{A/N: Okay so I know I said I had a plan, but I don't know why this story is so dark I don't intend to write this but it just happens. Anyone would think I hate the Mc after reading my work, I don't but... Anyway you guys know the drill, donate some stones if you feel like it and check out my patreon @patreon.com/TheFudgeNPC.}
Standing within a silent lab, three of the four most powerful figures in the supernatural world stood frozen, a single disk-shaped artifact pulsing on the floor projecting a field that stopped any motion.
Inside the field, a single figure moved, dressed in a full-body outfit that covered their entire form, leaving no part of them visible to onlookers. Pulling desperately at their trapped hand, the figure's eyes darted frantically at the slowly eroding artifact, their movements becoming more frenzied as cracks began to appear.
With a resigned sigh, they pulled a dagger from their waist, jabbing it into the hand holding onto them. The dagger bounced off the unprotected skin with a dull ringing sound. Without a moment's hesitation, the would-be thief twisted the dagger into a reverse grip and brought it down on their own wrist with savage determination.
Cutting through flesh and bone with the ease of a hot knife through butter, the assailant broke free. Clutching at their bloodied stump, they quickly backed away while tightening a tourniquet just above their wound, blood already soaking through their dark clothing.
Turning at the door, they fled out of sight, leaving a crimson trail behind them like breadcrumbs in a macabre fairy tale. Back within the room, the sound of cracking grew more prominent as Ajuka's violent magic wore away at the surprisingly fragile material of the artifact.
Cracking in half with a violent rush of magic, the stasis zone flickered before cutting out, freeing the occupants. Sagging to the ground, blood flowed freely from Ajuka as his shattered bones failed to support his body, the pain evident in his twisted expression.
Moving to her friend's side, Serafall supported him as Sirzechs rushed for the door, blasting it open with such force that it splintered, before charging after the trail of blood. Ajuka, ignoring his rapidly healing injuries, dragged himself toward the spot his daughter once stood, tears of blood falling from his eyes as nothing else registered in his devastated mind.
Grabbing her severed arm, he cradled it in his lap, quietly sobbing at the apparent death of his daughter. Patting him gently on the back, a tear pooled in the corner of Serafall's eye as she pulled Ajuka into a comforting embrace. He didn't react, only clutching the cooling limb as if it could somehow bring his daughter back from the attack that had claimed her.
Behind him, Azazel awkwardly averted his gaze, choosing instead to study the data still present on the screen. The silence crowded the room for five agonizing minutes, the only sound being the quiet, heartbreaking sobs of the distraught father.
Finally breaking the silence, the sound of footsteps could be heard slowly approaching the room. Pushing open the remains of thr door, Sirzechs shamefully avoided eye contact as he approached. Crouching down in front of his longtime friend, he rested a hand on his shoulder before looking him directly in the eyes.
"I'm sorry, my friend. They escaped, they had some sort of portal magic" Looking deep into his friend's eyes, Ajuka's hollow gaze held a devastating mix of anguish and quiet rage. Silently looking away, he gazed back to the pool of blood on the floor, the last physical evidence of his daughter's presence.
Behind the small group of devils, Azazel came upon something interesting. Turning to the grieving trio, he spoke slowly but with conviction. "Ajuka... she may not be dead." Head snapping around, Ajuka stared down the fallen angel, fury burning bright in his eyes, just willing Azazel to give him an excuse to vent his overwhelming emotions.
"I was looking over the data you have, and I noticed a lot of similarities between the orb and spatial-type sacred gears." Hope creeping into his eyes like a fragile dawn, Ajuka stood up to properly face Azazel.
"You're treading on dangerous ground here. What proof do you have of your claims?" Staring him down, a faint glimmer of hope could be seen forming in the devastated father's eyes, like a tiny flame fighting against a storm.
"I have no proof for you at the moment, but after I return to my lab, I'll send you a relevant copy of my data. In exchange, I want the data from the orb."
Barely hesitating, Ajuka nodded, tuning out the mild protests of the more politically minded devils. His focus was solely on the faint hope of saving his daughter, everything else fading to background noise.
Sealing the deal with a small pact, Ajuka turned to face Sirzechs, staring down the Crimson Lucifer as a complex mix of emotions boiled back into his expression. "You owe me. Help me find the thief and whoever was behind them. You don't have an artifact like the stasis one without connections."
