CHAPTER 20: void

As usual the colours faded away like water evaporating for a hot summer sun.

While the soul was extremely large and bright, it showed a heavy resemblance to that of Yerald. The veins of corruption enveloped almost half of the soul. Jet it was still acting like a heartbeat filled with lifeforce unlike that of Yerald.

Despite the corruption obviously not coming from inside the soul but from an outside source given that the ramification of darkness didn't come from the core of the soul itself but just wrapped around it, it still looked equally disgusting.

However, I still graved it. A part of me wanted to gag upon seeing this almost rotten soul, but I still wanted it.

The rest of the group was trying to comprehend what had happened. Allenya was the first to stand up. She immediately helped Yohan and Elisa. Gert had suffered the most damage from the plants and was still sitting on the ground so he could have a good look at the wounds inflicted on him by the sharp thorns of the plants. Alex was crawling up and started running towards the bandages to get some for Gert.

I was still focused on the half rotten soul. I couldn't hold it any longer, even though I had eaten a soul not even an hour ago.

I reached out to it. I grabbed the light exciting of pure energy and lifeforce, the shining light that both existed yet didn't.

I first held it in one hand and then swallowed it.

I expected the usual splendid taste, only with a few differences. Non the less that wasn't the case.

I didn't taste anything. I looked up in surprise and disappointment. Then I felt a warm rush of power coming from the soul I just ate. I walked away from the corps. Then all the sound faded, everything began twisting and turning around me. I could barely make out Allenya and Alex running towards me right before I hit the ground, and everything went black.

I was in an empty black space, that showed a heavy resemblance with the void I as trapped in. but this time it wasn't empty.

Whispers, echoes, distorted voices formed up on me from al directions.it was quiet, jet overwhelmingly loud. They spoke about things that shouldn't be said, secrets that shouldn't be known to any living creature in this world and truths that were so terrible that one would lose their sanity upon finding it out. The thunder of silent whispers circled around me like vultures around a corps. My entire existence nearly crumbled.

I felt helpless. Nearly falling in despair.

Then. A gentle touch on my shoulder woke me up from the voices. I looked up at my saviour. It was a twisted shadow of light. Gently waving like long green grass in the wind.

Slowly the features became clear.

It was Ellice. She wore her nearly everlasting smile.

She seemed to say something. but no words could be heard, no sound escaped her lips. Jet I sat still, trying to listen to what she had to say.

She suddenly hugged me. Even when she was a shadow, I couldn't escape her loving grasp. After what seemed like an eternity her presence started to fade. I tried to hold on, I tried to keep her with me. I finally had at least her shadow back, and now she tried to leave me again.

But her figure was dissolving into mist. I did all I could, but it was like trying to catch smoke. Eventually she faded away, leaving no trace. And I was left alone again. I closed my eyes in sorrow.

"Gustave. Gustave, wake up!"

I slowly opened my eyes. The golden light of the setting sun shone on my face and wiped away most of the memories of the filled void until only broken shadows of it remained before they just faded into nothingness.

I could see Allenya sitting beside me with a worried expression.

"Gustave are you alright?"

I crawled up. My whole body felt stiff.

"I guess so. What happened?"

"After you killed that plant like beast, you suddenly passed out."

Alex said while walking towards us.

I rubbed my stiff neck. but then I noticed something.

("Huh?")

I held my arm in front of my face, only to see that some of the red scales had grown thicker, especially near my elbow.

"You sure you are fine?"

I glanced over at Alex. For some reason he backed away when our eyes met. It was hard to notice, but his face was a little paler than usual.

"yea I think I am fine."

I stumbled over to the tree. My legs still didn't have much power in them. It was like my legs were made of thin strings while a strong wind was blowing in the opposite direction I wanted to go. Step by step with my tail lifelessly dragging behind me, I managed to reach the trunk of the tree.

When I reached it, I nearly fell down, slamming my back against the three. But I didn't care. I felt nauseous.

I took a few slow breaths and closed my eyes. I could feel my heart beating. it was a lot faster than usual. like when you had just ran for a few hundred meters. However I still felt like I had gained a massive amount of strength compared to wat I had before.

Trembling all over I tried to catch some sleep to block out this weird feeling.