Identity Of Ruin

[] 5 [] the grim reaper

The scream was shrill and sharp. I draw back immediately, slapping my hands to my ears as it begins to sting, like my eardrums were about to explode. It's painful and in this body, I'm surprised I'm able to handle it. Although I do feel like I'm about to faint. Just only slightly, though.

I glance at my necklace. It's glowing and it seems that it's protecting me.

The possessed continues to scream. I groan, wishing it with all my will-power for it to shut up.

I edge towards the scene where the possessed is and watch as the guards slowly fall to their knees. Even Alexander looks disgruntled, his eyes staring at the possessed in deep hatred.

The moment I remove my hand from my ears, the scream begins to echo even louder and the stinging pain becomes multiplied by a tenfold. I scream too, unable to hide my pain as I yank the necklace of my neck and walk towards the lost soul. The hood becomes drawn back, but I pay no attention because it's too late to hide myself now.

Alexander widens his eyes the moment he sees me. The guards behind him had fallen to the floor, eyes closed.

"Valerie what are you-"

With the necklace off my neck, I'm starting to feel faint and dizzy. My legs collapse under me but not before I look at the possessed directly in the eye. The necklace begins to glow brighter, like the blinding sun in the sky. The possessed screams and screams before the darkness surrounding their body begins to slowly tear away.

Alexander continues watching me, his eyes looking at me intensely.

The darkness in the possessed has fully vanished from the person's body, leaving a young girl, who I realized was a student from the Academy, unconscious and on the floor.

Alexander's pupils dilate the moment he sees the girl.

The dark energy, detached from the body slowly goes to my direction and swirls and bobs around me. I stare at it, my ears still ringing from the screams. My hand reaches out and the orb slowly gets sucked into the gem of the necklace. I breathe heavily and Alexander now kneels besides the girl who is unconscious and carries her. The guards behind him immediately stand up, their legs unsteady.

"Valerie," Alexander looks at me. "I think you need to explain yourself. My absence at home seems that you have recently obtained yourself a new hobby."

"Lex-" I begin but he shakes his head, still carrying the girl in his arms. "Come with me, sister. We're going to head to the hospital. You're bleeding."

"I'm... bleeding?" I touch my ear and see that blood is trickling down. I look around the library, seeing that the windows hadn't somehow shattered.

I stare at my hands, now stained with blood. My face also has cuts and scrapes. It appears to me that during the screams, I must've clawed at my face and my ears without realizing. To everyone else, it looks like I'm shocked. Alexander sees this and sighs. "It's okay Val," he says. "I know you normally don't see blood-"

"No, no it's not that!" I interrupt, but I follow him quickly, my legs still wobbling at each step. "It's something else."

However, Alexander simply looks concerned. His guards enter into the library like a stream. "Take these people to the nearest hospital," he orders. "And someone please order carriages to take them there. If you see any injuries, treat them as best as possible and get a doctor here immediately."

"Yes, Your Highness," Alexander's subordinates bow and then head off. Some guards stay with us as I follow my brother.

Alexander's worries were to be expected. The Valerie Klaus in the novel probably had never witnessed so much blood on herself or on others. She was truly sheltered from everything.