Alexia

Right. Sorry doggie, you’re stronger.

I cough out more of my own glitchy reddish-purple blood onto the ground, ignoring how it glitches apart and instead teleporting directly away from where I was. Once again reappearing several dozen meters away, standing on my feet and leaning against the wall of the chamber to maintain my balance.

The wolf in question slams into the wall of the chamber I was just leaning up against, crushing the crater I’d left even further until it pops and some of The Horror’s own blood spills out into the chamber. Only for said blood to fade into the floor of the chamber a few seconds later, not staying.

It’s been so long now that I’ve completely lost track of how long we’ve been spending in this little game of chase. Whether it’s been days, weeks, or even a month or two by now.

Yet, at one point early on, the cracks slowed down. To the point that a new one would only appear once in a damned blue moon. Not literally.

But they are still appearing, and that’s what counts.

I directly meet the wolf’s eyes as the thing lets out a snort, sending a wave of black void energy out from its nostrils and straight at me. So I teleport out of the way again, leaving the attacks to hit the chamber. Then the lupin parasite immediately begins to chase after me again with reckless abandon.

The only real difference in the time we’ve spent attacking it is that the more cracks show up, the more displeased and reckless the wolf is.

Which isn’t necessarily a bad or good thing. Since it does at least show that we’re making progress and aren’t just attacking it for no reason.

But it also makes it more dangerous for me.

I’ve had to resort to letting Luna take periods to rest and recover her soul so that I can take said soul into me just to keep up the fight. Which obviously slowed down our progress on the heart in the process.

The wolf and I continue playing tag for several more minutes, with me teleporting away from the worst of its attacks and just taking the minor attacks. Or, rather, trying to dodge them without teleporting. But ending up taking half of those due to being too slow.

Simply in an effort to save up my soul as much as I possibly can.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Because teleporting is expensive on my soul, and so is reverting the damage.

And every once in a while I make sure to draw in some soul from Luna.

Until something unexpected and new finally happens.

A loud shattering sound makes both me and the wolf immediately stop in our tracks and turn to stare at the black heart.

My eyes widen in shock and more than a little relief.

The heart is no longer black.

Instead of the steady black color, all of the cracks on the heart are just shattering and falling down to the floor of the chamber. Revealing a glowing red beating organ beneath. One much smaller than the black.

My eyes narrow on the new organ.

Now that looks like a normal heart. I think.

Was… was the black liquid just in-between some sort of outer shell and the heart itself? Because the red organ is far smaller than the black one was.

Not even half the size, in fact.

Silence fills the chamber with the only sound being that of the red organ beating once every second. Then I immediately teleport straight up to the heart before slashing at it with my polearm.

Only for my eyes to widen in both shock and pain when my attack is sent right back at me, slashing straight across me from my shoulder down my chest, all the way to my waist as I go flying to slam into the wall while coughing out blood. Just as much blood if not more than what the wolf was making me cough out.

But when I try to revert my injury, I find a shocking and painful surprise.

It won’t revert.

My eyes widen as I find myself gazing at the large wound going down through my body. Then I slowly lift my gaze up at the red organ that didn’t even so much as get a scratch from my attack.

An attack it sent right back at me.

Including my quantum magic infused in the blade.

Am I… weak to quantum magic? Moreso than other magics?

Is it the same thing for other quantum beings?

Or… maybe this has something to do with my being a Quantum Reaper?

Regardless, I watch as the lupin parasite slowly walks over towards me before stopping about two meters in front of me as I lie here leaning up against the wall of the chamber, bleeding nonstop from my wound and making a pool of glitchy blood around me. Then the wolf just stares down at me with an arrogant look in its eyes.

One that I’m sure is telling me that it’s won.

I hear another clashing sound along with an explosion, bringing my gaze between the wolf’s legs to look at the heart. Only to find Luna having been sent flying after she apparently tried attacking it herself before failing in the same way.

My gaze returns to the wolf as I find myself frowning at it.

The wolf lets out a low snarl at me before hissing, growling, and making all sorts of other sounds. Then it slowly begins to lower its head down towards me with its mouth widening to chomp.

I feel my eyes growing heavier, slowly closing on me. Meanwhile a sense of peace fills me.

Peace with my death, perhaps?

With the fact that I won’t have to deal with idiots anymore, maybe?

Hmm.

I feel the wolf’s breath getting closer and closer as its mouth approaches.

Then, right when I feel some of its drool dripping down on my leg, a memory flashes through my mind. One of Mom and Astrid and me at home laughing as we play a board game.

My eyes shoot open again as I teleport away, leaving the wolf to chomp down on nothing. And right when it starts to growl, I fall through the air to land on its back, still feeling too weak to stand up.

Maybe now’s not the time to die.