Page 88 of Unhinged Omega

He looms between the burned trees, the scene straight out of my darkest nightmares. His massive frame heaves slowly with every growling breath, blocking out what little sunlight filters through the dead branches above. He's bleeding from dozens of wounds, blue-black blood dripping from his arms—metal and otherwise. The iron rods that used to jut out of his upper back are gone, leaving his silhouette more human than before.

He looks like he's barely standing.

But he isn't attacking me.

He just stares at me.

Like he's memorizing every detail of my face.

Like he's afraid I'll disappear if he blinks.

Slowly, carefully, I crawl out from beneath the roots. My muscles scream in protest as I force myself to stand on trembling legs. The Knight doesn't move, but a deeper, rattling growl rumbles from his chest. A sound of pain as much as menace.

I take a step backward.

He takes a stumbling step forward.

I take another step back.

He follows, swaying like a tree in a strong wind.

We continue our strange dance through the forest, neither of us looking away from the other. Every few steps, he stumbles, catching himself against charred tree trunks that creak ominously under his weight. The growling never stops, but it's punctuated by soft, ragged breaths of agony that sound disturbingly human.

The sound of running water reaches my ears. I risk a glance behind me and spot a murky river cutting through the forest, the sloped bank not far from my feet. When I look back, the Knight has stopped moving, watching me with those intense blue eyes. They glow with a dimmer light than usual in the shadows shrouding his face.

Testing a theory, I take two steps to the left and back.

He mirrors me, but slower. Clumsier.

Three steps to the right and back.

Again, he follows, but I can see he's fading fast.

I edge toward the river, picking my way carefully across the slippery rocks. The murky water is numbingly cold against my feet as I wade into it, but I barely notice. I'm too focused on the massive figure shadowing my movements.

The Knight follows me into the river.

I keep backing up without looking away from him, reaching behind me until I feel the dead, dry grass on the other side of the river. I dig my fingers into the dirt and haul myself up, scooting back up the slope until I'm just out of reach.

My heart pounds in my chest as I watch the Knight lumber after me through the frigid water. His movements are sluggish, uncoordinated. Nothing like the unstoppable force that tore through Nikolai's men. Blue-black blood mingles with the murky river, swirling around his legs in grotesque patterns.

He's dying.

The realization hits me. This creature that's haunted my dreams for as long as I can remember, this demon that's devoured me countless times in my nightmares...

He's mortal after all.

The Knight reaches the bank, his massive frame looming over me even though he's still standing in the river and I'm up on the steep bank. He could easily grab me, and there's no way I'd be able to move in time. I brace myself for the attack, for those metal claws to tear me limb from limb.

But it doesn't come.

He just... stands there.

His broad shoulders heave with each ragged breath, the sound rattling in his chest. He's so weak, he can't even lift his head to meet my gaze, his hair covering his face as it hangs in limp tangles.

It's the first time I've ever noticed his hair. Beneath the blood and dirt, it's a stark silver-white.

Vrissian?

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