Pyre | MxB

Chapter 3 | "He'll hear you!"

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Slight horror warning & mentions of gore.

As Aster's head emerged on the other side of the wall, he erupted into a fit of coughing and gasping. His lungs burned as he struggled to fill them with oxygen, his body reacting to the brief period of asphyxiation he had just experienced. He frantically looked around as he continued to suck in breaths, his eyes searching for whatever had pulled him here. But no matter where he looked he only saw empty space. The arm had disappeared into thin air, as if it didn't even exist in the first place.

Aster clenched his fists, frustrated tears pooling in his eyes. He felt completely hopeless, having been thrown from one mysterious situation to another with no time to catch his breath. He was once again forced to make sense of his new surroundings, but all he saw was a large, empty room with the same metallic surfaces as the one he had been dragged through. It appeared to be some sort of tunnel or hallway, with walls and a ceiling that were all perfectly mirrored and reflective. However, the echoing reflections made it difficult to truly determine the size and shape of the space.

Aster felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as quiet, chirpy whispers sounded from every direction around him. The voices were faint but their words were clear, and what they said had Aster gaping in horror. They spoke gleefully of how they would devour him, their high pitched giggles sending chills down the length of his spine. They described in detail the ways they would tear apart his flesh and gnaw on his bones, the excited chatter drawing increasingly closer. The voices began shushing each other in a teasing manner, like children trying to keep a secret.

"He'll hear you..!" One of the voices whispered in a hushed tone, a soft collection of cackles sounding afterwards. Aster wasn't sure who or what "he" they were referring to, but it sent a fresh wave of fear through his already paralyzed body.

The squeaky giggles were closing in, circling him. The thought of their invisible forms just a hair's breadth away sent gooseflesh racing up his arms. Aster found himself backed into a corner, shaking and sobbing in sheer terror. The whispered threats and promises of carnage rang in his ears. He cupped his hands on either side of his skull but was unable to deafen their voices and sinister laughter.

But just as the voices seemed ready to pounce, everything went dead silent in an instant. Aster held his breath, his heartbeat being the only sound left to fill the room.

"Peculiar..." An entirely different voice spoke, cutting through the quiet air like a knife. It reverberated off the walls, deep and rich like the sound of rolling thunder. It had a velvety quality, as alluring and sultry as a siren's song.

Aster's head whipped upwards in surprise, his eyes attempting to locate the source of the unexpected, masculine voice. The strange room again provided no help, its mirrored walls and ceiling reflecting his own terrified, tear stricken face back at him an infinite number of times.

"I didn't think I'd have to save you twice... little omega." The deep voice broke the silence again, the sentence leaving Aster feeling even more confused than before. He didn't understand what the speaker meant by "saving him twice."

Aster's lips parted to reply, but no words came out. Instead he gasped as he heard a sickening crunching sound in the distance, and then the tiny, anguished cries of the otherworldly creatures from before. His palms grew sweaty and his stomach churned as his mind filled in the horrific details of what could be causing the noise and the pain of the once teasing voices. Aster felt as if he were going to vomit, but there was nothing in his stomach to purge. He retched in revulsion, each crunch and snap sending another wave of nausea through him. As the repulsive noises grew louder, Aster couldn't shake the feeling that he was next. That whatever fate was befalling the chirpy voices was soon to be his own.

A gravelly and haunting chuckle rang out, sounding as if it were rumbling right against Aster's ear. His heart leapt into his throat, the feeling of the wall against his back a reminder that nothing could possibly be behind him. But the laugh had sounded so close, like it was right on top of him.

"The fae... horrid creatures they are..." The dark voice didn't sound half as close as the chuckle had been, though Aster could tell it was the same entity that had uttered both. He couldn't help but feel like he was being toyed with.

Fae... Aster had heard tales of the capricious and dangerous creatures before, but hadn't ever thought them real. From the stories he could recount, he knew that they were considered to be powerful, sadistic and lethal.

"Come," The honeyed voice seemed to command, echoing from down the mirrored hall. "or perish in this domain, if you'd prefer..."

Aster, of course, hesitated, not trusting the masculine voice one bit. He took another look around the strange room, trying to find any way to escape. The room's reflective walls provided him with no new options.

"Well..?" The voice spoke again, impatience lacing his tone.

With a trembling breath, Aster slowly began to move away from the corner he had been cowering in. The thought of being left alone in this realm to starve was far more terrifying than the thought of being swiftly slaughtered by a beast. He was also silently praying that the voice was the deity he had been seeking since the beginning. He held onto the hope that he truly was being saved by this person, and not lured into trap. His footsteps were careful and slow, shuffling in the direction the voice had instructed.

...