Chapter 42 - The Void (1/2)
Versailles stood alone on the edge of a black cliff, overlooking a deep flaming ravine. Black liquid flames occasionally surged towards the black sky, stretching their slithery fingers into its black embrace.
Creasing her brows in confusion, her eyes roamed over the strange place, as she tried to make sense of her situation.
The last thing she remembered was tendrils of tentacles reaching out towards her soul before they were wiped out by a bright light. The next second, her vision went black and she found herself here.
”Hehehehe, you are here.”
Versailles jumped at the sudden appearance of the same sickly sweet voice, only this time, it was not in her mind but, resounding from the black void.
”Who is it? Show yourself?” Changing into her serpentine form, Versailles violet-gold eyes vigilantly scanned the area.
”Hehehehe, I have been waiting for you. Come. Come to me.”
The voice echoed from all directions, making her head spin. Gritting her teeth, she repeatedly screamed in her mind to focus and stay calm.
”Waiting for me? Why would you wait for me? Who are you?”
”Hehehehe. Come. Come and you will find out.”
”Do you take me for a naïve serpentine? Why would I run over just because you tell me to?”
”Hehehehe, do you not care about your mate? Come. If you want to see him again.”
”My mate? Ramose? Who are you and what do you want from me?” Versailles' eyes widened in astonishment on hearing the voice mention Ramose.
Who or what was this darkness? It knew about Ramose who she had only just formed a mate bond with. It felt nothing like the shadow that pursued her in her first life, nor was it like the last shadow she encountered in the Snowy Plains of the Sybil realm.
From the depths of her soul, she sensed something dark and sinister, malevolent and vile, from this darkness. She could not put a name to the feeling, but from its maliciousness, she knew that it was nothing good.
She could feel its thirst for her, like the flame of a scorching beast, desiring to devour her to quench its heat. But she could also feel its hesitance to approach her.
'The glowing soul'
The thought entered her mind, instantly ringing true in her heart. The darkness already attempted to invade her mind, corrupt and corrode her heart and soul. However, the brilliance of the bright light evaporated its sickening tendrils, vanquishing its hold on her mind.
'Beware of the shadow'
Was the warning she heard from the ancient voice in the 'glowing soul'.
Raising her guard, she cleared her mind of any distracting thoughts and wiped all emotions from her face, her expression indifferent and impassive.
”Hehehehe, you should just willingly come. You do not want to push him to his end, do you?”
As if sensing her strengthening her guard, the darkness around her surged with unrestrained ferocity, covering the black ground and enveloping the black sky.
Suspended in complete darkness, without the slightest hint of light, no sense of direction, and sky or ground; her stomach tightly clenched and twisted in knots. Cold dread and fear crept over her skull and spine, raising goosebumps over her skin.
With a plunging heart, she ruthlessly bit on her arm, using the pain to keep her wits.
”No! I need to stay calm! The darkness cannot invade me unless I let it in. I must stay calm.” Chanting in her head, Versailles's rising fear slowly ebbed away, leaving her weak and limp.
However, the darkness did not retreat. Instead, it swirled and twisted before forming a vortex in front of her. Through the vortex, she saw a black wolf-man fiercely entangled in a savage battle with a smoky shadow.
The wolf-man's body was viciously flung back and forth, roughly smashing on the black stone ground, its limbs crushed and ripped apart by the smoky shadow as it drank its blood and chewed on its flesh.
The wolf-man howled in pain and agony, its blue-black pupils flowing with blood as its head was savagely ripped off its body, dangling in the air by its midnight hair.
Without needing any telling, Versailles instantly knew who the wolf-man was. It was Ramose.