Reincarnated into a Snow Griffin-Chapter 123

"This is... traces from the first wave." The fox, silent so far as if afraid of attracting attention to himself in this place, speaks to us as we horrifying stare at what fills the room we have stepped in.

"This is... what is this? Is organic?" Ethan says as we take a closer look while approaching the thing, the black mass covering the floor, walls and ceiling, crawling its way up and around, and while narrowing my eyes I see that it is actually... pulsating, like a vein without a skin, black and goopy, exposed roots oozing venom...

"First wave?" I ask as I step closer, unsure of what I was looking at exactly even with my owl vision.

"Yes... it did not start off like this, not at first at least... it was very subtle, when no new life germinated..." I do not understand what he means at first but have a really good idea next as I make sense of what is in front of us, beyond all the pulsating blob.

Eerie quietness follows after the fox’s words but it’s soon overcome by a sudden chaotic burst as the damp rotting wood put together by the pulsating mass proves to be a poor source of protection against any attacks from outside but even less when it happens both in and outside at the same time.

In a split second everything happens at once.

Even though I noticed something strange and take a step back from the mass it is not enough to take me out of danger as the goop reacts to our presence in the room, or it’s the hive mind in action, the fact is the next moment a red orange light shines underneath the outlines the blobs of now transparent flesh, looking as if made of very thin skin, but worst of all is the moment I understand the fox’s words, the moment something looking like a fetus silhouette wiggles against the light, reacting to it, moving about as many other blobs shine and show off the same belly with fetus aspect that this one, but before I can recover from the shock it suddenly bursts out and from within a putrid smelling cloud erupts alongside a flowing yellow goopy liquid.

But the issue it’s not the liquid as we manage to dodge it even with our hands entertained but the gassy mist that comes with it, traveling faster than any could fathom to mimic, carried by the wind, hitting us square in the face before we could blink twice.

Worst of it is, as we fall to the ground from its effects that quickly paralyze us the side of the building is hit by a great force, and as the debris falls in slow motion in pace with my own fall, the warped whale face comes to view, its crooked façade even more eerie with the veil of dizziness as its uneven teeth show themselves with the glooming darkness.

And I can feel with horrifying clearness when Ethan’s fingers loosen up from mine, brushing mine until our hands disconnect.

"E-Ethan..." I try to shout but the words rasp harshly against my throat as my vision blurs, the whale gone and taking Ethan with it, taking him into the embracing arms of this crushing mist, plunging him into the depths of this force, its hungry abyss master with a new victim to feed upon.

I gasp and cough, caught between screaming and choking out, not completely hitting the ground, holding up before my head hits the floor, with shaking hands I try to pull my body back up, the lack of his warm hand on mine as dreadful as the memories of the icy cold and deadly force grip of the fog become quite vivid in my mind, now at full power against his unprotected body.

I... I have to move, move, body move, now!

And yet I am forced to wait unnerving seconds as the effect of the strange substances starts fading, I have to wait as a raging storm is brewing inside me without being able to act up, seconds of him at the mercy of this force, at the mercy of the countless brainless monsters around us, seconds that added to his death sentence. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

I do not wait to act up, the moment my hands are able to open and close once more I am already dragging myself forward, the moment the muscles on my arms spam I’m crawling towards the edge, the moment I can stand I’m wobbling my way over the opening on the wall, all too slow, any time taking is already too much for him to bear.

For an excruciating second, however, as I look down and around all is empty and silent, the fog rolling like sea wave, down and around me.

"Sharp Eyes." I say, no time to hold my magic back, and with a crawling sensation feel the energy flow to my eyes, and the next second the world opens in front of me, all clear and visible even with the fog still clinging to the air.

And there I see, the black silhouette of the whale, floating about with its huge fins as it moved around the ball of fog again, almost as if chained to it.

I do not think twice before jumping off, and I do not hesitate on risking my life, of going all out, when I start falling to face such a massive beast in a hostile place.

There had been only another situation in the past where I had the same disadvantage, and the one that I had the same burning feeling inside me, but this one would not end up with me losing a loved one, not this time, not anymore, not ever.

This is what I trained so hard for, to protect those I loved.

"Blizzard!" I say when I feel the pull of the fog already trying to change my flying curse, but the lack of the draining sensation I feel next has nothing to do with the fox around my neck but comes from the massive area attack that I launch down, engulfing the area we are at and dissipating the fog with an icy coat of white snow, thankfully easy to make since all the water had been pulled towards here, at the center.

But no matter, I will make it work, and I will fight it out, seconds counting until the Abyss power absorbed all my magic blocking it.

And I have only that ticking moment to save Ethan before is too late.