Death's Gambit
ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ
-The night drowned in the darkness, the rain pouring down like a thousand cold needles-
Sera stumbles through the twisting alleyways, while clutching her side. The Blood sweeps between her fingers, warm against the chilling rain...🩸
Sera
"I...Have...to keep...moving..." *She said to herself in shaky voice, panting..trying catch her breath*
Her breath rasps, Her vision had started to get blurry...
-The flickering lanterns of the market were a blur behind her-
Pursuer
*Shouts from a distance* "There! She went that way! Don't let her escape!"
Sera
*She was desperate* "They won't stop...Not until..."
She trips, her knees slamming against the wet cobblestone...The taste of blood fills her mouth 🩸
Her strength started to fade
Another pursuer
*He starts to move closer to Sera* "Make it quick. The Lord wants this wrapped up"
Sera
*Her eyes widens as she sees a familiar figure approaching from the distance*
"Cassian...H-how could you...?" *She whispered with a trembling voice*
A cruel, dark laugh echoed...Cassian's voice, Rich and smooth...The voice that Sera had once loved.
Cassian
*He spoke, his voice cold and sharp as a knife cutting through the rain as he looked down on her* "Oh, Sera...Stop making this harder than it has to be. You knew too much"
Sera
*She replied gasping* "Too much? Cassian...I-I trusted you...I loved you!"
Cassian
*He sighed, almost bored* "Love? don't be dramatic. It was just convenience. Nothing personal, Sera. Just business"
-The cold rain fell harder-
Her fingers twitched against the rough, rain-slick stones..
Sera
"I won't...forgive you..." *She spoke, her voice barely a whisper*
ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀᴅᴀʀᴋ
~ Yet Darkness is not the End ~
A soft, icy wind brushes against her face.
-No rain. No stone beneath. Only emptiness-
Sera
"W-where...am I?" *Her voice trembled*
-Mist swirls around her, pale and ghostly, rising like wraiths-
-A void stretched endlessly, a silver light glowed without a source-
-Whispers could be heard in the distance...laughter, sobbing, desperate pleas-
Mors - Death
"Welcome to Everdark, Sera"
-A figure takes shape before her, Tall, cloaked in shadow, his eyes twin silver flames-
His voice both a whisper and a thunderclap, it was ancient and sorrowful
Sera
*Panic rose inside her* "No...no, no, this isn't right. I was...I was in the alley...Cassian...He..."
Mors - Death
*Death spoke, patient but firm* "You were dying. Left to bleed. Forgotten. Due to the choice you made, Trusting the wrong person"
Sera
"No! It wasn't my fault..He..He said he loved me.." *She stumbled back, her eyes widened* "S-stay back! what...what are you? Where is this?"
Mors - Death
*Death spoke, his voice calm and patient* "I am Death. Mors, to those who once feared me. But you, Sera, are far from your end"
Sera
*She shook her head, her voice cracking* "No...no, this can't be real. I'm...I'm just...dreaming, right?"
Mors - Death
*Death was almost sympathetic* "Denial is common. But you know the truth. You felt the pain, the cold...the betrayal"
-The mist thickens, cold and whispering, twisting around her legs-
Her breath comes faster, panic tightening her chest.
Sera
"I...I don't...I didn't deserve this. I didn't..I didn't do anything wrong!" *Her voice breaking*
Mors - Death
*He spoke steadily* "Perhaps. But the world does not spare the innocent. Only the strong"
Her vision blurs with tears, memories of Cassian's cold gaze burning into her mind.
Sera
"I just...I just wanted...Why?"
Mors - Death
"Your soul stands at this crossroad. And yet I can offer you a choice, a Chance"
Mors - Death
"Vengeance. A life once more, but at a cost"
Mors - Death
"A choice for your soul for a chance to return, To change everything...or to fall again."
Sera
"Change...But...No, no...What do you mean, my soul? What's the cost?" *She asked trembling* "What..what do you want from me?"
Mors - Death
"I can offer you life again. But not as you were, A life bound by a curse" *He watched her closely*
Mors - Death
"You get Power for a price and A chance to make him pay"
-The mist swirls faster, the cold seeping into her bones-
She was drowning in fear, in pain, in anger
Sera
*She whispered* "A curse...?"
Mors - Death
"To live, you must take a life. Every seven days, The shadows of death will come for you. But if you kill, you steal that life for yourself...for your dying soul"
Sera
*Her eyes widened with horror, disgust- but beneath it lie something else* "I have to...kill? to stay alive?"
