Chapter 9 - Facing Death (4)

Under the sky covered by dark clouds, Claire can feel her legs wobbling below her. The chains on her wrists weighed her down even more, every movement felt very heavy and slow. Meanwhile, the cheers of the crowd grew louder, clapping along while the knight forced her to bow and prostrate herself on the execution board.

Among the crowd, people whispered in low but piercing voices. Words like "Traitor" and "Rebel" rained down on Claire.

Claire could only remain silent. She lowered her head, letting the insults and ridicule pass by. There was no point in defending herself in front of the masses who were already burning with hatred. 

A black cloth had been placed over Claire's eyes, blurring her vision. Claire can feel her heart raging with hate as her vision was blocked by the black cloth.

'I'm not even guilty and yet, they only chose me as the scapegoat. What is the Crown Prince hiding?'

At that moment, the world that had been full of noise, cheers, and jeers suddenly fell silent. However, the silence did not calm Claire's heart, it was filled with strange feelings. 

Her body suddenly trembled, but not because of fear. Nor because of the approaching death, but rather a strange feeling that arose from within her.

A sensation that screams to destroy it all.

"Need some help, my lady?"

Claire paused for a moment. It wasn't the voice of the executioner or one of the knights. The voice sounded close to her ears, but it seemed to come from all directions. Claire's heart beat rapidly and even though her eyes were closed, she tried to locate the source of the voice.

'What is happening?' Claire thought in surprise.

"Long time no see, sweetie."

The voice came back, it sounded heavy and a bit hoarse like a man's voice. His voice was full of playfulness, there was no familiarity in it. Who was he? Has she met the man before?

Claire turned her head in all directions, looking for the source of the voice, yet the cloth covering her eyes made her blind, making all her efforts in vain.

Silence is still looming in the air, there was only the sound of the cold wind that brushed her cheeks.

Claire was confused, was she dead already? But, she could still feel the gentle touch of the wind and also her erratic heartbeat, also the feeling around her neck, there is no way that the executioner had beheaded her yet.

She wanted to ask who was speaking, but the words felt stuck in her throat. The erratic feeling creeping up to her heart, full of fear and uneasiness.

A sharp slashing sound was heard clearly from behind her, Claire tensed her body, thinking that her life was finally going to end soon. However, she could still feel her neck connected to her body, she didn't feel any pain. There was no slash that hit her skin. Instead, the black cloth covering her eyes suddenly came off, falling to the ground.

She blinked a few times, trying to adjust her vision. The first light that caught her eye was the red glow of the moon in the sky. It was not like the moon she was used to seeing. Instead, it was the color of blood, a deep and sinister red, shining above her head. 

The sky that was once blue and covered by dark clouds had now turned blood red, as if the world was being enveloped by the wrath of nature itself. Claire's gaze froze, her body trembling.

"W– What is actually happening here…?" She mumbled in fear.

Claire lowered her head, her breath stuck in her throat again. The people who had been crowding around the execution board were now as still as statues, no cheers or shouts of insults being thrown at her. A sea of ​​blood seemed to seep out of the earth itself, pooling beneath their feet, flowing as if the earth was crying blood.

"What happened?" Claire muttered again, this time her voice full of fear. 

Her legs were shaking, her body couldn't move while still kneeling on the ground. Trying to stand on her feet, she fell again, no strength could be mustered on her legs. Her breath was ragged and her ruby ​​red eyes widened, witnessing the horrific scene before her.

"Hey, hey~ Why did you keep ignoring me, my lady?"

The playful voice speaks again, this time it sounded closer and more pressing. It seemed to come from all directions, making Claire even more confused as her eyes are now uncovered, yet still couldn't see anything.

'Who is he? How can his voice be unfamiliar yet… familiar at the same time, strange.' She thought.

Claire staggered, her body still stiff from the shock.

'What is happening?'

The man's voice gave her goosebumps, feeling that the man was not only watching, but also playing with her death sentence.

The shadow from the reflection of the moonlight formed a person's body, the shape of a sturdy and muscular man, wearing a long robe that almost covered his entire body. The hood of the robe covered his face.

