AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
The sensation of freedom, even for a fleeting moment, was invigorating.
My limbs, which had grown stiff and numb from lying on the hard slab, suddenly sprang to life.
The bonds that held me fell away like sand through fingers.
With the weight of captivity lifted, a surge of adrenaline coursed through me.
My heart thudded in my chest, a staccato rhythm urging me to action.
As if driven by some primal instinct, I lunged forward, targeting the nearest Balance.
My fist aimed squarely for the center of its mask, driven by a cocktail of anger, desperation, and fear.
But the moment my fist made contact, regret washed over me.
The mask felt as hard as reinforced steel, unyielding and cold.
Pain ricocheted through my hand, up my arm, and straight into my shoulder.
A sharp gasp escaped my lips.
My fingers screamed in agony, as though I’d punched a wall of solid concrete.
Before I could fully recover from the shock of my own recklessness, two of the Balance creatures reached for me.
Their touch was surprisingly cold, with a texture that reminded me of smooth, polished marble.
The scent of ancient ozone, like a storm brewing over millennia, wafted from them.
The aroma was so intense that it threatened to overpower me.
Each creature held one of my arms.
Their strength was astounding, pinning me effortlessly between them.
Any attempt at wriggling or resisting was futile; they might as well have been mountains for all the budge I could elicit from them.
A humbling reminder of just how outmatched I was.
“Let her go!” Thillak’s voice cut through the heavy atmosphere like a razor, filled with raw anger and desperation.
But his words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the Balance remained focused solely on their purpose.
Dread coiled in my stomach, twisting and tightening as I recalled the sensation of having my life force siphoned away.
It was an experience that haunted my nightmares — a feeling of emptiness, of being drained and reduced to nothingness.
It was as if every memory, every emotion, every essence of who I was, was being pulled away, leaving behind a hollow shell.
The creatures moved methodically, with a cold precision that left no room for resistance or escape.
I was turned around to face the vortex, the very core of my being instinctively recoiling from it.
The vibrant swirl of colors seemed more menacing now, like a stormy sea waiting to swallow me whole.
Suspended in their firm grip, I dangled precariously over the edge.
