Dahlia tried keeping calming, clenching the letter tightly
"Alright... since you love playing so much... let's play your game" Dahlia replied as her purple eyes pierced through the Ghoul
The Ghoul froze hearing Dahlia's reply
"Wait... why isn't she trembling in fear like other children?" The Ghoul thought internally as it's wide smile faded, slightly
"What? Scared?" Dahlia taunted as she smirked tho internally she was panicking but kept a strong front
The Ghoul only stared down at Dahlia
"Hmm... scared? I think you should ask this question to yourself little mortal" The Ghoul replied, as it soon disappeared in the blink of an eye
Dahlia stayed still for a moment longer before falling down on ground, her legs gave up. She trembled a lot. Her breathing shaky as she held back the urge to scream or cry knowing that she will be feeding her fear to that Ghoul
"Calm down, my sapphire... Deep breaths in and out, slowly" Her guardian tried calming her as his tone was a lot softer than usual but till monotonous
Dahlia hiccuped as she cludged her chest tightly where her heart is located, her heart is beating really fast. She feared it would burst out of her chest
"I... I... have... to... hold on a little longer..." Her voice cracked as she panted, trying not to cry
"I have to fight... since I started this... and... I will also end this..." She thought internally
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The first day
Dahlia didn't went back to her estate since then, she stayed out
"I am glad I had brought food..." She mumbled while eating her food besides a lake
"You know, your parents are back and are looking for you." Her guardian filled her in on what is happening at her estate
"I guessed it would happen if I ever left the estate for long. But I am not going back until I have done what I pledged myself to do!" Dahlia exclaimed as she took a bite from her bread
"... You know... you are one brave mortal" He commented
Dahlia froze slightly but soon smiled
"Hehe, you noticed it now?" She asked in glee
Silence
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"Just eat your meal, sapphire" He said bluntly as his voice disappeared
Dahlia can't help but chuckle, "I feel much better than earlier... Just think positively and don't back down in fear" she thought internally
She slowly eats her bread, getting lost in her thoughts as she points out the patterns she noticed
"3 days..." She mumbled
Day one, "The starting point"
"The first day, the Ghoul makes a appearance of itself to it's prey." Dahlia thought internally, closing her eyes
"It does goes into direct action... not yet... As it is testing the waters..."
She tensed up slightly remembering how Jeon went through on the first day. "Only those with strong wills can handle it. But the weak... always breaks fast making the Ghoul linger around them more... just like how Jeon's Ghoul stayed with him till midnight..."
"While I changed mine by just approaching it first rather then letting it come to me... and I let it taste only a bit of my fear... not giving it a full meal..." She mumbled again and paused for a while
"... The day... starts by morning... is that the reason why the starting point begins there?" She internally questioned herself, as she felt chills run through her body
Day two, "The middle point"
"The second day... the prey become desperate to escape the ghoul... Try to keep a distance from it... thinking it will save them" She thought
She got another flicker of flashback, of Jeon packing his things, leaving his old home to be safe
"But... the Ghouls shatter their hopes... making them fear them more... become hopeless and leave after cutting the last straw of hope. Making them broken..." She thought again as her eyes narrowed, staring at her half bitten bread
"But why leave quickly? Is there any ulterior motive?" She questioned in her thoughts as she took another bite from her bread
She pondered until... her throat tightens
"Or maybe... making the prey feel trapped... anxious... losing all hope... and be in constant fear... is it like making them rot inside till they are fully ripe... for the last meal?" she tensed up thinking the last possibility
She shook her head as she finished her bread
Day three, "The ending point"
"The last day... and the final moments till they are completely lost all hope..." She mumbled quietly to herself
"I witnessed many children who runs away in fear or gets paralyzed on one spot when that Ghoul makes a appearance again..." She stares down at the ground
The children's expressions flashes before her eyes, fear, losing hope, broken, paralyzed...
"Many run away, but the Ghoul follows them... like a proud collector coming to get them"
She gets flashbacks again on how many children ran away in fear and gets taken down easily by the Ghouls and finally getting under their control
Ending up with their eyes turn completely black
She let out a soft sound, "The more fear you feed them... then they will personally take you away... and the less you feed them... a portal will come and the preys will go inside there willingly..." She thought again
Suddenly she was pulled out from her thoughts, as she noticed a cat staring at her
Dahlia also stared back for sometime
"... Seems like it's hungry..." She thought as she took a bread out from her bag
She carefully scoots closer, not to startle the cat. Handing the bread to it
The cat stared at her wryly
And sniffed the bread for sometime, soon it gently took the bread in it's mouth from Dahlia's hand
"Is it tasty? Sorry I don't any milk on me" She said as she chuckled slightly
The cat only meowed as it soon goes towards her and hops on her lap
Dahlia was surprised, but pats the cat
"Seems like you made a friend~" A voice was heard behind Dahlia
She flinched and before she could react. A large hand grabbed the cat
The cat hissed, it squirmed to be freed from that grip
Dahlia looked behind and saw the same Ghoul, with it's far stretched smile. It opened it's mouth as it ate the cat alive
She could only watch with her eyes wide open, her blood running cold and she couldn't even move her own body
She was paralyzed in one place
"Meow?"
