abcnovels
Chapter 177 177 A Good Girl?
Chapter 177 177 A Good Girl?
Chapter 177 Chapter 177 A Good Girl?
Red girl gulped.
'It's just an illusion. . .' she chanted inwardly; 'It's just an illusion. . .'
His looming voice came again- invisible- cracking like thunder from above;
||NOW- ARE YOU READY TO BEHAVE? OR DO YOU STILL NEED SOME GENTLE NUDG–||
Nexus didn't get to finish.
Below him, the girl's face suddenly twisted in a mischievous snarl.
Looking up to the heavens, by her sides, her whole body began to boil. Both her fists burst into balls of fire. Instantly, the invasive glare of orange cut through the whiteness of the void. Shimmering, the bright flames licked up her fists- burning brighter and brighter- reflecting her rising.
In her eyes- two words echoed loud and clear;
Got you.
Pretending to have given up- she had made sure to keep him talking,letting him bask in the glory of his invisibility. Through the vast emptiness in the white clouds above, she had isolated his voice, and made her move immediately.
Quicker than a blink, she thrust both her arms forward- angling for a shot- real assassin style.
Two balls of fire- fiery, alive, and angry, raged out of her fists in quick bursts. Snatching through the air, they surged upwards towards the heavens- racing towards the entity hiding behind the clouds.
Her eyes glistened with reddish orange. The corners of her mouth twisted. Her hollow cheeks sank inwards- waiting for the kill shot.
crunch!
The satisfying squeak came from above- and the girl smiled.
Jackpot.
Up above, in the annoying swirl of whiteness, a dark looming figure appeared- barely a shadow- roughly in the shape of a human. The hairs on her neck tingled as she gazed at the balls of fire burning through the heart of the figure. The attack had hit home- landing squarely on the chest.
Slowly, Nexus' figure began to solidify- coming into focus like an enhancing image. Up above, he dangled twenty five feet in the air, hovering quietly as his all black outline emerged from the nothingness.
With his coat flapping silently, and that peculiar round hat standing ominously, his dark form stuck out against the perfect whiteness of the background- like a massive crow in a field of snow.
Below, on the all white ground, the girl's face glowed in victory.
"Bull's eye!" she yelped- visibly excited.
At her sides, the intimidating flames went out immediately. She promptly began to deliver self congratulatory messages to herself.
Truly, the girl was proud of what she had done. With no target in sight, locked away in a different world entirely, she had managed to kill her invisible captor by simply honing on his voice!
On another other level, it was maddening enough that her Blood Moon eyes had failed to see through this guy's illusion. That was her trump card. Ultimately, it was her signature move for both attack and defense. Even other illusionists dreaded going up against her in battle.
So, this truly came as a shock to her. It never happened before!
The throbbing of her bleeding toe shot fresh pangs of pain through her foot. It sliced across the breadth of her leg- leaving her with something she hadn't felt in a long time- PAIN.
As she bent downwards to attend to her injury, a slight look of annoyance streaked through her eyes;
"That bastard," she cursed; "Had me crushing my own toe. . ."
She grumbled- as she undid the laces; "At least the bastard's dead. . ."
On the spot, crouched on the ground, and bent down on one knee, a puzzled look crept through her red eyes;
'Hold on,' she thought; 'If he's dead, this damn illusion should be coming apart by now–'
Even before the voice came, she felt the presence- dark and ominous, like an invading whilwind;
"Dead?" Nexus chuckled; "No child."
She froze.
In her ears, the swishing sound of confusion rumbled in jagged tunes. Her fingers suddenly went numb. And her head slowly arched upwards at his voice. It wasn't just fear this time. It was hopelessness- as well as disappointment- in her own self.
"Get up," he said.
The tone- although calm- bore all the warning signs of a command. Promptly, her hands let go of her boots. Her head jerked upwards as she sprinted to her feet- feeling dizzy from the shift the dynamic.
Her palms burned. Her foot throbbed painfully, and her dry throat cringed from thirst. Gradually, she spun on her heels, whipping her hair around, and sweeping her eyes through the white landscape- bringing her sight to meet the man standing before her.
He was so close- so damn close.
His tall frame stood tall and proud. Underneath his round hat, his piercing eyes shot through her- spiking her blood pressure, and increasing her heartbeat. Instinctively, she took a step back;
"NO." he rasped coolly; "Stay right there. Do not move an inch."
She didn't.
With barely any space between them, Nexus' feet struck out towards her. In silent heaves, the rest of his body followed. Towering over her, he stood right there- breathing down her forehead, staring at her with a cold lifeless gaze.
The girl dared not lift her head to meet his gaze.
She was staring at a dead man- only he wasn't so dead. As she remembered the gruesome sight of her fireballs searing through his chest, her knees quaked as regret tore her up from the insides.
A silence- louder than any deafening roar, shredded the void all around them.
Clasping his hands at his back, and mouth directly over her ears, Nexus' deep guttural voice finally came;
"Those eyes of yours," he began; "They're pretty. . ."
A long pause- a long heavy pause followed;
". . .but they're useless here. . .YOU are useless here. Those pathetic flames of yours are equally USELESS here. . .if you can understand me, say 'YES MASTER.'"
Alone, locked away- in a strange world, with an equally strange man- the girl had never felt so weak- so useless.
She swallowed weakly, and heard herself say;
"Yes master."
"Good. I hate repeating myself, So I'm only going to say this once, listen carefully–"
Quietly, he lowered his head- all the way down to the right side of her head- bringing his mouth directly next to her ear;
"If I want to, I can kill you right now. . .do you understand? In the real world, your body will simply drop dead. There will be no investigation. You will be tossed aside and buried like a chicken. . .and no one will bat an eye."
He spoke slowly- carefully enunciating each word, vividly painting a clear picture, and feeling the steady rise of her heartbeat;
"I control this world, so I can keep you in here for as long as I want- depending on how fast you cooperate. . .depending on how long it takes to determine if you're a good girl. . ."
He paused- thoroughly enjoying the sight of her stricken body;
"Are you a good girl?"
No answer.
She stood there, inches away from him- breathing in silent defiance.
Playing the role of a master, Nexus' voice rose an octave higher- bringing along with it a warning streak;
"I SAID ARE YOU A GOOD GIRL?"
So was so close, she could feel the vibrations coming from his throat.