NOVEL WEB Chapter 4: Chapter-4
The creature's furious assault falters. Its clawed hands, moments before poised to strike, hang limply in the air. My hand, barely moving, flicks out. A barely perceptible touch on its forehead. The effect is immediate and dramatic. The creature stumbles, its glowing eyes dimming before collapsing into unconsciousness with a thud that barely disturbs the unsettling stillness of the forest.
The air itself seems to sigh in relief. The oppressive weight of its malevolence lifts, leaving behind an eerie quiet, punctuated only by the drip of water from unseen leaves and the rustling of the wind through the obsidian trees. The creature's fall reveals something unexpected: a faint, pulsing light emanating from a small, intricately carved amulet nestled against its chest. It's clearly the source of the creature's power, a conduit for the dark magic corrupting Wonderland. The amulet glows with an intensity that seems to pull at the very fabric of reality, its light casting strange, shifting patterns on the forest floor. I approach cautiously, the strange, almost organic energy of the amulet unsettling yet fascinating.
As I reach for it, a voice echoes through the forest, both clear and distant. "So, the shadow is defeated? But what of the source of its power?" The voice is melodious, yet carries a hint of ancient weariness, like the sigh of a forgotten god. The voice seems to emanate from everywhere and nowhere at once, a chilling whisper carried on the wind. The very trees around me seem to lean in closer, their branches swaying as if to guide my gaze towards the shadowed depths of the twisted woods. My fingers hover over the amulet.
Taking it will likely have consequences. Leaving it might lead to a new darkness rising.