Dark Faïz (Book 2) [Completed]

Chapters 6-1

I woke up, disoriented, in the midst of suffocating heat with, as far as the eye could see, a chaotic gray decor. The scorching, charcoal ground creaked under my bare feet. In the distance, dark trees, stripped of all foliage, seemed to have been ravaged by a recent fire, like all the still life that surrounded me. Ashes flew through the air, filling the space. I stopped at the edge of a gigantic chasm whose bottom seemed to reach the bowels of the Earth.

"You aren't dead yet," affirmed a strong voice on the other side of the blaze, thus answering the question that I asked myself.

A ghostly pale woman whose mouth was hidden by a white mask stood in front of me. Her terrifying blood-red eyes scrutinized me coldly. She was dressed all in black. Her long cape, resting on her shoulders, merged with her long, dark, and shiny hair.

"Kushisake," I whispered without believing it.

The woman tilted her head as if she had heard my words despite the distance between us. Suddenly, she disappeared from my field of vision to find herself the next second right by my side. Startled, I began to look around me. I absolutely have to find a way to get out of here. My eyes came to rest again on this woman whose eyes didn't blink.

"Where are we?"

"Where you wanted us to be. At the gates of hell."

"So, this sad landscape is the fruit of my imagination."

Kushisake came closer to me and gently took one of my locks of hair in her hand before adding, "don't get it twisted. This place does exist on this Earth. This chasm, located in the middle of the desert, contains a pocket of gas burnt by the flames. Do you want me to accompany you to the other side?"

The frightening and demonic voice of Kushisake seemed to pierce me.

"After all, dancing with the Devil could be fun."

"We want the stone," I retorted, trying to hide my panic as best I could. "The ruby you hold. If you give it to us, then my friends and I will leave without asking for anything more."

At that moment, I thought I detected in her scarlet look an amused gleam.

"You aren't able to demand anything. Nothing can save you, not even the stone."

Kushisake put her hands on her chest and then brought her face even closer. Her frozen breath brushed against my cheeks at that moment. An icy chill ran down my back.

"You think you are blessed by the Gods, but I read your soul, and it is cursed. Just like me, you bring death around you."

At that moment I felt her hands tighten around my throat. I tried to break free, but she tightened her grip a little more. It was impossible to push her away because she was much stronger than me. How to overcome death itself? She was the poison of this island. Xian's phrase about plants came back to me. My vision was gradually becoming blurred. I didn't have much time before I died. My hands began to search for the holster hanging from my belt. In one last effort, I grabbed the arrow firmly there so as not to drop it, despite the uncontrolled tremors of all my limbs.

I gathered my last strength and plunged the arrow into the neck of this demoness. She immediately released her grip on me in a howl of rage and withdrew, the arrow stuck in her. Her eyes, filled with fury, made me understand that she was preparing to pounce on me. Believing that my last hour had arrived, I backed away slowly, praying for a miracle to happen. Suddenly, I felt hands grip me from behind to tear myself away from this hell and bring me back to reality, which is to say, at the bottom of the water, my ankle still prisoner.

Realizing this second chance I was given, I started swimming down to find something that could help me cut the seaweed that was holding me captive. My hand was quickly groping the floor when I grabbed a large pebble after a few seconds. I knocked with all my might on the root of the plant, which didn't resist and instantly released my ankle. I immediately started swimming upwards as quickly as possible and filling my lungs with air once the surface was reached.

My eyes immediately went in search of Faïz. A vision of horror appeared to me at that moment. His body lay on the ground. Zerkô, near him, was holding something in his hand that I couldn't make out. Had he lost consciousness? I dared not imagine the worst. The only thing I was sure of was that I had to act quickly. I swam towards the shore. Zerkô, a few meters from me, noticed my presence as I came out of the water, flickering and breathing heavily.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" I growled in a threatening voice.

Zerkô, who looked back and forth between the water and me, seemed to doubt the situation.

"How...how is it possible? No one can escape!"

"I'm not the others!"

I tore off the gravity bracelet from my wrist before Zerkô jumped on me, then started running with all my strength towards my bag which was still at the base of the boat. My body no longer weighed anything. The speed at which I moved was impressive. Unbalanced by the lack of training, I still managed to get ahead of the man, weapon in hand. I skidded on my knees until I reached my bag. Without looking behind me, I grabbed the distress pistol inside and then turned to face the one who'd betrayed us. Determined, I unlocked the weapon and then squeezed the trigger, delivering a flare of red, illuminating light that lodged in Zerkô's body. He instantly ignited, turning into a human torch. His atrocious cries echoed all through the cave.

Faïz! Without waiting, I got back on my feet, taking the blade, which had fallen from Zerkô's hands a few moments earlier, and started to walk with great difficulty. My head was pounding, and as the adrenaline faded, my emotions took over.