The monstrosity felt it.
Something was wrong. Something was deeply wrong.
It flexed its massive hind limbs and launched itself forward, the water exploding around it as it bounded toward her with terrifying speed. For something so large, it moved with unnatural agility, cutting through the depths in a straight, relentless line toward Nyx, its claws outstretched to pin her beneath its weight.
Nyx moved as well—but the paralysis was catching up.
Her reflexes dulled, her body lagging just a fraction behind her thoughts. She twisted sharply, her serpentine form bending away from the incoming strike. It was enough to avoid being crushed—But not enough to escape unscathed.
Three massive claws tore through her scales like wet paper and pain flared.
Dark red blood spilled into the water, blooming outward in slow, drifting clouds like ink in the deep. Nyx hissed, her body recoiling from the strike, the sting sharp and immediate.
The creature was powerful.
Far too powerful.
This was not something she had any business fighting—not in this state, not in its domain. But choice had long since abandoned her.
Still—
Despite everything—
Nyx knew she would win.
Not because she was stronger.
But because she was more terrifying.
The creature's toxin brought paralysis—a slow, suffocating stillness that stole movement and left its prey helpless.
Hers was different.
Far worse.
Soul decay.
It was not a poison of the body, but of the soul itself. It could not be healed, could only be stopped from spreading. It gnawed at the soul, corroding it piece by piece, inflicting a pain that went beyond flesh—beyond nerves—into something deeper, something fundamental.
A slow, agonizing ruin.
All Nyx had to do—was survive long enough.
That was the problem.
Her movements were growing heavier with each passing second, her once-fluid body turning sluggish, unresponsive. Her mind remained sharp, painfully aware of everything, but her limbs no longer obeyed as they should. Parts of her had already gone stiff—cold, distant, as though they no longer belonged to her.
So when the next attack came—
She was too slow.
She tried to pull away, to slip out of range, but the creature's tongue lashed out faster than thought—a blur in the water.
It struck, wrapping and piercing.
The slick, barbed tip drove through her scales and anchored itself beneath her flesh before tightening violently. A second surge of toxin flooded into her body, heavier, denser than before.
And once again she was dragged, pulled helplessly toward the creature's waiting maw.
Nyx hissed, the sound breaking into something strained and uneven as her body shuddered, then began to still. The paralysis spread rapidly now, swallowing what little control she had left.
Ahead of her, the creature's mouth yawned open.
Rows of jagged teeth glistened in the dim light.
Waiting.
"Ah…"
The sound slipped from her, faint and unsteady.
"It hurts…"