The Eyes Of Death Chronicles: Young Masters

Chapter Two: Human

Adebisi stood at the entrance of the forbidden shrine, her heart pounding louder than the whispers of the wind that surrounded her. The shrine of Azarailus, the god of death, was a desolate place of stone and shadow.

Vines twisted around its jagged walls, their thorny embrace a warning to all who dared approach. But Adebisi didn't care. She was desperate, and desperation had led her here.

She had lost everything-her family, her kingdom, her people. Stripped of her throne and left with nothing but despair, she saw no other choice. If the stories were true, Azarailus granted unimaginable power to those bold-or broken-enough to seek him out. And Adebisi, now a shadow of the queen she once was, sought not just power but vengeance.

The air inside the shrine was heavy, thick with the stench of death and decay. Bones, human and animal alike, littered the floor. The faint flicker of crimson light from an altar deep within cast grotesque shadows that seemed to watch her every move. She walked forward, each step echoing in the oppressive silence.

Collapsing to her knees before the altar, she began to plead. Her voice cracked as she begged Azarailus to hear her.

"Azarailus, god of death, I seek your power. Grant me the strength to reclaim what was taken from me. I will pay any price."

Her words faded into the silence. She waited. Minutes turned to hours, and the sun outside dipped below the horizon, plunging the shrine into an eerie darkness. Adebisi refused to leave. Her voice, hoarse from hours of pleading, carried through the night. She screamed, sobbed, and whispered until exhaustion silenced her.

It was in the stillness of the early hours, when her hope had nearly faded, that the air around her shifted. The temperature plummeted, and a presence filled the room.

"So, you seek me," a voice, deep and resonant, echoed through the shrine. It was neither human nor entirely otherworldly.

Adebisi's eyes widened as a figure materialized before her. Azarailus was a towering, shadowy form with glowing crimson eyes that pierced through the darkness. His presence was suffocating, his gaze filled with an ancient, terrifying wisdom.

"Do you know what it is you ask, mortal?" Azarailus's voice boomed, shaking the ground beneath her.

"Power comes with a price-a price many are unwilling to pay."

Adebisi swallowed her fear and met his gaze. "I have nothing left to lose. Name your price, and I will pay it."

Azarailus chuckled, a sound like grinding bones. "Very well. I will give you my eyes-Oju Iku, the Eyes of Death-and all the powers they hold.

But to wield them, you must become heartless. Ice cold. You must shatter your very soul by committing the ultimate sacrifice. You must kill the one you love most."

The words struck her like a blade. She froze, her mind racing. Kill the one she loved most? Her daughter's face flashed before her eyes-innocent, trusting, and full of life.

Azarailus continued, his tone mocking her hesitation. "Three days. That is all you have to decide. Return to me then, or leave my shrine and never return."

The figure dissolved into shadows, leaving Adebisi alone in the suffocating silence of the shrine. She knelt there, trembling. Her heart felt as though it would tear itself apart. The daughter she had fought so hard to protect, the last piece of her shattered world-could she do it?

For the first time, Adebisi felt the true weight of her desperation.

She stumbled out of the shrine as dawn broke. The light of the rising sun seemed cruel in its warmth, a stark contrast to the icy despair within her.

She had three days to decide, but the question clawed at her relentlessly:

Was revenge worth the cost of her humanity?

Her daughter, oblivious to the storm brewing in Adebisi's mind, greeted her with open arms. The girl's laughter was a melody of innocence that only deepened Adebisi's torment.

Three days and two nights passed in torment. She wrestled with the decision until her spirit felt as fractured as her heart. And on the third day, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Adebisi made her choice.

With her daughter's hand in hers, she walked toward the shrine, each step heavier than the last. The path stretched endlessly before her, and yet it ended all too soon.

Standing once more before the altar of Azarailus, Adebisi held her daughter close. Tears streamed down her face as she whispered, "Forgive me."

Azarailus's voice filled the shrine. "You have chosen. The sacrifice is yours to make. Proceed."

The altar glowed a deep red, illuminating the basin at its base.

Adebisi's hands trembled as she picked up the ceremonial blade Azarailus had left for her.

"Do it," Azarailus urged.

With a scream of anguish that echoed through the shrine, Adebisi raised the blade. Her daughter's wide, innocent eyes were the last thing she saw before the world became a blur of tears and crimson.

As the blood pooled in the basin and her daughter's life faded away,

Azarailus's voice rang out in triumph.

"Well done, mortal. You have proven yourself worthy of my gift. Your journey has only begun."

Adebisi stared into the blood-soaked basin, her reflection unrecognizable.

Her eyes had changed-shiny black and bright red. The Eyes of Death.

But as she stood there, drenched in her daughter's blood, she realized

something: She was no longer HUMAN…………