Echoes

Luan did not take his eyes off the new arrivals. All his previous thoughts of trying to escape the void left his mind. The only thing his brain was now trying to comprehend was how these wild animals entered this forbidding 13th floor.

'By the lift?' the amusing thought passed his mind. 'Or did the unruly vampy duo decided to prank me?' No other explanation made sense.

Oblivious to the humourous thoughts playing on the mind of the to-be-prey, the wolves approached him steadily.

As the three figures drew closer, their forms became clearer—sinister, muscular beasts with sharp claws and glistening teeth. The majestic leader stood tall, flanked by two lighter-haired wolves obediently at his side.

The empty void reverberated with their growls, but Luan remained unfazed.

It would not have meant much to him if he died here, leaving this new world behind him. Even after all the tedious efforts of putting up with his new circumstances!

However, he wasn't eager to return to the endless fall that had erased his memory over 'god knows how many' years. So, even though he did not feel confident about facing them, Luan started taunting the danger in front of him.

"Tut-tut! Can't you see I'm busy?" he mocked. "Go now, Tommy-Tommy, and I might later give you a treat."

And that was it!

The massive black-haired wolf lunged at him without warning, claws slashing through the air. Luan evaded the attack and instinctively countered it with a swift kick that sent the creature stumbling backwards.

WHAMMMM...

While he was ready to defend himself, the powerful kick surprised both the creature and Luan. Furthermore, the wolf's angry yelp only fueled Luan's delight. But his amusement was short-lived.

The other two wolves leapt forward, forcing Luan to practice agility and patience. He battled around their frenzied assaults, his movements a fluid blend of power and grace. His supernatural abilities gave him an edge in this tedious battle, each strike landing with precise accuracy. The wolves growled in frustration, their attacks becoming increasingly desperate.

Minutes stretched into an eternity as the fight raged on. Luan's senses heightened, every sound and movement crystal clear. He could hear the wolves' heavy breaths and feel the rush of air as their claws grazed past him.

After startlingly revealing his power against the creatures, Luan fought with new-found calmness. Defeating these brutes had just become a means to an end for him — a chance to test his abilities after the infuriating delay caused by Athan and Aurora's antics.

"Well, this is entertaining," he shrugged, his exhilaration fueling his relentless assault.

Finally, all three wolves crumpled to the ground, defeated. The leader lay bleeding profusely from a wound on its forehead. The metallic scent of his blood filled the air, tempting Luan's primal instincts. His fangs sprang forth, but he quickly regained control.

'No, it won't be a smart decision to drink off his creature right now,' he reasoned. 'Cannot afford to lose myself in bloodlust while I still have to get out of this void.'

As Luan resisted the urge to give in to his vampiric nature, the wounded leader's eyes widened in pure fear when they saw his shining fangs. It let out a piercing howl that echoed through the void. Luan rolled his eyes in irritation.

"Tut-tut! Why cry when you were the ones who provoked me?"

Abruptly, the howl ceased, plunging the space into an eerie silence.

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The creatures disappeared, but the void persisted.

He was half hoping the 13th floor would come into view again. But it seemed that Athan and Aurora weren't bothered by the delay they caused to the crucial brethren meeting.

So he waited for another life-threatening situation to appear out of thin air. He waited and waited. Nothing materialised in front of his eyes.

Suddenly his ears prickled.

'Traitor...' 

A cold shiver ran through his spine, and his head snapped back. Luan became fully alert. Each fibre of his being involuntarily reacted to the faint whisper.

'Traitor. Traitor. Traitor.'

The voice echoed in the darkness and became directionless, reverberating in his head. Luan whirled his head around frantically. Calmness deserted him, and an unexplainable franticness replaced it. 

'Traitor. Back-stabbber. Snake.'

Ominous echoes...

'Traitor. Back-stabbber. Snake.'

Surrounding him...

'Traitor. Back-stabbber. Snake.'

Suffocating him...

The voices multiplied, aggregating to tens, hundreds, and thousands of whispers. Hundreds of men, women, and children cursing only one being—Luan. 

Luan, who had not felt any weariness fighting off three beasts, was now crouched on his knees. His head was pounding by now, and his handsome face contorted into an intensely painful expression.

He bent his head on the knees and covered his ears with his palms tightly, trying to block out the haunting sounds.

But all efforts were in vain!

In no time, Luan was falling endlessly into a black pitless hole again, as he had done for ages. The only difference was that he had the haunting voices to keep him unsought company this time.

He started to feel hopeless. A dreadful thought slowly began to creep into his mind as he kept falling.

'Was any of it real?' It felt as if his transmigration into the new world was nothing but a cruel illusion—a brief respite from the endless torture.

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The elevator doors creaked open behind him, causing Luan to look up from his prostrated form, anticipating more ominous surprises. To his anger and relief, Athan and Aurora stepped out, their expressions mirroring bewilderment and astonishment.

'The transmigration happened,' he reassured himself. 'I am not trapped. I am in the body of a person named Luan. I am not going back to the forsaken darkness.' Luan mumbled these words repeatedly. He was shaken for the first time in ages.

The 13th floor had come back into view, and he was out of the void. It was the same boring office. As if the last two to three hours had never happened.

A startled Aurora hurried towards him. Kneeling in front of him she enquired worryingly, "What happened? Are you ok?"

It was the first time she had shown genuine concern over lust. But Luan was furious with both her and Athan.

What were they playing at? And what is this precarious game he has been unwillingly thrust into?