Chapter 14 – Song of the Cursed Girls

A despairing cry echoed in the night.

When Lia saw the body of Aiden being thrown away by the boar, time stopped momentarily for her.

She could not understand immediately what was happening and her mind was doing all in its power to process the events of the last few seconds.

Then, the image of Aiden lying unconscious in the ground appeared before her…

… And the space in the surroundings was frozen forcibly.

“AAAaAAaaaAAAAaaaAAA!!!”

A frightening killing intent inundated the surroundings.

Lia only felt her vision becoming red suddenly. However, for the beasts in the surroundings, it felt like if the entire world was pressed against them.

Images about the instant when Aiden chose to take the attack for her resurfaced in Lia’s mind.

… Why!?

The words him mentioned when they just left the town repeated in her head time and time again.

… Don’t you told me that you were not going to say something so cheesy like protect me!?

The moments spent together during the last three years passed before her eyes in an instant.

… Why did you do it!?

… And a world of blood red filled her surroundings.

“YOUNG MASTERRRRRRRR!!!”

Strange changes immediately occurred in Lia’s body.

Her snow-like skin was filled with strange tattoos coming from her heart, like roots extending in search of nutrients from the soil.

A red color filled her emerald-green eyes, giving a macabre and bloodthirsty impression after being combined with her vacant gaze.

Her body began to radiate a powerful pressure, like a primordial creature awakening from thousands of years of slumber; and her presence became ethereal, like a soul standing between life and death.

Her pure white hair was dyed for many strange colors, from a bloody crimson and bright yellow to a pure black like the most profound abyss.

A strange smiling mask, full of incoherent scribbles, covered half of her face. It, together with the expression on the uncovered half of her face, gave her a look like a demon crying and laughing at the same time.

Though it was impossible to understand the scribbles on the mask, all the living beings in a few kilometers felt like a powerful concept was transmitted right into their minds and engraved inside them.

Then, like a voice coming from ancient times, a powerful song resounded.

FATE

OH, ALMIGHTY FORCE OF THE UNIVERSE.

HEAR THE WEEPINGS OF YOUR LOVED CHILD.

AND GRANT HER POWER TO END WITH ALL.

In that instant, thousands of lives in the surroundings were annihilated.

Birds, bugs, squirrels and many others small animals in the surroundings fell asleep to never awake again. Their bodies that carried an expression of fear even in dead were completely unscathed, like if the cause of death were the souls leaving the body.

Many of the weaker giant boars fell dead too; while the remaining beasts, despite their wish to run as far as possible, were mysteriously unable to move.

Even the boar responsible for hurting Aiden, a beast in the peak of core-forming, could only whimper in fear like a lamb facing the most terrible wolf.

“AAAaaaAAAaAAaaaA!!!”

With a cry from Lia, the atmosphere filling the place was broken.

The boars, trembling from head to toe, tried to run only to be stopped for thousands of threads surrounding the camp with a sinister glow.

Then, like if the running boars were a signal, Lia moved.

Disappearing from the place like a phantom, Lia appeared beside one of the running beasts and raised her hand.

Eerily, a thread extended from her hand and wrapped itself in the beast neck. And then, with a pull of her hand, the head of the boar was sent flying, a stream of blood flowing in place.

Not bothering with the blood falling in her body, Lia moved again and appeared beside another beast trying to escape vainly with all its strength.

Cruelly, the threads behaved like atrocious beasts eager to taste the blood of living beings. Tying all of the beast’s limbs, the threads pulled themselves and tore the beast apart.

Seeing the scene, the rests of boars whimpered frightened and tried to escape from the place only to be hindered and bound for the threads around them.

“AAAAaaaARRRGggGG!!!”

Ignoring the cries and smell the blood and guts filling the place, Lia cried again loudly and continued advancing, cutting, tearing and destroying every living being in her surroundings.

A few minutes later, all the threads in the surroundings began to move and search for a prey to kill. Even her hair, dyed in thousands of strange colors, began to move like millions of small serpents wishing to participate in the killing feast.

Her body was covered with the blood and organs of many boars, all already dead, and her eyes were vacant like a doll without a soul. Her presence became even more ghostly with every passing second and the strange phenomenon in the surroundings spread even more, reaping the lives of even more innocent creatures.

The forest cried in sadness, warning all its inhabitants of the danger present.

Many creatures, feeling the danger, ran away afraid of being trapped for the growing calamity.

Half a day later, all the beast in the camp were killed. All except for the boar responsible for the current situation.

Standing in place, Lia maintained her vacant gaze while the blood and guts of tens of beast filled the surroundings.

Trembling with foam coming from its mouth, the boar looked like someone experiencing thousands of nightmares constantly. A great number of threads were around it, not allowing for it fall to the ground despite the desperation robbing it of the strength in its legs.

Turning to look at it, Lia walked step by step, bringing with her an overwhelming presence, pressuring even the bear’s soul itself.

Reaching before it, Lia caressed its head slowly, like if it were the most valuable thing in the world.

The boar calmed slightly feeling the hand against him. But then, a demonic amount of hatred and despair invaded its mind and the hand caressing it was clenched with strength.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”

And with a terrifying cry, the head exploded; leaving behind only a gory scene able to frighten even the most courageous minds.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Raising her head towards the sky, Lia cried with all her strength, releasing all the negative emotions trapped in her mind.

After a few minutes of crying, Lia finally stopped. Then, looking towards the place where Aiden fell, she slowly walked towards him.

Crouching beside him, Lia extended her bloodied hand and began to caress his head. Her movements reminiscing about the scene with the boar just now.

The thousand of bloodied threads around her began to dance like if wishing for blood to be spilled, and the hairs in her head began to make sounds, murmuring thoughts of killing and destroying in her mind.

Standing in that position for various minutes, Lia finally stopped her caressing. Then, like if fighting with herself, her hand was clenched slowly.

But at that moment, a strong thought filled Lia’s mind. A powerful will exploded from Lia soul, shouting only one word.

“NO!!!”

Immediately, all the threads and strands of hairs ceased their movements and become silent. Even the strong presence around Lia seemed to dissipate slightly for a moment.

Pausing for a moment after it, Lia stood up and looked Aiden a last time. Then, turning her body, she began to walk away from the place.

“*Cough* W-Wait!”

Hearing a weak voice, Lia’s body stopped suddenly in place momently, before beginning to walk again.

But then, the voice appeared again, this time with a bit more strength.

“I said wait!!!”

Hearing the voice again, Lia trembled lightly.

“I don’t remember allowing for you to leave me behind, Lia!”

Hearing the weak but firm voice behind her, Lia trembling intensified, then, like a lie, the tattoos around her body began to retreat.

With a weak murmur, Lia spoke stuttering, wishing for the voice behind confirm her wish.

“Y-Young m-a-m-master?”

With a smile on his face, Aiden answered.

“Yes Lia, I’m here.”

Turning around, Lia could no help but ran towards Aiden and cry heavily.

Holding her in his arms, Aiden ignored the pain in his body and spoke to her gently.

“Don’t worry, all is alright.”

“Y-Young masteeeeeer *sob*…! Waahhhh…!”

Crying in Aiden’s chest, Lia slowly calmed herself, slowly falling asleep.

Her body began to regain her usual self, the hair in her head returning at its white color of before, and the mask in her face breaking before disappearing as if never would have existed.

“Good grief, what were you thinking?”

Holding the asleep Lia in his arms, Aiden murmured softly before falling asleep too, ignoring the grotesque scene in the surroundings.