CHAPTER 125: VEIL OF DARKNESS

Her cheek pressed against the cold stone, Dila’s breath came in ragged gasps. For a moment she was gone to the dark.... but the sting of pain burned too deep. Her eyes trembled open, vision blurred, wet with tears.

A soft whimper broke out of her chest, growing into a weak sob. "Whaaaaaa...." Her body wouldn’t respond, her limbs heavy and useless. She tried to move, but only a faint twitch came from her fingers. The rest of her was paralyzed in aching fear.

Above her, the shadow shifted. A distorted laugh tore through the silence, the sound broken and twisted like steel grinding against bone.

"Hahahahahaha.... Albedo’s daughter.... is mine now."

Dila’s tears spilled faster, streaking down her cheeks as she shook her head weakly against the floor.

"Mine to eat.... her high-class body.... the fuel for my power.... hahahahahaha!" The voice dripped with madness, echoing off the rocky walls like a nightmare given form.

"Whaaaa...." Dila’s sob cracked her throat raw as she struggled to speak. "I.... I thought you were a guard.... in the castle...."

Her words were fragile, like a child lost, her voice trembling in disbelief. The only answer was another harsh, mocking laugh, the sound vibrating the very ground beneath her.

The creature’s red eyes gleamed brighter, leaning closer, its claws scraping stone as it claimed her helplessness as its prize.

The claw closed around her head, rough and cold, the sharp tips pressing into the tender flesh just beside her ears. Dila’s body jerked as a frail, pained cry broke out of her throat.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh...." Her voice cracked, the sound thin and trembling. She couldn’t even raise her arms to fight it off.... her body was too weak, drained of strength, trembling with helplessness. Her legs dangled uselessly in the air as the monster lifted her higher, her silver hair falling over its jagged fingers like strands of silk.

Her tears slipped down across its claw as her lips quivered in broken sobs. Her head wobbled against the crushing hold, her neck burning as the pressure forced her face side to side.

A low, guttural rumble came from the entity’s throat, vibrating like a predator savoring its prey. Its distorted voice slid out slowly, almost playfully.

"Hmmm.... how should I eat her....?"

The words dripped like venom into her ears, every syllable chilling her blood. Its crimson eyes narrowed, studying her like a piece of flesh on a butcher’s board.

Dila whimpered softly, her tears falling faster. Her lips parted with a weak cry. "P.... please.... no...."

But her begging only seemed to amuse it, the grip tightening ever so slightly as its cruel chuckle rumbled through the darkness.

Dila’s sobs broke into desperate, quivering words, her voice shaking as much as her body.

"Anyone.... please.... help.... Father.... Fran.... Nari.... anyone...." Her cry was weak, broken, barely even a whisper, yet it carried her last thread of hope. Tears spilled from her eyes, streaming down her pale cheeks, glistening faintly even in the pitch-black.

But no answer came. No warm voice. No hand reaching for her. Nothing. Only the suffocating silence of the void surrounding her.... until it was shattered by the entity’s laughter.

"Hahahahahaha.... no one will save you now...." Its distorted voice cracked the air, cruel and mocking, the vibration making her heart pound harder. "You are trapped.... forever.... in the veil of darkness."

Her eyes widened, the shock hitting her chest like a knife. Even though it was utterly dark, the entity seemed to see every flicker of terror on her face. Its glowing crimson gaze locked onto her trembling expression, feeding off it.

"Hahahaha...." The sound warped and echoed in the emptiness, grinding against her ears. "Your reactions.... are priceless."

Her lips quivered, her breath broken by sobs as her body remained limp in its claws, her fear displayed openly.... and mercilessly devoured by the thing looming over her.

The entity’s distorted voice slithered through the suffocating dark, its words dripping with malice.

"Hmmm.... I think I should eat you from the inside.... perhaps your intestines first."

Dila’s breath hitched, her lips trembling as the sound of her own broken voice answered. "N.... no.... no.... please...." She shook her head weakly, tears spilling fresh. Her chest heaved, but her strength was fading with every sob. "No.... I have no more magical power.... any barrier.... it’s gone...."

Her words dissolved into whimpers, her body trembling in the monster’s grasp. The entity’s laughter rolled out like a cruel storm. "Hahahahaha...."

From its grotesque form, a slick tentacle unfurled, glistening with something foul. It lowered, twitching with eagerness, then struck.

The pointed tip jabbed straight into her stomach.

Dila’s eyes snapped wide, her pupils shrinking as the sharp pressure burrowed past her skin, tearing through fragile flesh inch by inch. The sensation was unbearable.... raw fire crawling inside her body.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhh!" Her scream ripped out, echoing in the void, her voice breaking under the weight of agony. Her small hands shot down instinctively, clutching at the writhing tentacle to stop it from driving deeper. But her grip was feeble.... slipping against its slick, wriggling surface.

