The Seed of Hope

Chapter 6: Getting to Know You

It was dark and damp. It smelled of sulfur and the sound of screams could be heard for miles. The heat was so unbearable that the skin stung. Kate stood in the middle of all this. Her eyesight was hazy and she was sleepy. Kate looked around at her surroundings trying to comprehend where she was as she rubbed her eyes. A long dark hallway was next to her and Kate made her way down it, slowly moving her legs as her body leaned side to side. Creatures coated the walls and some were floating around steadily. Their stingers emitted a green hue that barely lit up the way.  Kate gradually began panicking and started running, calling out for her mother and Ivee. The desperation made it harder to breathe but she still pushed on.

Kate ran past an opening in the wall that made her suddenly stop. This crack on the wall called to her, it screamed for her to come in. Kate peeked in and saw glowing orbs and torches. Taking a deep breath, Kate squeezed into the crevice.

Once in, the air felt cold against Kate's skin, the torches crackled and burned in a hot blue flame, and the orbs around the rooms and walls were made out of crystal quartz. There was one giant sphere in the center of the room glowing and pulsating. Kate approached the sphere and inspected it curiously. She noticed a woman inside of it, suspended in the center in a fetal position.  Kate looked closer, long blonde hair, familiar armor, and presence, she gasped at the realization that the woman was Hope.

Kate quickly extended her arm to touch the sphere but as she did, she felt overwhelmed by paralyzing fear.

-"You're finally here..."- a dark ominous voice rumbled the walls around Kate and she flinched, her soul knew who was talking to her.
-"I believe you know who this is..."- a man in a black robe passed by Kate, caressing the sphere with his long metal claws in a taunting manner. His silver hair seemed slightly dirty with ash. His red eyes caused Kate to tremble. His pale skin had purple and black markings as if it was broken and glowing from within. Black smoke surrounded him and followed him everywhere he went.
Kate stared at the man and tears swelled up in her eyes, she has never known fear quite like this.

-"Say my name, child..."- the man whispered as he slowly approached Kate, staring her down as a predator would to its prey.
-"B-Bassilsik..."- Kate whimpered.
Bassilisk smiled and tilted his head back.
-"Katerina..."- He followed on. -"You are the one I've been waiting for. I have killed hundreds of seeds before you, but you..."- he pointed at Kate. -"You seem different."-

Kate tried to regain composure. Her eyes could not move from his, but slightly behind Bassilisk, Kate noticed one of the spheres on the wall contained a severed finger. She turned to see the other spheres with several other body parts ranging from fingers, hair, and bloody parts that were beyond recognition. Kate realized that all of these belonged to all the seeds before her.

Kate clenched her jaw and teeth. -"You are sick..."- she said in a growl.

-"You are the last piece I need. I will absorb all of the seed's holy power to overthrow that damn Elohim once and for all!"- Bassilisk was standing in front of Kate who glared back at him.
He ran his sharp claws from the back of Kate's neck up to her hair. -"We both know that he did this to himself..."- Bassilisk whispered in her ear in a dark husky voice.
Kate stepped back snapping out of her fear, causing Bassilisk's claws to rip off her hair band, letting her hair down.

-"I will stop you!"- Kate yelled.
Bassilisk laughed and cackled bitterly, making Kate tremble. Everything shook as his laughter rumbled throughout the walls.
-"That's what they all said!"-
Suddenly, as Bassilisk cackled, screams of pain and fear screeched from all the spheres. The last screams of the seeds before her erupted into Kate's ears and soul. Kate covered her ears and fell to her knees in pain as their pain was hers now. She screamed until she vomited on the ground.

-"You belong to me...and you can't escape that."- Bassilisk lifted his hand, making Kate start to levitate into the air.
-"No matter what, it's your fate to fall to me. Even when you think you won, even when you think it's all over, you will fall to me..."-

Suddenly, the sphere behind Bassilisk, containing Hope, started to glow brighter, pulsating with anger as shards of the sphere shot out everywhere all around. Bassilisk quickly turned around and yelled covering his face, and disappearing within his black smoke. Kate fell on her feet and ran towards the sphere.
-"Hope!"- Kate looked for a way to get her out.
Voices in her head whispered in unison to get out.
-"Take the sword and get out!"- they rang. Kate's hip suddenly felt very heavy, she glanced at her side to find Hope's sword resting on her.
The room started collapsing and chunks of stone fell near Kate.
-"Go!!"-
Shards flew once more from the sphere as Kate gasped and stepped back. Kate looked down at her chest and it was gushing out blood.
-"W-Wha--"- A shard shot into Kate's forehead forcing her to fall back, hitting the floor. Kate gasped and sat up on the bed. She was drenched in sweat, panting on the verge of a panic attack; her heart beating out of control, and her face in a red flush.

-"Oh my god!"- Kate yelled, out of breath. The fear and alarm in her eyes never ceased. Kate looked around, as she placed her hand on her chest, running her fingers through her hair. She was in her room, the sun beaming into it through the window.
-"What the hell...?"- Kate fell back on her pillow. Her dreams were getting even more realistic as time passed, the pain and fear she felt were real, and she saw the man who has been hunting her down for generations for the very first time. Kate turned to her side and felt something heavy tuck on her hip. In a panic, Kate tossed the sheets off and found the same sword she saw in her nightmare.
-"What the--!"- Kate choked as she tried to take the belt off. She undid the buckle and fell onto the floor, leaving the sword on the bed. Kate held her head trying to grasp reality and trying to understand why and how the sword from her dream appeared.
-"It was just a dream! A Nightmare! This isn't real!"- Kate took deep breaths as she felt herself slipping into insanity and her vision started to fade.

-"Kate!"- A familiar voice broke through Kate's panic attack, her vision cleared and she glanced at the window as a gentle breeze blew the curtains into her face. The voice was coming from outside so Kate stood up still shaken up and peeked outside. Rai was waving at her as she was still shaken up and panting. Glancing at the sword on the bed, Kate felt hesitant with a hint of sadness. It was Hope's sword and Hope herself along with her ancestors gifted it to her. Kate took a deep breath and reached over to the sword and grabbed its handle. The sword was noticeably light, it had a comfortable weight to it almost as if it was made for her. Kate held it against her chest and felt peace and tranquility.
-"Thank you..."- Kate whispered. She peeked once more out the window. -"I'll be right down!"- Kate ran across the room and into her bathroom to freshen up.