Chapter 9 : Something Has Awakened
The demonic beast raised its massive hand…
Its shadow covered Chimeni's small body.
Just seconds…
And everything would end.
The ground trembled.
Then
"Grrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
A scream…
Not human.
Not even a normal demonic one.
It was like the roar of an enraged giant… mixed with the cry of something broken.
"Khhhhhhhhshffffff…!!!"
A deep inhale…
As if the air itself was being sucked out of the world.
Then an exhale…
Hot… heavy… terrifying.
Another voice followed…
Deeper… colder…
"You… are not worthy to stand against me."
Everyone froze.
The old woman…
Chimeni…
Even the monsters.
Naz…
Was standing.
But…
He was no longer the same.
A black horn grew from the side of his head, curved like a demon's.
His right eye… changed.
Pitch black swallowed the white, glowing faintly with red.
Cracks spread across his skin… as if darkness itself was leaking out.
Behind him…
A long, dark tail moved slowly… like a living thing.
Chimeni's eyes widened.
The old woman whispered, trembling:
"…This…"
Naz slowly raised the katana.
His hand… was no longer steady.
It spun…
Like a vortex.
Black air twisted around it, tearing, spiraling, screaming.
Then
He screamed again:
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
Seconds passed…
Nothing happened.
Silence.
Terrifying.
Then
Shhhhhhk
A head fell.
Shhhhhhk
Another.
Shhhhhhk
Another.
Without Naz moving.
Without the blade being seen.
Shhhhhhk… Shhhhhhk… Shhhhhhk…
One after another.
Heads separated.
Bodies collapsed.
Blood flooded the ground.
Even the walls of the house…
Cracked.
From the sheer force alone.
Silence.
Absolute.
Naz…
Dropped to his knees.
Slowly.
The horn… vanished.
The eye returned.
The tail… faded.
He was back to normal.
But…
His body didn't move.
Like a corpse.
The blood was still there…
But
The bleeding… stopped.
The old woman rushed to him despite her pain.
She tore a piece of her clothes and pressed it against his wound.
Then she froze…
She looked at his torn leg.
And whispered:
"…It will be hard for him to ever stand on it again."
Chimeni…
Was standing.
Not screaming.
Not moving.
Just… crying.
Silently.
The old woman looked at Naz…
Then at the sky.
And whispered:
"…It has begun."
Then…
White smoke began rising from Naz's torn leg.
The old woman's eyes widened:
"What is this…?"
It wasn't normal smoke.
It was dense… pure… as if born from nothing.
The torn flesh… started moving.
The wounds closed before their eyes.
Muscles reformed.
Skin grew back.
One minute.
Maybe less.
Naz's leg… returned as if it had never been injured.
No scar.
No trace.
Nothing.
The old woman bent down, touching it with a trembling hand.
It was solid… whole… as if no blood had ever been spilled there.
She looked at Naz's lifeless face and whispered:
"Who… are you… really?"
Naz…
Was not here.
He was in a place unlike anything he had ever seen.
A red void.
No ground… no sky… no walls.
Just endless crimson.
He walked slowly.
He couldn't feel his body.
No fatigue.
No sensation.
Except…
There.
Far away.
Something black.
Beating… like a heart.
Was it approaching him…
Or was he approaching it?
He didn't know.
He kept walking.
Until he got closer.
Then stopped.
Something prevented him from going further.
Like an invisible wall… but he could feel it.
He raised his gaze.
Now… he could see.
A throne.
Black.
Massive.
Majestic.
Covered in patterns he couldn't understand… moving as if alive.
And on it…
A being.
Small.
Compared to the throne… to everything… it was small.
But its eyes…
Were watching him.
The entity smiled.
A demonic laugh… cold… mocking… tired.
"What is it with you humans…"
Its voice was calm. Cold. Like ice over fire.
"Disgusting… weak."
It extended its hand.
Slender… black fingers…
Touching the air as if searching for something.
"But…"
Its smile widened.
"You… are different."
Before Naz could understand what it meant
He began to regain consciousness
Tap!
Tap!
Tap!
A strange sensation on his face.
Tap!
He slowly opened his eyes.
His vision was blurry… heavy… as if waking from a deep sleep.
Tap!
He saw her face.
Chimeni.
Slapping him.
Tap!
Not in anger.
Not in fear.
As if… trying to wake him.
Before her small hand could pull away, he grabbed her.
Pulled her close.
Held her tightly with trembling arms.
Chimeni stiffened for a moment…
Then relaxed.
She didn't resist.
Didn't cry.
Just… stayed there.
Naz whispered weakly:
"Wait… Chimeni… my body hurts…"
The old woman looked at him, confused:
"But… you're the one who hugged her."
Naz slowly turned his head, looking at his left leg…
He remembered the wound.
The pain.
The blood.
His voice rose:
"My leg…?!"
Chimeni whispered softly… the first words she had spoken since being saved:
"It's… fine…"
The old woman added quietly, her eyes still fixed on him:
"Perhaps… you have abilities you haven't discovered yet."
But Naz wasn't listening.
He looked around.
The walls… cracked.
The ground… covered in blood.
But…
No monsters.
No bodies.
No one.
His voice rose, shocked… unable to believe it:
"Where… are the demonic beasts?!"
A heavy silence fell.
The old woman didn't answer.
Chimeni didn't speak.
They just…
Looked at him.
Like they had seen something…
Unbelievable.