Tower of Paradise

Chapter 8: The Threat Is Coming (2)

POV'S ARCEUS PENDRAGON.

More than two years had passed since my reincarnation into this world.

My growth had been remarkably fast, favored by an environment that, although precarious, was better than that of most children who inhabited these gloomy caverns.

Poverty had become a constant companion. However, I had begun to find small glimpses of happiness even amid our scarcity. It was surprising how the mind could adapt to the most adverse circumstances.

The previous month I had made an interesting discovery: this world, like Earth, seemed to be governed by the cycle of the four seasons.

I noticed it mainly through the changes in the harshness of our survival.

Winter was particularly cruel in the underground shelter, with dry and relentless winds that penetrated clothes like invisible blades, cutting flesh with their merciless coldness.

Then came those months where the hilarious cold subtly decreased, announcing what seemed to be spring, bringing a slight respite to our underground existence.

Adelaide had started going out alone in search of water now that I was two years old. She always made me promise not to leave the house during her absence, a promise that weighed on my conscience as the hours passed.

Usually, she made sure not to take too long, but that day something was different. Uneasiness began to grow inside me while I waited for her return.

Why is she taking so long?, I wondered while walking around the house, holding a small wooden stick in my tiny hands.

My steps were cautious as I made sure there was no one around before venturing into the backyard.

The backyard held a precious secret: it was one of the few places where, with luck, one could find animals that hadn't mutated.

Earthworms were an invaluable treasure in our underground world, and the mere thought of other refugees discovering my little secret made me shudder.

And the next second, something huge emerged from the ground...

As I turned my body, I found myself face to face with a nightmare come true: a giant centipede, a magical beast in all its terrifying glory.

This monster seemed like an armored battle machine created with the sole purpose of killing living beings.

Its body measured more than three meters wide and fifteen long, decorated with dozens of blade-like legs on each side.

Its armor, a spectacle of dark blue on top and light blue on the bottom, gleamed sinisterly in the shelter's dimness.

The exoskeleton, segmented into three columns, was bristling with spikes that protruded from the central column like a crown of death.

But it was its face that froze the blood in my veins: an anatomical nightmare where one head seemed to be contained within the mouth of another, with two thick bone scythes protruding like demonic jaws.

I'm going to die, the thought hit my mind like a hammer, leaving my expression empty and distant.

My dry lips pressed tightly together as I evaluated my options: flee or fight. Both seemed equally futile.

Fear took hold of me, cold and paralyzing, but a part of my mind kept fighting: Come on... I can't allow myself to die here.

I didn't want it all to end like this, not when there was so much to live for, so much to discover. Desperation clouded my mind as I struggled to stay conscious.

Damn it...

The reality of my situation sank deeper. There was no escape, no matter how frantically my mind worked seeking a solution.

I was trapped, like prey before an immensely superior predator.

Its segmented body undulated with a grotesque and unnatural rhythm as it slid forward.