Gasping for air under the wraith's oppressive aura, I looked up into the hole where its face should be. I knew it should scare me because I was about to die, but I wasn't. It's like jumping into the chasm. It wasn't scary, because I didn't care if I died. The only time I was scared of jumping across the chasm was because of the cloud and the monster inside it. Not because of what it would do to me — but because I was irrationally scared of the cloud. And I was worried how my family would feel if I died.
It was the same now. Of all the ways I could die, by a wraith would be the worst. Because it would use my body as a weapon for all to see, until it wore out. What if Uncle Maveric found my corpse? It would break his heart.
Levi coiled over my body, his cool skin sliding against my battered armor, protecting me. He lifted his head against the powerful aura and hissed, even though he could barely move. He wasn't giving up. And neither should I.
Even though my body felt as heavy as carbonized steel, I activated Water Bullets. The wraith's suppression threw my aim off mark, but the ranged attack still hit the monster. The bright water bullets smashed into the wraith with everything that I had. And did nothing. The attack that tore the zombies apart barely caused a ripple in the black robe.
My heart dropped. I didn't want to give up, but I honestly had no idea what I should do. There honestly was nothing I could do. It was just like before, when I was trapped in the mud golem's pit. Although I wasn't bound by cement-like mud now, the wraith's aura was just as binding. And knowing that it was useless no matter what action I took, it was debilitating.
Levi shot a water geyser from his mouth, but it was just as ineffective. We were simply too weak. Worn out and oppressed, he slumped to the ground, his head on my shoulder. Even now, he was willing to protect me.
I stared up at the wraith. Why didn't it attack? What was it waiting for? A chorus of dull moans answered my question. I couldn't move my head to look, but I felt the horde of zombies close in. My teeth gritted together and I cast a water shield around me and Levi, just as the zombies pounced. The A ranked aura messed with my control — my whole being simply wanted to freeze up — but I fought against the feeling and held the shield in place. The torch orb was caught inside, causing the whole shield to glow. All eight zombies fell on the curved dome, clawing, biting, and stabbing their weapons. The water stopped all of their attacks, just inches from Levi and I, but not for long. I only had twenty-nine MP left. Each minute I held the shield in place, it used up another MP point. As soon as I ran out of MP, the shield would break and zombies would...
I didn't even want to finish that thought.
The Levi's timer flashed red then counted down. [5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ... 1.]
The magic pattern faded from Levi's scales and he shrank from a seven foot long snake to a little blue noodle. He curled into a ball on my back, head hanging low. Without the weight, it was easier for me to breathe, but the despair he felt stole my breath. He felt like without his size and magic, what use was he?
No, I didn't want him to think that. Levi was the whole reason I was still alive today. He'd done so much for me. I ... was the useless one. Why couldn't I ... do anything right?
A pressure grew in my chest, fueled by the self-loathing that ate at my blurry consciousness. The sounds of the zombies attacking the water shield, moaning with hunger and thumping on the solid water, echoed in my ears like drums pounding on my nerves. The oppressive black stare of wraith, pinning me to the ground in such a humiliating way.
I ... hated it. I hated that I could do anything. I hated letting my family down for not going home. I hated knowing that with all the effect I put in leveling up, I still wasn't strong enough. But right now, what I hated most was dragging Levi into this mess with me. If he wasn't bound to me, he wouldn't know what it was like to be humiliated like this.
Why ... wasn't I stronger?
The pressure grew in my chest, building and churning, like water caught in a dam turbine, wanting to burst free. Jolts of pain shot through my nerves like I was being electrocuted. With a whimper, I curled into a ball. The water shield began to slip from my grasp. The water against the ground broke free and was immediately absorbed by the dry, hard dirt.
Like a switch, my anxiety snapped and any rational thought I had scrambled. I couldn't think a solid thought. I couldn't breathe. Levi was calling me through our bond, but I couldn't focus enough to hear him.
All the while, the pressure in my chest continued to grow.
Ding! Ding! Ding! [Warning! Warning! Please calm down. A magic surge has been triggered and the Host has reached a critical, dangerous state. For the Host's safety, please regulate your emotions.]
I saw the words flashing in front of my face, but didn't understand them. Even if I did, why bother?
Levi was biting my ear, but I couldn't feel it over the pain vibrating through my body. Magic spikes exploded out of my body, piercing the water shield. One stabbed right into a zombie's chest. It blew the monster back into the darkness and landed with a thud.
I winced as another storm of electricity rippled through my body. It felt like I was being torn apart, bit by bit. The more my body hurt, the more magic swelled inside. My body was in pain, but my soul ... sighed in relief. This magic coursing through my body felt so liberating. Natural. Even though it was killing me, I wanted to keep feeling it.
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My head tilted up enough to see the towering wraith, staring at me from the black void in its hood. If I was going to die, I might as well take it with me. Maybe this magical bomb growing in my chest wasn't strong enough to kill the wraith — it was hard to tell — but it was enough to nuke my body. There'd be nothing left for the wraith to control, so there wasn't a possibility of my family finding my body. A win-win situation, right?
A zombie finally noticed the gap forming around the lip of the water shield and thrust its hand into the opening at an awkward angle. Its eroded fingers clawed at the ground, leaving deep gouges, but no matter how much it struggled, it came up just inches shy of my face.