Dahlia gasped, she snapped open her eyes
She was shocked seeing the cat, completely intact on her lap
"What just happened-" She froze in her thoughts as she immediately acted
She left the cat and ran off
The cat watched her run away and tilting it's head, as if confused
Meanwhile Dahlia kept on running
She reached a abandoned playground, gripping her back tightly to ground herself
As if preparing herself for something
The playground was filled with overgrown grass, the sky had suddenly gotten dark
The air becoming chilly
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"Look here~" That same deep voice suddenly came from behind her
She instantly looked behind
It was empty, there was no one. Not even a trace of insects
A breeze brushed against her cheeks
Dahlia let out a soft sign, before turning back
"Boo~" The Ghoul was now really close to her face
She was tensed up as her eyes were wide open, her breathing hitched as she had the urge to scream or run away
But knew that would be like feeding the Ghoul with her fear
She kept a blank face, but she was biting her tongue to get a grip of herself
"Huh? No reaction? I can't even taste fear" The Ghoul hummed as it feigned disappointment but that far stretched smile was still there
Dahlia kept trying not to react nor get on edge with it's smile nor appearance
"Hehe, but makes it the more exciting. Cracking a tough persona is always so much more fun and gives off the greatest pleasure~" It laughed darkly
"You will not succeed" Dahlia said
"Heheheeheheeheeheeheeehe, we'll see about that on who gets down on their knees and cries~" It giggled, "You have two days left~" It remarked one last time before disappearing completely
Dahlia panted as she facepalmed, trying to calm down
"What was with that vision I saw earlier?" She asked telepathically
"I do not know too... I have felt... strong aura surrounding you... when you blacked out... It's something I have never seen before" Her guardian replied
Dahlia frowned slightly
"Something you have never seen?" She asked again
"Yes, it is powerful... way powerful than my powers... But I saw no negative energy in the aura that just surrounded you... It... was pure..." He replied again and pausing for a moment
"But still, be on guard. Even something as pure as that can be evil too" Her guardian warned her
"... You sure it's evil? I mean... it ended up saving the cat... and make me be prepared for that upcoming jump scare..." Dahlia questioned
"Even if it deemed to be helpful but, it does not define that it is harmless. Be on guard, no matter of how harmless it must be trying to be seen as... it is still dangerous" He said as his voice disappeared again
"... But sometimes trust is needed... maybe it is helpful and not bad?" She thought internally
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Second day
It was currently evening, the sky had the hue of orange mixed with dark blue
The sun was seen, slowly dropping down on the lake
Stars were visible in the sky
Gentle breeze brushing against Dahlia, making her hair to sway gently
"It's so peaceful here..." She mumbled to herself
Suddenly she got a vision again,breaking the peaceful and serene atmosphere. The Ghoul will appear above her. Ending up in pinning her down on ground
She snapped back in reality, as she prepared herself
"1"
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"2"
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"3"
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Dahlia counted internally
Finally she immediately moves away. The place she was sitting in earlier, is where the Ghoul suddenly lunges at
"Huh?" The Ghoul was dumbfounded as it saw that Dahlia wasn't beneath it, as it planned to. It looked over
Dahlia tensed up slightly but held her ground again as usual, "Keep it together Dahlia... keep it... together... your close... just a little longer to handle this..." she thought internally
"What was the big idea in planning to pin me down there?" She asked
"Hmm~ Well, children your age get scared easily" It replied as it got up. It soon turned to Dahlia, bending down to meet her eye level. "Especially if they are at a presence of someone, that is beyond their understanding~" It snickered darkly
She felt her hands shaking, but clenched her hands into fists to not show it. Her nails dug into her skin
"So? Do you think being close to you will get me scared?" She asked tauntingly, narrowing her eyes. "But I would like to remind you"
She leans closer to the Ghoul, while keeping eye contact with it unblinkingly
"I. Do. Not. Get. Scared. Easily. To. A. Creature. Like. You. You hear that?" Dahlia scoffed as she wears a smirk on her again. "Now scram, I still have the last day to go around to play your stupid game of tag"
The Ghoul was taken a back but soon it's smile stretches more wider, "Hehe, seems like someone is enthusiastic in seeing me?~ Very well, I would get going but~ don't think you can escape me, dar~ling" it said in a sing song tone before disappearing in thin air again
Dahlia shivered as it called her "Darling"
"Guess every Ghouls are shameless like this one here" She mumbled. "Then again... I wasn't terrified of it like earlier when I first met it... Hah! I even gave it a smirked more confidently then earlier" She huffed, feeling proud on herself
