Elowen stared at the woman standing on the grass.
Confusion clouded her mind.
This figure looked like the little girl from the dungeon. The black hair was the same. The white dress was similar.
But she looked older. Taller.
And the aura surrounding her was entirely different.
The little girl in the dungeon had been indifferent. She had been bored.
This woman was cold. She felt like a glacier that had existed since the dawn of time.
Elowen’s eyes darted to her broken sword lying in the dirt.
The cut was perfectly smooth.
It was impossible. No physical blade could slice through mana-reinforced steel like that.
Fear began to creep into Elowen’s heart. It was a cold, slithering sensation.
She remembered the warnings of her master.
Run.
But her pride held her feet in place. She was a noble. She was a genius.
She looked at the woman’s empty hands.
’She has no weapon,’ Elowen analyzed frantically.
’She cut the sword with magic. It must be a wind blade. Or a spatial cut.’
Elowen grit her teeth. Her mind raced through tactical options.
’She is dangerous. Extremely dangerous.’
’I cannot let her speak. I cannot let her cast another spell.’
Elowen tightened her grip on the hilt of her broken sword. It was still sharp. It could still kill.
’I have to be faster,’ Elowen decided. ’I have to strike before she moves.’
She channeled every ounce of her remaining mana.
Blue light flared around her body. It crackled like electricity.
She coiled her muscles. She prepared to launch herself forward.
She focused on the woman’s neck.
’One strike,’ Elowen thought. ’Just one strike to end it.’
She pushed off the ground.
Tang!
The sound rang out again.
It was clear and sharp. Like a silver bell striking in a silent room.
Elowen blinked.
Her vision shifted violently.
The world tilted sideways. The trees rushed upward.
She felt a strange sensation of weightlessness.
Then, impact.
Thud.
Elowen hit the dirt face-first. The taste of soil and iron filled her mouth.
She was confused.
’Did I trip?’ she wondered. ’Did I stumble?’
She tried to push herself up. She tried to scramble to her feet.
But she couldn’t feel her legs.
She turned her head. She looked back.
Her eyes widened in absolute horror.
A few feet away, her legs were still standing.
They stood upright from the knees down, encased in her leather boots.
But above the knees, there was nothing.
Her body lay separated on the ground.
The cut was clean. It was cauterized instantly, leaving no blood for a split second.
Then, the standing legs wobbled. They toppled over like cut timber.
They hit the ground with a soft thud.
Elowen stared at her own severed limbs.
Her brain refused to process the image. It was too absurd. Too nightmare-like.
Then, the blood began to flow.
And with the blood came the pain.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The scream tore from her throat. It was raw and guttural.
Agony exploded from her stumps. It felt like she had been dipped in molten lava.
She clawed at the dirt. She tried to drag herself away.
"My legs! My legs!" she shrieked.
She looked up at the woman.
The woman had not moved. She stood perfectly still in the moonlight.
Her black eyes looked down at Elowen. There was no pity in them. There was no anger.
There was only the cold indifference of a executioner.
"You are noisy," the woman said softly.
Elowen sobbed. Snot and tears mixed with the dirt on her face.
"What did you do?" Elowen screamed. "You monster!"
She reached out with her right arm. She tried to summon magic. She tried to attack.
Tang.
Elowen felt a sudden lightness in her right shoulder.
Her arm fell to the ground. It landed beside her head.
The hand was still twitching. The fingers curled into a claw.
Elowen stared at her own hand.
"No..." she whispered.
Then the pain hit again.
"AAAAAGGGGHHH!"
She writhed in the dirt. She was a worm cut in pieces.
"You used your hands to inflict pain," the woman said. Her voice was melodic and terrifying.
"You used them to break children. To carve skin."
The woman took a slow step forward.
"You do not deserve them."
Elowen shook her head frantically. She pushed herself backward with her remaining left arm.
"Please!" Elowen begged. "Stop! I’m sorry!"
"I promise I won’t do it again!" she cried. "I’ll stop! I swear!"
The woman watched her struggle.
"Promises are for those with a future," the woman said.
Tang.
Elowen’s left arm detached from her shoulder.
It dropped to the forest floor.
Elowen collapsed completely. She was just a torso and a head now.
She couldn’t move. She couldn’t fight. She couldn’t run.
She could only bleed and scream.
The agony was overwhelming. Her mind began to fracture.
