Blood Cleansing [ IV ]

Physical pain like stabbing and similar injuries can only be considered the worst pain by those who haven't felt the severity of the anguish Xavier is experiencing. It is a type of anguish where your body stops responding to your natural control, the kind that not only breaks your body but also steals your mind.

Xavier struggled with this anguish. He fought hard against the overwhelming pain, trying to take control over his body and mind. It was hellishly difficult, but giving up was not in his agenda.

Although his vision was blurry, preventing him from seeing his surroundings, his ears could still pick up the sound of loud chants in a language he couldn't understand. The chants grew louder and louder as time went by.

In Xavier's mind, suddenly, a mysterious force appeared. The next moment, he completely blacked out.

Afterwards, his consciousness awakened in another location. The pain, the noise, and the blurry sight had all disappeared following his awakening in this strange place. Everything had returned to normal.

Xavier looked around him curiously, observing the strange place he was in, but it was difficult. Looking to his far left, about a few hundred meters away, he could make out a wall with the same structure as medieval castles seen in movies.

Apart from the left side, which was unclearly visible, the other corners of the strange room were covered in a strange black mist, making it impossible for Xavier to discern what was present in those corners.

'Hmm,' Xavier hummed silently as he noticed a slight diminishing glow in the middle of the mist in front of him.

Curiously, he began stepping toward the glow, walking into the mist in front of him. Stepping into the mist, his surroundings instantly became dark and unclear, save for the glow his eyes were fixed on. Something in it seemed to be drawing Xavier closer.

TAP!

TAP!

His footsteps reverberated in the darkness. His gaze fixed on the glow that became brighter and brighter with each step, Xavier strolled through the mist.

After what felt like an hour, Xavier appeared before the glow, which was coming from a strange orb sitting on an ancient desk. 

Alongside the glowing orb, there was a huge book with a hard brown cover laying on the table. Its title was written in text and symbols that Xavier could not understand, thus making him pay less attention to it. Instead, his gaze returned to the orb.

A very strong urge to touch it appeared. Without resisting the urge, Xavier stretched his hand and placed it on the orb.

Following that, a strange jolt of electricity surged through him. His eyeballs vanished from his eyes, and his lifeless eyes revealed a faint blue glow. His body became stagnant, hands still on the orb that began glowing brighter after he placed his hands on it. He was in a daze.

* * *

In the real world!

Inside the garden of hell, a lot of chattering could be heard coming from within, creating a noise outside.

In the middle of the garden, Xavier's body could be seen floating atop the red pool, appearing lifeless from the perspective of the other women. His eyes were shut, his breathing had stopped long ago, and his body had stopped responding to the pain. How could he still be alive?

Only Carla and the three mysterious veiled women understood that Xavier was still alive. The four of them stood in their respective positions with calm expressions, waiting for a manifestation from Xavier. Though most of them believed it would most likely be another failure, like the ones in the past.

"Do you think this one will be a success? Will he fulfill the goal of his creation?" one of the women whispered to her colleague, several meters away from the pool.

"He looks dead to me. Hmph. I don't understand why the mistress believes the truth of the dark plain will be revealed to us through these animals called men," her colleague replied with a snort, her voice containing a strong hatred towards males.

The other women in the garden of hell whispered among themselves, wondering what Xavier's fate would be. While they hoped for success, they believed it would be impossible for Xavier, mostly because he was not a woman like them. They believed women are more blessed with magic, like their great mistress.

On the other hand, the men had pitiful looks on their faces. To them, Xavier was dead the moment he stopped screaming.

Carla watched Xavier's floating body with a calm expression. Her eyes were fixed on his body, observing every little possible motion.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she spotted something extraordinary.

* * *

Still inside the facility.

At the chamber of Liana, two masked guards in black armor stood outside the large door, guarding it.

"T-This... It can't be!!"

Suddenly, the troubled voice of Liana sounded from behind the door.

Alerted, the two guards drew their large swords and pushed the door open.

"Mistress," they called out, looking toward the magic tree.

Liana stood beneath the tree, her angelic figure starkly contrasting with the dark crow perched above her. Its eyes glowed a menacing blood red, and a powerful, misty aura emanated from its body, shrouding it in an ominous presence.

The crow's piercing red eyes locked onto Liana's silvery gaze, conveying a message telepathically. Liana began to shiver uncontrollably as the weight of the message sank in.

The guards at the door exchanged confused glances, unsure of what was transpiring between their mistress and the enigmatic creature.

Suddenly, the crow dissolved into a wisp of black mist, vanishing into thin air. 

Liana fell to her knees, her expression dumbfounded