NOVEL NEXT Arc VIII Chapter 6
VIII
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Arc VIII Chapter 6
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“Captain, are you okay?”
“Okay? Nothing is okay in this fucking snowy shithole. An avalanche nearly killed us.” Kumanosuke groaned in pain. They survived the avalanche and the little psycho girl at the expense of a few broken bones. His legs refused to move.
“What are you waiting for? Get your asses over! Help me!” Shizue and Naomichi moved.
Kumanosuke gritted his teeth to suppress the pain. “If I ever get my hands on this little bitch ...”
“So we are continuing with the mission?” Shizue asked.
Kumanosuke answered with an incredulous stare. “Oh, fuck no. I am not senile. Screw the mission. Screw the money. Screw the terror girl. We get the fuck out of here. I am not going to face this demon ever again.”
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Yuki's chances of survival were minimal, not to say non existent. All hope was lost and doom awaited her. Her arms embraced the soft snow. Her death would be sweet and painless.
Yuki was never a friend of pain and suffering. Nobody was. She was a pampered noble girl and little princess, a pampered little princess. Noble blood coursed through her veins. Harumi, her caretaker and guardian, always said so.
He had served her parents even beyond their death. She had little reason to doubt to his words. He spoke the truth, she was of noble birth.
Yuki remembered her heritage. Years had passed since the fateful day, the night she lost her parents, killed in cold blood. On the run for the majority of her life, she missed her father, her mother. The pain never subsided. Her heart missed Haruka. Yuki missed her warmth, her hugs, her love. All had disappeared. Only the memories of better times remained.
The ninja nearly killed her, forcing her to march untold miles in the cold. Her tender heart hoped that they would rot in hell, haunted forever by her angry spirit from the afterlife. She wouldn't forgive them. Never.
Death came quickly. No pain. No agony. Her body went numb, and darkness approached her. Trapped in a state of fading consciousness and reality, her world turned black. The darkness crept closer, which unsettled Yuki. Her eyes stared into the abyss, and the abyss stared back at her. The dark miasma distressed her. The darkness was strange, alien, different. Ancient malice lurked inside the shadows. Avarice. Envy. Insatiable hunger.
“...” Yuki stumbled backwards, yet the darkness followed her. Her face paled. Her fears weren't a product of her paranoia, the darkness followed her. The thing didn't allow her to escape.
...
...
...
The beast flashed its teeth. Red luminescent eyes pierced her. Their predatory intent was clear. Nightmarish tendrils rushed forth. Deformed, inhuman claws carved for her. They were everywhere. They were many. They were fast.
“...” Yuki gulped, reconsidering her decision. Death suddenly didn't appear desirable any more. Nobody told her about this aspect of dying.
Yuki ran. The little princess fled from the army of black tendrils. She was too young and fluffy to die.
But misfortune struck the clumsy girl. Yuki tripped over her own feet and fell. Her clumsy feet sealed her fate.
“...” Yuki closed her eyes and awaited her end, but her brutal death never came. The murderous claws never reached her. A purple shield blocked them, much to the dark creature's annoyance.
“Rrrrrrrrrr ...” The beast snarled, glared. The creature wasn't happy with the outcome. The purple shield protected Yuki. The mysterious barrier exuded a gentle aura, warm, reassuring, comforting. The purple energy cared about her.
The shield dissipated, morphing into a purple sphere, startling Yuki. A cute, fluffy light ball saved her from demise, and her new fluffy friend didn't show any fear.
“Rrrrrrrr!” The dark creature hissed, but her companion didn't waver. The brave light ball stood its ground and challenged the darkness. Little love was lost between both sides.
Yuki rooted for her new ally from behind. She wasn't a coward, but she also wasn't prepared to fight. Her little friend was better suited for combat. “Kill it! Kill it! Murder the evil shadow thingy!”
The stalemate continued until the unknown creature conceded defeat. The beast hissed in rage, but it was useless. The girl was beyond its reach.
Annoyed, the darkness receded, and Yuki sighed in relief. First blood crazed ninja, and now arcane eldritch terrors. Life was tough.
“...” The purple sphere observed her. Her friend waited.
“...” Yuki tilted her head, unsure what to do with her little friend. She decided to pat her fluffy friend. The sphere rejoiced, pleased by its reward.
“Are you satisfied now ... Stop, what are you doing?! Stop!” Yuki panicked and fought the inevitable. Yuki resisted, but resistance was futile.
The sphere dissolved into a fine mist of shimmering particles. The mist enveloped her, entering her body. The mist absorbed her. A warm feeling spread through her entire body, a sensation of power, of strength.
“...” Yuki stared at her hands, the faint aura of entrancing purple glimmered in the dark, a beautiful purple that banished the darkness.
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Yuki awakened from her slumber and morning greeted her, much to her annoyance. She loved her sleep, her fluffy dreams. They were cut short, and Yuki found herself in a pinch. Her lungs didn't get any air. Two arms curled around her chest in a tight hug, suffocating her.
Yuki panicked and gasped for air. She didn't survive her assassins only to be cuddled to death like a teddy bear. Her air supplies dwindled and her sense of reality faded.
...
Air ...
...
Oxygen ...
...
Life ...
...
Help ...
...
The gods took pity on Yuki and answered her pleas. The hug of death loosened, and Yuki was able to breathe again.
Breath in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Her condition stabilised, and Yuki inspect her surroundings. Her head turned left despite being barely able to move. A sleeping bag and the insidious hug of death trapped her. At least, the sleeping bag was cosy and warm, which Yuki appreciated. Cosiness and warmth were her friends.
A dark cave surrounded her and a fire flickered in the darkness. A mysterious man camped around the fire. He studied the purple flames intently. His hand touched the fire, but the man showed no reaction. He felt nothing beneath his mask. His hollow voice betrayed no emotions. “What a peculiar fire. What a peculiar girl.”
Yuki blinked. “What are you doing?”
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