Chapter 70 - The Lion!

As the mirror shattered, the scene in front of me changed into a dark, gloomy forest.

The air was filled with the stench of rot and the strangled cries of animals in pain resounded piercingly.

Sticking out my tongue, I tasted decay, lying heavy, and I recoiled in disgust.

Making my breath shallow, I stood silently for a long time.

Well, I was silent.

My reflection within me? Not so much.

“Ah! Doesn’t it feel good to have such a pleasant breeze caress you? That smell! Marvelous! And those sounds... doesn’t it make you feel good inside?”

Grimly, I ignored it, and summoning my sword and dagger, I cautiously advanced into the malevolent forest.

Moving on, what little light there was had also faded as the towering canopies filled my vision.

I walked forth at a slow pace while keeping my guard up and examining my surroundings carefully.

Good thing too.

A flash of movement on my right side alerted me and, swinging in an arc, my dagger sliced across a being that screeched in pain and darted backward, leaving a trail of sizzling liquid that burned my exposed skin.

Hissing in pain, I looked dangerously at the being, a raccoon which was normal, except that it was black in most places and its one eye was completely dark.

Screeching at me, the raccoon jumped forward in attack again, and smoothly stepping forward. I watched its trajectory and swung the sword in an upward movement, neatly slicing its body apart in two pieces, which fell upon my body.

Jumping backward and cursing, I watched as yet another shirt of mine sadly bid goodbye to me as giant holes from the raccoon's blood began forming.

Looking at the sword, I swore again as I saw that the sword blade had also corroded significantly.

Now warier than before, I took a gander of the immediate local around me before I selected a tree and began climbing.

Hissing again in pain as each part of my exposed skin that came into contact with the dark tree began itching furiously, I climbed till the top and then standing; I looked across the distance to see only the black forest all around me and a single towering green tree at the center of the forest.

Shimmying down, I dusted myself off, wincing as I did so before I confirmed the direction the green tree was in, and then, with small steps, began advancing toward it.

I was ambushed a few more times in between and I had to keep changing my clothes until realizing it was futile; I removed my shirt and wrapped it around my hand, while I unsummoned my sword and used only the dagger - which wasn’t corroded by the foul blood for some reason.

I advanced further and further and then I froze as I heard footsteps. Many many footsteps.

Heart beating fast, I raised my dagger and glanced nervously around and then stiffened up as hundreds of eerie eyes began gleaming at me from the darkness.

The footsteps came closer, shuffling now that I could make it out more clearly, and I realized I was surrounded.

In an enclosed ring with myself at the center, I watched on as men and women, most completely black with jet black webbed eyes tinged with red, began chanting in a strange tongue.

Swallowing hard, I didn’t wait to find out, and instead I charged!

Straight at a tree.

Putting my dagger away, I climbed the tree as fast as I could, palms burning from the wood.

Behind me, I could hear angry roars sounding out and the earth shaking as the hundreds of monstrous men and women came running after me.

Gritting my teeth, I climbed till the top and then swearing to myself; I waited until a good proportion of the pursuers were but a grasp away from me on the tree, and then I took a running start on a branch that jutted out and jumped off it.

Hitting the ground hard, I rolled upright as pain flooded my body, and several bones cracked.

Luckily, my legs were still functional as I had taken most of the impact on my hands and shoulders, which were hanging limply by my side.

Looking up, I saw close to 20 of the monstrosities looking at me with delight in their eyes.

Shaking my head bitterly, I ran toward them, weaving in between them but taking glancing blows on my dangling arms which even now were healing.

One of them swiped at my face and I gasped as its nails...no, claws raked across my cheek - leaving a burning sensation as though it had set me on fire.

Clenching my right fist, which was operational now, I smashed the last monstrosity in my path in the chest.

Only to regret it a moment later as the monstrosity didn’t even flinch as I pushed it backward with the momentum of my running punch.

Face to face with it, I yelled out as I changed my fist into an open palm and pushed it away into a tree.

Then, summoning my dagger and clutching it in my right hand and raising my left hand to fend off any obstacles, I crashed my way through the undergrowth toward the green tree’s direction.

