, a visage so devoid of emotion that it belied the tumultuous thoughts swirlih. An overwhelming urge t this man to his seo assert dominance over him, ed me. My mind, usually a bastion of trol, now teetered on the precipice of chaos. The pulsion to withis corpulent, aging man prostrate himself before me was almost unbearable. I turned my head deliberately, fixing my gaze uporicate wall trimmings of the room. My jaw ched imperceptibly, teeth grinding silently as my lips pressed into a thin line. A heavy exhation escaped me, den with unspoken tension. As he approached, his pudgy hands seized my shoulders with ued vigor. "MY GODDESS!" he excimed, his voice reverberating mere inches from my face. My eyes, previously narrowed in ption, snapped open, log onto his visage which was alight with childlike excitement. His stature, barely reag my shoulders, and his corpulent frame only served to atuate the absurdity of the situation. A fgration ignited within my eyes, a primal desire to tear him asunder. Yet, I remained silent, true to my reputation—for I am known as ohout a tongue. "MY MY MY GODDESS!" he repeated, his grip tightening as he shook me slightly. His eyes were wide, unblinking, his mouth agape in a grotesque approximation of a growl. He appeared as a ravenous beast, poised to devour its prey, his gaze b into mih uling iy. A smile, slow and deliberate, crept ay features. My eyes wideo match his, pierg into the very depths of his soul. With calcuted precision, I grasped his arms, crossing them before me in a swift, fluid motion. My smile never wavered, a stark trast to the fusion ched upon his face, his mouth still agape in bewilderment. I released his arms, allowing them to fall limply to his sides. As his gaze dropped, following the trajectory of his appendages, I seized the moment. In one fluid motion, I dropped to the ground, my fingers finding purchase on one of the rge, cracked floor stones beside me. With a strength born of purpose and fueled by an inexplicable rage, I wrehe stone free and with that- *THUD* The sound echoed in the dimly lit room as I brought the blunt edge of the stone crashing down on the priest’s head. His knees buckled, and he crumpled to the ground with a siing finality. The sharp gasp he let out faded into a wheezing groan, and I could feel the tremor in my hands as I crouched beside him. *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* The storuck his skull again and again, each blow heavier tha. The priest’s screams rose in pitch, sharp cries of terror turning to choked whimpers before falling inted, pitiful gurgle. Blood poured from the gaping splits in his forehead, trag crimson rivers down his nose and cheeks. His eyes—oh, his eyes—stared wide ay, as though the light had abahem mid-prayer. I let the stone slip from my hand and reached for the jagged gss shard from beh the window. It felt warm against my palm, sticky with sweat and blood. My breath quied as I leaned in, his shallow breaths brushing against my fabsp;*STAB* His body jerked beh me. *STAB* "No!" he gurgled, his voice drowning in blood. *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* The gss plunged into his throat, carving through flesh and sinew. He screamed, gargled, choked—a I didn’t stop. The sound of his agony filled the air, shrill and raw, a harmony to the rhythm of my strikes. *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* *STAB* His voice faded, but my ha moving, each thrust of the gss a punctuation to his silehirty-two times I drove it in. Thirty-two times I watched his body vulse, twitch, then still. And then...nothing. I sat back, breathing hard, blood spattered ay arms, my face. A smile stretched ay lips. Standing, I stepped lightly to the window, still clutg the gss shard. Outside, the day was calm, indifferent. I bent dowrieving the scattered nails from the base of the frame. They were cold, sharp points pressing into my skin. Perfebsp;Returning to the priest’s body, I k beside him. His head lolled to one side, mouth agape, frozen mid-cry. I set the gss shard aside and picked up the stone once more. The nails glinted in the dim light as I pressed one against his bloodied forehead. *THUMP* The first nail sank in, crag the bone slightly as it pierced the flesh. My heart pounded, but I didn’t stop. *THUMP* He screamed in my head now, even though his lips were still. *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* I drove the nail deeper, grinning as the sound reverberated through the room. *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* Nine nails in total. Nine iroh hammered into his skull, sealing him to his fate. My hands were steady as I set the stone aside. Blood pooled beh him, spreading outward like a halo. I