Inky tendrils coiled over his limbs like restraints, crushing his bones until he could not muster any strength to hold on. His grip remained firm on the tooth the size of his leg, his eyes intently locked onto a crack that spread across its smooth surface, almost letting go.
The blackened hands, having noticed that injuring his arms was not enough, jumped towards his knees, trying to shift his posture and break the little balance he'd established.
His clothes were pulled alongside his body, dragging his feet backwards and tripping him forward, making Val let go of the cracked tooth momentarily.
However, as Valentine hit his head against the solid cobble, his face snapped back towards the pearly tooth.
Both arms wrapped around it in a strained embrace, not letting go despite bleeding all over.
I... won't... let go!
Reflected in his gaze... Was a tiny white spark that blinked in and out of his sight, glinting at the tip of his fingers.
It tugged at his mind like a parasitic whisper, convincing him that the only way out... is to break it.
Even if his mind ached like hell and blood loss was starting to catch up to him, he wanted to manage one last struggle.
Pulling on the broken tooth, he heard it crack, smaller but more noticeable on its damaged surface.
Dark lines spread across its fang in a flash; chipped fragments of calcium crumbled to the ground, tinting the beast's open maw with a bloodless stain.
It cracked again; fragments of its shattered coating lodged themselves into the shadowy tongues.
"You better..." He shouted to the monster, jaw clenched with strain towards the sharp tooth bending in his direction. "Get a God-damn dentist!"
With a powerful shout, he pulled his entire body alongside the bent fang, ripping it out of its roots and taking hold of its shattered remains, gripping it with his hand like a crude, thin mace that reeked with rotten blood.
Dark blood sprayed all over his pale face until the beast let out a spine-chilling shriek, shaking the surroundings and the other smaller black beasts inhabiting them.
His blood ran cold, watching its shadows slither away like snakes around the needle-like teeth, wrapping around them in knots that blocked all light from ever reaching his momentarily blinded vision.
It seemed to be trying to trap him inside, cutting off the only way out of here with its own body.
Valentine's face flushed red.
He looked at the thin fang in his hands, establishing his grip over it.
Gritting his teeth, he swung it at the shadow like a bat, twisting his entire torso with the swing that passed through the intangible shadows.
Momentarily baffled at the lack of contact, he chose a new target for his organic weapon, another tooth that unfortunately stood in the path of his strike.
They collided with each other, his hands flying above his head with wide eyes.
It's as hard as stone!
Well, what else could he expect from a tooth? It seemed that the one he managed to pull out with brute force was just a stroke of luck.
However, as stubborn as he was, Valentine could not stop.
Not when he could feel blood rush through his body so clearly!
The boy lunged at the creature with his body, ramming at the twisting shadows and swinging at the unbreakable teeth.
He hit it again.
Then again.
And when his hands trembled from striking it repeatedly, he tightened his grip and hit it once more!
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Suddenly, at the corner of his eye, he noticed shadows gathering in a circle, forming a wall that cut him off from any light or any world outside.
It was trying to trap him and end it!
"No, you don't!" The tooth spun in his hands fast, aiming at the shadows with its sharpened tip that previously threatened to rip his body to shreds.
How about you feel it for yourself before trying to use it on others!
Like a spear, he shot it through the black mass, piercing the coiling shadows and disrupting their attempt at caging him inside.
His eyes widened, barely holding onto his jaw that threatened to fall through the floor.
I-How did I do that!?
But there was no time to figure it out.
Shaking his head, Val looked at his body that was no longer held down by any charred hands.
Without wasting any more time, he planted his foot on the ground and leaped through the opening faster than the monster could recover, tasting the flavourless air of freedom once more.
The shadows behind him clamped down with a deafening clasp, catching only wind and dust before curling up at the sides into a toothy grin, revealing its white, spiky fangs.
Damn! Val cursed under his breath as he sprinted past the trashed alley, dodging trash cans and empty crates he did not care to notice before.
The creature, however, did not let go of him that easily.
Watching the child run past a corner, it raised its inky tendrils and held onto the cobble walls surrounding it, breaking free from the shallow alley shade.
Two giant hands rose from behind the sides of its jaw, pushing it out of the dark where its form was slowly revealed for stars to marvel at.
Inky flesh covered it in its entirety, with two hollow eyes above its teethy smile and a fish-tail that broke the cobblestone wall as if it were made of sand. Rubble mixed with colorless dust as the building next to it collapsed, raining down over its skin that did not feel it in the slightest.
Grinning with its inky tongue out from between its spiky teeth, the shadow beast followed the trail of fresh metal scent.
Looking forward to consuming the boy's flesh.
***
"W-what is this?"
Noah muttered in disbelief at what was transpiring before his eyes.
The knights were fighting newly born charred, moving the rest of the sleeping children away from the fight but not to safety, to another place suited for combat.
Trying to prevent any damage to the street, the civilians were slowly evacuated by Lady Aurora. It had been almost an hour already, but the progress was slow, slow enough to bear casualties they could not afford.
Lillith appeared at his side, breathing heavily while holding onto her stomach where dry blood had settled. Her face held no change, as smug and full of confidence as before, except for drops of sweat forming all over her body.
"Why are you the one surprised? I'm the one who should be asking questions here..."
He stared at her blankly for a second, not registering her words that went in one ear and out of the other, filtered by the sound of blood dripping from her fingers.
Noah looked down at his armor, which had no traces of bearing hits.
Because, well, he didn't.
They could not even see him.
Standing over a dead carcass of charcoal and ash, he knelt down on one of his knees, placing his palm over the child Lillith brought along with her, now turned into an abomination of flames and flesh in the shape of a hound that lived for half a minute at least.
Lillith looked at him with pity, placing her hand on his shoulder.
She tried to make her voice calm, but the wound on her stomach did not seem to be closing any time soon, bleeding through her shaky fingers that grasped at loose strings of her torn clothes.
"I know, I know, Noah. It's hard to watch this, but we need to wait a little longer. Lady's Aurora's decisions are always correct, so let's do our best by following them well."
He did not move from his place, prompting a sigh to escape her tired lips.
"Even if it's our first time dealing with selection, we can't look at what we've lost." She gestured at the remaining children, their number barely reaching two dozen.
Next to them, a row of bodies was spread out, the fallen knights who had fallen by blindly following their will.
"I know... I was just..." He closed his eyes for a moment. "Praying, yes, a prayer for their souls."
"Noah..."
"Another one is coming." Informing her of the incoming danger, he stood up from his knees, brandishing his shining sword that was covered in dark blood.
He looked up at the screaming child whose body was thrashing wildly on the ground, throwing its long limbs in all directions.
It reminded him of something recent, pushing his gaze towards a child with ebony hair and an unevenly moving chest. The child looked as if it were about to fall, struggling in its forced slumber.
Please, don't bring shame to my judgement.
His blade whistled through the wind, cutting the thrashing charred in two perfect halves.