"You held back" Millie pulled out her bloodied sword, causing Niel's body to instantly drop to the floor "Just stand aside if you can't get the job done"
Tia winced at the accusation, her eyes darting away from the pool of blood that soaked the ground, away from Niel heaving for his life. "You didn't have to kill him" She muttered.
"He didn't stay still"
"That doesn't mean-"
The arguments between two girls were like distant noises in his ringing head. Blood congealed up his throat, the ground was floating, images overlapping at the same time in his vision.
For a second, he had a terrifying thought he didn't want to admit. That maybe this was the end for him.
Bullshit, he threw the thought far away, fighting to stay awake. His chest twisted in hot, throbbing pain, a chill running down his spine. He retched a thin stream of blood, his hands came to clutch his stomach and chest, his senses started to dull by seconds.
He started to lose the grasp of his own body. It felt like he was taking a seat inside his own head, watching his body squirming and shaking without being able to do anything.
In the midst of the confusion, he caught a whisper. Low, barely audible, as if it's right next to his ear.
"I'll help"
The voice was inviting, enticing him with a promise he didn't know yet.
What help? The grim reaper was just above his head, and he'd lost a huge amount of blood. What else can he do at this point?
But the whisper was insistent, to the point his head was about to explode from the piercing tone. He wanted to live, and he certainly feared death. His eyes flicked down, somehow, the black stone settled firmly in his grip.
He wasn't sure if he'd always kept the stone on him for the whole time; but what he was sure, at the brink of his death, was the source of the whispers. And he was almost certain, no matter how stupid it sounded, that it came from this stone.
One of the girl's voices reached his ear "He has it!"
Weak string of words trembled on his lips
"...elp….me"
—
For a second, darkness engulfed him.
But when he opened his eyes back, Niel found himself to be in a strange, stranded place, devoid of logic or anything he'd seen. It was like he'd been transported to an entirely different world.
The ground was made up of pure white sand, and the sky above was a pitch black darkness. Unlike the beautiful sky at night, the sky here was like an unending void with nothing, in this vast space of vacuum, only he existed here in this place.
Niel looked away, as a wave of nausea washed over him.
He trudged forward, being shin-deep in the sand.
A booming voice suddenly shook the ground, the dust flew up because of such loud volume "I will save you" The voice boomed, causing Niel to cover his ears with both hands "But you, you will bring me to Kian"
"What?" Niel looked up to the sky, frowning "Who is Ki-"
I WILL BURN EVERYTHING TO THE GROUND
The voice raged, the sheer volume was too much to bear, it pierced through Niel's head with excruciating pain. A series of incoherent images flashed into his mind, a view of a wealthy empire, a mix of colours that didn't make any sense, a statute covered in dripping blood.
And the inhuman voice that promised future destruction.
BURN THE WORLD I WILL BURN THE WORLD
Niel woke up in cold sweat.
The violence he experienced just now still lingered inside his head, sharp and throbbing. He didn't understand what he'd just seen and heard, nor did he want to know how it happened in the first place.
He almost shrugged it off as a weird dream, if it weren't for what was happening currently.
The two girls were staring at him widened eyes and expression of disbelief, the one who killed him was holding her sword tight, as if bracing for an attack. But both of them looked hazy? Niel looked up, surprised to see a translucent white dome shielding him inside. It was a magic barrier, and one made with excellent construction and impenetrable force.
His hand suddenly stung with heat. The black stone in his hand was burning like molten steel, and he reflexively threw it away.
Niel didn't have time to comprehend the craziness as the stone suddenly crackled, a blinding light as bright as the sun flashed from within. He held up an arm, catching a glimpse of an outline of a human figure.
When the light subsided, a figure of a man emerged.
Niel inhaled his breath.
His long deep blue hair like waves crashing at night, his eyes glistened like a pair of sapphires. His beauty rivalled the mythical enchantress written in famous fairy tales, with divine presence that drew everyone's attention with ease.
Who is this man?