Chapter 52: Don't Preach Babble

Ambrose Drak

'If Mercy chooses to remain in her timeline, you will vanish from yours, and so, too, shall your seed,' the harbinger of death's words whispers in the darkness.

A flash of the tree entity's featureless face fills Ambrose's mind. From the singsong tone of the words flowing in his head, he's sure if she was here this very moment, a wickedly condescending smile would dance across her lips and spread to her cold, calculating eyes.

"Graysen." The raw anguished-infused cry reverberates all around him, ripping him from his thoughts.

It's not long before heavy sobs travel throughout the bowels of the castle. The speaker's feminine voice conveys such heartfelt grief, it reminds him of his own losses and deep-seated sorrows.

"Mercy," he whispers.

Inside the tunnel he's in, Ambrose can't pinpoint where her cries echo from. Is she behind him or just ahead? Pausing for several seconds, he debates which path to take.