The creature impersonating Damien let out a distorted, gurgling scream as it hit the ground, its body shuddering and crackling with each impact.
The clay binding Dama to the wall deteriorated then shattered, and he slid down to the ground, cushioning his head with his arm on instinct.
The other black-cloaked figures tried to rise, but Mumu’s arms swung through the air like battering rams, crashing into them with unrelenting force and scattering them down the hall.
The creature let out another furious, guttural shriek, its form spasming in an attempt to reform itself, only to be pummeled by Mumu’s powerful arms once again. Each blow seemed to loosen the black sludge holding its shape, and pieces of the creature began to dissolve into the floor.
As Dama sagged on the floor, still dizzy from his earlier injuries, he felt Mumu’s familiar touch as his arms reached out, wrapping around him. With surprising gentleness, Mumu lifted him and whisked him away down the dark corridor, pulling him further from the fallen figures and into a safer, shadowed corner.
Dama’s head throbbed, his vision hazy, but he looked up, his heart swelling with gratitude as he met Mumu’s slited gaze.
Mumu’s snout pressed against his forehead, filling him with warmth. For a moment, the nightmare seemed so distant, overshadowed by the familiarity of his loyal companion.
But just before he slipped into unconsciousness, he couldn’t help but murmur Giona’s and Nina's names, the spark of his determination rekindling, knowing that with Mumu by his side, he had the strength to face whatever lay ahead.
With Dama securely in his grip, Mumu sprinted down the dark hallway, each step thudding softly but with urgency.
Behind them came a horrific, gurgling scream, twisted and guttural, reverberating off the stone walls. The sound woke up and sent chills down Dama’s spine as he clung weakly to Mumu, his breaths coming in shallow gasps.
Mumu took a sharp left into a narrow corridor, pressing himself and Dama against the cold stone wall. The hallway fell silent, save for Dama’s ragged breathing.
Mumu kept them hidden, his large, stitched snout barely visible in the dim light as he waited, holding Dama close, his own quiet patience soothing the boy.
Several tense minutes passed. When the faint, echoing sounds of pursuit died down, Mumu carefully set Dama down, his stubby, stitched arms moving with surprising care as he positioned him against the wall. With a quiet huff, Mumu leaned close, examining Dama with a focused, almost maternal intensity.
Dama’s face was pale, streaked with dirt and sweat, and his hand clutched his ribs where he’d felt the brunt of the impact. His breaths came unevenly, but his eyes were open, still sharp with determination despite the exhaustion weighing him down.
Mumu’s gaze seemed to soften as he inspected him. His touch was firm, but gentle, checking for any broken bones or serious wounds.
Dama managed a faint smile, though it faltered under the pain. “Thanks… Mumu,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. He lifted his hand weakly, patting Mumu’s arm in gratitude.
Mumu gave a soft, reassuring huff and nod, his gaze focused on Dama, filled with a quiet understanding. He held Dama’s gaze for a moment longer, then looked toward the dark corridor they had left behind, his snout twitching as if sensing for any remaining threats.
Lowering his head from fatigue, a weakened Dama couldn't help the torrent of thoughts that started to spiral within his head, his mind racing with unanswered questions.
He first replayed the encounter with the monstrous figure, his memory clinging to every disturbing detail: the cracked, stony skin, the chilling gray lights in its eyes, the black ooze seeping out of its face.
The more he thought about it, the more monstrous the creature seemed. "What was that thing?" he wondered, dread still lingering in his chest. "And why does it want Giona of all people?"
But his confusion only deepened as he remembered the way Mumu had fought. The image of his companion’s arms stretching to impossible lengths, striking down the cloaked figures with ease, felt surreal.
Stolen story; please report.
Mumu had always been strong and protective, but this… this was something else entirely. Dama opened his eyes and looked up at Mumu’s calm, stitched face, trying to reconcile this powerful creature with the gentle guardian he’d always known.
Then, a thought struck him—one that sent a jolt of electricity to his head like a light bulb. He recalled how his sister, Nina, had shrunk on their journey to Briarstone Village, her form somehow altered. Could it be that something akin to that is affecting Mumu?
Dama’s gaze lingered on Mumu, who now seemed both familiar and foreign, knowing of their powers being amplified by something. “Mumu,” he murmured, his voice hoarse, “how did you...stretch you—!?”
However, Dama would be cut off by something horrific—a giant blob of shadows behind Mumu, sneaking up unbeknownst to either of them.
His heart hammered in his chest as he stared, wide-eyed, at the monstrous shadow looming behind Mumu.
