Chapter 161: The Crimson Tide [2]
"Haaa... Haaa..."
Alaric’s chest heaved. Air dragged through his nose in sharp pulls.
Where?
His arms wouldn’t move. He tried again, harder. Something cold and metallic dug into his wrists. They’re wrapped tight around his wrists, biting into skin.
"Where am I?"
The words died in his throat. As something filled his mouth. A gag. Tied so tight his jaw ached.
He forced his eyes open wider. Blinked. Tried to see.
But he couldn’t.
Just darkness. No shapes, no light at all.
Nothing at all.
The chair beneath him creaked when he shifted weight.
What happened? How did I get here?
His heart slammed against his ribs. Sweat ran down his temples despite the cold. The air smelled stale. Then the darkness moved.
Not slowly. All at once, like fabric ripping apart.
Golden light flooded in. Alaric’s eyes burned, he squeezed them shut, then cracked them open again.
And saw, high ceilings stretched above him. Marble pillars. Chandeliers. Silk tapestries embroidered with gold thread.
His breath caught.
A throne room?
But something was wrong. The tapestries hung in shreds. Black scorch marks scarred the marble floors. One chandelier had crashed down, crystal scattered like broken teeth across stone.
Then sound of footsteps echoed.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
And began louder.
Alaric tried to turn his head. But his neck wouldn’t respond as he was locked in place, staring straight ahead at the empty throne.
The footsteps stopped behind him.
He couldn’t see who it was. Couldn’t turn. Couldn’t speak.
Then just as something touched his shoulder—
Everything shattered like glass.
The throne room exploded into fragments that dissolved into red light.
Hot wind hit his face. Carrying ash and the stink of burning meat.
Alaric was standing now.
Not chained to a wooden chair.
His boots sank into soft earth. He looked down.
Mud. Dark and wet. His stomach turned when he realized it wasn’t just mud.
The sky overhead burned crimson. The moon hung massive and swollen, taking up half the sky, pulsing like a living thing.
Around him was... chaos.
Steel clashed against steel.
Men screamed.
Fire erupted in pillars that turned soldiers to ash before they could scream. Lightning split the red sky, illuminating faces twisted in agony.
Bodies scattered everywhere. Piled on top of each other. Some still moving, crawling, reaching. But most weren’t.
A soldier ran past him, armor dented and splashed with gore. He ran straight through him like he wasn’t there.
Alaric tried to move. but his legs stayed frozen.
Am I dreaming?
Just then an explosion shook the ground. Someone’s scream cut off mid-sound.
The red moon pulsed again. Brighter. Its light made everything look like it was drowning in blood.
Then silence.
The fighting stopped. Just... stopped.
All the soldiers gone. The fire extinguished. Even the wind died.
Alaric stood alone on a field of corpses.
The ground beneath his feet was soaked. Liquid pooled between bodies, reflecting the crimson sky.
Blood.
So much blood the earth couldn’t drink it all.
It reached his ankles.
Then after moments of silence, figures rose from between the corpses.
Hooded.
Dozens of them. Standing perfectly still, facing him.
Their eyes glowed beneath their hoods.
Alaric’s mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out.
The figures stepped closer, moving in unison, circling around him.
The blood began to rose past Alaric’s ankles, climbing his shins.
What the!
He tried to run. But his body wouldn’t obey.
The hooded figures kept coming. Closer. Closer.
The blood reached now his knees.
The red moon pulsed overhead.
Then one of the figures raised a hand, pointing directly at him—
And...
Everything went black.
The field vanished. The bodies gone. The figures disappeared.
Just darkness again.
Alaric gasped, tried to but the gag was back. Filling his mouth. Chains around his wrists and ankles. The hard chair beneath him.
His heart hammered. Sweat plastered his shirt to his back. Eyes widened and every muscle trembled.
What was that?
But no answer came. Just the sound of his own ragged breathing through his nose.
Then something shifted in the darkness ahead.
A shape formed. Blurred at first, then solidifying. Taking form of a woman.
She was tall, maturity, as her curves suggested. But her face remained hidden in shadow, features obscured like someone had smudged them away.
She moved closer. Silent. No footsteps. Just gliding through the black like she was part of it.
Alaric’s breathing quickened. He tried to pull back but the chains held him in place.
The woman stopped in front of him. Close enough that he could feel... something. Not warmth exactly. Just a presence.
Then her hand reached out, fingers touching his cheek.
They’re gentle. Too gentle.
And began tracing along his jawline, up to his temple, brushing through his damp hair.
Alaric’s eyes widened. His whole body went rigid.
What—
The touch was wrong. Cold but not quite cold. Familiar... but he couldn’t place why.
Then—
The figure rippled.
Like water disturbed by a stone.
The mature silhouette collapsed inwardly, reforming, till it became younger.
The hand on his face tightened, fingers digging into his skin.
She grabbed his collar with both hands and yanked him forward. The chains rattled. His neck strained against the position
"Why?"
The voice came out as a hiss. Sharp and broken.
She shook him hard. "Why did you do it?"
"Just why?"
Her grip tightened on his collar, pulling him so close he could feel breath that shouldn’t exist against his face.
"Answer me!"
Alaric tried to speak. But the gag muffled everything.
"You promised!" Her voice cracked. "You promised me!"
Tears ran down her face. He could see them now even though her features stayed blurred.
"How could you?"
She released him suddenly. And he fell back against the chair, gasping.
The young woman stood there, trembling. Her hands opened and closed at her sides.
"You left me," she whispered. "You left all of us."
Her voice broke completely.
"You promised! You promised and you—"
The figure shuddered. Then started dissolving. Like smoke caught in wind.
Alaric’s heart pounded. He tried to shake his head, tried to make any gesture that he didn’t understand, didn’t know what she meant—
"Why..."
She began fading. Features blurring.
Then gone.
Completely gone.
Just darkness again.
Then—
A came a scream.
High and piercing, coming from everywhere and nowhere.
The darkness exploded with light, and—
"Haa... Haa..."
Alaric jerked up on his bed. Breathing hard.