Mors - Death
"Yes. And with each death, you soul will wither. But refuse...and the darkness will claim you"
Sera
"That's...that's...That's horrible" *She struggled to form a sentence*
Mors - Death
"Horrible, yes. But vengeance, Sera, comes with a cost"
-Silence stretches, broken only by distant whispers-
Sera
*She clenches her fist, her breath shaking..* "I...I'll do it. Whatever it taken...Cassian...He has to pay"
Mors - Death
*His silver eyes narrowed* "So be it. Remember- your life is a depth, paid in blood"
-A cold wind surges, the mist swirling violently around Sera-
Her body burns, her vision blurs
The whispers become a cacophony, clawing at her mind
The scent of damp stone and dust
She lies on a hard straw mattress, Dressed in a rough maid's uniform
The dull light of a cramped servant's quarters
Her hands...pale, thin, unfamiliar
A small, cracked mirror reflected a stranger's face...
？？？
*She speaks, only for a weak frantic voice to come out* "This...this...isn't...my body..."
ᴀ ʙᴏᴅʏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ
-In a small, cramped servant's room-
-The smell of damp wood and dust hung heavy in the air-
- The flickering candle light barely pushed back the shadows-
-Through the thin door, faint voices and footsteps echoed from the busy palace halls-
Anya (Sera)
"...Where...am I? This...can't be real..?" *She was confused..* "Ugh..my head hurts..." *She weakly groaned holding her head*
She lifts her hands, pale and trembling, she looked at her reflection in the cracked mirror which was of a strangers - thin pale cheeks, dull eyes and ragged clothing fit for a Lowly servant...
Anya (Sera)
*Her heart pounded in her chest, cold sweat dampening her forehead* "No... No, this isn't me. This isn't... This can't be happening"
Mors - Death
You are awake. That much is true but awake in a life...not your own" *He spoke in a cold distant voice*
-The voice echoed, a deep whisper, somehow both near and far-
Anya (Sera)
Her eyes darted around, panic bubbling under her skin* "Who...who are you? where are you?" *She asked frantically*
Mors - Death
"I'm Death. Mors. We spoke before, though your memory may be...scattered"
-His words flooded back, fragments of darkness, the cold mist, his offer.. vengeance for price-
Anya (Sera)
*Her fingers dig into the rough fabric of the dress she now wore* "This- this isn't...vengeance! This is a nightmare! I was...I was in that alley. I was dying. Cassian...He...He.."
Mors - Death
"Betrayed you. Left you for the dead. And you chose to return. This body, this life...it is your second chance"
Anya (Sera)
*Her heart races. She Stares at the thin, sickly face in the mirror- not her face. Someone else. Someone forgotten. But Cassian's face is clear in her mind. His cold eyes*
Anya (Sera)
"Second chance? In this...this weak, worthless body? How am I supposed to do anything?" *Her voice cracked* "How am I supposed to make him suffer?"
Mors - Death
"Survival, Vengeance. Both demand Strength, Sera. And you have none, Not yet"
Anya (Sera)
*Her breath hitches. Cold fear settles in her stomach, twisting..* "Please... Can't I just..Can't I go back? Stop him? Make him regret it..?" *She pleaded with a breaking voice*
Mors - Death
*He firmly replied* "Time cannot be rewritten, Only the future can be shaped"
Mors - Death
"But you know this, You cling to this life by a thread. Seven days. That is all you have unless you take another's life to extend it"
Anya (Sera)
*Her blood runs cold* (Seven days. Survive...by killing?) "No...No, you're lying. This can't... This can't be real" *She was horrified*
Mors - Death
"Denial is a comfort you cannot afford. Each life you steal will stain your soul. Each death...will change you"
Anya (Sera)
*Her gaze falls to her trembling hands. Weak, unfamiliar, but alive. Alive when she should be dead. But in her mind, Cassian's face lingered, his betrayal, his cruel words..*
Anya (Sera)
" I didn't...I didn't want this...I just...I just wanted him to pay" *Her voice shaking*
Mors - Death
"Then survive, Sera. Learn. Fight. Or fall, and let this life be your Grave"
-The cold fades, the room felt real again... the muffled voices beyond the door, the creaking of the old wood, the dim candlelight flickering-
Anya (Sera)
"Cassian...I won't forgive you.. I won't forget" *She whispered, promising herself with venom in her voice*
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