Levi jerked on my ear hard enough to move my head, both pulling me away from the hand and also to get my attention. I think I was bleeding, but the pain was a mosquito bite compared to the pain that tore through my body.
System messages flashed before my eyes, filling my ringing ears with constant ringing. All telling me to stabilize emotions.
But, why should I? What was the point now? I'd never get to level fifty. I'd never know how Mom died. Maybe, I should just let the magic out and quietly disappear in the wilds, like what should have happened eight years ago.
A thin foggy tentacle reached out from the dark depths on the other side of the wraith. It ghosted over the dry ground, swallowing up the brittle grass and curling around the dead tree's base, coming closer and closer. At first it was thin, just barely enough for me to feel it. Then the fog grew thicker and wider until it was two feet tall, and steamrolled over everything it touched.
The fog passed under the wraith and crashed into my water shield and the zombies clambered over it.
My eyes widened and my painful heart stuttered to a stop. My chaotic mind shattered to a stand still and my anxiety disappeared just like that. All the noise and pain disappeared. The ringing in my ears, Levi's demanding, the System's dinging. Even the out of control power growing in my chest. It all went still. What was left was gut-wrenching fear.
A thin tendril of fog slipped through the gap at the bottom of the water shield and reached out for me, like it was a living thing.
I recoiled, dragging Levi with me, and pressed against the far edge of the water shield. The zombies went into a frenzy at my movement, attacking the water with renewed gusto. But all my attention was on the fog. It stretched out with determination, no matter how I shrank away from it, until I was cornered. The only way I could get away now was if I dissolved the water shield, but if I did that, the zombies would kill me and Levi immediately. Hopeless, I hugged my legs and curled into a ball.
Levi curled around my knees and hissed at the fog. He didn't really feel anything threatening about the fog, but he understood that it scared me.
A thin foggy finger stretched out and touched my boots. Then it slid until it wrapped around my ankle.
I kicked out, but my boot passed through the fog without injuring it. After all, it didn't have a true form. There was nothing physical to kick.
The fog pulled back, sliding all the way out of the water shield. Instead, it pooled thicker, growing taller and taller at an alarming rate. It rose over the water shield, until it looked like an island in a foggy ocean.
The zombies stopped attacking the water, finally realizing something weird was happening. They stood up and looked around dumbly at the water vapor that pooled at their knees. The fog grew higher until it swallowed my shield entirely. It wrapped around the zombie's legs, up to their waists and all the way until it swallowed their heads.
Then the fog brushed against the bottom of the wraith's robe.
The ghostly monster violently jerked into the sky, away from the fog. With a hissing scream, it fled into the darkness, going in the opposite direction the fog came from.
Without the wraith there, the zombie's coordinated actions fell apart. They stood up and stumbled around, their movements stiff. The ones holding weapons dragged them across the ground while they ambled around, as if they forgot they were holding them at all.
I sank to the ground, finally released from the wraith’s awful aura. I pressed my face to my arm, drinking in the air. It was as stale and thin as before, but at least I could fill my lungs. I left so lethargic, my magic control slipped. The water shield collapsed, some of the water returning to me and the rest dripping into the ground.
The zombies didn't seem to notice me out in the open. Did the fog mask my smell? They dawdled around, confused and slowly getting farther away.
Releasing the shield relieved the headache that threatened to split open my temples, but I didn't feel any better and it had everything to do with the fog. As soon as the water disappeared, it rushed in and curled around me. I gasped in terror, goosebumps covering my body. But no matter how much I shrunk down, trying to hide from it, the horrible vapor didn't go away. All the while, a terrified voice in the back of my head screamed. Run! Hide! Something bad is going to happen!
A powerful presence appeared in the fog, getting closer.
I looked up from the ground, too weak to sit up properly. It didn't matter, anyway.
I recognized the fog — or should I say, cloud. It was the same one that's been tailing me for days, starting from the other side of the waterfall in the slot canyon. I knew there was a powerful monster in the cloud then, and it was only confirmed now. It was so powerful, an A ranked wraith ran away, leaving its undead gang behind.
I didn't know why it was hunting me, but at least I'd get the satisfaction of knowing what it was before I died.
The zombies moaned and jerked in agitation, reacting to the powerful monster's presence. The monster didn't let out its aura, but being near it was enough to freak any weaker monster — or Hunter — out.
I lifted my head and squinted, trying to get a better view. The pale blue torch orb lit up the cloud, both helping and hindering at the same time. What I could see was clearer, but it shortened the visible area.
A tall figure took shape.
My eyes widened. It wasn't a monster; it was a man, dressed in black studded leather armor, and walking with a confidence that I'd never possess.
The zombies bumped into each other as they turned and tried to run away, but the bodies that once moved so quickly and fluid under the wraith's rule were now practically useless.
Levi slithered in front of me. He lifted his head at the approaching man, hissing in warning. To him, another human wasn't help. Aside from me, every human he'd ever met tried to kill him — and was killed in return.
Finally, the light reached the man's face.
I gasped, recognizing his handsome face and short blonde hair. "Terre ... Noble?"
Terra looked at the zombies then leveled me with a perplexed and piercing stare. "What are you doing half way up a mountain, Ria Moore?"
*****