Sonhu’s heartbeat pounded in his chest. A rapid thumping flowed through him and overtook all the other sounds. He felt the crusaeders’ grip tighten, tense, as they watched… something. Ilgen Thomas’s eyes widened with shock and terror.

The crusaeders’ grips loosened then released Sonhu. He stumbled forward and caught himself. Turning, he watched as tendrils of shadow emerged from the doorway. He darted to the side of the room, withdrawing as the crusaeders drew their swords from their sheaths. He clung to the stone wall.

The tendrils snaked their way across the stone floor, gliding effortlessly. One of the crusaeders took a swing at a tendril, but his blade went straight through it. Sonhu watched as the tendrils wrapped themselves around the crusaeders. The crusaeders tried their best to fight off the tendrils, but the tendrils lifted the crusaeders into the air and constricted. Squeezing tighter and tighter. 

The hollow sound of crunching bones penetrated the ocean of pressure in Sonhu’s ears. The crusaeders’ corpses were dropped to the floor with thick thuds. Blood pooled out from the crevices of the armor. Mangled and bent in odd directions, they resembled marionettes lying lifeless on the floor.

Sonhu edged his way closer to the door, clinging to the wall. Dark clouds spilled into the chamber as a figure made its way into the room. The outline of something humanoid stood in the center of the clouds, with glowing purple eyes and a tall figure that was a foot or two taller than Sonhu.

The tendrils began gliding once again, this time towards the Ilgen, who had retreated and was now hiding behind the altar. Muttering barely audible prayers, his voice was shaking and breaking. His eyes closed. He never saw the tendrils poised above him hovering like a predator staring down its prey.

As Sonhu slowly stalked his way to the exit, trying to slip past the being, he could hear the screams of the Ilgen. Horrible shrieks of pain followed by a repulsive crunching, squelching, and then a single soft thud.

Sonhu had made it to the doorway when he felt the tendril wrap around his leg. Some tired part of his mind could not help but wonder, why this again? Quickly, it pulled his leg out from under him and then lifted him up. Hanging upside down, Sonhu clawed at the tendril, and then another one was upon him, restraining his right arm, the other one around his chest.

Sonhu’s tail flared wildly. Something burned inside him. Fear no longer clutched his heart in her hands. No, just… anger… frustration… that was what was left. A deep guttural growl rumbled in Sonhu’s throat, and he was carried back to the altar.

The tendrils laid Sonhu splayed out on the altar, restrained and their grip unrelenting. Just do it already. Why must my death be dragged out? Why must I come back only to be killed again? Sonhu gritted his teeth. His eyes darted around the room, looking for the being.

“Just do it already, you nasty fiend!” he shouted defiantly. There was a pause. Tension in the air. Sonhu could feel it in the tendrils, a subtle change… and then, standing over him… the being.

“Do what exactly, my little kitty?” she asked him.