Nodding in silent agreement, Sirzechs patted Ajuka's shoulder before turning to leave, choosing not to acknowledge the rage and grief simmering below his friends facade. Addressing the remaining people in the room, Ajuka spoke with a hollow tone that betrayed his inner devastation. "Now... everyone out. I have to work."
Dully waving off the group, Ajuka crouched down to pick up the severed limb before disappearing into the back of the lab. Sighing heavily, Sirzechs watched his friend leave, already dreading the lengths he might go to now that he had a glimmer of hope to cling to.
Walking over to a nearby shelf rack, he gently slid it out of the way. Looking down at the scared red-haired girl hiding as best as she could, he sighed again. Reaching down, he picked his younger sister up in a protective embrace. Instantly, she broke into loud, heartrending sobs as he wordlessly carried her from the gloomy lab, the door slowly closing behind them with a final, ominous click.
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Elsewhere, a light trail could be seen carved in the coarse, dead dirt. The trail, similar to a snake's tracks, was randomly marked by small gouges in the ground. Following the trail told a story to those who knew how to read it—starting by a small divot in the ground, the gouges began deep and far apart.
Moving further along, the trail's gouges became shallower and closer together, as though whatever made them started panicking, desperately scraping at the ground in a frantic attempt to escape from some unseen horror. Following the trail to its source revealed a young, crippled girl.
Clawing at the ground in desperate determination, Evie pulled herself along in slow, agonizing movements. Covered in dirt and small cuts, the small child looked around skittishly, her eyes wide with primal fear. Behind her, a slow, weak growl reverberated along with the arrhythmic thud of approaching footfalls.
Glancing over her shoulder with mounting dread, Evie observed the source of the disconcerting sounds. Standing around 5'9", the corpse like humanoid oozed a sinister aura that seemed to corrupt the very air around it. Covered in a layer of noxious greenish-black energy not too dissimilar to that around her wounds, the rotted form lumbered forward with silent hunger, small drops of its gooey skin dripping off and dissipating in the air like toxic mist.
Sobbing out a weak cry that tore at her raw throat, she looked back to the front, digging her fingers into the unyielding ground as she tried to drag herself away. Behind her, the lumbering form grew ever closer, its irregular steps easily outpacing her desperate crawl, each footfall a thunderous countdown to her doom.
Sobbing in terror, the young devil realized with crushing dread that she wouldn't be able to escape the creature. Rolling onto her back, she extended her trembling hand toward the thing and turned her focus inward. Willing the instinctive feeling of her mana toward her hand, she channelled as much as she could muster, a last desperate act of defiance.
Releasing the amassed mana, it arced randomly from her hand—some toward her, some toward the creature, most toward nothing at all. Seeing a bolt of mana streaking toward the thing, a small amount of relief flooded her heart. Unfortunately, nothing could be as simple as it seemed in this nightmarish realm.
Materializing from nothing, a thick, dark mana-like substance began to consume her attack, traveling backward along the magical bolt faster than it could leave her hand. The other mana consumed hers like a starving beast devouring its prey.
Reaching her hand, the strange mana followed her own back into her mana channels. Screaming in agony, a burning sensation flooded through her as the foreign magic acted like acid within her very soul. Fighting back against the invasive energy, her body eventually purged it from her system, but the ordeal left burn-like wounds across her hand, the skin blistered and raw.
Hearing a growl from above, Evie realized too late that she had forgotten about the creature. Her head snapped toward the sound, and her vision filled with the horrifying sight of the creature—mouth gaping wide—lunging for her face.
Biting into her flesh, the creature's teeth tore through her skin, the gooey substance on its skin spilling onto her like a wave of searing acid. Near instantly, her brain was overloaded with pain, and blessed darkness claimed her consciousness.
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Eyes snapping open, a strangled gasp escaped Evie as her hand flew across her face, scratching away at phantom pains that felt all too real. Overwhelmed by emotion, heart-wrenching sobs replaced the sounds of pain as her hand fell limply to her side.
Sobbing for an unknown amount of time, the young devil released all her pent-up emotions, crying out the rage, the fear, the pain, and the crushing loneliness. By the time her tears finally ran dry, she was left feeling hollow, an empty shell of who she once was.
