Aiden's eyes snapped open, only to find himself adrift in an ocean of absolute darkness.
Not a single spark of light pierced the oppressive void.
Then, a chilling familiarity prickled at his senses.
He saw it – the same antlered monster from the beginning, its monstrous form creeping up behind him.
Aiden spun instantly, fear and defiance warring within him.
He propelled himself backward using his aura, putting distance between himself and the encroaching horror.
"I'll rid you of your agony," the monster rumbled, its voice an unholy rasp. "Surrender your life to me."
"Not a chance, uglie!"
Aiden retorted, a surge of defiant energy coursing through him.
He charged, his right fist engulfed in a furious red aura.
But the monster was too strong, too fast. It easily caught Aiden's punch, twisting his arm with brutal force until a sickening crack echoed in the void.
His bone had splintered.
Aiden reeled, but his resolve remained unbroken.
He lashed out with a desperate kick to the monster's head, yet it passed through as if striking air.
This version of the monster, he realized with a jolt of despair, was far more powerful than the one he'd faced before.
The monster maintained its iron grip on his arm, and with a grotesque tear, it ripped his arm clean off.
Aiden recoiled, a guttural cry of pain escaping his lips.
Blood, invisible in the darkness, surely gushed from the wound, but he refused to yield.
"I will not surrender!" he roared, his voice raw with agony and defiance. "If I die, then I'll come back again and kill you over and over again!"
With his remaining left arm, he charged once more. This time, he engulfed his fingernails in shimmering aura flames, a desperate, fiery claw aimed at the monstrous foe.