Chapter 19

Fifteen percent showed on his life bar. His mana somehow turned into five, but blinking. So he was recovering a little.

He began shaking, pulling, and kicking. He shook, pulled, and kicked, but they tied him well, and he had not recovered his strength yet.

It was only when he heard footsteps from afar did he stop, shifting his attention to the approaching shadows.

Several individuals garbed in odd brown robes walk towards him, their faces hidden by the veil of darkness.

"His awake!"

The first one spoke with a voice deep and grunt.

"What? How'd that happened?"

The second states with the same deepness, yet having a more weak and wheezing tone.

"Hush, just put him back to sleep."

The third had a higher pitch and softer in demeanor. Also, having an odd and smaller shape than the others.

"Is that really necessary? We cannot waste anymore time. Why not proceed with this?"

The first scoffs.

There was more argument between the group as their companions joined in.

Clifford's face turned pale, sensing something foreboding from the way they talked. He felt uneasy as he tried to make sense of it all.

"We must begin while he breathes, or else this will be for nothing."

The second one speaks out once more, making the others murmur in agreement.

The group was now fighting amongst themselves, unsure of what they were going to do.

"What about the guardians' protection? We might end up getting cursed."

The third whimpered, her voice trembling at the thought of the said being.

There was a moment of silence between them. Every single one of the hooded individuals turned to turning at each other, as if asking for an answer.

"He shouldn't have it. Else, they'd branded him as a hero or saint."

The first snaps at them.

"Are you certain about that? He is from another world, too."

The third hissed, pointing a finger at his companion.

There was an exchange of name callings and cursing from the two, arguing as the others were now debating about that.

"If we let him die within the cursed lands, no guardian will know about what we've done."

The second heave a sigh, his hands brushing his long white beard while saying that.

"Just hold him down and let's end this once and for all. Make sure he remains alive so we can keep his essence until we finish."

The first waves a hand to the others, motioning them to move.

Clifford's blood escaped his body, heart racing when he saw a few of them picking up some shiny looking blades from a table nearby.

From the conversation, he understood a few things. Such as what they were going to do, and where this is headed.

His screams remained muffled, covered by the ragged cloth in his mouth, tied tightly by another piece of thick rope.

He was still trying to make out what was happening, why, and who these people were.

His brain was processing so much right now that all he could do was brace himself for what was about to come.

With only seventeen percent, he was certain if he takes anymore damage that would be the end for him.

For the last time, he tried to say a word out, wanting to stop these strangers from proceeding. But his gag was so tight, it scrape his skin whenever he moves his mouth, sending more ache to his already breaking body.

Clifford's eyes grew wide while gazing at the saw like a sword being placed on his thighs.

His screams of agony remained subdued, only letting out a piece of his torment, as the group began sawing, chopping, and pealing pieces of him.

The searing, piercing, and grinding on his bones nearly cause his heart to fail. Not even gritting his teeth was enough to numb the immense surge of ache coursing through his entire body.

Several of the robe individuals were chanting, healing Clifford while they continued dismembering each part of him.

His health bar remained at the seventeen percent, not going up or down, remaining as is as they proceeded parts of him.

Tears, sweat, and blood mixed, he can taste his vile, and his piss mixing into the air, making him laugh and cry at the same time.

The images all around him shifted, flashing from the dimly lit tunnel, surrounded by those robed beings.

Then in a blink of an eye it shifts into that multi colored dimension, encircled by different hued orbs. The white and black one from before were also there, as if greeting him.

He was alternating from reality and the void from his mind going into a state of shock.

"Odd, this fellow. Who could have summoned him?"

The white hummed, having a gentle voice.

"He's not my child."

The black echoed, having a deep and husky tone.

Their shine shimmered as if they were throwing it to one another, as colors continued to flash before Clifford.

The other orbs began glimmering, swirling in a counterclockwise motion, while the two main spheres stayed still.

"His interesting, I want him."

A dark pink squealed, giggling with such a glee.

This cause the others to stop with the barraging of their rays of lights, as it seems their attention once again shifted back to Clifford's ethereal form.

"I can sense his rage, his more suited for me."

A raspy tone snarled. This one had the color red, brimming like fire.

"His pride is exceptional. I'll take him."

The green chuckled with a menacing growl, its grim shine creeping as if they were tendrils.

"Your side does not suit him. Do you not notice the shimmer of hope within him?"

A soft and sensual pitch came from the golden.

"He has an amazing fighting spirit. He should be mine."

The brown bellowed.

"He has a strong heart. He is more suited for me."

The blue bawled with a deafening roar.

This cause another fight of energy among the magical globes, as they began blasting specks of shimmer at one other again.

"Don't you see he is not young? His world has tainted him. He does not align with any of us."