"Please..." Elowen whimpered. Her voice was hoarse from screaming.
"I have gold," she babbled. "I have so much gold. I am a noble. My father is a Count."
She looked at the woman with desperate, wide eyes.
"I can give you anything! Titles! Land! Slaves!"
"Just let me live! Please let me live!"
She tried to crawl using her chin. She dragged her broken body through the dirt.
"I don’t want to die," she sobbed. "Please."
She looked pathetic. The arrogant noblewoman was gone.
Only a terrified, mutilated creature remained.
The woman looked down at her. She tilted her head slightly.
"You beg for life?" the woman asked.
Elowen nodded frantically.
"Yes! Yes! Life! I want to live!"
The woman’s lips curled. It was a small, cold smile.
"Very well," the woman said.
"I will grant your wish."
Elowen felt a spark of hope. She stopped crying for a second.
"Really?" she gasped. "Thank you! Thank y—"
"Do not thank me yet," the woman interrupted.
Her voice changed. It grew deeper. It resonated with power that shook the trees.
The wind stopped blowing. The insects stopped chirping.
The forest held its breath.
The woman raised her hand. Her palm glowed with a dark, violet light.
"I, Ventessa," she declared.
The name carried weight. It felt like an ancient stone dropping into a deep ocean.
"Hereby pronounce my verdict upon you."
Elowen shivered. The hope in her chest turned to ice.
"You wished for life," Ventessa said. "So you shall have it."
She pointed a finger at Elowen.
"I curse you to eternal life," Ventessa proclaimed.
"Death shall never find you. Not by blade, not by age, not by sickness."
Elowen’s eyes widened. Eternal life? That sounded like a blessing.
But Ventessa continued.
"But your body shall know no peace."
The violet light shot from Ventessa’s hand. It struck Elowen in the chest.
It didn’t hurt. It felt cold. It seeped into her bones.
"Your flesh shall rot," Ventessa cursed. "It shall fester and ooze with the stench of decay."
"But it will never perish."
Ventessa lowered her hand. She looked into Elowen’s soul.
"You will become a feast for the lowly," she said.
"The insects of the earth, the worms of the soil, the maggots of the dark. They shall find you delicious."
"They will eat you," Ventessa said. "Bite by bite. Layer by layer."
Elowen screamed. "No! No!"
"And you will feel every bite," Ventessa promised. "Every mandible. Every tear."
"Your skin will regenerate endlessly," she continued. "Just fast enough to feed them. Just slow enough to prolong the agony."
"But hear this," Ventessa added. Her voice was absolute.
"Your limbs will never return."
"You will remain as you are. A stump. A vessel of meat."
"You will roam the dark places of the world. Alone. Reviled. Stinking of death but denied its release."
"You will carry your sins on your skin forever."
The curse settled over Elowen.
She felt her skin begin to itch. It began to burn.
"No..." Elowen whispered. "Kill me. Please just kill me!"
"You asked for life," Ventessa said coldly. "Enjoy it."
A rustling sound came from the forest floor.
It started quiet. Then it grew louder.
Thousands of tiny legs moving over dry leaves.
Elowen looked down.
Beetles. Ants. Centipedes.
They emerged from the shadows. They swarmed over the dirt.
They smelled the blood. They smelled the curse.
They crawled onto Elowen’s face. They crawled into her wounds.
"Get off!" Elowen screamed. She tried to shake them off. But she had no hands.
She felt the first bite. Then the second. Then a hundred.
And they began to eat.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
The scream was worse than before. It was the sound of madness.
Her skin knit together even as it was torn apart. The cycle began instantly.
The swarm grew thicker. They covered her completely. She was a mound of black, writhing shapes.
The insects began to move.
They lifted her. Thousands of tiny bodies working together.
They dragged her away.
They dragged her into the deep, dark woods. Away from the path. Away from the light.
Elowen’s screams echoed through the trees. They faded slowly into the distance.
"Kill meeeee! Please! Anyone!"
The sound grew fainter. Until it was just a whisper on the wind.
Then, silence.
Ventessa stood alone in the clearing.
She smoothed her white dress and looked at the spot where Elowen had been.
She turned around slowly.
Her black eyes softened as they left the darkness behind.
She looked toward the base of the tree.
Marcus was there.
.
.
.
A/N:
How was the judgement?
Was it satisfying or was I too lenient on Elowen?