Herald of lust

Derek dragged his feet, struggling to keep pace with Hunter, who had grown uncharacteristically silent. He began to feel a knot of apprehension tighten in his stomach.

"Where is this 'thing' you wanted to show me?"

Derek questioned, his voice tinged with wariness. "We've been walking for close to an hour now."

"Soon enough," Hunter grumbled in reply, his voice devoid of its usual creak.

Suddenly, Derek found himself hyper aware of just how formidable Hunter truly was. Images flashed through his mind, scenes of battle where Hunter moved less like a man, but more like a whirlwind of death and destruction.

Could I even survive a fight against this man? Derek wondered. He immediately steeled his resolve, not that he feared death anyway, but his survival instincts screamed at him to be cautious.

After another thirty minutes of near silent walking, Hunter finally stopped. A dark veil, resembling a tattered piece of clothing, blocked their path. A deep blue light seeped from beyond it, pulsing with a raw power that made Derek pause and tremble.

"We are finally here,"

Hunter said. His flaming sword went out as he parted the veil, revealing what lay beyond.

Gods, does this guy do everything with that sword? I wouldn't be surprised if he eats with it instead of using a table knife,

Derek thought idly. Curiosity overriding his apprehension, he quickly followed Hunter.

Beyond the veil was… nothing?

It was a dead end, as Derek had half expected. But he hadn't anticipated the utter emptiness that stretched before him.

He frantically looked around, searching for any sign of danger, but there truly was nothing, save for the source of illumination. Ruby like crystals, barely a quarter the size of Derek's fist, were scattered about. Like shards of a shattered star, they radiated a mesmerizing light that seemed to conceal an unfathomable power. They were strategically placed, marking the points of a pentacle drawn on the wall with…

Derek leaned closer, his throat constricting.

Blood. It was definitely drawn with blood.

The entire arrangement pulsed softly with an eerie rhythm, like a forlorn heart beating in the darkness.

Hunter walked to the center of the pentacle and sat in a meditative pose, right in front of the inscriptions on the wall. He began to whisper strange incantations, the words resonating with an ancient power that sent shivers down Derek's spine. The inscriptions on the wall began to glow, then the space within the circumference created by the arrangement of the gems began to twist, forming a swirling vortex of energy.

Derek's hair stood on end as an alien presence seeped through the nascent portal.

The atmosphere grew frigid, and Derek could suddenly sense malice radiating from Hunter in suffocating waves. He scrambled to escape, desperate to flee through the veil, but he slammed into it, the fabric was as solid as a wall.

"Shit!"

Derek scrambled to his feet just as Hunter rose, the flaming sword rattling in his grip as if trembling with rage.

"You… vile… swindler!"

Hunter spat the words out, pointing the sword at Derek. Fear seized Derek, paralyzing him for a moment. There was no escaping it; there was no way in hell he could overcome Hunter in a fight. He needed to stall, to keep the man talking while he desperately searched for a way out.

"Swindle? They gave it to me!" Derek yelled.

"Liar! I knew there was no way the first item of revolution would be in this world, but I felt the tether and thought I was doing what was right. Now, because of you, or whoever's behind you, this world is ruined!" Hunter's voice was a guttural snarl.

"I was a fool; I should have known that given the fact that you weren't consumed by the soul of a goddamn overlord. Now tell me who sent you? What is your mission? And how did you manage to steal and safely contain the soul of an overlord inside of you no lies, and even have Auror's tether on top of that!"

Derek had never been so utterly confused in his life. He didn't understand a single word the man had been spouting, but this was definitely not the time for questions. One wrong move, one false word, and he might very well die.

Faced with death once again, Derek found it strange that he no longer desired oblivion. He had woken up today entangled in a convoluted mess of hidden horrors, but life was, undeniably, becoming interesting. Maybe he had died and been reborn in another reality afterall. He would unravel it all, the strange dream, his subtle ability to read emotions, the complicated situation he found himself in, and why everyone wanted him dead. He would get to the root of these mysteries and live through it, if only to spite those who sought his demise.

Yes, that's what I'll definitely do.

Derek steeled himself, embracing the sheer absurdity of it all.

Welcome, Derek, to a new life, he silently greeted himself.

He looked up at Hunter and smiled, a newfound resolve in his eyes.

"Hey, old man, those are too many questions."

Drawing inspiration from Hunter's earlier words, Derek continued, a calculated glint in his eyes, "You really don't want to kill me, Hunter. My master will definitely come after you, and I assure you, you can never escape his wrath."

The surface of the ethereal portal rippled once more, and Hunter's eyes widened as a surge of external energy passed through. He seemed to nod in understanding, a flicker of something unreadable in his gaze.

He then reverted his attention back to Derek, a predatory glint replacing the earlier confusion. "You don't have a master, do you?"

Derek paled. He hadn't expected his flimsy facade to hold for long, but to be exposed so quickly was deflating. He shook his head in silent self pity.

Hunter moved with impossible speed, a blur of motion that defied his age. The next thing Derek registered was a grotesque sword protruding from his chest. The world dissolved into a kaleidoscope of agony and disbelief, and before he could even process what had happened, everything went blank.