55 Horror

After jumping through the broken bridge, Shesmu made his way through the other side of the jungle. His next goal was the valley. He glanced at his minimap and found out that he was close—barely a kilometer away from it.

Shesmu passed through the shrubs, trees, and grass. As he inched closer to the valley, the density of the trees lessened, while that of the shrubs and grass grew. All the while, a fog permeated the air. The damp and hot climate of the jungle changed with a chilly, frosty breeze.

The fog grew even further, turning into an all-encompassing mist. Soon, Shesmu could no longer see farther than three meters past his nose. There was no way Shesmu could fight in such a climate. He coated his eyes with Ki and his field of vision grew. His eyes could then pierce through the thick veil of the mist ever so slightly.

"Papa!"

A voice screamed next to his ear. Shesmu turned around, his heart pounding in his chest. That voice, he knew it—it was Eva. Shocked, scared, and unbelieving, Shesmu's mind turned into high alert mode. Deep down he knew, he knew that there was no way for his daughter to be there, that it was only a part of some sick trial. However, while his mind understood that concept, his body didn't.

The mist contorted in various ways as if the threads of fog were the limbs of an abyssal creature. Those threads soon took shape, horrifying ones. Skulls, hands, bodies, and limbs made of mist all danced within the fog. They screamed and howled, and their cries only turned sharper when they passed next to Shesmu.

A body of mist, small and short, much like that of Eva, stood in front of him. He couldn't help but look with intent at her face, as her eyes, ears, and nose formed, as she gave him the same smile she did a thousand times before. But that was a time long gone, her face contorted into an unnamed shape. Multiple eyes gouged out of her cute little face before the latter split open too. Threads of mist emerged from her skull like barbed tentacles, before they pierced Shesmu's heart.

The world blacked out. Shesmu lifted his heavy eyelids with all of his might. The world around him was blurred. Orange, yellow, and grey merged into an abstract art-like scenery. Shesmu blinked a couple of times to get used to the new light. He could feel through his hands the coarse texture of the sand. As he stood up, Shesmu realized he was back in a very familiar place. This was the land of dreams—no, of the cruelest nightmares.

"Omega Nine!" His scream shook the realm. The wrath that flared within Shesmu's heart could burn gods to ashes. Shesmu knew what the trial was trying to do, and he didn't like it one bit. He closed his eyes and summoned the ki within his core. He then pushed it through his paths and into his brain.

"Huh?"

It didn't work. The ki stopped dead in its track, right as it reached Shesmu's brain. It was as if there was a barrier standing between it and Shesmu's mind, blocking it from ever entering.

Shesmu clenched his jaw and fists. He walked through the ruined city in silence. He no longer cursed neither the gods nor the devs. He walked steadfastly towards his inescapable destiny.

Shesmu made his way towards the cathedral that stood tall above the city. He didn't know why, but something told him that his goal lied there.

The ruined city was vacant—no beast, no corpse, no blood. Even ghosts didn't inhabit the falling buildings.

Shesmu finally reached the cathedral. Much like the rest of the city, it was ruined. However, it still kept some of its former glory—towers that pierced the sky, halls that spanned half the street, giant statues of wolves and lions made of gold. One tower in particular stood in the center of all. It was the highest. A human stood chained at its top, sleeping in peace.

Skin amber like honey, she stood like a doll chained atop the tower. Shesmu clenched his fist—it was his daughter, Eva.

"Are you playing with me?" Shesmu understood what he needed to do, but he couldn't accept it. "Is this a sick game to you? Playing with people's hearts like that?!!"

"Roar!"

A dragon flew from behind the cathedral, stopping Shesmu's monologue. It soared high in the sky, before landing right in front of him. It screamed and barred its terrible teeth at Shesmu. However, he didn't budge. It gathered flames within its jaws before breathing hellfire upon Shesmu, but to him, they were as soothing as a summer spring.

He walked through the inferno and passed by the mighty dragon. Once he did, the beast turned into a wisp, as if it was but an illusion.

Shesmu entered the cathedral and climbed the stairs of the main tower. The few slits on the wall were his only guide in the cold, dark tower. Finally, Shesmu reached the end of the stairs. The tower opened to a plaza through a small door. He entered it before looking back at the tower—it stretched a dozen meters still above the ground. His daughter was there, glued to its top with chains of steel.

The sleeping beauty opened its eyes, and they were black. Both her originally green irises and its sclera were now dark as night. Her mouth opened inhumanly wide, and multiple sets of shark teeth decorated it. She screeched and flailed, her hands turning into barbed tentacles. The steel chains shook with her flailing before snapping, one by one.

She jumped from the top of the tower and landed on the plaza on all four. She then pounced at the unbudging Shesmu. Her tentacle hands pierced his guts and heart before she sank her teeth in his neck.

"Welcome back, Eva." Through the pain and suffering, Shesmu hugged his daughter—as deformed as she was. "I'll definitely get you back. No matter what happens, I'll definitely get you back. That, I promise."

Eva's horrifying face softened for a second. Her face went back from the cruel monstrosity to that of his loving daughter. Before changing again.

Eva's face opened like a mouth, the inside of her head decorated with a set of fangs. She bit Shesmu's head before working her way through his whole body, eating it in one gulp.