At this rate…
The thought remained unfinished in my mind as I watched my mother, desperately struggling like an insect caught in a spider's web.
The power gap between her and the monster was an insurmountable abyss.
I felt the weight of a pair of compound eyes on me. Their red glow was like staring straight into hell: two crimson flames burning with an insatiable thirst for blood.
Any normal human would have lost the will to fight under that gaze, but I…
I have a choice, I told myself as the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
Despite my injuries, I could survive if I fled. The rational part of my mind, that adult voice whispering survival advice, told me I could live if I left the trembling woman by my side.
There's nothing wrong with running, that voice tried to convince me. It's not cowardice, it's survival.
Was I insane?
The question echoed in my mind as a bitter smile spread across my lips. I slapped my cheeks hard, trying to silence those cowardly thoughts.
I didn't need to hear them, I didn't want to hear them, even though I knew they were right: there was no chance of winning.
The logic was simple and brutal: if I escaped once, it would be easier to do it a second time, and by the third, it would barely affect me.
I'd become Arceus Pendragon, the one who only survived thanks to his cowardice.
I'd rather die by my own choice than become a cowardly spectator of life.
It was a senseless, irrational judgment, I knew. But the monster didn't flinch at my moral dilemma. Almost immediately, its two scythes hurtled toward me at terrifying speed.
Then it happened: as if emerging from nothingness itself, a man appeared in front of the monster.
I saw him leap between the deadly scythes with a grace that seemed to defy gravity, leaning forward to deliver a devastating blow with his longsword. All his weight, all his strength, concentrated in that single strike.
Logic dictated there must be a gap between its carapace and the torso armor. It was a simple mechanic: something that needed flexibility couldn't be completely rigid.
I saw the tip of his sword find that small gap, sinking into the monster's body until the hilt brushed against the chitin.
Of course! I thought with a fleeting moment of triumph that evaporated as quickly as it had come.
My expression darkened as I saw the creature didn't even seem to notice the wound that should have, if not killed it, at least weakened it significantly.
With a movement that seemed casual, the monster writhed, tossing the man aside like an annoying fly.
The bone scythes scraped the rock as they were pulled from the ground; the sound echoed in my nightmares.
The man, thanks to the force of the shake, managed to retrieve his sword, which had been lodged in the monster's flesh. That involuntary movement saved his life, allowing him to dodge the scythe's deadly strike by millimeters.
—Darius! —My mother's voice, weak and trembling, startled me. I saw her struggle to sit up, wiping the blood still flowing from her mouth—. Take Arceus and go!
—Captain… —Darius's voice quavered as his gaze flickered between the monster and my mother. The fear and terror on his face revealed the terrible decision he had already made.
It all happened in an instant: he sheathed his sword and ran toward me, grabbing me and hoisting me onto his back with a movement that gave me no time to react.
—Hey! What the hell are you doing?! —My scream echoed through the place as I struggled to break free from the grip of the man carrying me with one arm—. My mom's still here!
From my position on Darius's shoulder, I stretched my arm with all the strength I could muster, trying to reach my mother as he ran.
The distance between us grew with every step, and the centipede advanced slowly toward her, like a predator certain of its prey.
—Arceus! You must live! —My mother's cry cut through the air, her voice broken by the sobs wracking her body.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from her.
I saw her cover her mouth as she wept heartrendingly, and each tear was like a dagger in my heart. Words caught in my throat, replaced by sobs that shook me entirely.
My body trembled violently as I saw the monster loom over her. Fear engulfed me like a tsunami, sweeping away any coherent thought.
My muscles tensed involuntarily, my mind went blank, leaving only a vast void where hope had once existed.
Then it happened: a massive, bloodied mouth enveloped my mother's head.
—Stop! —My gut-wrenching scream echoed through the underground district, a sound so filled with pain and desperation it barely seemed human.
I watched as my mother's decapitated body collapsed, a grotesque fountain of blood spurting from her neck, soaking the ground with a crimson liquid that seemed to glow under the dim light.
My shoulders shook uncontrollably as sobs wracked me, unable to form coherent words.
My hands trembled like leaves in a storm, and my breathing was erratic, as if I'd forgotten how to do something as basic as breathe.
The pain was so intense it felt like I was drowning. It was unbearable, soul-crushing, as if someone had ripped out my heart and was squeezing it mercilessly.
I never imagined my heart could hurt so much. I clutched my chest tightly, trying to contain the self-destructive whirlwind of emotions threatening to tear me apart.
Tears streamed freely down my cheeks, blurring my vision until the world became a senseless blur of colors.
I couldn't breathe as emotions kept surging within me like an unstoppable geyser: a rage that burned like an uncontrollable wildfire, consuming everything in its path; a pain that flooded and drowned every corner of my being like a devastating tsunami; a corrosive guilt that shook the very foundations of my existence; and a regret that obliterated years of development and growth like an unrelenting hurricane.
I could feel these emotions wreaking havoc in my heart, shattering my sanity piece by piece.
Every fragment of my being screamed in agony as my mind struggled to process the horrific reality of what I had just witnessed.
Now, all I had left was this dark hole of emptiness and regret.
I had no one to blame but myself.