HPDBC Chapter 231: Vivid Inner Thoughts
Chapter 231: Vivid Inner Thoughts
Blood trickled from Jade's mouth, her eyes squinting through the agony, as the crystal before her began to blur into obscurity. A sensation akin to a ribbon being severed surged through her, sending her surroundings into a dizzying whirl.
Then, amidst the chaos, a figure emerged from the shadows—a creature enshrouded in a long, dark robe, wielding a scythe. For a fleeting moment, Jade's heart leaped; the figure bore a resemblance to Ty. But this semblance shattered as its eyes burst into white flames, reaching for her with intentions unknown.
Every instinct screamed in defiance, and with a force she hardly understood as her own, she jerked her wrist away, evading the creature's grasp.
As Jade recoiled, she found herself adrift, floating backward into an abyss where her body felt insubstantial, as if comprised of nothingness. The creature's voice, tinged with confusion, echoed through the void, "You... are dead... are you not?"
Her response was a defiant scream, her form disintegrating, dissolving into the ether, even as a golden aura enveloped her, casting an ethereal glow. The figure, clad in the dark robe and wielding the scythe, watched in astonishment, its previous intent halted by the spectacle before it. "You must come; it is time to move on," it insisted, its tone firm yet marked by an underlying shock.
But as it reached out, drawing Jade closer with a force that seemed to defy her ethereal state, it clasped its skeletal hands around her face. Inches from her, amidst the surreal encounter, she found the voice to ask, "Who are you?"
"I am the Angelic of Death," it declared, its presence imposing yet not malevolent. "I collect all souls and guide them to the next place."
As Jade felt herself diminishing, a fleeting thought of Ty sparked a defiant refusal to succumb. In a desperate attempt to resist, she focused her will against the skeletal hand enveloping her face. Miraculously, her touch turned the bone to acid, dissolving it into nothingness. The creature, embodying death itself, did not show pain but rather a profound confusion. "How..?
In a fluid motion, the creature extended its newly reformed skeletal hand, passing it through her chest. At that moment, a brilliant golden light enveloped them, illuminating the dark void they occupied.
"Of course, the closest person to Ty also possesses one of 'those,'" the Angelic observed with a tone of realization, as the light radiating from Jade's soul revealed a profound connection to Ty and perhaps, to the mysteries the universe held.
The transition from this otherworldly encounter back to reality was sudden. Jade's next breath was a gasp for air, her eyes snapping open to a scene drenched in violence but free from the immediate threat of death. She found herself surrounded by blood, the knives previously embedded in her flesh now removed.
The Director, with a solemnity that matched the gravity of the moment, withdrew the final blade from her chest, completing her return from the brink of death.
Collapsing to the ground, Jade felt the fabric of her outfit tightening, constricting her blood flow. Her once pristine white suit, accented with grey, transformed before her eyes, its color deepening to a crimson red as it began to absorb the surrounding blood. A vivid blood web emerged, intricately linking her directly to the crystal, a sight both mesmerizing and ominous.
The Director, in a swift motion that betrayed a hint of urgency, loosened his tie and sliced through the air. Jade, her consciousness waning, could only watch as the rest of the six figures surrounding them raised silver talismans.
Each talisman glowed with a different color, casting a kaleidoscope of light in the dimly lit chamber. The array of colors signified a different element or power.
As the light from the talismans intensified, Jade's vision began to dim, and the last bits of her awareness focused on the ritual's culmination.