leaned back, gazing at my work. He was beautiful now. I smiled again. I shook my head slightly, the motion almost imperceptible, as the weight of my ritual settled upon me. A hollow breath escaped my lips, and I recalled my —an made not in reverence, but in finality. With deliberate grace, I csped my hands together, their warmth slick with the remnants of my work. My lips curled into a soft, unhurried smile, ohat betrayed her guilt nor doubt. Bowing my head, I whispered, "May God Bless your Demise. In your life, please attempt to bee a better Priest." A plea offered to a God he had forsaken, a God he did not obey. A, as the words spilled from my tohey rang with an eerie siy, eg through the stillness of the room.*bsp;*bsp;*bsp;"HAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAAA!" The sound of ughter echoed through the air, a hearty and iious mirth that made me tilt my head slightly to the right, instantly reizing the voice. It was her than— Cillian De Valentine Eriko Elmir. He leaned back against the window, his presenanding and vibrant. His attire was striking: a yered ensemble featuring a crisp white shirt with a high colr adorned with bck buttons, overid by a blue vest-like garment decorated with intricate white patterns. The vest boasted an asymmetrical cut, one side casg into a long, flowing scarf-like piece embellished with swirling white designs and tassels at the ends. The sleeves of the shirt peeked out from beh the vest, the cuffs elegantly tied with small white bows. His pants were bd fitted, uniquely designed with white crisscross g running down one leg and subtle patterns woven throughout. A sleek bck belt ched his waist, its silver buckle glinting in the light. On his feet were white shoes ated with blue, perfectly plementing his overall color scheme. I straightened up. "DANG MAN! Even in a godforsaken pce like this, you had the guts to take him out?" he excimed, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he approached me. "Now that... is savage." He leaned in close to my left ear, grabbing both my shoulders aing his upon them, his grip firm yet oddly reassuring. With my bloht hand, I seized his left wrist and twisted out of his grasp, my expression unreadable as I locked eyes with him—his aquamarine gaze pierg through me. His eyes widened slightly, while his expression remained posed, as if he were witnessing something ued. "My—" I whispered. In response, he gently tapped his forehead against mine. The brief tapelled me to meet his gaze for just a moment before I looked down at the floor, feeling drained of energy. "Sapphire Neckce," I murmured again, still holding onto his wrist. "Hmmm..." he hummed thoughtfully before straightening up and turning his attention to the bed. I followed his gaze to the bed as well. Suddenly, he turned back to our entwined hands, bringing them before our faces while gring into my eyes. My eyes widened in surprise as I released my grip on him. Just as my hand fell away, he brought that same hand close to my fad covered my eyes with it. Then in a sed, he removed his hand from my face. "There ya go," he said nontly, shutting his eyes for effect before turning back to the window. Gng down at my chest—my neckce! A smile crept ay face as I stared at it. "So, how'd you get here?" he asked casually while pressing his right hand against the gss of the window and gazing outside with an icy demeanor. I tilted my head to the left in fusion about what he meant. He gnced back at me and urged, "Take a look for yourself." piqued, I stepped closer and peered out into the distance. My eyes widened in astonishment at what y before me. "Where the hell are we?" I inquired, my gaze fixed on the surreal ndscape stretg out before us. "How am I supposed to know?" Cilliaed, his tone nont. He moved away from the window with fluid grace, approag the lifeless body on the floor. As he extended his hand towards the corpse, an otherworldly phenomenon began to unfold. Before our very eyes, the Priest's body underwent a startling transformation. It crumbled and disied, turning into a fine, obsidian-like ash. The dark particles began to defy gravity, slowly rising into the air as if guided by an invisible force. The ashes tiheir ast, gradually fading from sight until no trace of the body remained. This dude's lucky. Demonic power is really something to envy. I mused, redireg my attention back to the enigmatidscape before us. Exhaling deeply, I shook my head, resigning myself to the byrinthiure of this man who seemed uo ever provide a straightforward answer. "Cleal," I uttered, my gaze still fixed on the view beyond the window. At the sound of his name, he swiftly turned his attention to me, his eyes log onto my form.To be tinued...