PASSAGE 51: SERPENT OF DECAY

A shroud of apprehension settled over Alaric as he hunkered down in the shadows of Hrimr's room. Doubt gnawed at his resolve. Was he chasing phantoms? Was there truly a sinister entity lurking within Hrimr's nightmares, or was he simply succumbing to the village's oppressive atmosphere?

Minutes bled into hours, each tick of the nonexistent clock a hammer blow against Alaric's waning vigilance. An insidious drowsiness crept over him, a relentless tide threatening to drag him under. He fought back, fueled by a warrior's determination and a growing concern for Hrimr. Yet, the pull of sleep proved too strong, and his eyelids finally fluttered shut, surrendering to the inevitable.

Alaric found himself thrust back into a familiar hellscape – the Labyrinth of Lost Memories. The swirling cityscape blurred around him, a kaleidoscope of fragmented moments. Panic clawed at his throat as a cacophony of screams echoed through the labyrinthine corridors. He recognized those voices, a chilling reminder of a past he desperately wished to bury.

He spun around, his gaze landing on the tableau etched into his deepest nightmares. There, amidst the chaos, stood Selena, her eyes blazing with a feral madness. His younger self lay crumpled on the ground, a victim of her unbridled rage. Alaric lurched forward, a desperate cry forming in his throat. This time, he wouldn't be a helpless spectator! He'd change the outcome, save his fallen comrades!

But just as he neared the scene, a suffocating darkness slammed down, swallowing everything whole. Blinding blackness consumed him, the screams dissolving into a chilling silence. A voice, faint at first, then growing in urgency, pierced through the void.

"Alaric! Wake up!"

The name echoed in his mind, a lifeline thrown across the abyss. He strained to see, to hear, until finally, Lumina's voice ripped through the darkness, pulling him back to the harsh reality of Hrimr's room.

Alaric bolted upright, heart hammering against his ribs. "Lumina!" His voice was hoarse, his vision blurry from sleep.

A jolt of urgency ripped through Alaric as Lumina's voice pierced the veil of sleep. His eyes snapped open, the echo of his nightmare clinging to him like cobwebs. But before he could even process the remnants of his own trauma, a new wave of horror crashed over him.

He twisted his head towards Hrimr, his breath catching in his throat. There, within the flickering firelight, a monstrous scene unfolded. Lurking within the confines of the humble house wasn't a shadow or some wisp of unseen darkness. No, it was a creature of legend, a nightmare given grotesque form.

A colossal white serpent, its length defying comprehension, writhed through the room. Its body, thick as a grown man, coiled sinuously from the floor, across walls, and even slithered up towards the very ceiling. Its grotesque form seemed to meld into the very fabric of the house, a chilling reminder of its invasive power.

But the true terror lay in the serpent's head. Here, a warped reflection of Njord, Hrimr's father, stared back at them. The same lined face, the same weary eyes, but twisted into a monstrous caricature, a horrifying mockery of humanity. The serpent's maw, impossibly wide, gaped open, slowly engulfing Hrimr's thrashing form.

A primal scream ripped from Hrimr's throat as the serpent's coils tightened, its monstrous maw inching closer. Alaric, fueled by a surge of protective fury, didn't hesitate. He was a blur of black and gold, the Crescent Reaver singing a deadly song as it cleaved through the air.

But the serpent, impossibly fast, reacted with inhuman reflexes. Its tail, thick as a tree trunk, lashed out, meeting Alaric's attack head-on with a sickening thud. The force of the impact sent Alaric flying through the flimsy wall of the house, a rain of splintered wood cascading after him.

He landed hard on the snow-covered ground, the breath knocked out of his lungs. A searing pain lanced through his side, but Alaric ignored it, fueled by a single purpose. He clambered back to his feet, a dark warrior wreathed in the dark glow of the Eye of Chronos.

Back in the house, the battle raged. With a series of impossible leaps and dodges, Alaric weaved through the serpent's deadly strikes. Finally, with a burst of speed, he slipped under the monstrous belly, the floorboards groaning under his weight.

Then, with a roar that shook the very foundation of the house, Alaric unleashed a powerful uppercut. His fist, slammed into the serpent's throat. A choked gasp echoed through the room as the creature writhed in pain, the vice grip on Hrimr loosening.

The young man tumbled out of the serpent's maw, landing with a pained grunt on the floor. Alaric wasted no time. He scooped Hrimr into his arms just as the serpent lunged once more, its fury momentarily eclipsed by the searing pain in its throat.

Bursting back through the shattered remains of the wall, Alaric sprinted into the night, the chilling wind whipping at his face. He cradled Hrimr close, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs.

"Hrimr! Wake up!" His voice was hoarse with exertion and worry.

Slowly, Hrimr's eyes fluttered open. Disorientation clouded his gaze. "Alaric? What happened? Why are we outside?" His voice was weak, laced with confusion.

Alaric gently lowered Hrimr to his feet, a hand still gripping the young man's shoulder for support. "Listen to me closely, Hrimr," he said, his voice a low, urgent growl. "We need to get out of here. Now. There's no time to explain."

Hrimr's confusion was evident, his lips parting to form a question. But before he could speak, a deafening crack echoed through the night. The roof of the house, splintered and weakened from Alaric's earlier exit, caved in under a tremendous weight.

Dust and debris rained down as a monstrous white serpent, far larger than the one Alaric had just battled within, emerged from the wreckage. Its body, thicker than a house, coiled sinuously upwards, dwarfing the shattered remains of Hrimr's home. Both Alaric and Hrimr stood frozen, jaws agape, their gazes following the creature's ascent.

"I-Is this why we need to leave?" Hrimr finally managed, his voice trembling.

Alaric could only offer a grim nod, his eyes locked on the colossal serpent. The monstrous creature surveyed them with a cold, reptilian intelligence. Then, a rumble vibrated through the air, resonating in their very bones. A booming voice, echoing from somewhere above, filled the night.

"How dare you, you mere human, prevent me from consuming my feast!"

A primal fear choked the air, thick and suffocating. Alaric and Hrimr locked eyes, a silent exchange of terror mirroring their shared predicament. Here, bathed in the moonlight and the chilling afterglow of the battle within the Hvergelmir, stood a creature they thought only existed in whispered legends – a colossal white serpent, its voice a booming echo that rattled their very souls.

"I am Nidhogg!" the serpent boomed, its voice a monstrous rasp that sent shivers down Alaric's spine. "The Serpent of Decay! Bow to me, boy, and prepare to be consumed!"

Alaric's eye widened. This was Nidhogg, the mythical beast he'd been tasked with slaying, the guardian of this floor in the cursed labyrinth. But defeating this monstrosity now felt like a secondary objective. The real terror was the hunger burning in Nidhogg's reptilian gaze, a hunger specifically fixated on Hrimr.

Why? The question hammered in Alaric's mind. Why was this legendary creature so intent on devouring the young man? Was Hrimr somehow more susceptible to Nidhogg's corruption? Or, more unsettling still, was there a deeper, more personal connection between them?

Alaric gritted his teeth, a surge of protectiveness washing over him. This wasn't just about completing a quest. Now, it was about shielding Hrimr from this monstrous embodiment of his own nightmares. This village, already drowning in despair, wouldn't survive the loss of its last flicker of hope.