Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
A ripple of mocking laughter filled Aera's mind.
She was paralyzed, unable to draw in breaths normally. Flashbacks started emerging from the back of her mind and she was sent floating in the pool of her memories. Rain. Lightning. Fight. Blood. So much blood. Red. Bright red eyes glowing in the dark... A lilac thread of light... A blood-freezing crashing sound. Then – silence. And sadness. So much crying...
Aera was startled from her ominous nightmare, her eyes snapping wide open. She sat up abruptly, cheeks wet and body covered in cold sweat. She glanced down at her hands and feet. Her clothes were tattered and dirty. Fear and panic consumed her, hitting her harder than a truck.
Wasn't she supposed to be dead? She clearly remembered standing by while her friends cried over her lifeless body. What was going on?
Her eyes darted around, wide with horror. It took her a second to realize that she had found herself in her old room with the only exception that everything was dark and eerie like someone had cut the power off, making her feel anything but at home.
It seemed like she was at the Lee mansion, if the building had received a major gothic makeover. Her frantic mind recognized it instantly.
Aera dragged her feet to the floor and glanced around. The darkness was spinning and brooding around her, making her feel highly unsettled. Frantically, she yanked the door open and ran down the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her, trying to escape some invisible claws threatening to capture her. She was met with the cold harsh wind outside, her breathing heavy and labored.
Panic-struck, Aera stumbled about, looking at the mansion from afar. Like a ghost of itself, it swayed and shivered sinisterly. The doors hung open like a mouth frozen in eternal scream. The wind howled searingly. The skies were barren, dark – it could not be determined whether it was day or night; the air stagnant.
The crippling panic was the only thing keeping Aera's feet planted to the ground. Quietness engulfed her, peaking her terror. Suddenly there was a low rumble coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Petrified, Aera turned around, driven by some inexplicable instinct. The shriek ripped through her whole body, her body paralyzed. In a moment's flash, the sky went blacker than before, reminiscing an apocalyptic scenery.
The increasing rumble took Aera's fear to a level she never knew existed. Standing in the vast darkness, she heard muffled voices spelling out from every direction. Gradually, they became louder and pressed in on her.
Aera...
Aera...
"Who are you?" she cried out against the wind that howled around her.
Here... come here...
The voices hissed, both gently and harshly. Something rose from the depth of blackness, muttering incoherently. Aera saw an inhuman figure emerge, or rather it was more of a shadow. It was floating, closing in on her. The only thing she could make out was a pair of yellow eyes. No mouth, no nose, no face – just eyes. It advanced stealthily, emitting a noise so delicate like a siren song, mixed with whimpers and moans.
