Chapter 5: The Abyss Stares Back

The air is suffocating, thick with fear and the overwhelming presence of the creature from the mirror world. Its gaze sweeps over us—if those hollow, glowing orbs could even be called eyes—pinning us down like prey caught in a predator's trap. A cold shiver runs down my spine, and for a moment, I can't breathe.

Everyone is frozen in place, unable to comprehend what stands before us. A monstrosity that defies reality, its form dripping with malice and danger. The ground beneath it sizzles where its acidic limbs touch, leaving charred marks on the grass. The creature's towering silhouette looms over us, and I swear it feels bigger now, more menacing than the last time I saw it.

This is bad. So, so bad.

"Liang Wei!" Mei Ling's voice snaps me back to the moment. Her scream slices through the thick silence like a knife. "What the hell is that thing?! Do you know it?!"

She's terrified, her wide eyes darting between me and the monster, but I can't respond. I do know it. I know exactly what it's capable of, and the fear that's paralyzing me now is all-consuming. My throat tightens, and I feel like I'm choking on the words I should be shouting: Run. We have to run.

But instead, I'm frozen. My legs refuse to move. Why can't I say anything? Why can't I just tell them to get out of here?!

The police are the first to break free from their fear, but even they seem unsure. One officer shakily raises a hand, trying to communicate with the creature, like it's some wild animal they can talk down. But I know better. I know that this thing… this monster... isn't something they can reason with. It doesn't belong to this world.

"Stop right there!" one officer commands, his voice shaking, but still strong enough to cut through the tension. He points his gun at the creature, joined by the others, their weapons trained on its grotesque, shifting form.

But then… it happens.

The monster lets out a low, guttural growl that reverberates in my chest, shaking the very air around us. Slowly, from its back, more limbs begin to emerge—long, twisted, and unnatural. They stretch outwards like grotesque tendrils, writhing and twitching as they expand, forming a tangled mass of disfigured arms. There are at least twenty of them, growing like horrifying branches from a diseased tree.

One of the officers steps back in horror, but before he can give an order to fire, the monster attacks. The limbs shoot forward with terrifying speed, each one moving independently, striking toward the police and students alike. The claws glint under the sunlight, dripping with some sort of acidic substance that I know all too well.

No, no, no! This can't be happening!

"Move!" I hear myself scream, finally breaking free from my paralysis, but it's already too late for some of them. The claws tear through the air, slicing through uniforms, skin, and whatever else they come into contact with. The acidic fluid splashes as the monster lashes out, melting through anything it touches.

Mei Ling is standing too close, too exposed. Time seems to slow down as one of the claws hurtles toward her. Without thinking, I lunge at her, shoving her to the ground just as the claws fly over us, barely missing her by inches. The sharp, acrid smell of burning fills my nose, and I realize that the grass next to us is sizzling where the monster's claws struck.

I'm gasping for air, barely processing what just happened, when Mei Ling turns to me, wide-eyed. "Wei, what the hell—"

"Stay down!" I cut her off, panting heavily as I push myself up. The voices in my head are screaming at me to run, to get out of here, but I can't. Not yet.

More limbs lash out, but I barely manage to roll out of the way in time. I need to move faster, or we're dead.

The air is thick with the stench of acid and blood. Screams echo across the field as the monster's claws finally connect with flesh. I can't help but look around at the aftermath—it's horrific. The acidic claws tore through them like paper, leaving bodies disfigured and unrecognizable. Limbs have melted down to bone, skin sizzling and bubbling where the acid touched. One student's face is barely even there anymore, just a gory mess of flesh and bone, their eyes still wide open in a frozen scream. The police aren't faring much better, their uniforms dissolving as the acid eats away at them.

Oh God...

For a moment, I hesitate, my gaze locked on the mangled bodies scattered around me. The thought crosses my mind, and I hate myself for it, but survival instincts kick in. I need to absorb them... I need strength. My left hand, where the cursed tattoo lies, tingles with anticipation.

I reach out, my heart pounding in my chest as I mutter, "Devour..."

Nothing happens.

"What the hell?! Why isn't it working?!" Panic rises in my throat.

The voices in my head hiss, sounding almost irritated. "You've already hit the limit. The tattoo can't absorb anymore."

My stomach drops. Of course... I fall to my knees, trembling with disappointment, my plan collapsing before my eyes. The reality sinks in: I can't use the dead around me to save myself this time.

Damn it.

I push myself off the ground, gritting my teeth. There's no time to wallow. I have to escape with Mei Ling, now. I grab her arm, pulling her up, and without saying a word, we start running, our feet pounding against the grass as we sprint toward the exit. My heart is racing faster than my legs can move, my mind desperately clinging to one goal—escape.

The police are still shooting, their bullets cutting through the air, keeping the monster occupied. I don't want to look back, but I do, just to make sure it's not coming after us. The moment I turn, a guttural growl pierces the air. The creature reels back, jerking violently as some of the bullets strike its grotesque, disfigured limbs. The acidic liquid that had dripped from its claws is now splattering everywhere, leaving smoking craters in the ground where the bullets hit.

It's... bleeding?

