Page 178 of The Last Guardian

“Am I not supposed to be your enemy too?”

It was more of a whisper than a question.

Yes, Commander Kaenington was supposed to be the threat inside our kingdom—Vallen. Because Zaid had never bowed before my father and led his legion for his own need, according to his own morality and not that of the kingdom.

“You were never my enemy, Zaid.”

Zaid stopped. Not at my words.

Something had changed.

The ground trembled, the stone walls cracked and crumbled. A deep rumble resonated.

The floor disintegrated, stone falling into a colossal black hole that stretched before our eyes.

The soil shook violently. The pillars trembled around us, ready to collapse. The cracks on the walls creaked as the seconds ticked by. Massive stone blocks broke away, crashing to the ground with a deafening roar. What little remained of the roof collapsed, sending debris and dust into the air.

A piercing cry, sharp, rough, unnatural, reverberated through the floor, spreading into my body. The ground quaked.

“Run!” Zaid shouted, taking my hand quickly.

With haste, we ran to reach the exit. Zaid was quicker than I, my feet practically aflame in my boots from our speed.

The temple teetered as I nearly fell under a collapsed pillar, and Zaid pulled me back to him. Everything trembled around us, and I sped up, my heart pounding.

I ran, my lungs burning from the effort, and my breathing became uneven. The cries—almost animalistic, guttural sounds—were getting closer and louder with every passing second. But the temple’s exit was near. I had to keep going, just a bit longer. A bit further.

“Don’t look back,” Zaid shouted, helping me to keep up the speed.

And I should’ve listened because I looked back.

Hells…

The Seven Hells themselves were bearing down on us, monsters that I couldn’t process in this state. One of them emerged from the black hole at an unnatural pace. Faster than anything I could match. Zaid’s hand left mine as he reached for his sword.

Without thinking, I grabbed the bow from my back, my fingers curling around the wood. I pulled back the string and released the arrow, striking the creature’s head.

Another attacked me, murderous. Thirsty black flames danced around the demon’s hairy neck, its bulging, yellowish eyes still fixed on me.

The demon was smaller than me, but no less dangerous. It tried to fight off the flames with its filthy hands but failed. The monster tried to catch its breath, but the dark flames tightened around its neck, making its head turn red.

But not because of a lack of oxygen.

Its skin, initially pale green, became orange then crimson. Red spots crept across its exposed flesh, as if it were being devoured by fire. The flames consumed it from within, leaving nothing but a charred carcass behind. The monster died, consumed by blackfire.

Zaid fought the others with his sword. Another monster came at me, and I struck out at its face in instinct.

Zaid and I exchanged a look, ready to make our way to the exit. The temple’s edge was not far off, but the expanding black hole where the monsters emerged was growing larger, approaching faster. Together, we ran as fast as possible, using every last bit of strength to reach the end. To escape the chaos.

The moment our feet touched the edge of the black door, Zaid wrapped his hand around my wrist and darkness engulfed us.

WHEN WE EMERGED from the temple, it wasn’t total darkness that met us, but rather a murky gray hue, as if the sun had forgotten how to shine. The air was thick, heavy.

No grass, no flowers, no sun, just the heaviness of the fog. It swirled around a cemetery. Statues stood motionless, just like those in the temple. Some were cut in half, cracked, or lying on the ground.

“Where are we?” I asked, my voice low.

Zaid looked around, trying to make sense of our surroundings, as he tucked his sword behind his back. “I don’t know.”