A Greater Price

[Iris Lefay]

"Oh, you little bitch."

I glared at the wraith that just bit into my shoulder. It was the leader of the recruits.

Her eyes, once a vibrant blue, had turned a chilling red. With her needle-like black teeth sinking deeper into my flesh, her gaze was feral and intense.

"Sorry," I murmured, as one of my tentacles morphed into a clawed hand and crushed her head, showering me in blood and brains.

Yet, even as the wraith's body fell limp, I watched as its head began to regenerate.

Oh, and one more thing: when the wraiths regenerate, they don't regenerate the clothes shredded by me, and many of the recruits were half-undressed when they turned.

Yeah. I'm surrounded by freaky killing machines that are in the nude.

Not the nudist party I was envisioning.

Condensing darkness around my fist, I punched the ground, releasing a powerful wave of darkness that obliterated the nearby wraiths.

{Tenebris: Black Shock}

Having given myself a tiny window of respite, I straightened up, only to stagger as a searing pain ripped out from my shoulder.

This wasn't like the graze I'd received earlier.

This was way worse, more agonizing than a cut from a daemon. My right side felt as though boiling acid was coursing through my veins.

My vision blurred, my mind spun, and I collapsed to my knees. Breathing became a struggle, and my strength was slowly draining away.

Desperately, I slammed my palm onto the shattered floor and activated a defensive code.

{Tenebris: Shadow Dome}

A protective dome of pure darkness encased me. Almost immediately, cracks began to form as the A-ranked wraiths viciously attacked it.

Despite the dome being made of pure darkness, there was ample light inside it.

I took a deep breath and checked my shoulder. My right side was smoking, my flesh rotting.

"So this is what Carlo meant by venomous wraiths," I cursed, trying to heal my shoulder with Tenebris.

But the venom was spreading too fast, turning my flesh into a necrotic mess.

Mordred's blood, which I'd injected for immunity, was wearing off.

Maybe it's because I wasn't a Pendragon.

The pain was unbearable, but that wasn't the worst part. I knew I was running out of time.

Dizziness overwhelmed me, and my thoughts started slipping. For a brief moment, I could've sworn I saw the twisted faces of my brothers leering at me from the shadows.

"You can't fight this. You're weak," Their voices echoed inside my skull, blending with the primal snarls of the wraiths.

I shook my head, blinking away the hallucination.

Focus. I needed to stay focused.

One section of the dome crumbled, revealing the crimson eyes of a wraith.

I clenched my jaw. Looks like there is no choice.

With a swift slash followed by a grunt of pain, I severed my right arm. It thudded to the floor.

The pain wasn't as sharp as I expected. More like a dull throb.

I'm used to losing limbs by now.

Wincing, I summoned threads of darkness with Tenebris to wrap around the bleeding stump. I scooped up my severed arm and stowed it in the spatial storage of my bracelet.

The dome continued to crumble around me as the wraiths clawed through my defenses.

My breath was shallow. The venom was still inside me, gnawing at my insides.

Mordred's diluted blood is holding it at bay, for now. But it wouldn't last.

I gritted my teeth and focused, invoking the power of Tenebris.

Darkness swirled around the stump on my shoulder, pooling and twisting until it formed the shape of a new arm.

Black as night, swirling with dark energy, it was only a temporary fix, but it would have to do.

I flexed the clawed fingers of my new shadow arm. It moved smoothly enough.

Gripping my bloodied black dagger in my left hand, I pushed more ardor into it, then raised my new arm toward the wraiths. Hundreds of black rods formed in the air, spinning above me.

"Eat this."

With a flick of my wrist, the rods rained down, drilling the wraiths into the ground with brutal precision.

Their collective shrieks filled the air, but even as the rods skewered them, the wraiths began to regenerate, slowly pulling themselves free.

These freaks are getting quite annoying.

The only thing that could destroy them permanently was Purity flames. And I didn't have them.

But there was one other option—a desperate one.

I clenched my fists, shaking my head.

No way I'm using my stigma.

"Oh, that's a shame."

A voice suddenly whispered beside me. Reacting on instinct, I swung my dagger, unleashing a burst of black flames that engulfed the wraiths nearby.

But there was no one there except for wraiths who were engulfed by my flames.

"Ooh. Feisty!"

