Plague of divinity

Chapter 27

Smoke gently curled from the charred ruins of what was left of his home.

Enrick couldn't utter a sound apart from his ragged breathing, his knees weakening as he stared at the sight in front of him. He wasn't sure how to feel. His breath kept getting caught. Was what he was seeing even real? Was he... hallucinating again? He swallowed against the lump in his throat and stumbled forward. No... there was no way... how would this even...

He stepped over where the door should have been, carefully watching his step around the debris. It almost looked like the door had been ripped from its hinges, there's no way a fire could have broken the door off in such a manner. His head slowly turned, scanning the area, trying control his shaking as he continued to walk through the blackened remains of his childhood home. His eyes eventually landed on something hidden amongst the debris. When his hand slid whatever it was out and brushed it off he could feel the tears that had been forming earlier begin to drip out. His breath shook as he gently held the lenses. Glasses... they were glasses. He carefully put them in a pocket before a realization inside of him snapped and he let out a cry as he began hurriedly searching through the wreckage for anything that might still be there, that might still somehow be alive.

"Please, please-"

His voice cracked with each word he spoke, the desperation growing with each piece he threw aside. His tears steaming up the eyepieces of his mask. He make sure to check each room as best he could but there were an abundance of pieces he just didn't have the strength to move. Eventually, after trying to dig through unsuccessfully he fell to his knees. This can't be happening.

Covering his head with his arms he curled up onto the ground, his body overtaken with violent sobbing. The occasional words or mutter leaving his mouth resembling 'No' or 'how could this...' as he tried to process what had happened in the time he was gone.

After a couple minutes he stood up, his body unsteady, before making his way towards the kitchen. Luckily there didn't seem to be too much on top of the trap door aside from soot and pieces that he could shove aside. He thrust it open and went inside.

When he reached the bottom he attempted to wipe his face, the humidity in the mask making it hard to see and uncomfortable to wear. After trying to fiddle with it for a bit he tore it off and threw it to the ground with an angry scream. He was so tired, and so fed up with everything. After all he had been through... After all he had done, nothing had mattered and those he had wanted to protect had been taken from him anyways.

He lit some candles around the room quickly before grabbing the blood in the container and yanking it out, this is what the ritual needed right? Fine, if he couldn't save the people he loved because he was out doing this stupid, meaningless mission, he might as well complete the ritual the task had been for in the first place. He had prepared the circle and the stuff required in it before he had left that morning, the only thing he had left to offer was the blood he had.

Once everything was ready, he entered the circle. Feeling a chill run up his spine as he did so that he promptly ignored due to his seething rage. Running his eyes over the instructions once more he tossed them to the side and, grabbing the container of blood, threw it to the ground violently where it shattered, after yelling the suggested words. He paused, waiting a moment for something to happen, listening for anything to happen. Nothing. He waited a bit longer out of hope but... still nothing.

No...

He could feel himself about to collapse in defeat when a thin layer of smoke rose from the outline of the circle. He wasn't sure if his eyes were deceiving him once more or not but he didn't care. Hallucination or not at least it was something.

"Please-!"

He cried out, hoping whatever he was calling to could hear him. Tears still pouring down his face, mixing with sweat

"Just...-"

A gentle voice, barely a whisper sounded from the smoke. It was barely audible but he could just catch what it was trying to say.

"That's not enough,"

"What-"

"That's not enough blood,"

Enrick let out a short sharp breath. It... wasn't enough... After all that... it wasn't enough. He didn't have the energy or the strength to even try to argue with the strange smoke, maybe he should just...- No... No this wasn't fair. He couldn't give up now, he had to finish this ritual. He didn't have time to go around and collect more blood but... His hand reached out and fumbled on the side until his fingers wrapped around what they had been looking for.

"Not enough blood?-"

Enrick muttered viciously, removing his gloves and rolling up his sleeves.

"Not enough blood?!-"

The volume of his voice increase as his increasing rage began to show through even more.

He raised the object in his hand, a long sharp knife, before slicing down into his arm. A cut slid open, blood dripping onto the floor. Enrick breathed heavily at the sight of his red fluids.

"More."

The smoke continued, thickening with each drop. Enrick's breath became ragged once more.

"M-more? You need more?"

"Not enough, not nearly enough"

Looking down at his arm once more he held his breath and closed his eyes before once more bringing down the blade onto this flesh. Releasing his lungs to let out a pained yelp. Opening his eyes to look at the wound he paled... realizing he had cut too deep.

"Much better,"

A sudden wave of fear swept through him. He had cut too deep. If he didn't cover this wound, he would bleed out in minutes. His blood was pouring out way faster than it should have been from an incision of that size. He was going to die.

He could feel himself becoming lightheaded as he stumbled towards the outside of the circle but something tripped him up before he could leave. Not having the energy to get up he tried to crawl before collapsing.

"You're not going anywhere,"

He had heard that voice before.

"Please... I'm going to die-"

He tried to bargain. A feeling of terror washed over him as the masculine voice let out a chuckle. The smoke continued to thicken, becoming eerily similar to the dream that took place under the tree. Enrick let out a whimper as a foot stepped near his head. An awful itching sensation of buzzing insects moving all over his exposed skin over took his senses, he tried to move his body desperately to get rid of the sensation, get rid of whatever the hell was on him, but to no avail. He sobbed as he lay there helplessly, his body becoming more and more numb by the second as he bled onto the cold hard stone. He could feel himself slipping away and there was nothing he could do.

"What was that you said? Anything?..."

The last thing Enrick saw before his vision left him was the grinning face of the man, his horrible eyes glowing softly.