Fighting my way through straggled pockets of the monstrosities, I neared my objective, and just then, the black blood that had fallen on me during my charge seemed to trigger a reaction within me as my reflection began cackling in glee.

“So much hate. So much resentment. So much anger! Delicious! Delicious! Sooo Delicious!”

Then, against my will, my body began slowing down.

Eventually, I began losing control over my limbs, but the green tree was so close.

Tripping over a branch, I lay at the threshold of the area of the green tree while reddish-black tattoos wound over my body while my reflection laughed in manic satisfaction.

My thoughts were a mess as I watched the lurching monstrosities come near at a speed that I would not have believed them capable of.

Snapping off the low-hanging branches in their rush to get to me, they screamed and raved and I felt fear.

Then a black shadow passed over my head with a roar louder than I have ever heard before and it was amidst the monstrosities who fell with limbs dismembered in mere moments.

The shadow whirled around amidst the monstrosities, an untiring death-dealing machine.

Then it was all over.

And it turned to me and padded over with a snarl painted on its face and its body blacker than the blackest night I had seen.

I shivered uncontrollably as fear and the urge to subject myself to this true monster overcame me.

Then it stood in front of me, and a pained roar shook the forest.

Looking at me gently now, the lion with golden eyes and blackened body spoke. “This is not a place for you. Leave. Now.”

Stupefied, I reached out a hand, but the lion flinched away and retreated, growling.

Ashamed, I apologized and, standing; I looked dazed at the lion.

“Wh-?”

“Not now. The enemy comes. We must fight.”

Saying so, it turned, its mane bristling as more monstrosities came stumbling out of the dense foliage.

Then it charged and beside it, a Drayke roared as a sword and dagger were raised.

Blades and claws flashed and black blood fell on blackened bodies.

The slaughter lasted for much of the day or what passed for it as corpses piled up and then, the monstrosities left, terrified of the wrath of a lion and a Drayke.

Wounds covered me and the black reflection had occupied most of my body - scarcely anything remained that was normal of me.

But I stood tall as I gazed into the lion’s golden eyes. The lion, who too was completely black everywhere except for its eyes that glimmered majestically.

“Why?” I asked

The lion looked at me silently.

Starting again, I stammered out, “Why are you not as mad as they are? You... You’re-”

“Corrupted?” the lion said with a dangerous undertone.

Nodding, I continued, “Is that what it is? Corruption?”

Shaking its immense head, the lion began pacing around as it said, “That is the name I have given it. It tries its hardest to make me like those monsters. But it failed and it will never take me over.”

“Why?” I quickly asked.

The lion looked at me and in response raised its head to the heavens and let loose the most magnificent roar I have ever heard.

The trees bent back in fear, their leaves rustling in supplication, and the monstrosities remained hidden - terrified.

I watched awed as the lion inclined its head towards me and spoke,

“A lion’s pride.”

“A lion’s pride,” I whispered.

“I will die before I bend the knee to anyone.” The lion stated as it stood heroically, despite the corruption that had covered it entirely.

My blood suddenly afire. The reflection within screamed in agony as the blackness receded.

The tattoos began glowing like fire and I suddenly knew the reason I was in the abyss. I knew why I had gone through everything. I knew what I had to do.

Staring up at the sky, I roared. A lion had roared and now a Drayke shall roar.

And the world quaked as the trees fell down and sunlight surged, lighting the skies.

Tormented cries rang out and then disappeared as black smoke began rising and the lion gratefully looked at me as it began dissipating in the newly found sunlight.

Blinking my eyes slowly at the lion, I inclined my head and then turned toward a spot where nothing was there.

As the lion slowly vanished, I waited patiently until the air shimmered and a figure stepped out.

“I understand,” I said.

“So it seems. Now what? Do we fight?”

I gazed at the figure.

The figure gazed back at me.

Shaking my head, I whispered, “I need to leave.” and then hardening my gaze, I stabbed my completely ruined sword into the ground.

“I will leave.”

And everything came back full circle.