The voice returned, closer, mocking. I turned around to see. There is no way the wraiths have developed speech.

"Now that's rude! Don't compare me to those vile things. Oh, behind you."

Whipping around, I saw wraiths lunging at me. Acting swiftly, My tentacles ripped through them with savage precision, reducing them to ribbons and bloodied scraps.

"You're welcome," the voice chimed smugly.

What the fuck is happening? Am I losing my mind? Was the venom messing with me?

"Oh no. You are not hallucinating, dear," the voice teased, lilting with amusement. "Though the venom did make it easier for me to slip in."

I summoned another barrage of black stakes around me and hurled them at the advancing wraiths.

"Who are you?" I demanded, my vision blurring momentarily.

As I shook my head to clear it, I noticed a familiar shape emerging from among the wraiths trapped by the stakes.

The figure was humanoid, eerily resembling me. As the details became clearer, my eyes widened in recognition.

"Incarni! Is that... me?" I exclaimed and blinked again. "And why am I shadowy and... naked?"

My naked and shadowy doppelganger tilted her head with an amused smile.

"I am you, Iris," she shrugged. "Well. The inner you. Kind of like your inner voice or should I say, the true you?"

I scowled. "Sure. And why are you naked?"

She shrugged, her form shimmering slightly. "Well, you've never been a fan of clothes, so I went with it. But more importantly—a wraith, above you."

I dodged just in time as a wraith's claws slashed through the space I'd been standing.

My foot lashed out instinctively, driving an axe kick into its head. The marble floor cracked beneath its skull.

"What do you want?" I growled, charging back into the fray. My daggers cleaved through the wraiths, tentacles ripping apart anything that came close.

"I thought I'd keep you company in your final moments," she replied in a light voice as if commenting on the weather.

Driving my dagger into a wraith's face and cleaving it in two, I scoffed. "Final moments? Seriously?"

She chuckled. "Oh, you are dying! The strain of battling these endlessly regenerating creatures, coupled with the venom coursing through your veins, is taking its toll. You need to get to Althea fast if you want to survive."

"Bullshit!" I snarled, sweeping aside a horde of wraiths with a flare of tentacles.

But as much as I hated to admit it, her words rang true. My strikes lacked their usual force. I could feel the venom crawling through my veins, slowing me down.

"I wish I could just run to Althea, but these fuckers won't stop coming!" I growled, slicing a wraith in half and thrusting my daggers into another's eyes.

"Oh, there is a way," my shadowy doppelganger whispered, materializing beside me, sending shivers down my spine.

"And since you're dying... why not use it and go out with a bang?" She grinned mischievously, her eyes gleaming.

I thrust my dagger at her. The black blade passed through her form like smoke, embedding itself into a wraith's skull instead.

With a brutal twist, I split its head in half, flinging the remains aside.

"For someone claiming to be my 'true self,' you're awfully misinformed," I quipped, kicking another wraith's face in.

A shockwave of darkness obliterated its head.

"I can only use my stigma once. And in case you haven't noticed, there are hundreds of these things," I pointed out.

Her laughter echoed all over the room. "Oh dear! That is quite funny! You've just accepted that limit without question!"

She materialized before me, her grin malevolent, "But what if I told you... you can use your stigma more than once?"

Her words froze me. A wraith took the opportunity to rake its claws across my stomach, leaving a jagged gash.

I staggered, grimacing, and unleashed a Black Shock, scattering the creatures.

"Impossible!" I spat. "There's a reason my stigma has such a huge price."

"Because it is overpowered? Of course, I know!" she giggled.

"I know all about the conditions for activating Coup de Grace. You have to be near death, you can only use it once a week, and you'll be incapacitated for that week," she recounted.

Her blue eyes met mine, and she tapped her forehead. "Those conditions are there to protect you, especially your mind."

"There is one more price one must pay to wield Absolute Death in their hands."

"Yeah, I know," I muttered. Spinning around, I unleashed immolating black flames from my daggers.

Darting through the wraiths, I sliced and scorched them, leaving a path of fiery destruction in my wake.

"I figured it out when I found out about my fragmented memories."

She applauded. "My! You are quite the clever girl!"

Leaning forward, her smile sharpened. "Then I believe you will understand that using your stigma more than once requires an even greater price."

