CHAPTER 71 - ACT 1 (8)

[Heehee, that’s no fun, is it, now?]

Murmur appeared on the ceiling above the disjointed group, his creepy laughter slithering down the empty corridor.

Those hollow eyes of his darted hungrily from one face to the next, savouring the fear in the air.

“Everyone!” Alex barked, his sword flaring as he stepped forward. “Move! I’ll block it!”

[Will you now… Heehee…]

Murmur’s head twisted at an unnatural angle, his empty eyes narrowing with childlike curiosity.

Then…

Dash!

He vanished.

Alex slammed his blade into the stone floor without hesitation.

「Fialova Swordsmanship - Iron Wall」

Shooo—

A barrier shimmered in place, wrapping Alex in a small dome of protection, and others instinctively pressed close.

But it wasn’t enough.

“W-Wait, Alex! Help!”

One of Alex’s companions bolted towards the barrier, panic twisting his face.

He was a step too far, a beat too slow.

Swoosh!

A black blur sliced past.

Thud

His headless body crumpled to the ground, blood spilling across the stone.

For Soren, the sound was louder than any battle cry.

That dull thud, the same as Lyra’s.

His vision tunnelled, and his stomach heaved.

[Heehee… companionship, how lovely.]

Murmur crouched low on the ceiling, his dagger tracing each of their necks as he giggled uncontrollably.

“Hold formation!” Alex yelled, his confident voice wavering slightly. “We have to hold out until the professors arrive!”

The group huddled together, keeping their gazes focused on the shadowy figure that lurched upon the ceiling.

All except one.

Soren’s eyes remained on the headless body, his thoughts spiralling once more.

‘Not again. Please… not again.’

He covered his ears, trying to push away the memories that kept rising up within him.

Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he desperately tried to hold onto the frayed thread that was his mind.

Grab!

Suddenly, he felt a grip on his shirt.

“Move, damn it! Do you want to die?!” Felix snarled, his tone far more aggressive than ever before.

The question pierced through Soren’s fog, not much, but just enough.

His eyes regained their focus, and jumped towards Murmur.

“We need to stall. Got it?” Felix said, his voice softer, yet still serious.

He nodded in response.

Soren’s hands found the weapon hanging on his waist, and he pulled it from its sheath.

His head still felt heavy, and the fog was still there, but he could still move.

If he did nothing, he would die.

Soren’s trembling body stopped ever so slightly as he awaited Alex’s orders.

He didn’t have the confidence to act alone; he was too scared of what might happen if he did, so he chose to wait patiently.

“Magicians! Restrain him!” Alex’s clear, confident voice echoed through the empty corridor.

Everyone prepared themselves, carefully watching Murmur’s every mood.

The magicians began forming their magic circles.

[Hmm… This is no fun.]

Murmur’s smile faded as he watched everyone working together.

He had been expecting them to fall apart, but apart from one, they all had exceptional mental strength.

Hop

Murmur leapt from the ceiling, a black blur dashing past the group as they stood there anxiously.

Swoosh!

Alex swung his sword, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

Clang!

Steel met steel and sparks burst forth.

Alex’s sword had connected.

“Now!”

The moment those words left his mouth, the spells that had been prepared until now were fired.

Felix used [Gaia] to slow Murmur’s movements, the magician in Alex’s party used [Bloom] to grab his limbs, and Soren…

“「Gaia」”

He messed up.

They hadn’t communicated what spells they were going to use, and because of that, Soren had chosen the same spell as Felix, making his own meaningless.

Soren bit his lip until it burst; he hated his own stupidity.

[Hmmm…?]

While Murmur and Alex were locked in conflict, a sudden chill went down Soren’s spine.

The source of that was Murmur’s gaze.

It was directed at him.

‘Why… why is he looking at me?’

Suddenly, Murmur kicked Alex, catching him off guard momentarily, and using that as an opening, he threw himself backwards, escaping all of the traps the magicians had set up, his eyes fixed on Soren the entire time.

Cold sweat trickled down his back as Murmur’s lips curved upward.

Dash

He disappeared from sight once more.

Soren looked around the room desperately in a panic, knowing that Murmur was targeting him, but his mind was too muddled to think of where he could be hiding.

‘Above, no… behind… I don’t know.’ He doubted his own thoughts.

[Peekaboo.]

A shadow suddenly appeared behind him, his dagger slicing through the wind as it inched ever closer to Soren’s neck.

Soren’s eyes widened at the familiar sight.

