Ninety-Nine K Memories

The air in the warehouse was imbued with a metallic and acidic stench, a mixture of blood, death, and dust raised by the impact.

Edran gasped for breath as the pain in his abdomen began to intensify. He could barely stand, but he didn't let go of Lina, who remained motionless in his arms. His eyes remained fixed on the stranger, that man who had burst into his nightmare to face the monstrosity that had massacred everyone.

Asteron briefly looked at Edran and Lina, evaluating them with the precision of someone accustomed to surviving in extreme circumstances. His gaze lingered on Edran's wound, and without wasting time, he advanced towards them.

Edran took a step back as Asteron approached, instinctively shielding Lina with his body. His instinct screamed that this man was not like the others. There was something strange, something dangerous about him.

—Don't come any closer —Edran warned, although his voice betrayed his weakness.

Asteron stopped, raising his hands in a calming gesture.

—There's no time for this. —His voice was low.

Without waiting for a response, he reached into what seemed to be thin air itself, and when he pulled his hand out, he held a small glass vial with an amber liquid that glowed faintly.

Edran looked at it with distrust, but something inside him reacted to the vial. He didn't know why, but his body tensed as if he recognized the object, as if his life depended on it.

—What… what is that? —he asked, unable to hide his distrust.

—Your only chance. —Asteron extended the vial towards him—. Drink just one drop. Only one. More than that, and you’ll die.

Edran hesitated. He couldn't take his eyes off the liquid. There was something hypnotic about it, something that called to him. But doubt clung to his mind like an anchor.

—Why should I trust you?

Asteron didn't answer immediately. Instead, he thrust the vial into his hands with a quick, almost abrupt movement. It was then that Edran noticed, the vial hadn't come from the stranger’s belt. It had appeared in his hand as if he had materialized it out of nowhere.

He gasped, surprised.

—Are you an Adept of the Arcane? —he asked.

Asteron clicked his tongue, impatient.

—Don't ask useless questions. Just drink. The only thing keeping you standing now is shock. When it wears off, you’re going to collapse. And then it will be too late. If you don't take this, you won't live long enough to get the girl to safety.

The words hit Edran like a slap. He pressed his lips together, feeling his strength already beginning to wane. The pain in his abdomen was a constant reminder that he was losing blood. He looked at Lina, still trembling in his arms, and then at the vial.

—Drink before you lose the ability to —Asteron insisted.

With trembling hands, Edran unscrewed the cap of the vial. He barely tilted the glass and let a single drop fall onto his tongue.

The effect was immediate: a searing heat spread through his body, as if his veins were filled with fire. The sensation was so intense it almost made him fall to his knees, but at the same time, something inside him awakened. Within seconds, a surge of vitality flooded his body, and the pain in his abdomen lessened enough to allow him to move.

—Seek shelter —Asteron said in a firm tone—. You are on the verge of collapse. And I don't care how you do it, but don't stay here.

Before Edran could respond, Asteron leaned towards Lina and touched her forehead with two fingers.

—What are you doing? Don't touch her! —Edran shouted, a panic stealing his breath.

The girl tensed for an instant and then became completely unconscious.

—What did you do to her? —Edran shouted, between fury and worry.

Asteron ignored him at first, walking towards the heart of the warehouse. As he advanced, he spoke without turning back.

—She has already seen enough horror for today. I freed her from this hell, if only for a few hours. Today is not a day that innocent eyes should observe. Now shut up and leave.

His tone was loaded with something Edran couldn't identify, weariness, perhaps sadness.

He looked at Lina, still motionless but breathing regularly. Despite his panic, he understood that she was not hurt.

The smoke began to dissipate, revealing the macabre scene left behind after the attack. Mutilated bodies, blood bathing every surface, limbs scattered as if they were broken toys.

In the center of the horror, the creature. Its body, enormous and dark, was pinned to the stone wall by a strange knife, whose blade seemed to absorb the light. Thick blood gushed from its chest, soaking its fur in crimson pools. The monster’s eyes glowed with hatred and despair, while its claws tried uselessly to tear out the blade.

Asteron stopped a few steps from the creature, observing it with a terrifying calm.

—You still have energy left to resist —he said in an almost dispassionate tone, as he drew his other knife.

The creature roared and launched a desperate swipe at him, but Asteron moved with lightning speed, severing the beast's claw with a precise movement. The monster let out a heart-wrenching cry, which reverberated off the warehouse walls, a sound that chilled Edran’s blood, but Asteron showed no mercy.

He leaned towards it, bringing his face inches from the creature. And he murmured to it:

—This is for all of them.

—Get out of here, kid —Asteron continued without turning around, addressing Edran—. This place is not for you or her.

Edran swallowed hard and looked at the creature, whose bright eyes, full of hatred, fixed on him for an instant.

—What… what will you do with it? —he asked in a trembling voice, looking at the creature.

Asteron turned slightly, just enough for Edran to see his profile.

—What it has done to yours. —His voice was low, but loaded with a cold and merciless hatred.

Edran hesitated, looking at the stranger and then at the creature. A flash of rage crossed his face. He wanted to fight, he wanted to take revenge. But a quick glance at Lina, weak and unconscious in his arms, made him make a decision.

He nodded slowly, knowing he couldn't stay.

—Thank you… —he murmured, almost breathless, before staggering towards the back exit.

Behind him, Asteron took another step towards the beast, his face illuminated by a cruel smile.

—You have caused enough suffering —he murmured, the edge of the second knife gleaming intensely in his hand—. Now it's your turn to be torn apart.

The beast let out a last growl, but the fury in its eyes was mixed with something that looked like fear.

Edran didn't look back. All he could hear as he escaped was the sound of a choked roar and the metallic echo of a knife tearing flesh.