Arise

His body ached, and his senses were void. Without them, he could only surrender to whatever kindness the silence could offer him.

'Get up'

His senses remained inactive, yet a familiar voice reverberated inside his mind. Deaf and disfigured, he could hardly feel anything at all, that was until something wrapped around his body. Permeating an insatiable warmth impossible to ignore, Perses felt his strength returning.

Inside his very soul, again, he heard "Stand up". Perse's drearily opened his eyes just in time to witness large chunks of rubble falling towards him. First, there was a little, then more began to fall, narrowly missing his head as they shattered beside him.

The beast had returned to bury him alive.

The beast's hind legs kicked giant slabs towards him. Strangely, he was reminded of the sanctuary. This place, this concrete grave, was just like where it had all started. It might have been only a few days. However, to him, it felt like it had been a lifetime, and yet what had he accomplished? Nothing.

It seemed he would be left for dead in a dark stone tomb once again, this time forever. But what even was death? Arguably, he had been dead before. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

"Why are you being so dramatic? Just get up already."

"Huh, who the hell are you?"

Warmth permeated throughout his body. He could now keenly sense the arms that wrapped around him as something physically attached itself to him. He had a good idea of what, but before he could pursue it further, a particularly heavy concrete slab fell. He watched as it fell further towards him, eventually landing straight on his leg, bisecting it.

"AGHHHHHHHH"

With his senses now fully operational, he couldn't help but let out a scream at the searing pain. The concrete slab indifferently fell on its side away from Perses, horrified he watched as his ankle loosely hung off. Only a slither of ligament and flesh remained attached. Only his adrenaline prolonged his panic.

'Just ignore it. It will heal itself. Look, we need each other to survive right now, so just do as I say. Survive! Just start climbing already!'

Strangely, his attention was forcibly stripped from the harrowing sight of his leg. Inexplicably, he threw off the rubble, threatening to bury him. Without missing a beat, his arms began to climb. Countless heaps of debris bounced off of his figure as he climbed out of the stone grave.

Refusing to rest even a moment longer, he allowed the voice to govern his every move. He didn't know why. He just felt compelled to listen. Everything else started to feel a little meaningless.

'Faster.'

Feeling the weight behind him increase, he continued to climb, ignoring whatever was clasped to his back. Even with the absence of his left leg, he quickly reached the hole's summit, only to be met by the surprised expression of the beast.

'Fight'

No instruction was needed this time as the beast clambered across the junkyard of gravel, kicking up dust in its wake. Rather than allow himself to be caught in the beast's jaw, Perses raised his arm, recalling the familiar action he had practised. Awkwardly swinging his arm down like a sword, he just barely clashed with the rim of the beast's jaw, sending it reeling back. The cataclysmic force carried by the beast threw his right arm back painfully, snapping it.

Much to his shock, a slight glance at his leg revealed it had mostly healed. The adrenaline and warmth coursing through his veins continued to rise. The shallow wounds that coated his entire body had also stopped bleeding, although it had been a gradual process. The beast was in the worst state. After an agonising yelp, it had slammed directly into a wall, where it still continued to wail.

'Now run'

Perses had simply followed the instructions of the voice thus far. However, the strange sentiment that compelled him to do so had wained. Ignoring the voice, he walked towards the cowering beast whose eyes had never left him. Keenly noticing the boy's now driven, intense gaze, it ran. Easily leaping between broken areas of the wall, using them as foot holes, it bounded up the impeccably large room.

Perses didn't understand how the beast intended to escape but decided it wasn't worth considering ending his pursuit, albeit reluctantly.

Now, with the time to make sense of the events that had spiralled out of control in the last hour, he desperately reached around with his arms, attempting to grab whatever had attached itself to his back since he had been buried in the hole.

'Hey, stop that. What are you doing.'

"Who are you?, wait why can I hear you inside my head?"

'I dunno.'

"What do you mean you don't know? Hey you, you're the one who led me underground, right? Why the hell did you do that?"

'Wha-, I, I did not do that. You followed me here. I didn't ask for your help.'

Finally getting a hold of the girl, he tore her off his back, easily holding her with just one arm thanks to his magnified strength. Dropping the stranger and backing away from it, he saw just who he expected to find. Many of the torches that littered the room had been extinguished amidst the struggle. The low lighting still permitted him to spot a pair of pointed red horns that stood out in the dark.

"So why were you grabbing onto my back? Was is you that gave me all this strength then or is this my ability?."