Still, she tried, her nails scratching desperately as it pressed deeper into her stomach. Her cries grew hoarse. "N.... no.... nooo.... ahhhh...."

The entity only leaned closer, its voice booming with unholy delight. "Hahahahahaha.... hahahahahaha...."

Its cruel laughter wrapped around her screams, drowning them, as though her pain was nothing more than entertainment.

The tentacle kept driving deeper, forcing through torn flesh as if savoring the resistance. Dila’s throat seized, and she vomited blood that dribbled down her chin in thick, hot streams. Her small frame convulsed violently, her body shuddering against the monster’s grip.

Hopelessness crushed her chest, suffocating her, yet her hands refused to let go. Her trembling fingers clawed at the slick surface, nails cracking, splitting, then tearing away completely. Every scratch shredded her own fingertips into raw, bloody stubs, but still she clung.... tightening with what little life remained.

Her eyes began to blur, pupils dilating until they swallowed nearly all the blue of her irises. Her lips quivered, opening and closing soundlessly, no voice left to scream.

"Yessss.... that’s it.... just die, girl," the entity rumbled, savoring every second, its laughter low and venomous.

Her broken body twitched uncontrollably, swaying in jerks with each spasm. She could no longer fight.... only endure. Inside her mind, as the world slowed to a suffocating crawl, thoughts surfaced with piercing clarity.

Regret.

Regret that she had lived so quietly, never daring to step beyond the walls of her own fear. Regret that happiness well never touched her heart again the way she had longed for. Regret that she would leave the world unseen.... unresolved.... her story unfinished.

Her vision dimmed at the edges, bleeding into darkness.

As her body trembled one last time, Dila felt the weight of her life slipping away.... the fading warmth of a soul that had never been allowed to shine.

Suddenly...

The crushing agony in her chest seemed to vanish all at once when the claw gripping her head shattered into fragments. The tentacle piercing her stomach was severed in the same instant, spraying ichor into the dark void. A blinding flash tore through the suffocating maze as the distorted voice of the entity shrieked in fury, its cries echoing like broken glass against her ears. Before she could even draw breath, Dila felt her frail body ripped from the monster’s grasp.... pulled violently through the maze dark area that casted with veil of darkness.

The next moment, the heavy downpour crashed against her skin. The suffocating walls of the maze were gone, replaced by the cool night air and the sprawling garden of the castle, blurred beneath the torrent of rain. Her body slumped, soaked and trembling, yet held firm.

Her waist was wrapped in the grip of one arm, firm and steady, pulling her tightly against the warmth of another. As she tilted her head a little, a figure stood breathing heavily, shoulders rising and falling in fierce rhythm. His right hand clutched a jagged dark dagger, its blade dripping with fresh blood that ran down into the mud at his feet.

Dila blinked, her pale face lifted weakly, the rain mingling with the blood at her lips. Her vision swam.... but then it cleared enough to see the shadowed face above her. The mask she had seen before. The sharp eyes burning beneath it.

"Z.... Zeon..." her lips barely formed the word, trembling.

Zeon clenched his teeth, his jaw tight with rage and exhaustion. His grip on the dagger only tightened, knuckles paling as the crimson rivulets trailed down. The storm raged around them, thunder splitting the sky, but in that moment all Dila could see was him.... drenched, breathing hard, standing like a wall.

Her eyes widened, her heart both relieved and breaking with weakness. She could hardly draw breath, yet still her thoughts whispered.... he came...

Zeon staggered as he lay Dila down in the castle garden, the rain pounding over both of them. His chest heaved, each breath dragging against the wound in his stomach. The bandages were soaked, half-blood, half-rain, and he winced as the old pain flared.

But when his eyes fell on Dila, his fear struck deeper than any wound.

Her face was swollen where the entity’s claw had gripped her. Her silver-white hair clung wet and heavy to her skin. Her dress was torn, dirtied, and streaked with blood. Scratches marked her arms and legs, her nails broken down to raw flesh including her stomach is like has been pounce a circle hole but not too deep blood dripping. She was trembling, barely able to hold her own body.

Zeon froze. His dagger dripped fresh crimson onto the mud, but his hand shook not from battle.... from horror.

"Dila...." his voice cracked, softer than the storm, "what did it do to you?"

Her lips quivered, but no words came. Only shallow breaths, her pale face trembling as if she still felt the phantom grip on her skull.

Zeon clenched his teeth, fury and grief crashing through him together. He dropped the dagger, carrying her gently with both hands, terrified to even touch her in case she shattered.

"You’re safe now," he whispered, though his voice betrayed his fear. "You’re safe.... I swear it."

But dila has truly block out body limps.