06. Reopen
1443 Words
TREMBLING, yet burning.
Xiandra couldn’t comprehend her body’s reaction—like she was being offered to a blazing pan, slowly consumed by the fire.
The air around her felt like a furnace, scorching, even though she was standing behind a rushing waterfall crashing against the rocks at the mountain’s base.
Then she froze at what she saw.
Black smoke.
"Where is that black smoke coming from?" she murmured, a shiver running down her spine despite the heat engulfing her.
She scanned her surroundings, eyes darting anxiously. But when she finally realized the source of the smoke, sheer horror seized her.
"My God!" she gasped.
It was rising from her wounds.
Only then did she cry out as pain flared through her body. She writhed in agony, unable to understand the strange phenomenon consuming her.
The roaring waterfall seemed to clash with her desperate screams.
She clutched at her shoulder and leg, trying to ease the pain. But the black smoke continued to seep from her wounded flesh, darkness creeping over her skin.
At that moment, the ground quaked—thunderous tremors sent chunks of rock crumbling from the mountainside.
Without hesitation, she threw herself into the water, desperately trying to drown the fire consuming her. Yet even here, she still felt the unbearable heat—and the earth’s violent shaking only churned the waters into chaos.
Despite her struggle to swim, she could clearly see how the cascading water from the mountain was splitting apart.
She gasped as her wounds burned even more. The black smoke had not vanished.
She couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.
A powerful force shoved her weakened body, sending her plummeting into the water. She sank completely—no hand reached out to save her, no arm pulled her up from that dreadful state.
If this was only a nightmare, she might have woken up now.
Her breathing gradually slowed until, at last, her eyes closed.
The bright moon was completely veiled by the clouds. Darkness engulfed the entire surroundings. Along with it, a strong wind blew—as if cradling the earth, slow yet dizzying. It sent a wave of unease across the town of Citta Miasto.
It had been a long time since they had experienced anything like this. According to their beliefs, it was a warning from nature—a sign of impending disaster. But whatever that danger might be, only time will tell. All they could do was wait and prepare.
Yet tonight was different.
The ground continued to sway. The wind howled even louder. And the darkness swallowed everything whole.
Fear crept through the wails of children, spreading its grip into every home.
Thunder roared in succession—furious and unrelenting. It was as if the wind and the storm were clashing, each unleashing its own wrath. Then, a powerful force shook the entire town. The deafening crash of shattering windows sent terror through the air, followed by screams and cries from within the houses. No one dared to step outside. No one wanted to break the law.
The lightning in the sky flickered like a broken light bulb—blinking erratically, serving as the only illumination for a town swallowed by darkness.
Only then did the surroundings finally grow still.
Xiandra slowly opened her weak, heavy-lidded eyes. A faint light was visible, but she could barely make it out.
Pain still coursed through her body—the lingering ache from when she had been violently thrown against the rocks as she was seemingly dragged down into the water. She had truly thought that was the end, especially when her breathing had begun to slow.
She blinked. Once. Twice. Until her blurry vision finally cleared.
She flinched, wincing as she sat up, her gaze darting around in alarm.
She was still on the riverbank. But the water that had once surrounded her was gone—except for two small streams on either side and the scattered rocks around her. The once-raging waterfall that had cascaded down the mountain had split apart.
And at its center stood a door—a massive door!
She gasped. She wanted to step back, but her legs wouldn’t move. Nor could she tear her gaze away from the shadowed figure standing near the entrance of the newly revealed doorway—a tall, silent figure of a man watching her intently.
Xiandra’s anxiety grew even stronger.
If her heart had pounded fast when she was being chased by three men, now it was beating three times as hard.
She swallowed several times, her breathing unsteady. She could feel the rapid hammering of her chest. Sweat dripped from her forehead, and her knees trembled violently.
What more was she supposed to witness in this strange phenomenon?
What other terror could shake her to the core?
Xiandra flinched as the man suddenly appeared before her. Her heart pounded even harder as she took on his ghastly form.
His skin was rotting. Dark veins snaked across his pale face. His eyes were blood-red, and his fangs were as sharp as arrows. A thick, scorching black smoke enveloped his entire body—ominous, almost poisonous.
A monster! But she couldn’t open her mouth. She was paralyzed with fear.
Xiandra froze mid-step when he suddenly grabbed her by both arms. She couldn’t fight back. He moved too fast—before she could even react, she was already pinned against the trunk of a tree.
And without hesitation, the monster sank its fangs into her wounded shoulder.
Xiandra gasped in searing pain. Her body jolted from the unbearable agony.
Its fangs were razor-sharp. Deadly.
She screamed. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her flesh felt like it was being torn apart. She desperately pushed against the creature, but its grip on her was ironclad. She could feel its sharp claws digging into her arms.
She tried to struggle again, but in an instant, its cold lips pressed against her neck—then its fangs sank in once more.
Xiandra thrashed harder. She could feel her blood flowing into the monster’s hungry mouth.
But she was powerless.
She couldn’t utter a single word.
Only muffled sobs escaped her trembling lips. She shivered—not from the cold, but from sheer terror. She had done everything to break free, but the creature’s body was like solid stone—unyielding, immovable.
Her strength was slowly fading, like a candle burning out. She could do nothing but weep, her eyelids grew heavy.
Yes, she was weakening.
Perhaps the old man was right. She could no longer change her fate. And now, here she was—in the monster’s grasp, caught between its sharp fangs, with no escape.
It held her life in its hands. This was her destiny—one that led to death. And this was where it would all end.
A mere feast.
---
The formidable being carried the unconscious maiden as he slowly waded through the lake’s waters. Each step left gentle ripples in the clear surface, as if the night itself caressed his return.
The decay that once consumed his flesh was fading, replaced by the slow restoration of his former self. His pale skin gleamed beneath the moonlight, and the piercing black of his eyes shifted back to deep emerald. His gaze was fixed on the distant, glowing palace—one he had abandoned long ago.
He was the Prince of Darkness.
And now, he has returned.
But why was it a mere mortal who had awakened him?
His stare, laced with both scorn and curiosity, fell upon the unconscious woman in his arms. His cure. His chain.
"Welcome back to your rebirth, Our Prince."
Five attendants knelt before him as he stepped into the palace. A strange sense of longing stirred within him—it had been a long time since he was last received with such reverence.
An elderly woman approached, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "We never thought you would rise again, Prince Zacheous. We are honored by your return."
His cold gaze swept over his servants, measuring the sincerity of their devotion.
"Prepare a chamber for my one guest," he commanded, his voice soft but unwavering.
One of them hesitated. "But, my Lord… she is merely human. How—"
"Will you prepare her room?" he interrupted, his voice cold as ice, "or shall I prepare your coffin?"
A brief silence followed. The momentary doubt vanished, and the attendants rushed to fulfill his order.
Left alone, he remained still, his eyes never leaving the woman in his arms.
In the quiet of the night, a single question crept into his mind.
—What was the true meaning of this return?
- Writer
