Something is wrong

Cypher's soul power withered in the the air, shimmering in and out of existence as if struggling to maintain its own weight. The cavern felt darker not in a physical sense, but in hopeless struggle against his own demise, it was like a weight pressing down on his soul.

And yet, even through the inevitability, he still tried to achieve some semblance of power. The thought of death, it's finality...he couldn't accept it.

Though the thought of reincarnation passed through his mind, it was swiftly crushed and buried to the back of his rocked mind. How could he be sure another life waited for him after his demise? Death is not a charity and he had already won the lottery once too much.

"Kid..." Elie looked at the scene before him with a hint of pity and yet , the ruthless gleam in his eyes still held firm. If you could not survive with the monsters of those world, then you'll die alone, still clinging to life till the very end. Elie wondered, could this be him someday , dying against a cold crumbling wall while his enemy held his life in their own hands?

Nevertheless, now was not that day and this time, he held Cyphers life in his hands. Without much more hesitation , he kicked Cyphers handless arm aside.

The draining blood of the boys severed hand dripped into the black tar liquid beneath. Every second the splash of scarlet drops carried through the cavern almost hypnotically.

Cypher's other hand shifted, moved and hid behind his back silently.

His own blade, gleaming it's earthly gold, ran through the air. Not a second later, it was lodged onto his chest. Harrowing pain coursed into Cyphers body like a truck, and with a final act of defiance against death, he stared at Elie through black lenses.

Elie felt something change, subtle and small, but it was as if the sorrounding cavernn was wrong. He had felt this sensation before, once when he had been ambushed by a caliber three weaver. The only reason he survived was his sense. It was the feeling of being watched, no, stalked like prey. Elie looked around the cavern, scanning every crack in the wall and every dark shadow and yet, despite his effort, he found absolutely nothing.

Nobody accept a rank four could hide and they wouldn't bother with him. He was simply an ant to them. Besides the only rank fours on the battlefield were currently facing eachother and had no time to play rescue. Thinking he was just paranoid, Elie straightened his robe and continued with his task.

"Don't look at me like that." Elie sneered. He had won, and Cypher had lost. There was no need to be so hateful.

Unexpectedly, Cypher actualy seemed to listen. His head slumped down towards Elie's feet.

"Well, at least you understand. You know, I actually respect you..." The dripping of blood seemed slower while he prepared to set Cypher off with some final words ,"For one so young, your future could've been bright."

Elie wiped his nose, smelling the rotting flesh like scent growing stronger ,"But, in the end, it should be this way,"

The sound of dripping scarlet slowed further until...it stopped.

"Cough..." Elie scrunched his face in disgust ,'Is that smell getting stronger? Disgusting.'

He looked back to Cypher, who was breathing heavily, too heavily.

"Now then, I need to get out of this dump." Elie moved to retrieve the dagger from Cyphers chest ,"Farewell kid..."

'Atleast I can get something out of this,' Elie wasn't completely disappointed. He had killed what was likely a prodigy. Though he would have rather brought him back, this outcome was enough. His family could be offered more land from the king as a possible reward! In this aspect, killing Cypher was a good opportunity that rarely ever comes to pass.

Elie smiled slightly and with a step forward, he reached forward.

Elie shifted uncomfortablly, feeling something tug at his leg ,"What is that?"

It was only now he noticed something strange. Beneath Cyphers arm, where blood showed still be dripping, it instead floated. Like gravity had suddenly ceased , the blood balled up above the black liquid and slowly rose in the air.

The tar beneath him felt thicker, viscous and stronger.

He looked at Cypher once again, "What are you looking at?"

He recieved no response, only laboured breaths of fear.

Fear? What's he scared of?

Only when Elie followed Cyphers gaze, looking down at his feet, did he realise.

Sweat formed a thick layer on his skin as he watched a black, deformed hand gently tug on his leg. It pulled the fabric of his clothes lightly, only to grow stronger as if building strength ,"What is this thing!"

Around him, the black tar crashed and bubbles with an unnaturalness that couldn't be described. It was like a monster had awoken to swallow them hole. The pressure in the cave was suffocating, like the weight of a dimension pressed down on their minds, slowing their thoughts to a crawl.

Elie felt an inexplicable sense of dread. With a frantic gaze at Cypher, he noticed a black crystalline marble vibrating in his remaining hand.

"What did you do!"

Elie felt another hand form from the black tar, joining it's companion as he frantically looked towards Cypher and then back at his own attackers. Even when Elie tried to shake them off, as if defying all logic, they completely resisted his caliber three strength and gripped his leg. Their strength caused a pained grunt even from him.

"I...cough, I don't..."

"What! Spit it out!" Elie felt a black slithering appendage wrap around his waist, attempting to pull him to the ground.

"I...I don't know. This...cough... isn't me anymore." Cypher coughed out. The blade in his chest heavily limited his speech and, if nothing was done, would kill him soon.

When he had grabbed the dragon core in a moment of desperation. It's ominous pull drew him in like a moth to a flame.

He could have sworn that he heard voices, soft and intangible like that of an angel, emmiting from the Core.

Only when he made contact did he feel a reaction with his soul power and , after that, their was nothing. At this point, none of this was in his control.

With a black hand reaching onto Cypher's robe, he to was slowly being pulled down.

Elie wrestled with a new tendril aggressively wrapping itself around his neck with merciless grip. Never, in the history of the continent had he ever even read of such a thing occurring with a dragon core. Even when touched, hit and smashed they remained docile like Any other material.

With choked out words,

" You did...something..."

One slithering appendage wrapped around Cypher and , with a strong pull he felt himself sinking into the black tar.

As if defying reality, the floor they had once stood on was knowhere to be found. Instead, it was like sinking into a thick, suffocating ocean depth.

Elie struggled desperately to fight and yet, he too felt his feet submerged in this black tar, creeping deeper up his legs.

Cypher, in his state, couldn't resist at all. He was dragged relentlessly through the tar and could only watch with wide eyes. In one final, brutal tug on his body, the tendril on his waist pulled him down, breaking bones as he completely disappeared beneath the black tar abyss.

"Get off me!" Elie collapsed to the ground, viciously writhing and wrestling with the tendril. The more force he applied to break free, the more it gained power. Whatever it had done to Cypher would soon befallhim and , with that thought, he reached out his hand towards the caverns exit. Barely visible in the dark gaping cavern, it teased him with the idea of escape as if to mock him for even following Cypher here in the first place.

With a final outstretched hand clawing at the black tar, cutting its surface only to promptly stitch back together , Elie was dragged screaming and kicking be earth the black abyss.

Silence...

Their was no more bubbling, no more people to make noise, there was nothing but silence.

Only the drops of Cyphers scarlet blood returning to their natural state and dripping into the now still black tar remained. The cavern was completely ordinary, as if nothing had even happened. The only evidence that anyone was ever here was the cracked all and blood smearing down it's surface into a trail.

Cypher and Elie had dissapeared without a trace.