Mark's feet hung in the air.
Held from the chest down, his arms were extended in front of him.
'The eye. It's different than the one last time but... Are you that Dungeon Master?'
Kekekek-
Laughter echoed.
Despite the situation, Mark tried to stay as calm as possible.
'Can't do a thing. I don't feel tired. My wounds from earlier are gone...'
Mark brought his right hand to his left arm.
He extended a finger.
Pierce-
'Hm.' Mark nodded to himself.
A drop of blood went down his arm.
'Can't feel pain. Oh. The wound is already gone. So I wasn't teleported or anything. This is a dream. Or... Something... Like a dream.'
The rows of fangs moved.
'I'm still out there. I can't remember that I collapsed on the ground or anything. I just... Gradually...'
Kekekek-
Mark raised his gaze to the golden eye staring at him.
His anxiousness was tangible.
In front of the golden eye, he felt seen through. Naked.
Adding to the fact that Mark was convinced that the "Being" facing him could hear his thoughts,
'Can't feel pain. So fear is the only issue here. Just like... In a nightmare...'
Mark's gaze went from the golden eye, to the rows of fangs, to the dark hand holding him successively.
'I'm out there... I'm still out there, aren't I?' Mark asked telepathically as he directed his gaze towards the golden eye once more.
Connecting with its gaze felt extremely uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, Mark looked for it for an answer.
'So? Is my body currently passed out in the middle of those Elves, or-'
The darkness shook.
[My Lord...]
A distant voice barely made it to Mark.
[MY LORD!]
'Levi...?'
Mark closed his eyes.
'If he's calling out to me, then I'm definitely still out there. Could be part of the nightmare though... Could also be some kind of barrier I was trapped into? Hm. One thing's for sure, he's out there. And-'
The image of his Underling being pierced by dozens of arrows suddenly came to mind.
Mark opened his eyes.
'Let me out.' He commanded, his eyes burning.
The golden eye widened, seemingly surprised by the tone.
'Even before I passed out, I'd blink and find myself a couple of steps away from where I previously had been. Didn't even realize it at the time. That's how powerful that Skill is, huh? Must've been the same for the Corrupted Dark Elf Berserker.'
At the thought, the rows of fangs suddenly started clanging. Repeatedly.
They seemed to get closer to Mark. Or larger.
The fangs clashed with one another, sending bright sparks into the darkness.
Mark took a deep breath.
'I'm not scared. You can't hurt me, can you? I'm puzzled, since you're a mystery. But that's as far as it'll go. '
He stared sternly.
'I have no clue what the fuck you're supposed to be but, right now, I don't have time to waste.'
The golden eye's gaze changed.
The rows of fangs stopped moving.
'Let me out, now.'
Mark's tone seemed to please the rows of fangs.
The intensity in his eyes seemed to amuse the golden eye.
'Good...'
Quietly, the rows of fangs faded back into the darkness they were born in.
Gradually, but also suddenly.
'Now-'
The golden eye had started disappearing too, but the next instant,
Squeeze-
The third entity seemed to have a mind of its own.
'What's-'
Squeezed much harder than earlier, Mark's body tightened.
His heartbeat increased.
Acting fearless was one thing.
But truly being without fear, another.
'I said...'
Mark raised his arms up.
'LET ME OUT!'
He slammed those arms upon the hand of darkness with all his strength.
The gigantic hand retaliated by tightening its grip even further.
pαпdα-ňᴏνêι·сóМ An opening.
Fear.
Sensing Mark's fear, the golden eye opened wide.
A blinding light was exuded. Like a sun shining brightly up above.
Mark couldn't help but raise his hand to protect his eyes from the glow.
'What now...?!'
The particles of light traveled through the darkness.
None can say for sure how long or short the distance they covered was.
The grip on Mark's body tightened.
He bathed in the golden eye's glow.
And as soon as that light touched the hand he was protecting his eyes with,
Crack-
The sturdy white scales that covered his hand broke.
As if disintegrating, the scales started peeling off his body.
'What is...? No...!'
They slowly left his body and floated into the darkness, before disappearing.
'No. No. No. No. Wait... Wait!'
It didn't take long for more than his scales to disappear.
Mark slammed his arms on the hand of darkness.
But they didn't hold as much power anymore.
They weren't as heavy nor as strong as earlier.
Frail and weak.
His arms were a Human's.
"No... Wait... I don't..."
Mark stared at the weak arms extended in front of him.
They were his.
Or used to be his?
Despair, disgust, and uncertainty mixed.
Mark's monstrous body was no more.
And neither was his strength.
Repeatedly, Mark slammed his arms on the darkness holding him hostage.
The next second, the grip tightened even further and,
Crack-
"Did it just-"
And his body was let go of.
As if Mark had only been hovering centimeters off the ground, his body hit the invisible floor right away.
Lying on the ground, powerless, defenseless.
"Fuck. FUCK!" Mark shouted.
He hadn't realized it, but words had been coming out of his mouth.
Mark immediately raised his back off the ground and sat up.
"Huh...?"
He tried standing up.
He tried moving his legs.
"What...?"
Mark directed his gaze to those legs.
Different from the muscular ones he previously had.
Frail? No.
Frail didn't even come close to describing how fragile they were.
"Move."
Legs even more feeble than his skinny arms.
"Move. Move. MOVE!" Mark shouted the orders over and over again as he tried moving those legs.
He clenched his fists and slammed them down his unmoving quadriceps muscles.
"Move dammit. MOVE!"
Mark's hands started shaking.
His breathing, unstable.
"What am I supposed to..."
Darkness filled his pupils.
That's when something returned.
"Wait..."
Mark's heart sank.
"Wait. Wait. Wait! No..."
More than an impression.
"No. No. No..."
Less than a memory.
"NO!"
A familiar feeling.
The feeling of being unable to use one's legs.
"No... Not... Not now... Not after... I've finally...!"
A feeling Mark had been familiar with in a past life.
He clenched his fists and teeth.
A harrowing cry traveled through the infinite darkness.
Mark screamed, and so did the Monster.
***
ROARR-
The Monster slammed its fists, breaking the ground below.
The next second, fourteen Timeworn Elven Daggers were, at once, thrown in its direction.
The Monster lowered its body and grabbed a huge chunk of the earth below.
Swallow-
Clank-
Clank-
A wall of sturdy rocks had exited the ground and protected the Monster from the incoming weapons.
"Earth Manipulation?" The Fire Spirit wondered.
With a punch, the protective wall was brought down by the protected.
The unarmed Corrupted Dark Elves extended their arms forward.
But the Monster grabbed hold of four weapons before their owners could take them back.
With four Timeworn Elven Daggers in its right hand, the Monster raised its arm.
The weapons dangled above it for a bit, before,
Swallow-
Cough-
It coughed up small amounts of blood.
Consuming the weapons must have been painful, but the Monster couldn't look more pleased.
The next second, four limbs similar to spider legs exited its lower back.
Dark purple in color.
Sharp.
Truly, as sharp as Daggers.
As Timeworn Elven Daggers.
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