"I can't move at all."
Ran screamed inwardly, fighting with every ounce of willpower to break free. But outwardly, his body was a prison, frozen in place by an invisible force, unable to even twitch a single muscle.
Slowly, agonizingly, the screams of the mercenaries began to reach his ears. They were primal, raw, filled with terror and despair. The sound of blood splattering, the sickening crack of bones shattering, and the grotesque squelch of flesh being torn apart painted the air with a maddening, metallic scent.
It was an outright massacre. A one-sided slaughter. And Ran knew his turn would come if he couldn't break free.
The thing was drawing closer, each footfall a death sentence. With every step, blood sprayed in torrents, skulls ruptured, and heads exploded into grotesque, meaty pulp. Its smile was wide, too wide. A manic, unhinged grin that didn't belong to any living creature. It was the grin of something not quite human, something born of nightmares.
It reached down and grabbed the severed hand of one of its victims, holding it up in front of their vacant eyes. The man could do nothing but watch, his body bound by the unseen chains of magic, unable to scream, only feel the deep, unrelenting agony.
But that wasn't the end of his torment.
With a low, mocking chuckle, the thing began to chew the hand. Slowly. Deliberately. As though savoring the suffering of the victim. It consumed the flesh in front of him, tearing it apart piece by piece, his fingers dripping with gore.
"Delicious!"
It whispered, its voice chilling, an eerie croon that vibrated through Ran's very bones.
The victim was alive, aware, conscious of every excruciating second. Their mind screamed in horror, but their body is trapped in the Void Domain. They could do nothing but endure.
And still, the thing continued.
Slice. Crunch. Splatter.
The blood flowed like a river, flooding the earth with its thick, warm embrace. Bones were crushed under invisible force, splintering like dry twigs. Heads burst open like overripe fruit, spraying their contents in a grotesque display of brutal finality. Limbs flew, severed and discarded as though they were nothing but refuse.
The stench of death grew more suffocating with each passing second.
And then, as if by some twisted grace, the carnage began to slow. The number of victims dwindled, the ground slick with blood. Now, only three remained.
Kelt, Geld, and Ran. All of them frozen.
Ran's heart pounded in his chest, his body trembling with the adrenaline surging through his veins. With every ounce of willpower, he fought against the invisible chains binding him. His body screamed in agony, and blood began to trickle from his mouth as the pressure of his struggle took its toll.
But the thing was growing closer. It held two severed heads in its hands, licking them as if they were sweet treats, drinking the blood with perverse satisfaction. Ran's stomach twisted, and if he could move, he knew he would vomit at the sheer grotesqueness of it.
It hummed an unsettling tune as it approached the two brothers. They remained eerily still, their faces devoid of expression. But inside, they must have been writhing in terror.
The thing was toying with them, savoring the fear that hung thick in the air.
It licked Kelt's cheek with a grotesque slowness, the slimy rasp of its tongue sending a chill through the room.
"I'll come back to you later."
And then, it turned its gaze toward Ran.
A shiver of dread ran down his spine as that sickening smile grew wider, the thing crawling toward him on all fours like a spider. Its eyes glinted with a twisted amusement.
"I sense… immense survival will from you. You might be… interesting."
Ran felt his body grow cold, the fear locking him in place. It reached down, its hand hovering near his chest. The seal on his body began to undo.
In a flash of desperation, Ran tried to push it away, to run, to escape, but his limbs remained stiff, frozen in place as though time itself had stopped around him.
"Well, you are indeed interesting."
Ran could barely muster the strength to speak, his voice barely a whisper.
"What do you want from me?"
He cried, his words choked with a mixture of rage and terror. He knew he wasn't going to be let go that easily.
The thing didn't answer. It only stared at him, its eyes narrowing as though inspecting his very soul.
"I will give you a chance."
It said after a moment, its voice dripping with cruel amusement.
"What?"
Ran gasped, the words barely escaping his cracked lips.
"You fragile human. You are the weakest among these, yet you possess an incredible fighting spirit. I will put you to the test."
"A test?"
Ran's heart thudded painfully in his chest. What could a monster like this possibly want from him?
But before he could react, his body once again grew numb. The magic gripped him, and he was paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. It was as though time itself had come to a standstill, but he could still feel the air around him, thick with the weight of impending doom.
"I've confirmed what I needed to. Now, let's return to you."
Its gaze shifted toward the two brothers, who remained as frozen as before, their bodies rigid like statues. The horror that must have been unfolding in their minds was unimaginable.
The thing seemed to take pleasure in their terror. With a twisted grin, it lifted the spell, allowing Kelt and Geld to move again.
As soon as they regained their mobility, both men dropped to their knees, trembling, their faces wet with tears. They begged, their voices desperate, pleading for mercy.
"Please, let us go. We won't say anything! We'll never show our faces again! Just… just please… let us leave!"
Geld cried, his voice breaking as he wept like a child.
"Please, please! Let us go!"
Kelt echoed, his voice filled with raw fear.
But the thing only stared at them, its smile widening.
"I will give you two options."
"Yes… yes! Anything! Just let us go!"
The thing leaned forward, its eyes gleaming with madness.
"Kill each other. And gnaw the loser's innards in front of me."