The claw pushed the debris away and a red creature came out. It was about 7 feet tall. Its arms were longer than its torso and legs combined. It had sharp teeth and a hanging jaw. However, it did not have eyes.It looked extremely skinny with its ribs showing. There is also a rusty necklace was hanging on one of its teeth.
"That's...Granny Oak's necklace."Leo said with a shocked expression on his face.
"She...morphed..." The old man said while trembling.
"But why?! Didn't the Enforcers say we won't morph as long as the star continues to shine?"
Leo couldn't believe what he's seeing. Granny Oaks should not have morphed as long as she is under the light of the star-at least that was what the enforcers told them.
The star in the sky is not just there to illuminate the city, it was also the only source of 'soul energy' that prevented the citizens of Euphorica from soul morphing. When a person's soul loses all of its 'essense' they will start to morph and turn into 'morphed', beings that will kill all living being in sight in search for a way to restore their soul. However, a person who soul morphs can never restore their soul again.
The only way you can die in this world is by getting killed by a 'blessed' or 'morphed' or die while being one of them.
"They weren't lying to us Leo, if someone dies from old age, they would also morph,"The old man said with a serious look on his face as his hands continue to temble.
Leo bites his lips out of fustration and sadness, he then takes a deep breath and tries to calm down.
"We need to leave, we can't let Granny Oaks kill us, she wouldn't want that." Leo said while trying to keep his cool.
"But how? What if she runs faster than us, a morphed usually takes three blessed knight apprentices to kill." The old man said worried.
"...You see that small alley between the two shops?" Leo said while using his thumb to point at the alley.
"Yeah, what about that?" The old man questioned.
"From what I see she's still not aware that we are here, since she probably cant see us. She might look skinny but she definitely can't
fit in that alley." Leo said.
"...Ok."The old man replied.
"I'll count to three, the moment I say three, run." Leo says as he gestured the number three with his fingers.
"One..." Leo puts down his index finger.
"Two..."Leo puts down his middle finger.
"Three!"
As the old man heard the word he turned around and starts sprinting, with Leo right behind him.
The creature immediately turns its head in the direction in which they are running and starts to chase them.
The creature shrieked as it chases them. It was slower than Leo and the old man anticipated, it is running at about the speed of a bicycle.
"We should be able to outrun it!" Leo says as he gets ahead of the old man.
"I don't think I can continue running like this, I'm running out of breath!" The old man said, panting.
Leo then stopped and turned around. He extends his arms and hugs the old man. As the creature got closer Leo jumped and kicked its face, allowing him to fly backwards to where the alley was.
As they hit the ground the old man rolled into the alley, while Leo was still out in the streets, with the creature approaching.
The old man then extends his hand and shouted,"Get in!!!!"
Leo grabbed his hand and the old man pulled him in the alley with all his might, right before the creature caught him. The creature then turned to look at the alley and tried to pry it open. Leo's calculation was right it could not fit in.
"We're safe." Leo said with a sigh of relief.
"We just need to wait for the Enforcers to come and save us." The old man said.
Leo looked at the creature, shrieking while trying into get into the alley."Is this really Granny Oaks?" He thought to himself. He felt a piercing pain in his heart as he had that thought. He didnt know what he should be feeling. Fear? Sadness? Anger? None of them seems right or maybe its a mix of it.
All of a sudden, Leo started hearing voices in his head.
'Kill...me...'
Leo looked at the creature who was once Granny Oaks. "Is she...suffering?"Leo thought to himself.
"Damn it!" He said as he bites his lips. He was too weak, he couldnt even help relief Granny Oaks from her pain.
Seeing Leo's expression the old man reached out his arms and patted on his back.
"It wasn't your fault Leo, This is just the cycle of life, when there is life there is death. It was just Granny Oaks time to go." The old man comforted Leo.
"...No, this isn't death, it's torture, she is suffering so much we couldnt even imagine. I can hear her. Granny Oaks thoughts keeps echoing in my mind. She wants to die to be relieved from this suffering." Leo said fustrated.
"Leo..."The old man looks at Leo with pity.
All of a sudden Leo felt warm on his face. He heard a splurting and dripping sound beside him. As he turns his head he saw the old man, with a red needle penetrating his chest.
The old man coughed out blood and turns to look at Leo.
"I'm sorry...Leo" The old man said as his consious fades.
The creature had extended its fingers to pierce the old man.
"Aah...Ahhhhh...!!!" Leo screams as he crawls deeper into the alley. He reached his bloodied hands out, one at a time to advance forward.
The creature retracted its fingers and inhaled. Cracking sounds came from inside its body. It's body starts to shrink down to the size of a regular human. It then immediately started chasing Leo.
"Aah!!!!!" Leo screamed as he crawled faster.
'Why is this happening to me?!' Leo thought to himself. Is this really all just a coincidence that all this events happened. Why would granny Oaks morph all of a sudden when no one did for the past thousand years?Then a thought came through, 'Why...is there no one I remember who ever died or morphed? In this vast city of Euphorica there are many eldery who may have morphed. Even the fallen star would not prevent death by aging'
While Leo continued to crawl away from the creature while pondering, he saw a rusty, abondened claymore.
The memories of his trainingnfor the past few years flashed through his mind. He remembered, he have trained so much on the art of sword.
He picked up the claymore and turned around to face the creature.
"Raahhhh!!!" He shouted as he swinged his claymore at the creature.
It felt light despite it being a few hundred kilos. It sliced off the creature's arm and sent it flying through the alley.
His body started to get enveloped in a blue aura. He felt the old man's presence from it. He then entered a different dimension, it was vast and empty with the only things in sight the clouds and a clear ocean. He did not sink even though he was standing and water.
He then saw the old man, specifically the old man's soul.
It then started talking to him.
"Ha ha ha!!! Never thought you would be one of them!" He laughed as he speaked.
"Them?" Leo asked with a puzzled look.
"You're the 7th Soul keeper that I have read so many times about in the book of stories."
The old man said with a smile on his face.
"Use my soul as a fuel for your power Leo, and free Granny Oaks from her suffering." The old man said as he points at the creature, who was formerly Granny Oaks.
"...Old man, are you...leaving?" Leo said with a sad look on his face.
"...I wouldn't be able to talk to you like this anymore, but...my story will live in you." The old man said as he puts his fist against Leo's chest.
"Now, stop being a crybaby and do your job." The old man starts fading away.
"You won't stop nagging even in your final moments,huh?" Leo said with a sad smile.
The dimension starts fading away, and Leo was back to the cold, musty alley. He looked up at the creature. It was shrieking in pain while holding it's wrist.
Leo assumed a fighting stance and said,"Just wait for a while I'll free you from your suffering, Granny Oak's."
"Old man,the name of your story shall be ..."The Daydreamer", " Leo said with a grin on his face. The aura around his body then grows exponentially, Illuminating the alley with a bright, blue light.