It rose higher, morphing into a nightmarish figure with hollow, white eyes and a gaping mouth that seemed to swallow the light around it. The sight was so terrifying that Dama could barely even breathe, his voice caught in his throat as he tried to warn Mumu.
Mumu, noticing Dama's sudden terror, tilted his head slightly, his round ears twitching as he sensed something behind him.
But before he could fully turn around, the shadow creature let out a low, guttural growl, filling the corridor with a chilling, oppressive aura that sent a wave of dread washing over them both.
The creature’s eyes fixed on Dama, its mouth stretching into a twisted grin, jagged and hollow, as though it reveled in his fear. Dama’s instincts screamed at him to run, but his body refused to obey, paralyzed by the sheer malice radiating from the creature.
Seeing Dama’s fear, Mumu’s expression hardened. He stepped protectively in front of the boy, his stitched face set with quiet determination. With a low rumble, Mumu puffed himself up, growing slightly taller.
The air around them shifted, Mumu's energy focused and tense, as if bracing to defend Dama against whatever this thing was.
But, the thing's smile only grew wider, knowing the show Mumu was putting on was but a bluff. Calling the plush bear's bluff, it manifested dark tendrils from its body to attack.
Mumu reacted instantly as the shadow creature lunged, its black tendrils slicing through the air with a sinister swiftness.
He scooped Dama into his stitched arms, holding him close as he dodged the attack after attack, pivoting on his thick paws and bolting down the dark corridor with startling speed. The creature’s enraged shriek echoed through the hall, its voice slicing into Dama’s mind like shards of ice.
"You can’t escape!" The voice throbbed with malice, each word reverberating in his skull. "I’ll see to it you don’t leave this place alive!!!"
Mumu sprinted, his paws thudding rhythmically against the stone floor, weaving around each swipe as the creature's tendrils struck out, barely missing them by inches.
Dama clung to Mumu, his heart pounding in his chest, every sharp turn and quick sidestep fueling the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
But it wasn’t just the creature’s relentless pursuit that filled him with dread; it was the voice—that venomous whisper—seeping deeper into his mind, filling him with despair.
"Its fitting for your grave to be in this place, Giona's mind! You’ll be nothing but a fleeting memory soon," the voice taunted, "just another forgotten soul in this cursed mind!"
Dama’s hands clutched Mumu’s stitched fur, his breaths shaky as the words sank in. A sense of doom and primordial fear hovered over him, threatening to choke out his very life. The creature’s presence, heavy with loathing and twisted satisfaction, pressed down on them, each word casting shadows over his heart.
But then he felt it—a familiar warmth, radiating from Mumu’s embrace. The steady, rhythmic thumping of Mumu’s powerful steps anchored him, cutting through the fear. Dama glanced up, meeting Mumu’s slit for eyes, filled with determination.
Despite everything, despite the imminent danger, Mumu was still fighting for him, protecting him. His unyielding presence pushed back against the creature’s poisonous words.
Mumu drifted around a corner, narrowly dodging another swipe that splintered the wall beside them. His arms wrapped tightly around Dama as he sprinted down the endless corridor, his pace unbroken despite the shadow creature's taunts echoing in their minds.
Each step resounded through the silence, but then—a jarring halt. Mumu skidded to a stop, nearly stumbling as he met an abrupt dead end, his stitched form trembling slightly as he realized they were trapped.
Dama felt the tremor and opened his eyes, his stomach sinking as he took in the solid stone wall ahead of them. Panic crept in, cold and invasive, as he registered the dead end and the gravity of the situation.
Mumu’s body then jumped and ears perked. He slowly turned, sensing something monstrous closing in on them from behind.
Then came the rumbling—low and guttural, growing louder with each second. The shadows at the end of the hallway thickened, and from the darkness, two hollow white voids appeared, floating menacingly, like eyes devoid of any warmth or mercy. Beneath them stretched a twisted, gaping smile, stretching wider as it drew closer, moving with a speed that defied reason.
The chilling face advanced, its eyes in the form of white voids fixed on them, and that same venomous voice filled the air, spilling into Dama’s mind in a sickening whisper. “Did you think you could run, in MY domain!? This is where this game ends!”
Mumu tightened his grip on Dama, his stitched form blocking him from the creature’s line of sight as he braced himself, but Dama could feel Mumu’s own fear pulsing through him.
The shadow loomed closer, its grotesque face filling the corridor, swallowing the light around it.
Simultaneously though, from Dama’s perspective, he would witness a bizarre sight:
An ebony-toned hand phasing through the dead end, its fingers spread out and hurtling for him…
-
Next: (Chapter 64) Saa’ir vs. The Curse of Hatred