Sitting there like a lifeless doll, she stared aimlessly into the void, eyes glazed over in shock. Too exhausted to move or think, she simply existed in that moment, as day passed into night and then back to day. On the second day, as night slowly encroached once more, the ominous sound of thunder could be heard in the distance.
That night, as she sat there slowly dying of dehydration, the rain came again. Absently feeling the cold drops fall on her skin, her distant mind didn't choose to return from its protective retreat. As the divot slowly filled with water, it took the faint shock of nearby lightning to snap her out of her daze.
But it was too late. Choking on water and mud, she blacked out again, darkness claiming her once more.
Waking in the same spot as usual, she violently gagged, her body still reacting to the memory of drowning. Breaking into sobs again, she continuously slammed her head back against the dirt, trying anything to drive away the memories of her suffering.
Shouting in rage and yelling to the uncaring heavens, her anger went unheard. In her misguided fury, she continued to beat against the ground. Her head slipping to the side, she briefly noticed a rock out of the corner of her eye before, with a sharp crack, the world went black once more.
Waking up slowly, her eyes were tired and bloodshot as she looked toward the orange sky visible at the edge of the hole, a cruel reminder of the world beyond her reach.
"Why? Why me? I was a good girl! I listened to Dad; I was nice. So why me?!"
Shouting at the top of her lungs, her words hung briefly in the air before they too disappeared, leaving her alone again with her despair. Slumping against the back of the hole, no tears came this time as she looked toward the ground below, her eyes dry and her soul weary.
Idly tracing patterns in the dirt, she waited for the inevitable pain she had learned would come from any action she took. Dipping her finger in the mostly dry blood pooled in the base of the hole, she began to paint stick figures on the rocks around her, seeking some small comfort in this tiny act of creation.
Spending the day like that, the darkness of night eventually forced her to stop. In the freezing temperatures of the night, she blacked out again, her starving body having consumed too much energy and being unable to keep her warm.
Waking up for the fifth time, this time she didn't gasp or scratch at phantom pains. 'It seems freezing is the least painful way to die.' Idly musing on her recent experiences, she found small luxuries in the absence of pain.
Sighing deeply, she looked around the hole with new determination. Plotting out the rocks along the edge, she absently crawled toward the best route. Grabbing hold of the closest rock, she took the first figurative step to overcoming her situation and lifted herself up, muscles straining with the effort.
Crawling out of the hole, she briefly paused for a respite before propping herself up and looking around. 'Okay, so the sun rises in that direction.' Looking one way across the wasteland, she briefly commented to herself before spinning ninety degrees to the right. 'There are those ruins I tried to get to earlier.'
Spinning again, she saw nothing but more desolate wasteland. Finally looking in the last direction, she spotted a large mountain range, the tips white with snow against the bleak horizon.
Looking back toward the ruins, multiple thoughts flickered through her mind. 'I should head to the ruins; there might be people. Oh, but the creature is that way. I think I'll call it a Gooul—a gooey ghoul.' Her thoughts straying from her focus, she shook her head to snap out of that train of thought.
'Hmm, I know where the Gooul is, and earlier it didn't seem to wake up until I accidentally hit it with a stick. I reckon I'll try to get to the ruins; maybe someone can help me.' Deciding on a course of action, she reached out and began dragging herself forward with renewed purpose.
Going wide compared to her earlier attempt; she had been crawling for about five minutes before she heard a snap followed by an ominous click. Looking down toward the source of the noise, she spotted a rusty mass of metal, snapped and eroded. Mentally shrugging, she continued forward.
BOOM! She made it barely a body's length forward before a violent explosion shredded her to pieces, her scream cut short by the sudden devastation.
Waking up with a heart-stopping scream, she frantically patted herself for a few seconds before regulating her breathing and looking toward the edge of the hole. The look in her eyes turned more determined as her resolve hardened into something unbreakable.
Crawling forward with newfound courage, she grabbed hold of the rock, pulling herself up as she prepared to repeat the routine again. After all, there couldn't be consequences to her actions unless she made them. She would get it right eventually, and then her dad would come rescue her from this nightmare. She had to believe that—it was the only thing keeping her going.