Weight Of Despair And Desperation.

There and then, I reviewed the sparse details left by my past self- a map leading to the hidden lair where the necklace lay concealed.

Guarded by supernatural creatures, layers of traps, and ominous, unseen forces, the lair was nothing short of a deathtrap.

The weight of it all pressed heavily on me.

"Huff-"

My breathing rate accelerated, my heartbeat pounding faster.

Louder.

Ba-dump!

And even with all I knew, the sheer danger waiting ahead felt insurmountable.

Just the thought of the creatures sent a pulse of dread coursing through me, sharp and cold like a blade. They wasted no time in slicing through my lungs, increasing the difficulty in breathing.

"Huff-Hah."

They would be my greatest challenges- not the traps, nor the strange forces lurking in the shadows, waiting, watching.

Shivers-

Shivers ran down my spine.

My hands trembling lightly.

Yet, compared to the terrain itself, all this seemed to pale in comparison.

I still had to navigate the cursed zones leading to the lair, mapping the three distinct barriers surrounding it. Each was a threshold of horror and madness in its own right.

A frustrated sigh escaped my lips as I ran a trembling hand through my hair, gripping the fragile map tightly with the other. The paper crinkled under my grasp, fragile like my resolve.

With one last glance at my surroundings, I bolted towards the sphere of light.

It embraced me with a warmth so soothing, so utterly serene, that for a fleeting moment, I felt as though the weight of the cursed world had been lifted. Calmness rippled through every fiber of my being, melting away the tension.

It was intoxicating- a serenity that left me aching for more.

But like all things in this cursed land, it didn't last.

"Huff-."

The light vanished, leaving me cold and hollow once more. Yet, the memory of the warmth lingered, igniting a spark within me- a spark that quickly blazed into determination.

"I'll escape," I muttered, my voice thick with resolve. "No matter what it takes."

Back in the stifling darkness, the room closed in around me. The hollow emptiness crept in again, relentless and unyielding. Shadows danced at the edges of my vision, each one alive with incomprehensible malice.

I could feel it.

The darkness wasn't just around me- it was within me.

Watching.

Ba-dump!

Waiting.

Ba-dump!

Stalking its prey with cruel patience.

A shudder ran through me, and I forced myself to stay calm.

Calm down Dean. Calm...

"Huff-."

Exhaling sharply,

My gaze swept the room for any sign of the Amaraith, that grotesque, otherworldly creature.

Yet,

I heaved a sigh of relief.

Nothing had changed.

For now, it hasn't greached the room, but I could sense its vile influence inching closer, a presence so suffocating it threatened to crush my sanity.

Frantic thoughts slammed against the walls of my mind.

How do I survive this?

How do I escape?

Y-et,

"Huff-."

No matter how many plans I conjured, they all crumbled under the weight of reality. Despair coiled tightly around me, choking the air from my lungs.

"Ukh-Ah-gh."

There was no way out.

"Huff-Hah."

Except...

My heart thumped faster.

Ba-dump!

The idea was cruel.

Unthinkable.

Yet it lingered,

Ba-dump!

Refusing to leave.

I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and sharp, masking the cracks spreading through my resolve.

But,

Ba-dump!

Still.

Ba-dump!

I turned towards the darkened window at the far end of the room.

Ba-dump!

Each step towards it was heavier than the last, fear gnawing at my bones,

B-ut,

Tok-

I refused to stop.

Tok-

I couldn't stop.

My heartbeat accelerated further.

Ba-dump!

Ba-dump!!

Arriving before the glass, I raised my hand and smashed it down with every ounce of strength I could muster. The shattering sound echoed through the room as shards of glass sprayed outward, slicing through my skin.

Drip!

Drip!

Warm blood trickled down my arm, staining the walls in vivid red streaks.

Pain roared through me, a brutal and unrelenting force. My knees buckled, but I clenched my teeth, forcing the scream in my throat to die.

Through the haze of agony,

Ba-dump!

My trembling hand reached for a jagged shard of glass. The edges glinted ominously in the faint light, sharp and unforgiving. My breath hitched as I pressed it to my forehead.

"Huff-Hah-."

I had no choice.

Ba-dump!

With a shuddering breath, I drove the shard into my flesh.

Pain exploded through me, blinding and all-consuming.

Drip!

Drip!

Blood trickled down my face in warm rivulets, staining the ground below.

Puchi!

Each stab,

Puchi!

Was another step closer to escape- an escape I craved so desperately I was willing to endure anything for it.

Puchi!

I kept going.

Splutter!

Again.

Puchi!

And again.

The Amaraith's presence loomed closer, its vile essence pressing against the barriers of the room.

"Ugh-Akh-."

Desperation clawed at me, driving me further into the depths of madness!

My vision blurred.

My body trembled.

Drip!

Blood pooled around me, yet I clung to the hope of escape.

Puchi!

I couldn't stop.

Even as my strength faded,

Even as my breaths grew ragged and shallow.

"Ugh-Agh-."

I held onto the faint thread of hope.

I would escape.

Not just from the Amaraith, but from this wretched, and cursed land.

I was tired of the endless death.

Drip!

Tired of the pain.

Drip!

Tired of the torment that gnawed at my soul.

"Huff-Hah."

I wanted to be free.

I wanted to find others- humans, loved ones, family.

I wanted to feel the warmth of someone's embrace,

My breath grew ragged.

"Hugg-Agh."

To hear a voice that wasn't steeped in malice.

But as I lay there, the cold embrace of unconsciousness wrapping around me.

My vision darkened and then-

The endless darkness swallowed me whole.

The last thought that clung to my fading mind was a promise:

I will escape.

No matter what it takes.