Chapter 173: The Crimson Tide [14]
Inside a modest room, a bed lay near the side wall, a desk with a single chair near the window. Moonlight streamed inside, painting everything in silver.
A girl lay stretched across the bed on her stomach, feet swaying lazily in the air behind her.
Chestnut brown hair spilled across her shoulders as she hummed a tuneless melody, absorbed in the book propped open before her.
Her fingers traced along the text. Turned a page. Kept humming.
Then she stopped.
The humming cut off mid-note. Her feet went still.
She sat up abruptly, the book falling onto the blanket. Her hazel eyes narrowed, focused on something distant.
"I’m not able to sense Lisa’s essence anymore."
The words came out quiet.
She swung her legs off the bed. Grabbed her slippers from the floor and shoved her feet into them.
Then snatched her cloak from the hook by the door, throwing it around her shoulders with practiced efficiency.
"What mess has she caused now?" Elena muttered, fastening the clasp.
She moved to the window. Pushed it open wider.
The night air rushed in.
Elena didn’t hesitate. She climbed onto the windowsill, crouched there for a heartbeat, then jumped.
And landed on the adjacent rooftop, barely making a sound.
Then she moved. Leaping from building to building with fluid grace.
The city spread out below her. Mostly dark now. A few lit windows. Empty streets.
The breeze picked up as she moved. Wind tugging at her cloak, whipping her hair back from her face.
Above, the moon hung massive in the sky. Brighter and bigger than normal nights. The Crimson Tide at its peak. Bathing everything in silver-white light.
Elena’s eyes tracked the route ahead while her mind followed something else. The faint trail of essence—Lisa’s signature—that she’d felt last. Following it like a thread pulled taut across the city.
She changed direction. Pushed harder.
The buildings gave way to lower structures. Then to open space. The crumbling archway of the gardens appeared ahead.
Elena landed on the garden’s outer wall. Crouched there. Scanning.
Her breath caught.
There she felt Lisa’s essence, which was coming from beyond the gardens.
From the forest.
Weak. Flickering. Like a candle about to go out.
"She’s—"
{Be careful.}
An otherworldly voice resonated inside her head.
{Whatever caused her current state is no mere being. I can sense—}
"I know," Elena interrupted. "Don’t worry about it."
{Very well. But do not engage if you can avoid it. Observe. Retreat if necessary. You are more valuable than—}
"Yeah, yeah. I’m valuable. Got it."
Elena jumped down from the wall into the gardens.
And began running towards the forest.
Trees whipped past as she vaulted over roots and ducked beneath low-hanging branches.
Lisa’s essence grew weaker with each passing second.
Elena’s boots skidded on loose earth as she rounded a massive oak.
Then she stopped.
Her body went rigid.
The scene spread before her was like a painting rendered in moonlight and blood.
Four hooded figures lay scattered across the forest floor in unnatural positions.
The first one, which was nearest to her lay headless.
The second figure sprawled backward. A massive hole gaped in the center of his chest, edges blackened and ragged. The other two lay further back, bodies crumpled like discarded puppets. Blood pooled beneath them, soaking into the earth.
Then she heard it.
Faint. Labored sound of someone fighting for each inhale.
Her head whipped toward the sound.
There—partially hidden behind a gnarled tree root—a figure lay on the ground.
Dark brown hair spilled across pale features. Chest rising and falling in uneven, desperate rhythm.
"Lisa!"
Elena’s voice cracked as she ran forward. Her knees hit the dirt as she dropped beside the fallen woman, hands immediately reaching out to cradle her head.
"What happened?" She whispered.
Lisa’s skin felt cold beneath Elena’s fingers. Too cold. Her face had gone ashen, drained of color until she looked almost translucent in the moonlight. Like something vital had been pulled from her, leaving only this fragile shell behind.
Her lips moved slightly. But no sound came out.
Elena’s hand trembled as she brushed hair back from Lisa’s forehead.
"Stay with me. Just, stay with me."
Elena’s fingers fumbled inside her cloak, searching.
Then she found the familiar shape of glass tucked in the inner pocket.
She pulled out a small vial filled with luminescent liquid that glowed faintly blue in the darkness.
Her thumb worked the cork loose. Popped it free.
She brought the vial to Lisa’s lips with steady hands. Tilted it carefully, letting the liquid flow in a thin stream into her friend’s mouth.
"Come on," Elena murmured. "Come on."
Lisa’s throat moved. A weak swallow. Then another.
The potion disappeared slowly, trickling past pale lips. Elena kept the vial steady, patient, until the last drop was gone.
For a moment, nothing changed.
Then—gradually—color began seeping back into Lisa’s skin.
The deathly pallor faded, replaced by warmth. Pink touched her cheeks. Her lips lost that bloodless gray tint.
But her body remained limp in Elena’s arms. Still too weak to move on her own. Still barely conscious.
Elena corked the empty vial and shoved it back into her pocket. Her eyes never left Lisa’s face, watching as life slowly returned to those previously vacant, glassy eyes.
Lisa’s eyelids fluttered. Her gaze struggled to focus.
"Who was it?"
Elena’s voice came out flat. Cold.
Her hazel eyes had gone hard, reflecting the moonlight like polished stone.
Lisa’s mouth opened. Her lips moved...
But nothing came out.
Elena’s jaw tightened. She looked around once more, taking in the carnage scattered across the forest floor. The bodies. The blood.
Her arms shifted, sliding beneath Lisa’s shoulders and knees. She lifted her friend with surprising ease, cradling her weight against her chest. Lisa’s head lolled against Elena’s shoulder, too weak to hold itself up.
Elena stood slowly.
Then she turned toward the deeper darkness between the trees.
"You’ll pay." Her voice came out low, cold.
The words hung in the air for a heartbeat.
Then Elena moved.
One moment she stood there, Lisa held protectively in her arms.
The next, she was gone.
The forest clearing fell silent once more. Only the bodies remained, still and cold beneath the watching moon.