Chapter 32 - The Curse

Chapter 32 - The Curse.

Within the white mist, Calen stood composed as splashes of blood stained his face. God knows whom it belonged to.

He nodded at Ren. "Are you rea–"

He was interrupted by the screams of someone nearby, which caused him to step back a little. He squinted hard into the distance. Due to the white mist, there was little he could see. The two of them were basically isolated from the others.

However, he saw a faint outline of a figure scurrying towards them. As the figure became more visible, Ren and Calen dropped their guards.

"Sky, why do you look so crazed?" Calen smiled.

The young lady was dyed red. It completely drenched her, even in odd places like her mouth.

She stuttered, shivering as she was consumed by an immense fear. "T-Th-The Ghost! It took the othe-others. I-I only escaped by the skin of my teeth. I don't know what to do. I'm scared."

Calen's smile deepened. "Stay with us. Together, we pose a greater threat to it, right?"

"Y-You are right. Thank you." Sky stayed beside them and wiped the tears from her eyes.

However, before she could sigh in relief, she shivered instantly as a cold object was placed on her head.

She knew if she turned back, the gun aimed at her would fire off. So, she could only ask aloud as she stared at Calen's bizarre smile.

"What is the meaning of this?"

From behind her, Ren hissed, "I don't have time for this, bitch."

Sky trembled, begging Calen. "Hey, tell her to stop. This isn't funny."

"Huh, why should I?" Callen innocently asked.

"We don't have time for this. The Gho–"

Calen cut her off with his eerie grin. "Oh, but we do. After all, we have the Ghost with us."

Without hesitation, Ren clipped the trigger of her raygun. The light at the muzzle suddenly dimmed as the gun responded with a terrible recoil.

Ren looked at her gun and cursed, "Shit, I'm out of battery"

She grabbed her dagger and attempted to stab Sky, but the young lady slammed her down with a merciless punch that carried a far greater strength.

In a burst of primal speed, Sky dug a knee into Ren's gut, sending her hurtling into the distance.

She turned back to Calen and a devilish sneer replaced her gentle expression. She appeared far different from her usual self. It was hard to comprehend how just one expression changed her whole demeanour.

She said with a deeper and thornier voice than before, "How did you find out?"

Calen seemed unbothered by Ren's disappearance and Sky's new face. "You left many breadcrumbs, it was so hard to miss them."

When he first entered the inner hall, he casually checked every single person, assessing if they were any threat. However, Sky was not amongst those he examined, which was certainly impossible as he went through every one.

The only explanation was that she had arrived later than him and Ren, possibly from another entrance.

The moment she revealed herself, he began suspecting her to be the Ghost. Something about her just screamed wrong.

However, it was not until Ren woke up that it became more than just a theory. Ren had quietly notified him that she couldn't 'hear' the presence of Sky. No breathing or even footsteps.

The only time she had come across a similar situation was hours ago with the Ghost.

Putting two and two together, the two of them quickly realized Sky was behind it all!

Calen squeezed his face. "Quick question, do we really need to go through all this? Is it okay if I just leave?"

"What about your friend?" Sky was stunned.

"About that, we are not exactly friends. And she's a big girl, she can take care of herself. So, what do you say?" Calen proposed.

Sky cackled. "Interesting. Now, I'm curious about how you taste."

"That's just disgusting." He looked behind Sky and smiled.

Immediately, Ren appeared behind Sky and unleashed a sweeping kick which tripped her. Calen caught her body instantly and pushed her to the ground with his body on top.

He began squeezing her neck so hard with his two hands, trying to drain the life out of her. However, before Sky could utter her last gasp of breath, she dissolved into wisps of mist and merged with impenetrable mist.

Her voice echoed from all around. "I cannot be killed by mere humans. Since the dawn of time, humans have existed to be foods for higher beings. Your purpose is to dwell in my belly."

Calen looked around. "Ren, where is she?"

"I don't know. She's moving around," Ren frantically focused on her hearing. "And why didn't you just stab her?"

"I lost my knife." Calen sighed.

Ren's eyes focused ahead as she readied her body. "How could you–You know what? Forget it. Here she comes!"

A faint figure could be seen in the white mist. It began singing the melody that whirled around Ren and Calen.

Calen's eyes dimmed. Seemingly possessed by an otherworldly force, he walked sluggishly in an irregular line towards the hidden figure in the mist.

Ren wondered whether she should pull him out of the trance. But on second thoughts, she decided against that.

Calen continued walking towards Sky, his mind absolved of any thought.

As he reached closer, Sky beckoned in an ethereal voice, "Come to me. Come to me."

Calen finally stopped as he was inches away from Sky. She looked at him with a venomous glint in her eyes. Her mouth widened to form rows of inhuman sharp teeth already stained with blood and human flesh.

She extended her monstrous hands towards Calen. "What a beauty. What a character. I desire you more than the others."

Sky was a cursed monster. As an akhlut, she possessed an insatiable craze for meat. As long as it lived, she would hunt it to the end of time.

However, she was more cursed than other akhluts. She had an intense desire for captivating people. And it always ended with her eating the object of her desire. She could not stop it no matter how hard she tried. She could only embrace it and attempt to quell her bottomless hunger.

Sky's sharp claws danced around Calen's face. She could already smell his delectable taste and it made her mouth watery.

"I fancy you, but the curse sees it another way. Merge with me–"

She raised his chin and looked straight into his eyes. "-But of course, the people I like will not fall for my voice. You played a nice trick."

Instantly, before Calen could react, she dug her claws straight into his chest, piercing his heart.