Henry stood at the edge of the cliff, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. His body screamed in agony—his bruised feet throbbed, his muscles burned, and the adrenaline that had kept him moving for the past two days was fading fast. Each breath he took was shallow and strained, the air cutting into his lungs like icy shards. His vision swam, blurring the jagged rocks below into a shifting haze.
He tried to steady himself, gripping the stone blade in his trembling hand, but the weapon felt heavy, useless against the monstrosity closing in on him. The creature—Cryonus—emerged from the shadows with a sickening grace. Its pale blue skin shimmered under the pale light, its jagged claws scraping the earth with every step. Its many tentacles writhed eagerly, their tips curling and uncurling as though tasting the anticipation of the kill. Cryonus grinned, revealing rows of jagged teeth that gleamed like shards of ice. Its alien-like eyes locked onto him, glowing faintly with a cold, predatory light.
Henry staggered, his legs threatening to give out beneath him. Panic consumed him as Cryonus approached, its clicking noise reverberating through the air like a twisted melody. He couldn't run. He couldn't fight. And now, as the creature loomed just feet away, he couldn't even think. "No… no, not like this," Henry whispered hoarsely, his voice trembling.
But Cryonus gave him no chance to resist.
With terrifying speed, its tentacles shot forward, wrapping around his arms and legs like icy chains. Henry screamed as he was yanked forward, the ground slipping away beneath him. He struggled against the restraints, but the creature's grip was unyielding. It drew him closer, leaning in as its long, grotesque tongue slithered out, trailing across his cheek and leaving a cold, slimy residue. Henry shuddered, his entire body revolting at the sensation.
Cryonus's jagged grin widened, and without warning, it lunged at his shoulder. Its teeth sank into him with horrifying precision, tearing through flesh and bone. Henry's agonized scream echoed into the abyss, a sound so raw and piercing that his voice nearly gave out. Blood poured from the gaping wound, staining his shirt and dripping onto the rocks below. His vision blurred further, pain consuming every corner of his mind.
Through the haze, he saw Cryonus holding the arm attached to his now-severed shoulder. It gripped the hand firmly, as though presenting a grotesque trophy, and then devoured it whole. Its jagged teeth tore through skin and bone effortlessly, its expression twisted into something resembling satisfaction. It was enjoying this. This was what it wanted all along—to break him, to savor his agony.
Henry's body trembled, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His mind raced, desperate for a way out, for any chance of survival. But the pain was overwhelming, his strength dwindling with every passing second. Cryonus let out a low, guttural sound, almost like a chuckle, and tossed him to the ground. He collapsed in a heap, his body battered and broken. The creature loomed over him, clicking softly as if savoring its triumph.
It thought he was finished.
But something inside Henry refused to surrender. Even as his vision swam, even as his body screamed in protest, he clung to the one thing he had left—hope. With trembling fingers, he reached into his pocket, feeling for the pouch of purple dust he had taken from the flowers. His movements were sluggish, his strength nearly gone, but he managed to pull the pouch free.
Cryonus tilted its head, curious. It didn't see him as a threat anymore. It was too confident, too consumed by its own twisted satisfaction to notice the glimmer of defiance in Henry's eyes. Gathering what little strength he had left, Henry flung the pouch toward the creature.
Cryonus reacted instantly, one of its tentacles slicing through the air to intercept the attack. The blow severed Henry's hand, sending a fresh wave of pain surging through him. He let out a choked cry, collapsing further onto the ground. But the creature had made a fatal mistake.
The impact scattered the purple dust into the air, spreading it like a shimmering, iridescent cloud. As the particles settled onto Cryonus's pale blue skin, the creature let out an earsplitting screech. Its body convulsed violently as the dust burned into it, eating away at its flesh like acid. The tentacles flailed wildly, slamming into the ground and nearby rocks in a desperate attempt to rid itself of the pain.
One of the flailing tentacles struck Henry, sending him hurtling backward. He barely registered the impact as his body tumbled off the edge of the cliff. Time seemed to slow as he fell, the wind whipping past him and the fog below rushing up to meet him.
For a moment, there was only darkness. Henry floated in a void, the pain and terror fading into an eerie silence. He thought this was the end—that Cryonus had finally won, and that his story was over.
But then, a faint light began to pierce the darkness, growing brighter and more vibrant with each passing second. Henry's senses slowly returned, his body feeling weightless. His eyes fluttered open, and the world around him came into focus.
He wasn't falling anymore. Instead, he found himself in a strange, ethereal landscape. The ground beneath him was like clear water, reflecting the surroundings like a mirror, yet he wasn't wet. The air was cool and serene, filled with a soft hum that resonated in his chest. Above him, the sky was a lush pasture of green grass, as though the world had been turned upside down.
And there, in the sky, sat a magnificent creature—a dragon unlike anything Henry had ever seen. Its scales were pristine white, shimmering like polished marble. Its massive form radiated an aura of calm and power, its presence both awe-inspiring and humbling. The dragon's eyes were a deep, mesmerizing blue, glowing faintly as they locked onto Henry. For a moment, the two simply stared at one another, and Henry felt an inexplicable connection to the creature, as though it had been waiting for him.
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