STRINGS

Cliff and Hanger p2

"Gruuhhhhhhwwwwlllll."

"Gruhhhhhhhwwwwlllll."

"The heck wa-was that?"

"Now you're scared, tsk."

"You!!!" 💢

"Don't task me, you moron!"

"If I were you, I'd shut my mouth. Who knows, you'll be their next prey."

Tsk, this guy is really getting on my nerves. How am I supposed to quiet my mind when this guy beside me just keeps staring at me, and it's creeping me out? I don't know what will happen if I move. Even breathing feels uncomfortable.

How am I supposed to breathe steadily when this gigantic guy keeps staring at me like I'll do something wrong if he takes his eyes off me? But when he stretches his arm in the air, the pressure around me feels chilling.

Before I know it, the gigantic guy throws his gigantic sword, and his sword suddenly emits red smoke and light. Every time he touched, swung, and threw it, the pressure around this place suddenly felt heavy.

But what caught my attention were the strings attached to the heart and body of the monsters trying to climb up the hill. I didn't even know they were coming after me when the gigantic fellow ran towards this hill. Or am I just hallucinating that they're after me?

"Hey, you, what did you do? Why are they moving towards our direction?"

(Why is this guy just staring at me and not even looking around? He's even sitting on that fluffy fabric like he's at a picnic. Really, of all times, this is the time and place you chose to rest?)

I wanted to move my feet, but they felt stuck. Even though I kept telling my mind to move, it didn't listen. Then I saw a thin strip of string, and it looked like someone was controlling them. All I saw was that they were heading towards me. I was shocked when one monster, with only one string attached to its body, moved faster than the others.

Before I could react, a sharp metal slipped through my shoulder and down to my waist. Before I could realize what had happened, a warm liquid rushed out of my body. Now, when I look down at my waist, all I can see is my body covered in blood.

I don't know how to react. Should I show emotion? I have this hesitation, and I don't know why, but all I know is I should scream or even cry because someone just tried to kill me, but I can't. I can't find the right emotion or reaction. Am I really that numb that I don't even know myself anymore?
The monster tried to attack again, but before it could lift its sword, a deep sound echoed through the surroundings. All the monsters fell to their knees, and their bodies vanished into thin air, like scenes from movies I watched as a kid.

"They're gone?"

"What happened? Where are the monsters, and why did they vanish?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

Why is he looking at me like I did something wrong? I just stood in the same position he left me, which caused these critical wounds.

"The heck, where are those wounds?"

"They're gone; they're also gone!"

"Tsk."

"You're the reason they're gone."

Conversation in Mariella's head, invaded by the god:

"How could I be the reason?"

"You don't know!?"

"No, I don't. And why are you looking at me like that? I didn't do anything."

"What do you mean you didn't do anything? Look at your hand, young lady, tsk, sigh."

(Ah, that's quite a long sigh, isn't it?)
"What do you mean?"

When this nameless god said I should look at my hand, I did. I was surprised to see a red string with blood on it wrapped around my left hand. What's worse is, my palm and fingers are slowly consuming the string, like they're eating it.
Huh, them? But this string was just one a moment ago.

How can I say it's them? What the heck is this? The string is slowly breaking in half, and before I could react, the red strings suddenly lit up.

A thousand red strings appeared out of nowhere, and before I could avoid them, a flash of light struck my body. Before I could process what just happened, I felt my body fall. When I looked up at my palm, the strings had already entered my body.