The creature didn't move.
Neither did the crew.
For a moment, the forest remained completely silent.
Then one of the enormous blades tore through the air.
The captain reacted immediately.
Chains flung from his wrists.
He threw himself to the side as the blade came down, wrapping his chains around it at the last second.
The impact shook the ground.
The captain pulled hard.
The creature's limb shifted.
He used the chain to swing himself around it, narrowly avoiding another blade that tore through the space where he'd been standing.
Merlin watched.
The captain was fast.
Too fast.
Suddenly Another limb emerged from the distortion.
He pulled his chain.
His body moved.
But not enough.
The limb came from behind.
It pierced through his back.
The captain's body jerked and the limb retracted.
His chains fell limp.
"Alaric!"
Harvey's voice tore through the silence.
Merlin froze.
Alaric.
That was his name.
It was his first time hearing it.
The captain's body fell to his knees.
Then collapsed.
He rolled onto his side, his innards spilled on the ground.
Harvey charged towards it.
Wait! Brody shouted.
Harvey didn't listen.
Brody looked back at Luna. Totally defenseless. He stayed back with her.
Harvey threw his cloak in the air.
His cloak suddenly shifted.
His body vanished.
A moment later, he appeared several meters away.
Another shift.
Then another.
The creature's blades tore through the places he had been only moments before.
Harvey moved between them, disappearing and reappearing through the chaos.
He swung his weapon.
The attack struck the limb behind the blade.
Merlin heard a cracking sound, but the beast wasn't shaken.
Harvey's expression changed.
He disappeared again.
A blade came down.
He reappeared behind it.
Another blade swept toward him.
He vanished.
Again.
And again.
For a moment, Harvey managed to stay ahead of it.
Then the creature stopped.
One of the distortions opened exactly where Harvey was about to appear.
Harvey emerged.
The blade was already there.
His body was torn through.
He fell.
"Harvey!"
Brody moved immediately.
He stepped in front of Luna.
His spear came up.
The first blade struck.
Brody blocked it.
The force drove him backward.
He planted his feet.
Another blade came.
He knocked it aside.
Another.
He twisted.
Another.
His spear moved faster and faster.
Luna stayed behind him.
"Brody—"
"Stay back!"
He eventually threw his spear at an astonishing speed towards the center of the force.
It was a direct hit, Merlin's eyes widened.
It pierced though it half way but upon impact the spear shattered.
The creature shook the air around it letting out a loud screech.
If we can get more shots like that then maybe, Merlin looked at Brody
Brody gritted his teeth and reached for his second spear.
Another blade swung, Brody rolled on the ground.
He pushed forward.
"Move!"
Luna hesitated.
The creature shifted.
He raised the spear to throw.
A blade appeared beside Brody.
He turned.
Too late.
It pierced through his side.
Brody staggered.
He looked down at the blade.
Then at Luna.
His grip tightened around his spear.
"Luna..."
His knees gave out.
He collapsed.
Luna stared at him.
She didn't move.
The creature turned toward her.
Merlin's body tensed.
"Luna!"
She looked at him.
Then back at the creature.
A blade tore through the air.
Luna tried to move.
She wasn't fast enough.
The blade struck.
Her body was thrown across the ground.
She didn't get back up.
Merlin stared.
The forest was filled with silence again.
One by one...
They were disappearing.
He looked toward Leon.
Leon stood several meters away.
He was staring at the creature.
Then his eyes shifted.
Toward Merlin.
For a moment, they looked at each other.
Leon reached beneath his clothes.
He pulled out his pendant.
He threw it.
Merlin caught it.
He looked down at the pendant in his hand.
Then back at Leon.
Leon gave him one last glance.
A faint smile crossed his face.
A blade passed through him.
Leon fell.
Merlin's fingers tightened around the pendant.
He couldn't move.
The creature turned toward him.
One of its limbs slowly emerged from the distortion.
Merlin raised Requiem.
The blade came down.
He swung.
Requiem struck it.
The impact threw him backward.
Merlin hit the ground.
He tried to stand.
Another blade appeared.
He rolled.
It tore through the ground beside him.
Another.
He moved again.
Another.
He couldn't keep up.
The creature was everywhere.
Merlin swung Requiem blindly.
The blade caught one of the limbs.
For a moment, it stopped.
Merlin pulled requeim back.
He raised requeim, his right arm went numb.
He looked down.
"Blood", when did I get hit?
His body slumped to the ground.
The creature's blade was still in his shoulder.
The blade dragged through his arm, dividing it while crushing his bones.
Merlin screamed in pain, teardrops escaped his eyes.
He tried to get up pushing on the ground with his still good arm.
A blade went through his back, impaling him to the ground. The blade slowly went deeper tearing through the ground as well.
Merlin couldn't scream his lungs were punctured. He could only let out faint gasping sounds as tears poured through his eyes.
The blade suddenly moved higher destroying his lungs. Merlin's vision blurred, the pain started fading slowly.
Suddenly a hum shook his body.
Why now of all times?!
The pain returned, but now Merlin could feeling every inch of it. It was like there were thorns inside his wounds.
The pain became unbearable.
Every broken bone.
Every torn muscle.
Every breathless attempt to breathe.
His eyes trembled.
Merlin's fingers dug into the dirt.
He couldn't breathe.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't even scream.
His body trembled beneath the blade.
The hum continued.
It was way louder and more intense than the ones before.
It filled his entire head.
Every pulse made the pain sharper.
Merlin's vision flickered.
The trees above him blurred together.
He could barely see the creature anymore.
Only the massive limbs surrounding him.
He tried to move his hand.
Requiem was still there.
His fingers twitched around the shaft.
He couldn't lift it.
He couldn't even feel his arm properly anymore.
The hum continued.
Merlin's eyes slowly closed.
Then—
Darkness.
Merlin floated in the void again.
Only this time it felt like he was submerged underwater.
His instincts told him to gasp for air, but he couldn't breathe and He still wasn't suffocating.
The screen suddenly appeared in front of Merlin.
[Awakening...]
Merlin's body tingled sharply.
He could feel the thorns again, stabbing him from the inside.
The pain shot through his entire body.
His eyes felt like it was being shredded by countless needles.
He looked at his body, he wasn't injured.
Instead it felt like he was being destroyed and rebuilt from the inside.
The void around him started to shrink.
Soon it reached room size, then it collapsed on him.
Everywhere went dark.
Merlin heard the sound of a sliding door.
Light.
It struck his face. Merlin reacted like he had been in a dark place for a really long time.. he probably was.
He collapsed to the ground, instinctively gasping for air.
Merlin looked around.
The room was empty.
He slowly pushed himself up.
He was back to the real world.
His eyes moved across the room.
Then they stopped.
A man sat at a desk at the edge of the room.
Mr. Isaac.
He looked up from what he was doing.
"I see you've awakened."
He smiled.
Merlin stared at him.
He felt like lunging at him with his elbow to dislocate his nose.
Instead he just stared.
He looked around.
He couldn't help but wonder where everyone else was.