I smirked, slicing through another wraith. "I'm already dying. Whatever you're offering won't change that."

Her laughter echoed again, "Your life is precious! Of course, it will be a huge price. But..."

Her grin widened, a feral gleam in her eyes. "But I want something greater. Something far more precious."

Black flames passed through her and struck some wraiths, but they were quickly extinguished.

I am running out of strength.

"You," I said, my gaze hardening as she materialized before me

"Who are you?"

"There is no way you are truly me," I spat out.

"So who the fuck are you? My stigma?"

"I am you," she said, her voice soft yet sinister. "I am also not you. And I am bound to your stigma."

She leaned closer and answered. "I am [****]."

My breath caught. I almost dropped my daggers.

I looked at her and asked. "What happens if I refuse your help?

She shrugged. "You will continue to fight like before, and of course, I will try my best to help you."

"But you will fall," she declared. "The wraiths will overwhelm you, despite your power."

"Then the barrier will fall," she said, nodding toward the pulsating barrier.

"Sure, it can take blows from an S rank but not repeated ones. And a constant vicious attack from these A-ranked and B-ranked abominations? It will eventually shatter."

Her eyes locked onto mine with a malevolent smile. "And then the wraiths will escape this room and will swarm Necropolis like a tidal wave."

Her grin widened, eyes gleaming with malice. "They'll slaughter everyone—Deathwalkers, merchants, your unit. Even... the one you care about most."

My hands tightened on my daggers. "No way. Mordred and the others will roast them."

"Of course, they will," she purred. "But they will have quite the difficulty with the barbeque since your dear brothers have given these freaky beauties increased resistance to Purity Flames."

I froze. "What?"

"Oh, not fully immune, but resistant enough to make things... messy. The Deathwalkers will win, but the cost will be high."

Her voice grew softer, more sinister. "And what if one wraith slips through? What if Mordred's throat is slashed, and they get him before he can heal?"

Her grin widened, relishing the look on my face, "When it comes to daemons and wraiths... anything can happen."

"Wouldn't you agree? Iris?"

Suddenly, everything turned still.

I found myself on a hill of bloodied corpses. There were Deathwalkers, merchants, Crafters, and many more.

As I looked around, terror and despair clenched at my soul when I saw them.

Master Lorvar, the Commander, Artemis, Apollo, Carlo, Ava, Krystal, Dorothy, and many others I knew.

Their lifeless bodies lay scattered among the mutilated and bloodied corpses, their vacant eyes hauntingly fixed on me.

I lifted my eyes and what I saw tore my very soul. On the peak, staked to a cross, with his limbs torn off and entrails spilling out, was Mordred.

His head lifted slowly, and I felt my legs buckle beneath me. His bloodied hair clung to his scarred and ravaged face, and his one remaining eye locked onto mine.

"Iris," he whispered.

Tears streamed down my face, my hands trembling uncontrollably. I tried to shield my eyes from the horrific sight, but it was futile.

No matter how many times I tried to cover them, the gruesome scene remained, just like in my recurring nightmares.

Yes. This was my nightmare. Always.

"You can prevent this Iris."

Her voice broke through the vision and brought me back to the processing room.

She stood before me, her form clear as ever.

Time remained suspended, the wraiths frozen mid-scream, their menacing teeth exposed.

She extended her hand toward me.

"Accept my hand and become Death Incarnate, Oh Child of Tenebris."

I took a deep breath and raised my arm made of swirling darkness.

Grasping her hand firmly, I whispered.

"I accept."

Her giggle rang through the air. "Wonderful! Now let's fulfill the condition for activation."

I nodded again and time snapped back into motion. I rushed forward to meet the wraiths.

Black markings erupted across my body, covering my left arm and exposed waist.

Swiftly, I seized the arm of a wailing wraith, allowing its sharp claws to pierce through my body.

"I'll be a bit late, Mordred," I murmured with a faint smile.

"Oh don't worry," her voice chimed in from all directions, a childlike giggle echoing through the room.

"I'll ensure you don't meet your end. After all, I need you alive, my dear Fairy."

I unraveled my black wings of darkness and plunged my dagger into the wraith's heart.

"When all of this is over. You are next," I told her with a wide grin on my face.

Her laughter echoed all over the room, shaking even the barrier.

"We'll see about that, child."