Chapter 3: Consumed
"Shit, shit, shit..."
Darian muttered, eyes wide as a visceral fear consumed him. The danger closing in from all sides was suffocating, an overwhelming presence that drained his strength. His soul trembled, his will faltered, and his legs nearly gave out.
But...
"No..."
He clenched his fists tightly. For a moment, he saw himself as he used to be—the fragile boy who hid in his room while his mother faced the world for him. A burden. A coward. His death hadn't been solely that bastard Young Master's fault. He had failed too. He ran from his curse, and the price was too high.
His fingers stopped shaking. The fear was still there, but something else was growing inside him. He had to win. He had to return to his siblings and take care of them. He had to do it for his mother, or he would never forgive himself.
"This is a test... there must be a way. I won't run. If I don't see a path yet, it's because I haven't looked hard enough..."
*Gwaar! Gwaar! Gwaar!*
Guttural, discordant laughter cut through his words. It carried malice—and something even more disturbing.
Darian found himself completely surrounded. There were hundreds—maybe more. Running earlier wouldn't have made a difference. He was doomed to face this.
The creatures had human-like features, but something was deeply wrong. There were both masculine and feminine forms, but their skin was blotched and purple, their eyes glowed with a cruel red light, and thick, violet smoke puffed from their mouths.