"Doom is the path to eternal life..."
-Verse 3:2, The Aethric Tenet.
***
"I'll kill you!!" Kael's voice echoed all over the forest.
He twisted his body backwards, axes in both hands, as he and the demon locked gazes.
"Ran..." Kael whispered, gaze fixed.
"Uh?" Ran replied, breathing raggedly.
He whispered some words to Ran, which was barely audible for Code or Elara to hear.
Then, suddenly -
Swoosh!!
The battle exploded into motion.
The demon shot its left arm like a cannon, aimed at Kael.
Code's eyes widened, as he wanted to scream. "Get down!!"
But just as the words were about to leave his mouth...
Shiuuuun!!
Kael swung his axe, and as it contacted...
Boom!!
The demon's arm exploded into rolls of meat.
"Shrieeeekkk!!" The demon screamed, as it geared backwards in pain.
"Feel the pain, that you made us feel, vermin!!" Kael screamed, as he shot forward, leaving a ripple of distorted air behind.
The demon threw its second arm, aiming to land it upon Kael in a massive smash...
But Kael slashed it into two, shooting upwards instantly.
"Woah!!" Code exclaimed.
Kael appeared mid-air, over the demon's massive head.
"I'll make you pay!!" He yelled, as he flew downwards at superspeed.
Code's lips curled into a hopeful smile. 'We can...we can win this!' he thought to himself.
A feeling of relief washed over him.
Time seemed to slow...
The whole group held their collective breathe, as they watched Kael shot downwards towards the demon's skull.
A glimmer of hope shined in their eyes.
"We will survive!"
The air tore apart, as Kael shot downwards, aiming to land a massive crush on the demon's head.
"Ahhhhhh!!" Kael let out a ear shattering battle cry.
But then...the tables instantly turned.
As Kael connected, the demon tilted its head. Opened its wide maw, and...
Plop!
Kael fell into its massive mouth.
Before anyone could understand what was happening...
Crushhh!!!
The demon shut its maw, crushing Kael's body and screams instantly.
Only his legs and a few drops of blood survived, the remaining were crushed to nothing.
"Ahhh!" Code, Elara and Ran stuttered, freezing.
Munch. Munch.
They could here it - the chewing sounds, the crunch of bones, the squelch of flesh, the gulp of blood, and...
Kael's wails. His cries. His screams.
It was too audible, too audible for Ran to take.
Too audible for Code's ears. Too loud to bear.
"It's over..." Code muttered. Tears weren't coming, sweat wasn't pouring.
Time seemed to have stopped.
They were stuck in a timeframe of doom.
"You bastard!!!"
Code raised his head to see Ran. He was screaming in anger and fear, as he clutched onto what was left of Kael - his legs.
"You motherfucker!! Curse you! How dare you?!" Ran yelled, as blood dripped onto his body.
However, amidst his cries, the demon's grin only seemed to grow wider.
"It's pointless!" Code whispered, stretching his hands to Ran's shoulder.
"Get those fucking hands off me!" Ran retorted, slapping Code's hand away.
"Don't act like you know me. You don't know anything! You're just a child who's had it easy!" Ran screamed, as tears slid down his cheeks.
"Kael..." He whispered, clutching his remnants. "He was more than a friend, my brother!"
Flashbacks rang through Ran's mind.
"Ever since we were kids... Kael had always protected me, he was the only one. The only person that understood me. That understood my weakness."
Ran remembered Kael's final words, the whispers only him heard, before he got munched.
"Ran..." He whispered, as Ran turned his head.
"We can't beat it."
Ran's eyes widened.
"But I'll do what I can," Kael continued.
"In that time..." His tone turned grim.
"...Run!"
...
"Why? Why did you've to die?!" Ran screamed.
"I should've been the one."
"Oi!" Code suddenly cut in, clutching Ran's shoulder.
Ran leaned backwards, turning a gaze filled with anger and sorrow to Code.
"This is no time to wail, he's gone, but at least, he provided a way to escape," Code said, flickering a gaze at the demon.
It was busy regenerating its arm.
"We can escape..." Code added.
"You motherfucker!" Ran rasped, as he jumped up, and slapped Code's arm away.
"Don't act like you care! You think I don't know? You only care about the profit you'll get, don't you?" Ran yelled.
"The reason you waited, even after others left. You knew you were useless. But you still stayed, because of the profit you'd get, didn't you?"
"Tch." Code gritted his teeth. "And so fucking what?" He yelled back.
"Uh? What did you just say?" Ran staggered backwards.
"Yeah! You heard me!" Code affirmed, throwing his arm sideways. "I obviously didn't come here to die!"
"You bastard, you really think I'd pay you after hearing all of this?" Ran chuckled.
Code's gaze narrowed, as he let out a dark grin. "Don't fuck with me," he warned, hand already going to his dagger.
"Heyy!!"
A scream suddenly rent the air.
"Uh?" Code and Ran turned to face Elara.
Her eyes were out wide, and she slowly raised her finger, to point at something.
"Hehe," Code forced a nervous chuckle. "What...what is it?" He stammered.
"Be-behind you..." Elara said, as she pointed to something behind them.
"Ugh..." Sweat trickled down Code's face.
He didn't want to believe it.
He looked at the ground, and there was a massive shadow over his.
Ran froze, cold air blowing out of his mouth.
'I have to...I have to get my payment...I mean... survive.' words rang through Code's head.
'Survive... survive...'
"Survive!!!" Code screamed, as he took the first step.
'I'm not looking back!' Code thought, and as he was about to take the next step...
Smashhhhh!!!
His eyes widened immediately.
His gaze rolled, as he gulped saliva repeatedly.
His eyes rolled to his arms. They were still intact. His legs were still holding. His head was still processing thoughts.
It wasn't him.
Code instinctively turned his head leftwards, and...
A flood of blood and gore splashed onto his body.
"Ran?" Code's heart skipped.
His eyes shifted from the crimson-painted trees, down to the remnants standing in front of him.
Elara raised her hand to block her mouth in horror.
The view was too much.
Ran's body, from his waist up to his head was gone.
Only his legs remained. Even Kael's remains were gone - turned to a mere chunk of flesh.
"My-my money?!" Code muttered, shivering, as he watched Ran's remains fall to the ground.
His chest beated violently, threatening to burst.
THUD!!
The demon drew closer, his figure hovering.
'However...'
"..."
'I don't wanna die! I can't die here. I still have a long life to leave!!' Code screamed in his head, as he dashed forward, his legs faster than his brain.
"Run!!" Code screamed, as he passed by Elara.
"My payment matters, my four percent matters, my profit matters."
"But my life matters more!!"
Code kept muttering, as he ran into the darkness of the woods.
Now he knew-
Life really mattered.
Death was real. It wasn't something to joke with.
***
To Be Continued...