The creature that rose from the ashes was rebuilt from the remnant of Levi’s soul that had twisted into a leech.
Its body was long and pale, slimy and wet like something freshly torn from a womb. The skin underneath looked soft, almost milky, glistening with a sickly sheen that caught the gold light. But across that softness, plates of black-brown carapace clung like broken armor.
The plates ran in jagged rows down its back and sides, each one sharp-edged, uneven, like the shell of a centipede forced onto a body that didn’t quite fit. Between the plates, the pale flesh bulged through in strips— wet, vulnerable, but pulsing with infernal life.
Every time it shifted, the gaps in its armor oozed a thin liquid, dripping in steady lines onto the floor. The sound was soft, but it made Levi’s teeth clench. Drip. Drip.
Its head was worse. The face stretched too long, no eyes, just a maw that split wide, ringed with small needle-teeth turning in a slow grind. The armor ended just before the jaw, leaving the pale flesh bare, twitching, raw.
The creature shivered once, as if testing its body, and the sound of its plates scraping together filled the chamber— like knives being drawn across stone.
Levi’s throat went dry. This was the same half-formed parasite that had gnawed at his soul before. This parasite was born in the situation of ’what if’ he couldn’t resist and got reborn as a leech— mindless and filled with hunger.
The leech turned its eyeless face toward Cecilia, the grinding teeth opening into a wet hiss.
Levi muttered under his breath. "Damn it! I forgot how ugly you were". His mind, however, was racing.
If the leech was allowed to settle, to root itself, he was finished. Running was useless— if Nayla didn’t kill him, the Matriarch surely would.
His eyes scanned the chamber desperately, there was no weapon in sight, not even loose stones. There was nothing, until they landed back on the leech’s body. And an idea formed.
’The gaps in the armor... the exposed jaw, that’s the weak points. If I could pierce through it, I might just have a chance’.
’But with what?’. He thought, cursing under his breath. Then it hit him.
Without wasting another second, Levi spun on his heel and sprinted. His chest twisted at the sight of his dead body, but he forced it down.
He grabbed the dagger and ripped it free. It slid out with a sick, wet sound, blood coating the blade. Nearly half a meter long— slim but heavy, good enough to pierce deep.
He turned back— just in time.
The leech wasn’t crawling anymore. From the cracks in its shell, dozens of thin crab-like legs had sprouted, stabbing at the ground, carrying it forward faster and faster.
Before Levi could move, it coiled around him like a snake, the momentum of it’s movement slamming Levi into the ground.
The legs snapped shut, pinning his arms, chest, and legs. The weight crushed him to the floor. The damp heat of its body pressed down, and the spinning maw lowered toward his face.
"Fuck—!" Levi twisted his shoulder at the last second. The teeth slammed into the floor instead, scraping sparks.
With the small space he’d made, Levi forced his right arm up through the cage of legs. The dagger scraped along his arm, almost slipping free. A leg smashed down on his wrist, holding it. Fresh chapters posted on 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅✦𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾✦𝗇𝖾𝗍
"Not... today!". He growled, veins straining. He angled the blade upward, skin tearing against the shell.
The maw opened wide, shadows rippling inside its throat.
Levi drove the dagger into the soft gap under its jaw.
The blade slid through with a wet pop. The leech shrieked— not a sound, but a violent vibration that shook the whole room. Its body convulsed, armor plates grinding together.
The legs tightened. One slammed into Levi’s ribs— crack. He coughed blood but forced the dagger deeper, twisting it. Warm blue ichor sprayed across his face.
"Choke on it, bastard!"
The leech reared back, thrashing. It smashed Levi against the ground once, twice. His bones rattled, vision flashing white. But he held on, gripping the dagger with both hands, driving it deeper.
The teeth spun wildly, snapping loose, clattering across the stone. The leech shrieked again, ichor gushing from its back as plates split open.
With one final heave, Levi ripped the blade sideways. Flesh tore. The maw split open in a jagged wound. The shriek ended in a gurgle.
The creature crashed against the wall, ichor splattering everywhere. Its legs twitched, teeth slowing.
Levi staggered free, falling to his knees, chest burning with every breath. He was covered in blue ichor, his hands shaking around the dagger.
Levi raised the dagger, his voice cracking between breaths. The fear receding from his eyes and in it’s place a feigned anger.
"... Did you think I forgot you took my nuts". Levi tried to sound dominant but the leech body unexpectedly sprung up.
Before Levi knew, a shierk slipped out of his throat. Backpedaling, he slipped on the blue blood and fell to the floor.
Head slamming against the floor, momentarily blanking out. When he regained awareness a moment later he hurriedly stood up.
But the leech had already died. Levi let out a breath of relief before the adrenaline faded as the pain from his broken ribs, split wrist, and various injuries slammed into his consciousness.