The Whisper pt.6

Marra's heart pounded as she knelt beside Edric, her hands glowing faintly with the remnants of her healing magic. Fear gnawed at her, sharp and relentless, but she forced it down, swallowing the terror that clawed its way up her throat. Focus. Breathe. She had to save him—she had to. The oppressive weight of the temple, the malevolent energy pressing against her mind, was suffocating, but Marra steeled herself, ignoring the icy fingers of dread that twisted her insides.

As her magic began to pulse through her fingers, she felt it—something dark, insidious, slipping into her thoughts like a poison. It crept through her mind, slow at first, rustling, taunting.

"You're too weak... You'll fail, just like before..."

Her concentration wavered, the glow in her hands flickering as though snuffed by the very breath of the temple. A chill ran down her spine. The shadows seemed to swell, warping and stretching, and with each breath she took, the darkness grew denser, the walls of the temple closing in, until it felt like the air itself was choking her.

"No... no, I can do this," Marra whispered to herself, her confidence barely audible, cracking under the weight of her fear. She gritted her teeth, trying to force the magic back into her hands, to focus on Edric's pale face, but the malevolent presence bore down harder. 

"You're too weak to save him... too weak to save anyone..." the fiend sneered, louder now, mocking her, its words twisting in her mind like vines choking the life from her thoughts. Her surroundings blurred—Edric's face distorted, the stone beneath her knees grew ice cold and slick like the surface of some forgotten grave.

The glow in her hands sputtered, then died. Her breath hitched, blood pressure rising fast and wild. No. Not now. Don't freeze. Don't— But the more she tried to push through the fear, the tighter it gripped her, its hold relentless. 

Suddenly, the temple was gone. 

The ground beneath her seemed to vanish, replaced by an endless void of black, the silence so thick it pressed against her ears. Shadows slithered and coiled around her like living things, curling at the edges of her vision, tightening like a noose. She tried to stand, but her legs felt like lead. Her arms, once steady, now trembled uncontrollably.

"You're not strong enough... You'll never be strong enough..." 

The chant was everywhere now, filling her ears, her mind, wrapping itself around her throat. Her pulse quickened, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. Marra stumbled, her body shaking as she reached out to Edric again, but her hands passed through him like he wasn't even there. The floor seemed to tilt beneath her, a sickening lurch, and she staggered, falling to her knees, her heart racing so fast she thought it might burst.

"No... Edric... please..." she whispered, her throat hoarse, but the shadows swallowed the sound. She was alone in the dark. The darkness seeped into her thoughts, filling her with a suffocating sense of failure—of utter, hopeless despair. The temple walls felt like they were breathing, pressing in on her, suffocating her with every second.

Her vision blurred again, black spots dancing before her eyes as she fought to hold on to what little was left of her sanity. But it was slipping away, faster now, dragged down by the tension of her own fear and the oppressive malevolence that surrounded her.

She had failed. 

"You're nothing. You never were. You'll lose him... like you lose everything..."

The laughter echoed in her mind, cold and hollow, a sound that sent a shiver through her bones. She clutched her head, her nails digging into her scalp as she tried to silence the beast, but it only grew louder, crueler.

And in that moment, Marra realized something terrifying: she could no longer tell what was real.

Kyrntar's heart hammered in his chest as he watched Marra falter. Her face, usually so composed, now twisted in sheer terror, her eyes wide and unfocused as she muttered incoherently. She wasn't just scared—she was lost, trapped somewhere far beyond his reach. Every second felt like a lifetime as her hands trembled, her screams a whisper against the suffocating darkness. 

"Marra!" he shouted, rushing to her side. His call echoed in the vast emptiness of the temple, but it didn't reach her. She was too far gone, consumed by whatever malevolent force had taken hold. He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently, his desperation bleeding through. "Marra, snap out of it!"

Nothing.

Behind him, Edric, barely clinging to consciousness, stared through the haze of pain clouding his mind. His voice was weak, cracking as he forced the words out. "Kyrntar... what's... what's happening to her?"

Kyrntar clenched his jaw, the realization of the moment crushing down on him. He could see it now—this temple wasn't just testing them, it was tearing them apart. The evil here was ancient, insidious, and it was targeting his friends—his family. But why not him? Why was it letting him stand while it broke them?

"She's trapped," Kyrntar muttered, his tone  low and tight, barely holding back his fear. "Just like you, Edric. This place—" he paused, swallowing hard, "—this place is trying to break both of you."

His sword trembled in his grip, his responsibility pressing down harder than the shadow ever did. He had been the leader, the one to keep them grounded, but this—this was different. This wasn't a battle he could win with sheer strength or tactics. He couldn't cut through the darkness that had seeped into their minds.

For the first time, Kyrntar felt powerless.

His mind raced. Every second mattered now. The malevolent energy was pulling Edric and Marra deeper into despair, and he had no way of knowing how much time they had left. His eyes darted from Marra's trembling form to Edric, who was barely holding himself together.

Kyrntar made his decision in an instant, driven by raw desperation. His stoic resolve, the leadership that had always defined him, shattered. He couldn't lose them. Not here. Not like this.

With a firm grip on Edric's shoulder, Kyrntar locked eyes with him, his presence shaking but determined. "Edric, listen to me." He leaned in closer, his tone dropping to a near whisper. "Take Marra and get out of here. Whatever's happening to her, we can't risk her staying inside this place any longer. You have to get her to safety."

Edric's gaze flickered with anxiety, the situation sinking in. He was barely holding on himself, the dark whispers danced in his mind. But when he saw Marra—saw the state she was in—something inside him steadied, if only for a moment. She was worse off, and if he didn't act, they would both be lost. 

Kyrntar tightened his grip on Edric's shoulder, his command fierce now, all traces of calm gone. "I'll go deeper into the temple. I'll deal with whatever this is." His eyes were wild, filled with a desperation that mirrored the chaos around them. "I'll end it, Edric. But you have to get her out."

Edric, through the fog of pain and fear, managed a shaky nod. His body screamed with every movement, but he forced himself to rise. The thought of leaving Kyrntar behind tore at him, but he knew they were out of options. He had to save Marra. She needed him now more than ever.

Kyrntar's chest tightened as he watched his friends struggle to move. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to protect them. To lead them.

But now, all he could do was sacrifice himself in the hope that it would buy them time.

The oppressive darkness around him grew heavier, almost sentient, as if it knew what he was about to face. Kyrntar's pulse quickened, but he stood tall, his resolve hardening. This was do or die. There was no turning back.