Dweia

The smell of blood invaded my nostrils. I watched helplessly as the woman standing over me raised her sword. I was completely drained, I had no mana left, no items, nothing. As the crimson tendrils held me down by my arms and legs, all I could do was wait for my death. 

As the sword drew near, I felt the last bit of courage I had disappear. I was going to die. Alone. In this god forsaken place filled with evil. And for what? To protect those ‘friends’? The same people who mocked me, took advantage of, and used me?

Oh, who am I trying to fool? I was here only because of my own greed. Because I wanted to be useful to someone. Because I wanted to that group to need me. To value me. To have a reason to keep me around. How naïve I was, thinking that power would grant those wishes. All it did was help build a wall between me and everyone else. 

The sword approached. I saw the purple light reflect off the sword’s blade. After everything I went through, I hadn’t expected my death to be by the hands of another player. I saw her smile, but this time I didn’t think it was beautiful. It was an ugly smile because it was genuine. She was enjoying watching me die. She was enjoying killing me. 

The sword struck my chest and pierced my heart. I let out a scream of pain and agony. The pain was so real, all of this was so real. It shouldn’t be, but it was. What should have been a simple game had become my new reality – all of our new reality. A reality filled with magic, war, blood, and death. 
My vision darkened as the pain slowly faded. I felt the last of my vitality leave my body. It felt cold. I wondered to myself, when would I stop being? When would my thoughts disappear?

Soon, I saw those words I feared for all this time appear before me. “DEATH”, in the pale blue font the game always used. They remained suspended in the air for several seconds. It was over. After a long time of fighting, grinding, and exploring, it was finally over. I had died. This was the end of my story.

Suddenly, words before me shifted and changed into something different. I took a shallow breath as I heard a faint heartbeat.

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Cover art by me

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This story is my submission for the 2020 Webnovel Spirity Awards.

The Soul Keeper

I stepped closer to the cliff. My back itched and ached as the unfamiliar muscles slowly began to bulge. I leaned forward slightly, then fell on one knee.

"Kai?" Aoife shouted. "What's wrong?" She was about to run towards me, but Fetheion stopped her. "Stay away from him!" He shouted.

I clenched my fist and grabbed a handful of grass blades.

"Let go of me!" I could hear Aoife's struggle as she tried to shake off Fetheion's grasp. "What's wrong with him?"

I didn't need to wait long before the distant lights began to gain form. More than a dozen Ereth soldiers, accompanied by robed figures – Inquisitors.

"Well, what are you all waiting for?!" Inspector John shouted, looking at Vixia and the others.

She spoke with an intoxicating voice. "Him."

A Clash Above the Sea (1)