My feet skid to a halt. I stare, wide-eyed, as the monster recoils from the gunfire. Its grotesque limbs twitch and spasm, its movements becoming less precise. For the first time since I saw it, it's not advancing—it's retreating, even if just slightly. It can bleed. It can be hurt.

"Liang Wei, what are you doing?!" Mei Ling's panicked voice cuts through my thoughts, her hand tugging at me. "We need to go!"

But I don't move. My heart races as I realize something. This thing is killable. The police are actually damaging it. If I stay... if I help them... maybe we can stop this thing here, now. If we leave, it could slaughter everyone.

"I... I think we can kill it." The words tumble out of my mouth without fully processing, but they feel right. I turn back to Mei Ling, her face pale and drenched in sweat. "We can fight it."

"You're insane!" Mei Ling's voice trembles, but she looks at me, wide-eyed. "That thing—"

"Is bleeding," I interrupt, my voice steady despite the chaos around me. "And if we run, it's going to follow. It'll kill everyone else."

Mei Ling looks at me like I've lost my mind—and maybe I have—but I know I'm right. There's no running. Not now. If I can just help them reduce the casualties... if we can weaken it enough...

With resolve tightening in my chest, I turn back toward the monster, watching it as it writhes in pain, distracted by the police. This isn't just about surviving anymore. If I can just do something, maybe we all get out of this alive.

Liang Wei's legs are moving before her mind can even process it. She sprints back toward the battlefield, adrenaline pumping through her veins, eyes locking onto a dead policeman lying just a few feet away. His body is crumpled on the ground, limbs twisted unnaturally, and a gun rests in his lifeless hand.

Without a second thought, she rushes over, her mind screaming at her to hurry. Sorry, but I need this. Grabbing the gun from his cold hand, she barely has time to glance at his face. There's no space for grief, no moment to mourn. This is survival.

Gun in hand, she charges toward the monster. Its grotesque limbs lash out, acidic claws slicing through the air. Liang Wei dodges them with newfound agility, her body reacting almost automatically. The voices had told her she'd be stronger, faster, and she can feel it now—her muscles respond like never before. Her breath comes in short gasps, and yet her movements are smooth and precise. As she leaps over one claw, narrowly avoiding its acidic touch, she can't help but scream out.

"How convenient! This body's actually useful!"

Just as things seem to be going well, the monster lets out a guttural roar that shakes the ground beneath her. It's furious now. Its attacks become erratic, limbs slashing in all directions, with so much power behind each one that even a glancing hit could end her. The ground around her is a mess of acidic holes and debris, and she's forced to weave and dodge with all her strength. One wrong move, and it's over.

And then it happens.

A limb she hadn't even seen coming swings out from behind her. She feels the claws tear into her side, ripping through her flesh. The acidic burn follows immediately, and she lets out a choked scream, her vision blurring from the pain. It's like fire, searing through her body, threatening to drop her where she stands.

No... not now.

Blood drips down her side, mixing with the melting fabric of her shirt, and she struggles to stay upright. The monster focuses all its attention on her now, its limbs flailing, trying to finish her off. The police, desperate to shift the attention, keep firing, their shots pinging off the creature's body. One of them lands a shot straight into its eye.

The monster screeches, thrashing wildly, its limbs flailing and smashing into the ground as it reels from the pain. The police seize the moment, unloading every bullet they have, and for a moment, it seems like they might actually win. The creature stumbles, its body riddled with bullet holes, black ichor oozing from every wound.

But then the gunfire stops. Everyone's out of bullets. And the monster... it's still getting up.

Liang Wei watches in horror as the creature begins to rise again, its disfigured body twitching, its limbs stretching out once more. We're out of time.

Hope drains from her as the monster regains its footing. This thing won't stop. The police are shouting, but no one has anything left to fight with. It's over.

"Liang Wei!"

She whips her head around, her heart skipping a beat. Mei Ling is running toward her, carrying something long and heavy. It's a javelin spear, from the storage room.

"Take it!" Mei Ling tosses the spear, and Liang Wei catches it with trembling hands.

A javelin? Her mind races, and then it clicks. This is it. The final blow. All eyes are on her now.

The monster lets out a terrifying roar, its limbs shooting out like whips, desperate to end her. Liang Wei's heart pounds in her ears as she faces it head-on. The pressure is suffocating, but she knows what she has to do. If I fail, we all die.

She enters a state of absolute focus. The world around her blurs, and all she sees are the monster's limbs coming toward her. She moves with everything she has, dodging, weaving, narrowly avoiding each strike. The acidic claws graze her, leaving small, stinging wounds, but she pushes through the pain. This is for them. For the people who were killed. For the bodies lying in ruin.

"I... WILL... KILL YOU!"

With a final scream of rage and pain, she dives forward, sliding under the monster's towering body, her fingers gripping the javelin with all her strength. Every ounce of hatred, fear, and agony pours into her final strike as she thrusts the spear upward—straight into the monster's heart.

There's a sickening crack as the javelin pierces through its chest, and for a moment, the monster freezes. It lets out one final, blood-curdling roar, its limbs twitching violently as it convulses. Black ichor spews from the wound, coating the ground in a toxic, hissing pool.

And then... silence.

The monster collapses, its body convulsing one last time before going completely still.