It had only been a couple of weeks since he had almost died in a similar way, and yet here he was once more.

It was almost laughable.

‘I can’t…’

The moment he heard Murmur’s voice, he raised his hand, holding Labrys, but he wasn’t fast enough; his reaction speed was duller than usual.

Just as Murmur’s dagger was about to reach his neck…

“My shield is my weapon. My shield is my strength. My Goddess protects me.  「Divine Barrier」”

Olivia’s voice rang out, a faint barrier appearing before his eyes.

Soren was surprised, but his body kept moving.

Shatter!

Murmur’s dagger cut through Olivia’s barrier without much effort, but it was enough.

That time that she had given him was enough for his body.

Clang!

Their weapons met, and Murmur’s dagger bounced slightly back.

His strike held no strength, and his arms trembled; the blow barely deflected Murmur’s slash before the demon melted back into the shadows.

“Focus!” Alex yelled, blocking a follow-up attack.

Soren staggered back, his chest heaving.

His palms were slick with sweat, and his axe felt heavier with every heartbeat.

‘Murmur’s face, just like in the game… Just like before…’

The memory stabbed sharper than the dagger itself, and his grip faltered.

[Heehee, shaky hands. You’ll make a nice thud soon.]

Soren flinched at the words; his swing came late the next time Murmur lunged.

It was too late.

The demon’s blade carved across Soren’s arm, spraying crimson.

Soren clutched his arm tightly, gritting his teeth to bear the pain.

“Damn it, Soren!” Felix growled through clenched teeth. “Focus!”

Olivia’s chant wove frantically behind them, a faint light emanating from her palms as Soren’s arm began to stitch back together.

“Stay together,” Alex shouted, sweat running down his brow as he parried blow after blow.

The corridor rang with the sound of clashing metal and laughter.

Murmur flickered from the ceiling to the floor, from the light to the shadow, his laughter slowly seeping into their minds.

And Soren…

He was still crumbling.

Each step he took felt like wading through a swamp, and every sound pierced his ears deeply.

It was all too vivid; the scrape of steel, Olivia’s rushed prayers, Alex’s loud commands, the wet blood pooling beneath his feet.

His perfect memory replayed every single thing in merciless detail.

His axe grew heavier, and his swings grew slower; his vision blurred from a mixture of tears and mental exhaustion.

‘Everyone's going to die…’

‘Is it my fault?’

‘Can I even do anything…?’

‘Should I help…?’

His throat burned.

Words clawed to escape his mouth, warnings, tactics, everything he knew about Murmur, but his lips refused to part.

He saw Lyra’s fall; he remembered Aria’s end.

His breath hitched.

‘If I open my mouth… won’t more die…?’

SLAM!

His back slammed into cold stone.

Felix’s fist clenched his collar tightly, pinning him to the wall; his eyes blazed with fury.

“Snap the fuck out of it!” he roared, his voice raw. “You stay quiet now, and we’re dead! Do you get that?!”

The words hit harder than any blade.

And then laughter was heard.

Murmur was watching; he was waiting.

For a moment, Aria’s face flickered into vision, her sunken cheeks and eyes filled with betrayal.

Then Olivia’s voice, alive, pleading.

“Soren, if you know something, tell us!”

The fog thinned.

For a split second, the corridor stopped being a replay of horrors.

Then he noticed all of the living faces: Olivia’s fearful face as she chanted, Felix bleeding but furious… Alex, exhausted yet still standing.

Not Lyra’s headless body.

Not Aria’s empty eyes.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, I don’t know why you think that it’s your fault that your friend died, but,” Felix looked Soren in the eye. “I don’t care. She’s dead, we aren’t.”

His words were harsh, brutal even, but they hit Soren deeply.

Thin, metallic air filled his lungs.

The bile was still there, the images still scraped at the back of his skull, but they had become slightly translucent.

He forced his jaw to unclench, and he forced his hands to stop shaking.

Soren looked at each of them.

They were all fighting for their lives, desperately.

“His…” A word slipped from his mouth before it clamped shut once more.

He swallowed and tried again, his voice breaking.

“His cloak is a relic… it lets him blend into nearby terrain. It’s not perfect, it can be countered.”

Soren’s hesitant voice gained strength as his words continued, Felix’s words ringing in his mind.

– She’s dead, we aren’t

They were truly awful words to say to someone suffering, but in that moment, it was precisely what Soren needed to hear.

————「❤︎」————