Chapter 4 - Dead Bodies

The elderly man, dismantled across the room, expelled a terrible smell that almost immediately made me leave. The pure horror stained my eyes, and made my deaths look like a children's story in comparison. Darting around the room, my eyes landed on the podium which the body's head rested on. Hesitating, I walked up to the podium and grabbed the book that rested on the podium. I flipped the cover, and came upon the first page.

"Reanimation Attempt, experiment #8."

"Experiment #8 is my attempt to bring experiment #4's inconclusive results to light. I will attempt to reanimate the monster on the operating table and achieve success."

Further down the page, "Experiment #8 has shown " the text ended presumably because the man had died before finishing the experiment. I turned my head to the operating table yet was distraught at the sight I had completely missed before. The operating table was missing a monster carcass which, put simply was terrifying. Now aware of another creature that roamed around the premises, yet completely blind to it's appearance and abilities, hastened my search through the book in look for answers.

Turning another page, and another, showed no results until a relief-full sigh left my mouth. A monster catalog resided on the last few pages of the book.

" - Arachania:"

"A monster that closely resembles a spider, and shares many properties with one. Believed to have evolved from a spider exposed to mana. Reproduces through eggs, contrasting a spider which has an egg sack. Despite not having a mana attribute, it's strong body makes it a difficult enemy. Base - Grade 8 Monster. Can evolve into a more intellectual version of itself which can hatch more eggs each year and is stronger. Evolved - Grade 7 Monster."

" - Shade:"

"A monster born from darkness attribute mana. Can only refill it's mana core by eating something organic. It can only be weakened or killed by light attribute mana that can detect and destroy it's core. Easy to evade. Resides and can move through shadows. Base - Grade 9 Monster. Cannot evolve." A defeated look on my face showed the pain of dying to the creature, and terrible memories started flooding back into my head. Pushing away the thoughts and taking a quick look around to ensure my safety, I continued.

" - Zoglin:"

"A monster with weaker physical capabilities than most beings. Generally moves around in packs of 10 or 20. A zoglin is somewhat intelligent and uses pure mana to form tools and weapons. Occasionally travels in huge swarms of above a thousand. Base - Grade 9 Monster, Swarm - Grade 6. Can evolve to have an attribute and become slightly stronger. Evolved - Grade 8, Swarm - Grade 5."

" - Xontaroan:"

"A monster with three, large horns on the front of it's head and a huge shell that is impossible to crack without using mana to strengthen yourself, or a weapon. Only has wind attribute mana, which allows it to be faster than most weak creatures. Charges using it's main horns and kills it's prey by blunt speed. Base - Grade 8. Can evolve - No information on evolved species."

" - Radaton:"

"A monster that can expand in size and ", the pages after were torn out and the book provided no more information, that could be crucial to survival. Disappointed and confused by the overflow of information I had just read, I left the bloodied room, and returned to the now even colder hallway. It felt like the temperature had dropped at least a few degrees, yet I was too flustered by information to pay much attention to it.

Looking further down the hallway, a faint glow shone from the bottom of a rectangular box, around a hundred meters forward. Curious, I pushed towards the glowing... door? I arrived at a door with a golden under-glow, and pushed the door open in the joy of a light source. There I was surprised by a library, full to the brim with books, and with many lights illuminating the countless shelves. Why are the lights on here? The floor was littered with books, and pages as plentiful as water, and the general state of the library was pretty run down, however the lights radiated safety, and all my other fears were dissolved in front of this fact.

I tried regaining my focus, and wanted to ascertain the safety of this room. I didn't need long to confirm this false safety however, as I unexpectedly slipped, and fell onto my back. The sight above me horrified me, as my recent phobia was brought to mind all over again. Spiderwebs filled every corner of the library's ceiling as they claimed this place as it's nest. Turning my head in every direction, varying sized eggs were scattered around the room. I slowly stood up and raised my hand for the door handle when...

A light shaking across the floor scattered pages into the air and tipped them onto the ground. Fast approaching, a high pitched screech proved my fears, as I immediately ran to the centre of the right wall of the library and hid under a counter. The shaking grew heavier and I could have mistaken it for an earthquake if not for my prior knowledge. As the sounds grew unbearably loud, they stopped and a distorted voice resounded outside the door.

"I hear you." The lights cut off.

The door opened and clicking echoed across the walls. Praying that the clicking didn't come my way, I tried to formulate a plan that could potentially save me from my grave situation. I didn't want to experience death again. The large stockpile of books on the floor, provided an idea. I could create a diversion through sound and make a bolt for the door, in an attempt to escape. I had no idea where to go from there. As far as I could see, It was the best course of action, and probably the last of this life, I pessimistically joked.

Hearing the so-called Arachania moving around the other side of the room I grabbed a book, prepared myself mentally for the torture to come, and threw the book. Yet I didn't? My hand wouldn't move, petrified in place. I internally screamed at myself to throw yet, I physically couldn't force my hand to move. The clicking from over the room intensified in frequency and then... started heading this way. I could hear the long, heavy legs dragging across the floor, step by step getting closer. My heart skipped a beat. I was dead? No chance of survival? I urged my hand one last time, THROW. The book suddenly flew out of my hand and a second later, crash.

The clattering of the monsters feet, rush over the room to the sounds direction, whilst I stood up and ran as fast as my limbs would move out of the door. I didn't dare turn back. No, I did. Thirty metres into the hallway I turned, my ears essentially deaf. A horrifying, image of the Arachania deforming as it stretched itself small enough to fit through the door, played in front of my eyes. My legs had not stopped moving as my brain screamed at me to run, and yet my heart told me watch and fear the approaching death.

My footing almost gave away, as the icy wood had stretched down to this part of the hallway by now. Having not stopped running I decided the room filled with spheres would be my resting place. I desperately clung to each metre I travelled, dreading the spider like beast. "I don't want to die." I cried, and any falling tears instantly froze, burning my face. I shoved my head into the frozen room and jumped over the frozen wood. I planned on clinging to this life, no matter the danger. Hiding behind the light blue, orb that gave off temperatures cold enough to instantly give me frostbite and illuminated light, the monster entered the doorway.

In my panic, I grabbed at the ice emitting sphere, and lost functionality in my fingers immediately. Nevertheless, I lifted the sphere as a spear fast approached my brain, yet again. The sphere was skewered, lessening and redirecting the blow to my stomach. I coughed up bile and blood all over the hairy leg stabbing into my stomach, as the sphere froze my arms, and then exploded.

The mansion peacefully rested in the middle of the woods, in the silence of the night. And then it was frozen. Nothing remained the same, as the ground instantly become permafrost, and the weather, a snow storm. The mansion was no more, and Tomita Keiko died for the fourth time.