"Go to sleep, you will need energy for tomorrow" Her guardian's voice snapped Dahlia out from her thoughts
"I am sleeping... ok!" She pouts slightly, but soon gets the bed ready
She lays down on the bed she prepared on the ground. Didn't did much just put blanket on the grass. She rests her head on her bag, using it as pillow. Suddenly a dimply blue light came from her palm, on both her hands. She looked at it and noticed that the slight cut she got on her palms (due to digging her nails in it had) now completely healed up. Returning to the state it was, before
"Guess he healed me up again, as usual..." Dahlia thought internally as she smiled. She was used to her guardian healing her up when she accidentally hurts herself, no matter if the injury is big or small. It was always healed up making her skin look spotless without any scars, leaving on her body
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Third day (Last day)
It was nighttime
Dahlia prepared herself, "You will snap me out after being hypnotized, right?" she asked her guardian
"Yes... you heed not to worry as I shall take care of it..." He assured her, his tone devoid of any emotions as usual
Dahlia took a deep breath
"Alright... here goes nothing Dahlia... You got this..." She thought internally as she felt the air suddenly becoming colder around her
Indicating that the Ghoul is about to reappear before her again
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"Why your not running, little mortal? Not fan of playing tag? Or~ Your waiting for my return?~" The Ghoul finally appears before her
Dahlia finally let's it feed from her fear, but being careful not to feed it too much
Her gaze hardening as she bit her inner cheek to ground herself
Her blood running colder than usual, a sign that she is getting anxious as the seconds ticked by
"I am not a coward to run away. And besides, what is the point in there? I mean, you can easily catch up to me" Dahlia retorts
The Ghoul then laughed darkly
Dahlia's blank face doesn't waver in the slightest, or she is desperately trying not to look vulnerable to it
"Your a interesting mortal, darling. But~ all mortals fears me, you are no exception" It remarked in a sing song tone. "And it seems you have accepted your fate so, come join us~" As those words left it's mouth with that far stretched smile
Dahlia's mind became blank
She started hearing whispers, that are soothing... but she knew well... it can never be trusted
"Join us, we will give you the world's happiness" It whispered, soothing and soft tone but underneath it held twistedness
Dahlia stayed silent for a while, hesitating to give in. She wanted to fight it... to run away... hide... anything...
But
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Memories flood in her mind of Xinhua, her friend but more like her lil brother
Jeon... who is suffering from the harshness from the unfair world... and at home Jini is waiting for Jeon
It was not only them that needed saving... tho, many children who were targeted and taken away by these creatures needed it
She had to put a stop to it all
"I agree to join you" Dahlia replied to the whispers
The whispering seemed to have become darker, now showing it's real nature, "Hahahahahahaahaahahaahaaahaahaah!!! Foolish mortal" it said
Dahlia wasn't fazed, soon she lost her control over her mind
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Meanwhile, with the Ghoul who was watching Dahlia with a bored expression, "She is no fun~ I won't guide her so~" it said it's last words as it disappeared in thin air again. Leaving Dahlia who was standing still, head lowered and her eyes completely closed
Finally, she slowly opened her eyes
It was now completely black
Clearly hypnotized
Soon, a big dark portal appeared before her
She was about to step in it, until...
Dahlia's eyes that was completely black, now turned to completely blue
"Huh...? What is happening-" "Return back... my sapphire..." Her guardian cut off the whisper that has been lingering in her mind. Freeing her from the clutches
Dahlia blinked for sometime, her eyes returning back to it's original purple hue. "Urgh... guess I have to wear color..." She mumbled as she rubbed her head for a while to sooth the headache
"Yes... but... be careful as when you enter that portal... we both cannot telepathically talk anymore" He remarked
Dahlia froze up
"Wait... so... the children which were transported to..." She hesitated in saying it
"It is what you think it is... but fear not, I taught you how to deal with that world" He replied again
She only nods after sometime... she finally takes black color from her bag. She had dried and made it a little wet for it to easily adjust in her eyes and slightly transparent making it easier for her to see. She puts it on her eyes, her eyes now completely black then it originally was when she was being hypnotized
"I will get going... talk to you again soon..." Dahlia said to her guardian
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"Be safe, my sapphire... and be brave" He said to her
Dahlia nods again as she takes a deep breath
She gripped her bag tightly as a way to calm her nerves. She hesitantly stepped inside the portal
The portal finally closes down, leading her away to somewhere