The cold lifeless atmosphere of the Tower was extra dreary that morning. We spent the night in a makeshift cave, getting the only rest we could for the time being.

We barely had time to rest before moving out again. We broke out from the sealed cave and went on ahead.

“Where are the monsters?” Arga broke the silence.

It was something I had been wondering as well but I chose not to mention it because I feared I would be answered. I mean, shouldn’t we have been happy that no scary beasts were appearing to try and kill us?

“I’m not sure either. Doesn’t this room feel a little off, though?”

We were surrounded by cold dreary stone walls, it was a similar colour to what the previous floor had. We were passing through a large open room with a ceiling so far into the air we wouldn’t be able to reach it if all of us stood on each other’s shoulders.

We hadn’t been walking long but it was long enough to have run into something by then, so where were they? Not even so much as an adventurer had passed through that room.

Looking back at the two ladies behind me I could see that it wasn’t just me on edge, all three of us were feeling nervous. At that moment, as we anxiously passed through the room we began to see the end coming up.

I took one more step forward and as my foot hit the ground, time felt still. What felt like a bolt of electricity rushed through my feet and travelled through my body, it felt as though no inch of my being had control to move.

A demanding presence grasped tightly over me and kept me in place.

My mouth and eyes responded to the feeling and were forced into a panicked stare. I tried moving but it was no use—I had no control over my body at all.

My ears were the only thing not betraying me. The room fell silent, neither Arga nor Alice were moving a muscle. I wanted to look back at them but couldn't budge, I grew frustrated each time I was denied the chance to move.

Were they affected by the same thing that I was? Were they okay—it killed me not to be able to see them!

What is this, magic, some kind of skill?

My ears reacted to the sound of steps in the distance. I could make out that they were coming ahead of us, it was clear as day. The repeated sounds of footsteps echoed louder and louder over time.

It was vivid, the impact of a foot brushing onto the ground, over and over again. It was too light to be a monster, it almost sounded…elegant?

What is this…why can’t I move?! My body won’t do anything I say!

There was only one thing that could have made me react like this. Once I stopped refusing and let my body answer me, it became clear what it was.

Fear.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

My head hung down, leaving me with only the view of the floor and my feet. The steps were at their loudest just before stopping right in front of me. I could feel the presence of someone in the room, someone able to bring out this much fear in all three of us…

“Interesting.” A mellifluous tone floated through the room and added more weight to my body.

It was the voice of a woman. There was no doubt about it, it was definitely her causing this. Just her voice alone caused my nerves to shriek and my chest to sink.

My hands trembled, it wasn’t in my control, they were shaking as if they had a mind of their own. The woman passed, inches away from brushing past my shoulder. She must not have been interested in me.

Did she know Arga then?

“You’ve given me quite a headache, brat. Did you think honestly believe that this wouldn’t come to be?”

I could feel her body standing behind me, it was radiating an aura that I didn’t need my eyes to see. I felt her. Her presence was impossible to ignore.

“Why you had me run after you for so long I’ll never understand. Shouldn’t a princess be more accepting of her fate?”

Her arm raised into the air, the tips of her nails straightened like a sword over…Alice?!

My eyes twitched as the realisation hit me.

She has to be talking to Alice right? So this is the thing that she was running from, what her brothers got her away from—the thing that took her away from her home.

The monster!

My trembling hands wouldn’t stop, I didn’t expect them to. Dragon or not, I would run away from her too. I wanted to, I knew I had to. So why won’t I…

My leg broke away from the ground and sluggishly crossed through the air at the woman’s head. A pair of pink eyes snapped towards me and a trail from her pristine glare brushed through the air like an open flame.

Before I could reach her with my foot she had already turned her entire body in my direction. I wanted to brace myself for what was to come but I was too slow.

Her thin fingers which were originally meant for Alice came rushing down to my head. My eyes were forced to watch as her speed outmatched me. I cursed my body for being so slow and suddenly the Shadow Howlers skill left my mouth.

Do I have enough time? I wondered

It was worth trying. I didn’t need to see her skills to know what would happen, I needed to avoid that attack at any cost! If I didn’t, I would die.

“Shadow Step—”

My body fell back, enveloped in the cloudy black aura and disappeared. As my body vanished into the skill's effect, her hand was still rushing to my face and at a much faster rate than I could escape.

Right before my view of her eyes disappeared, I was left with a taste of her strength.

My body vanished into the black void of my skill and I fumbled out, just less than five meters away.

The sounds of my heavy panting nearly drowned out the rapid beats produced by my heart. I looked down at my shivering hands and realised that it had spread to my legs. That kick from before was nowhere near my usual speed, probably due to the shaking.

Drip

A red droplet fell onto the back of my hand. A single drop of blood.

I felt it right before the skill activated fully. She had reached me, just enough for me to feel it but without killing me. Was it intentional, was she showing mercy…?

I pressed my fingers against my cheek and raised it into view. A stream of blood had stained my fingertips and ran down my hand.

It felt numb from the adrenaline, I couldn't even feel the blood running down my neck or the large open cut on my cheek.

There was no doubt left in my mind, she definitely could have killed me. I might be more scared that she didn’t.

“She’s toying with me…”

I looked up at her but she was nowhere to be seen, no sign of the mysterious woman—

“Blgh—ack!” A powerful crash came down on my back and forced me to the ground.

I tried to look up but another blow landed on my side and flipped me over through the air.

The pain exceeded anything I had ever felt before, it went beyond reason. My mind went blank, while my body was thrown around like a doll.

I lay on the ground without any means of standing, a pain I had never felt before seemed to have been doubling as time moved on.

Her heel rested on the ground in front of my nose.

Cold words fell on my ears as she gleamed down from above.

“Since when did I give you permission to move?”