"Yes, I gave it to you, but I don't know how it works either".

Her response surprised him. Not only was she unaware of everything that just happened, like himself, but she had also started talking out loud rather than inside his head. Thoroughly puzzled, he continued to back up, even more paranoid of what danger she might possess. The girl also gave him a quizzical and distrusting look.

However, he crumpled to his knees before he could make any significant distance. As if the strength had violently been torn out of his body, he looked at the floor with wide eyes. His wounds began to bleed, and his mostly repaired leg was enraptured in agony, but his arm was the worst. His shredded arm caused him to gasp in shock, unable to process the pain immediately. He could only stare at it with shaky eyes.

The girl watched him with a puzzled expression. After a short while, her red pupils flickered with their first glint of intelligence. Slowly she waltzed towards Perses, who could only look listlessly at her approaching figure. After only a short distance, he could feel a numbing sensation take over the devastating pain. As she approached, he could physically feel the structure of his muscles slowly contort and harden. His bones then did the same, followed by his skin, which seemed to thicken. Visibly, there was almost nothing noticeable, but to Perses, he could feel a significant surge of strength, just like before.

Picking himself up from his knees, amazed, he stared around at the building's alien glow. Despite the moderate lighting, he could not see the roof as all the torches lit the floor, leaving the top untouched by light. Despite the enamouring view, he failed to find what he was searching for.

"So that's how it is. Looks like you can't even move without my help, well good luck with that, sorry but I have to escape. Oh, right, I promise I won't forget you or anything, though."

"Hold on you'll just get eaten without my help right?, you need me as much as I need you."

"No, no, I can turn invisible. Remember, I don't need you... see."

The girl grinned to herself as she looked down at her figure before looking at Perses with blatant arrogance.

"Invisible, you can do that?"

"That's right."

Perses initially looked impressed but pointed at the girl, "Ok, but I can still see you."

"Hehe. Wait what-"

Looking down at herself, the girl looked bewildered. Bewilderment turned to fear as on the verge of tears as she shook her foot. Meeting Perse's gaze, realizing he was watching her antics and not lying, she blinked in a daze.

"So do you need my help?"

"I need your help, please."

Satisfied with that answer, Perses looked around awkwardly before sighing.

"Do you need to grab onto my back or something?"

'Hmm, not really. I was kicked out once you went unconscious, but I should be able to do this now.'

Surprised once more by the voice in his head, he only then noticed the devil had vanished.

"You're talking inside my head again... So, you can go inside people's heads?, why?."

'Why should I know? Anyway, get out of here already. I don't have to talk to you anymore.'

Slightly agitated by her comment but just as eager to escape, Perses bit back a remark and began traversing the large structure's floor with the utmost caution. After finding his way to the original room with success and soon after the foot of the stairs, he started to climb. Despite the absence of light within the stairway, Perses couldn't help but feel relieved by the tightness of the walls that the giant beast would not be able to fit through.

Now, almost at the exit, the two had not spoken a word to each other. Perse's battle-hardened mindset was nowhere to be found as he struggled to keep up with the primal fear that festered within him and the harrowing silence.

'I smell something.'

Perses didn't respond, with his nerves heightened to such an extent he couldn't find the certainty with which to respond. Heavy breathing was all he could offer in return.

'Listen do you hear that'.

Perses obeyed the voice in his head and stopped walking. Despite listening for any oddities as he walked, he hadn't picked up on anything. Unsure if he could even successfully communicate back to the girl through his mind, he continued to listen.

Breathing was the only thing Perses could hear, his own. Despite knowing this, a childish, peculiar thought crossed his mind. Although he had stopped walking so that he could listen closer, he also decided to stop breathing. After taking one last breath, he listened. After a brief silence, a soft breath drew in.

Confused, Perses looked closer at the walls without making a sound. He saw nothing. As if compelled, he touched the walls, each with one arm as he slowly ascended the stairs. Suddenly, he noticed something. He felt a long silver-like blade protrude from the wall. It hugged the wall tightly, making it almost unnoticeable.

Touching it, a cold sensation could be felt across first his hand and then his spine. With an intense concentration, he spotted more silver blades that protruded from the right wall.

Just like that, the surroundings were finally quiet. Only the shallow sound of a gulp echoed out.

Then the wall erupted as the giant triangular head of the beast burst through the stair walls. An all too familiar maw opened up to tear him apart.