The voice of the silver seemed old and coughing.

That resulted in a humming battle between all the glowing spheres, their voices turning into nothing but vibrations.

"But what is he doing here?"

The black grumbled.

"Seems he is dying."

The white sighed.

"From what?"

The pink murmured, its glow suddenly reaching out to Clifford.

But before it can even touch him, he returns to reality, back to the intense pain and torture of being torn.

Yet, he no longer could see, only having that harrowing ache piercing in his eye sockets. He grumbled and groan, not having the strength to scream or struggle.

Luckily, seems they were done with him, as they had finished with whatever they were doing. Only leaving him with the continues flow of torment.

Clifford took in deep breaths, but the scent of dirt and mold made it harder. He needed to focus, heal himself, and find out exactly what was going on.

As he was pondering, his mind went afloat, drifting into a sudden state of rest.

Then a red beam shimmered within the shade, along with a ringing sound at first.

The sensation of being so light followed, as he became weightless, then the melding of different colored lights appeared.

"So much pain, suffering. And the anger, I sense it seeping. Why not let it out? You know you can. Go out in one final blow."

The voice chuckled. It was the red orb humming above him.

It was true they infuriated him, but he was not getting coaxed to do such a stupid idea.

Instead of listening, his thoughts were more focused on the size of the sphere hovering near him, realizing it was smaller.

Once satisfied with his observation, he remained silent to conserve his remaining energy. He did not bother with the continues whispering in his mind.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Oh, wait. They did, didn't they?"

There was now this insidious laughing everywhere, echoing continuously like a broken record. It was only after almost an hour of ignoring did it finally disappear.

"Magnificent, truly a stout heart! If you use heal and close your wounds, you'll recover. Of course, you must give up on those parts you've lost and choose a life of fealty."

This time, it was the blue orb probing him, righteously lecturing him about the holiness and all those stuff about forgiveness.

"What say you, other worlder?"

It continued pandering.

Again, he remained indifferent to it. Though he was not bent on revenge, there is also no way he will forget what those people have done.

Finally, there was silence. No other magical spheres appearing before him, and after a few more moments, he began sinking, moving away from those waving colors. Deeper, until he reached the darkest depths of that void.

Clifford took in a deep breath, waiting until the being had appeared beneath him.

Once more, there were several rings rippling with the color purple, humming as he continued to fall close to the thing.

This was the first time he saw it up close like that, making the difference of its size among the other. Not even the black or white orb could compare, as the thing was ten times bigger.

"We meet again."

Clifford did not falter in confronting the unknown being. His ethereal phase gave him a sense of security, along with that notion that he was near dead, anyway.

"So we do."

The deep, ominous voice echoed.

Clifford's eyes grew wide, swallowing hard after receiving a reply.

He did not expect that, thinking it would remain repeating what he said. It took him a while to recover, as he had to gather his thoughts.

"What do you want?"

Finally, his wits returned. It was the first question that popped up in his mind, as he was now certain getting there was no accident.

A loud cackle blasted his ears, causing him to wince from the sudden ringing in his head.

"Me? Aren't you the one who wants to go back to your world?"

It let out a teasing tone, each word making the ring of spheres waving. Followed by a laughter similar to that of a maniac.

"So there is a way."

This was the first thing that came to his mind. Somehow, that brought him some sense of hope. He'd been thinking about it all this time, considering they can summon them there.

Silence took over, as both Clifford and the giant orb seem to stare at each other.

"There is. But you'll find it quite difficult to achieve."

The being's tone changed to a more serious one, though it remained playful, as if it was smirking at him.

"And why is that?"

Clifford's frown increased, swallowing hard upon the building tension from within him.

"Because they won't let you."

Each word the entity gave was slow, gurgling, and sinister.

"Who exactly are you talking about?"

He cannot help but ask, as his temper and patience were waning from each moment. Also, with his current situation, there wasn't much he can do.

"It seems our time is up."

The sphere released another ominous laugh, its sound reverberating from nearly everywhere.

The surrounding colored lights faded, becoming darker, and his body now floated up.

"Who are you? Why did you bring me here?"

He screams aloud, wriggling himself as if it will keep him within the ethereal planes. But no matter how much he struggled, his entirety continued levitating higher.

"Stay strong, my chosen one."

This was the farewell Clifford got before returning to reality.

He became aware he was back in his physical form as the surge of pain instantly pulled him awake. He trembled with each throbbing, having those stabbing sensation in every part of his body.

But with all his strength, he remained quiet, gritting his teeth to keep the screams of agony from escaping.

He knew he was not out of trouble yet, hearing the surrounding murmuring. And being blind left him wondering who was there.

All he could do now was play dead, enduring the immense pain, until he thinks of a way to escape his predicament.