Dëerios

O•III |Two and the Same|

Miriam had never imagined she would witness the beast so far away from its breeding ground.

She felt someone grabbing her shoulders and in an instant, she was thrown away just as the Tousàlli's leg pushed down to crush her underneath. She raised her head from the ground and watched in horror as Aeric scurried around its foot and stabbed hard.

It did not as much as acknowledged the wound.

Her hands shook as she rose back on her feet. She could only yell at him to leave, to run as far as he could but she knew it was next to impossible. It had decided to kill them and it would stop at nothing. The forest was nothing but a nuisance.

Aeric launched himself at his left leg, climbing to its abdomen and sliced it twice. Precise and deep cuts. Without wasting a breath, he ran his sword through the cuts and Miriam waited for it to falter. Seconds went by but nothing. Just when she thought it won't move again, its hand shot up towards Aeric in a blur and-

And it grabbed it and held him in its fist.

The world went silent around her. She could not breathe.

Then she was running towards it.

"Leave him right now!" She didn't know what she was doing until she hauled out an arrow and flung herself at its hand. She had no idea how she managed jumping so high either. She punched the arrow at its wrist so many times that she lost count. She was mildly aware of Aeric crying at her to run.

No. She wasn't leaving him alone.

She stopped herself only when Aeric yelped in pain. The beast was crushing him in his fist. Her assault was like pricking with a toothpick. So she threw away the arrow and pulled at its fingers with all her strength. Anything that would set Aeric free. A small opening was all she needed-

And then she was sent flying away across the clearing, dark splotches blooming in her vision, as she headfirst hit a rock. She couldn't feel the weight of her sack anymore. The Tousàlli had slapped her away. She was certain her skull had cracked.

Miriam squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. Shifting her weight on the rock, she tried to get up but there was only oblivion waiting for her to lull her to sleep. She tried to stir from her position but-

Thump.

Miriam shifted her gaze. The beast was walking away.

She pushed against the rock and crawled.

Thump.

Aeric was moving away. She willed her legs to move faster. Thrashed and bellowed until she tasted blood in her mouth. Her legs felt leaden. She wanted to chop them off if only they would let her move-

Thump.

The beast was going inside the cave. It would rip him to shreds and then...

Then eat him.

Aeric would be gone. He would never return.

Her power pushed against her mind again. You need me, it told her, let me go.

She tried to reach out to Aeric with her hand but he was receding farther and farther from her view.

There was nothing she could do. She would be left alone in that dark cellar all her life and the wait for the daylight would be endless. There would be no one who would take her away. They would chain her and this time Aeric would not come, he would not hold her hand again, and she would never feel his thundering heart. She could see the dreams of their marriage going backwards until Aeric disappeared completely.