Claire finally looked towards the tall execution board, there, she saw the figure of a man standing on top of her soon to be final resting place. His body was tall and sturdy, but his face was not visible from the hood, he was standing with his back to the red moon that was shining above them. The man's silhouette was clearly visible, yet every detail on his face was lost in the darkness behind the hood.

"Who are you!?" Claire asked in a trembling voice. However, the man did not answer. He just stood there, staring at Claire with an invisible smile.

'Is he taking revenge on me for ignoring him?' She thought.

Claire saw the man's hand move, one hand slowly raised into the air and his fingers flicked.

The sky suddenly turned into something horrifying. The sky that was previously filled with a red moon made a strange roar accompanied by thunderous gale.

Claire looked up at the sky, her eyes suddenly widened, a chill ran down her spine when she saw hundreds or even thousands of fiery arrows shooting from the sky towards the ground. The arrows shot at speeds beyond reason and immediately hit each person in the square.

The people who were previously frozen like statues slowly woke up from their frozen state. They saw the sky turning blood red, the same color as the moon. 

"Ahhh! What the hell!?"

"He– help!!!"

"I– Is this the end of the world!!!?"

Panic and fear could be heard from the crowd. The people who had previously stood proudly now ran in disarray, trying to escape the rain of arrows.

Each arrow that hit the ground brought a small explosion sound, making the ground tremble. Claire watched in horror as the arrows hit the people around her, piercing their bodies, killing everyone around the stage instantly. She can see each person who screamed at her before being separated limb by limb from all the arrows in the sky.

The pool of blood that had appeared unknown earlier was now mixed with human blood, hair, and nails. Skins and internal organs scattered around, an eyeball slowly slid itself towards her feet.

Among the crowd, Claire saw someone she knew very well and had once loved—Vincent, her brother. His previously calm face was now twisted into fear as he tried to protect himself from the rain of arrows. But he was not fast enough. An arrow pierced Vincent's shoulder, causing him to stagger back.

"Vincent!"

Claire tried to call him out, her voice weak but her body unable to move. Fear froze every joint and muscle in her body. Her eyes couldn't leave the figure of her brother slowly falling to the ground, showered by more arrows, she can smell iron all around her.

She wanted to move, wanted to scream, but her body is paralyzed by fear and shock. 

A deep sense of panic and horror as well as sadness began to penetrate Claire's heart. Her eyes widened, her body froze making her feel hot and cold. Shock and fear robbed her of her voice, leaving her speechless and only able to watch the destruction that was happening around her, watching her only loving family member being rained down with arrows.

She locked eyes with Vincent who tries to get closer to her, only for one of the arrows to pierce his skull, jabbing one of his eyeballs out from the socket. 

"AAAKH!!!"

"AKH!! HELP!!"

"Why are we being rained down by arrows!?"

"Rebellion!!"

"No! My children!!!"

Claire let out a muffled scream as she watched the arrows pierce the bodies standing in the square. One by one the people who had previously witnessed her execution fell, pierced by dozens of arrows, their blood and bones spurting everywhere, joining the pool of blood that had been there from the beginning.

The people who had previously cheered for her death were now turned into mangled and torn limbs lying on the ground.

At the same time, the mysterious man who was still standing on the execution board only smiled, a smile full of riddles. Staring at the scene he had created, as if he was enjoying the results of his masterpiece.

Wait, his masterpiece?

Was that really his doing?

"Why … why are you doing all of this?" Claire groaned in agony, her voice low and muffled.

"Are you so sure that this is my power, lady?"

Claire frowned in confusion. 

"What … do you mean?"

The man kept his silence. He just stared at Claire calmly, treating her as a VIP audience of his carefully orchestrated show.

That faint smile was the last thing Claire saw before her world spun. Her head felt very heavy, her eyes began to blur, and her body went limp.

Claire fell to the ground, vaguely seeing the man's shoes in front of her.

'He's coming down?'

Even so, Claire could feel the rain of arrows continuing, killing anyone standing around, while she and the man were avoided by every arrow.

The man stopped in front of Claire's body, which was about to lose consciousness. A soft whisper escaped his mouth.

"Welcome to this cruel game, Claire de Lune."