hydra | svt

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

wonwoo

i curse inwardly at phthisis' words, still confined to my bony prison. with the only weapon in our arsenal being hansol's sword, the chances of us making it out alive seem statistically slim. but that's never stopped us before.

the weak thump of phthisis' heart had already garnered hansol's attention as he swung back on top of the giant's forearm. he races towards it, leaving me to deal with getting out of my binds in a way that wouldn't end with my guts spilt all over the school field - i was seriously surprised that this lumbering demon hadn't already thrown me yet; his brain must be half rotted as well.

he wobbles unsteadily and i notice how he fearfully strays from the fresher grass growing on the other part of the field; surely it wouldn't be that obvious? the demon of decay's only weakness is things that are pure and fresh like spring water and morning dew. it seemed far too good to be true but i had no other option than to somehow send him reeling onto the emerald grass.

still unsure of how to actually go about it, i glance up at hansol for help but he's already preoccupied with clinging onto a brittle rib to stay alive. the entire back of his shirt is soaked with sweat and the desperation to stay alive and i know immediately that time isn't on our side today.

once again utterly alone, i scan my binds again; a flare of hope lights up in my chest as i notice ridges between phthisis' bony fingers, where slivers of light pushed through. thinking quickly and acting quicker, i slot a foot into one of the gaps and use my newfound position as leverage to push outwards against the gargantuan hand, forcing it open. after transferring almost all my energy into the soles of my feet, a satisfying crack and a small cry of pain join the whistling wind as his grip loosens; i have only a few milliseconds to scramble over onto his wrist before his hand opens up fully. i'm barely holding on when it happens, the yellow grass gaping below my sneakers.

"you bastard! you broke my finger!"

indeed, i had successfully bent the fourth finger of his hand out of place and it swings limply in the cold air. i shimmy my way up the arm, careful not to step on the rotting flesh and the breaks in the bone marrow. i leap like a cat onto a rib just below hansol, who has found a stronger grip and is momentarily contemplating how to strike the soot heart polluting the rest of phthisis' body as it beats pitifully.

"just do it!" i screech as the demon roars, unable to detect us taking shelter in his own decrepit skeleton.

although hansol was not a fan of violence, he plunges the bronze into the heart with the remainder of his strength and we both winced at the squelch it makes as it punctures the black flesh. a strangled roar deafens us as we shelter in the ribcage, hoping it would be sufficient enough to absorb the impact of the thirty feet descent we were already ten feet into. the wind sails past our ears as we fall with the demon, who was gasping his last breaths.

the final blow is when the new spring grass rushing to meet us, the soft wildflowers providing a small amount of cushioning for our landing and the moment phthisis comes into contact with the plants, sores bloom all over what's left of his flesh and his bones finally snap. slowly, he disintegrates before our eyes, leaving us staggering on the school field to breathe in as much clean oxygen as we can. as i fall to the ground coughing, body crying out for rest from the overexertion, another keyring glints in the grass. this time, the metal was stained black, as if it had survived through many decades and it was in the shape of an antique hourglass.

as hansol and i agree to ditch school for the rest of the day, i swear the sand moves as drop the keyring into my trouser pocket. brows furrow, i get the message loud and clear.

i'm running out of time.