I flinch as some of the blood gets splattered across my face. Droplets of blood flow down my forehead and cheeks, some of it even enters my eyes— but I don’t blink.
Yrathea doesn’t even need a spell to hold me in place anymore, I am already frozen in shock. I cannot speak, I cannot hear, I cannot feel. I simply cannot process what I just saw.
It feels like the world is going in slow motion. My eyes trace Layla’s headless corpse as it slowly, very slowly falls down on the ground with a soft thud. Blood is spurting out of her blasted neck, freely flowing down and soaking into the soil.
…. not ….
Blood drains from my own face. My body feels weak, so weak that I imagine a single touch would disintegrate it.
…. yourself…. not ….
There’s a deep sinking feeling in my stomach. It feels like the world is ending and I want to end with it. There’s nothing left… Layla, my love… she is…
….get a…. hold…
A voice grows louder and louder in my head. At first, I ignore it because my brain is in a mess, but then it gets so loud that it bees impossible not to notice.
… get a hold of yourself! This is not real!
Not… real?
No! It was a puppet! Layla was never even summoned here, so snap out of it! Quickly!
Marianne’s urgent voice injects life back into me. It’s like being revived from the brink of death.
Puppet…? But– But it looks so real!
I desperately want to cling to her words, but my eyes painfully suggest otherwise.
It’s Yrathea’s primordial magic! Matter! Making a realistic puppet is nothing for her, so get your act together!
I feel my knees going weak as relief washes over me. This is not Layla. The real Layla is probably in her room, sleeping safe, sound, and unbothered.
…
In my head, all of this seems to have lasted minutes, but in reality, only a few seconds have passed.
Yrathea is still standing with her arm raised, clutching the empty air once again. The blood and organs bits of the fake Layla didn’t even touch the hem of her or Marianne’s clothes.
“Next one,” Yrathea says calmly, and another body materializes in her hand.
This time, it is Maya— or, I should say, fake Maya. She looks so realistic, I don’t know how to feel about it.
“What is going on!?” Fake Maya first looks baffled and then terrified, finding herself lifted up by the neck. Same as fake Layla, she struggles before looking around for help.
“Jacob? What are you…? Help me!” Fake Maya shouts desperately, her limbs flailing around.
“That’s five seconds.”
*POP*
Again, I flinch hard as fake Maya’s head explodes. More blood splashes across, almost drenching me.
This time, I feel the nausea but not any shock or despair. I know everything is fake. But still, fury and hatred unlike anything before erupt within me.
To do such a cruel thing… to make me go through this, even if it’s not real…
You fucking bitch! No matter what I have to do or how long I have to wait, I will settle this score with you someday!
I grit my teeth, resolving myself to end this without losing control. Marianne warned me that Yrathea would do things that go below the belt, and she wasn’t exaggerating.
But there’s one small problem, I need to subtly adapt my reaction. Continuing to act like earlier when I was in pain wouldn’t make sense as the situation is different.
Let’s see…
“What is your name?”
The next one to be brought into existence is fake Rebecca. She reacts exactly as Layla and Maya have done before her.
“No no… NOOOOO! LEAVE HER! DON’T YOU DARE!”
I try to look and sound like I’ve just realized that the horror I’m witnessing is the reality, not a nightmare.
“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU!? MY NAME IS—”
I pretend to choke.
*POP*
“REBECCAAA!!!”
…
…
This goes on for a short while. After fake Rebecca, Yrathea summons fake Anna, Kate, Riley, and many others. It is quite traumatic and painful to watch the women I love die so brutally, even if they’re just realistic dummies. But there’s a silver lining, I get to channel these emotions into my performance.
“DIE, YOU EVIL BITCH!!! I WILL KILL YOU EVEN IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO! I WILL REVENGE THEM!”
I bawl and shout so hard that my voice bees hoarse. It takes a lot of energy to keep pushing myself, but by the time Yrathea gets to blowing up Ryan and Leo’s heads, I feel safe to change my approach.
Making my body look sapped for power, I solely depend on Yrathea’s magic to keep me from falling down. My head hangs limply and my eyes look empty as if I’ve lost all the will to live.
“I think this will do,” Yrathea finally says after bursting Debbie’s head (I don’t know how she managed to lift her up with a single hand when Debbie is much taller and has a neck thicker than a log).
“The Blood Bond truly lives up to its reputation, Mari. I admit I didn’t expect it to work this well,” she says, sounding very satisfied. “For this, you have my gratitude.”
“You went overboard, Yrathea,” Marianne says quietly. “Was taking it this far necessary? His resentment for you won’t be resolved easily.”
“Yes, it was necessary. The enemy won’t think twice before going overboard,” Yrathea answers sternly. “The boy can hate and resent me all he wants. I will accept it.”
…
“If you say so…” Marianne sighs.
“Now, unsurprisingly, the boy is not in the right state. He will need some care and explanation. Tell him the truth and make sure he recovers quickly,” Yrathea says importantly.
“After all, today’s going to be a hectic day for all of us.”
User Comments
0 comments from readers