Random Titlan: Spooky Chase (In hiatus)/latina

Chap 35

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦ ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ꒷꒦︶꒷꒦☁︎ ⋆｡˚☽ ꒷꒦︶꒷꒦

𒄆───────˚｡⋆˚ ☪︎˚⋆｡˚──────𒄆

With a swift motion, Peta angled the branch away from the spirit's grasp. It splashed angrily, sending ripples across the water. The wing hovered anxiously, as if it knew the game's rules better than she did. Peta took a deep breath and focused, willing the branch to move with the grace of a dancer's arm.

Her eyes never leaving the orb, she maneuvered the branch closer, her heart pounding in her chest. The water spirit grew more agitated, its body rippling and distorting the reflection of the treasure. The orb's pulse grew erratic, as if it too felt the tension in the air.

Peta's hand moved in a blur, plucking the orb from its resting place with surprising deftness. The water spirit's jaws snapped shut on nothing but air, and she felt a rush of triumph. The moment her hand broke the surface, the wing shot down, wrapping itself around the orb and lifting it out of the water. It left a trail of glittering droplets that shimmered in the moonlight.

The chaneques' laughter grew louder, a mix of amusement and respect. Peta clutched the orb to her chest, feeling its warmth spread through her body. It was heavier than she expected, and the light within it grew stronger, pulsing in rhythm with her heart.

The wing fluttered away, leading her to a clearing where a bonfire crackled and danced. The chaneques had gathered around it, their eyes alight with curiosity and mischief. "You've passed this stage"  Xaloc said, clapping his hands together.

  A new game emerged, one more challenging and sinister than the rest. Eztli stepped forward, her heart beating wildly in her chest. The game was simple: she could choose either torture or dare. The leader leaned in closer, his breath hot against her ear. "But remember," he hissed, "each choice will reveal a part of your soul." Eztli, with unwavering determination in her eyes, chose dare, ready to face whatever horrors lay ahead.

 The air grew thick with an ominous chill as they reached a clearing adorned with cages, each filled with creatures that made the skin crawl. Her first dare was to spend the night in the cage with the creatures she had come to know as her kin. The chaneques had filled it with spiders of all sizes, their legs quivering as they awaited their next meal. Despite her fear, she stepped forward, whispering to them gently, "You're just misunderstood." The spiders retreated slightly, seemingly in response to her soothing voice. She took it as a sign and entered the cage, closing her eyes as the cold metal bars snapped shut behind her.

With a steely resolve, Eztli stepped into the cage, feeling the soft brush of spider legs against her skin as she navigated through the writhing mass. The chaneques watched with glee as Eztli emerged unharmed.

But the game was far from over. The leader of the chaneques led Eztli to two more challenges, each more horrifying than the last. From walking through a corridor of screeching bats to facing her deepest fears in a twisted hall of mirrors, Eztli never once faltered. Her courage was a force to be reckoned with, a light that pierced through the shadows of the chaneques' domain. 

The second dare had her walking through a gauntlet of torches, their flames licking at her as she passed. The heat was intense, and she could feel her skin begin to blister and burn. Her eyes watered, and her breath came in ragged gasps, but she never faltered. The smell of her own scorching flesh mingled with the acrid scent of the fire, yet she pushed forward. Each step brought a new wave of pain, but she knew that to win the humans' freedom, she had to endure.

You've done well, Eztli," he said, his voice dripping with mockery." But now comes the final dare."Eztli straightened, ready to confront whatever new horror awaited her. The leader's smile grew wider, revealing rows of jagged teeth. "You must enter the chamber of the Heart of Darkness," he announced dramatically. Which life to choose to safe Ahuizotl or a Cihuateteo?

In the first cage: a puppy Ahuizotl, a dog-like water creature with the tip of its tail shaped like a hand. It looked up at Eztli with wide, tearful eyes.

In the second: Cihuateteo, ghost of a women, coiled and restless, its form shifting like smoke, its eyes gleaming with rage and pain.

The leader's voice was velvet and poison.

Only one may walk out. One will be freed. The other... forgotten."He leaned close, his whisper slicing the air:

You know what this is, don't you? One is your innocence. The other, your power."Save the Ahuizotl," he hissed, "and you stay soft. Naïve."

"Free the Cihuizotl—and you'll never be weak again. Eztli's heart pounded. Her fists clenched. She remembered everything—the dares, sweat, the trials. The moments where she could have broken... and didn't. She stared at the women.

The ahuizotl pup whined softly, its tail thumping the ground. It didn't know what was happening, just that it was scared and hurt. If you don't have an answer, we both killed them because both cause harm and suffering.

The Cihuateteo's eyes narrowed, as if understanding the gravity of the situation. It was a creature born of anger and pain, a specter of vengeance that sought to harm others as it had been harmed. Yet, there was something in its gaze that spoke of a shared bond with Eztli—a warrior's spirit that knew the cost of power all too well.

Eztli felt the weight of the decision heavy on her shoulders. Choosing the ahuizotl would be an act of kindness, but would it leave her unprepared for the battles ahead? Choosing the Cihuateteo will be free but the Ahuizotl is gone.

She stepped between them—and opened both cages.The chaneques gasped.

The leader snarled.

You were to choose one. The game demands it."Eztli turned, her eyes glowing with something ancient, fierce, and calm."I did choose. I chose them."

Eztli's voice was steady, echoing through the cavern. She stepped back, watching as the Ahuizotl pup and the Cihuateteo emerged from their prisons. "You dare to defy us?" the leader snarled, his eyes burning with a fury that matched the torches' flames.

Eztli stood firm as the cavern erupted into chaos. The chaneques scrambled, their shrieks mixing with the echoing growls of the massive ahuizotl that had come to reclaim its pup. The spectral Cihuateteo hovered near Eztli, watching the chaneques with cold, unblinking eyes, relishing their fear.

"Well, this is going great," Eztli muttered, dodging a panicked chaneque that barreled past her. She turned on her heel and sprinted toward the exit. "Time to find Rono, Konane, and Peta before things get worse."

The chaneques, once the orchestrators of this twisted game, now scrambled like startled rodents. One particularly unfortunate chaneque tripped over its own feet and was immediately scooped up by the massive ahuizotl's water-drenched claws. With a yelp, it disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind only his hood.