Read Scarlet Avenue :: Her End 1.2

The stairwell stretched upward, lit by wavering torches that cast long, distorted shadows along the stone walls. Everything about this place felt ripped straight from the pages of a fantasy novel- the rough-cut stone, the flickering firelight, the suffocating sense of age pressed into every surface.

It didn’t feel modern.

It didn’t feel real.

“Tsk.”

She clicked her tongue and shoved the door open.

Light exploded inward.

Blinding. Absolute. Consuming.

Salem squinted as the door gave way- and what lay beyond made her steps falter.

A corridor stretched endlessly before her, impossibly vast. Marble gleamed beneath her feet, polished to a mirror sheen. Towering pillars rose on either side, carved with intricate, deliberate detail, each one a work of art.

It was breathtaking.

It was wrong.

It reminded her, distantly, of the temples she had seen on a school trip to Rome- but grander. Stranger. Older in a way that made her skin crawl.

“Where on earth am I…” she murmured, her voice swallowed whole by the cavernous space.

Through the gaps between the pillars, she could see beyond- to greenery, open air. A garden. Not an exit. Not freedom.

Just another layer of this place.

Her jaw tightened.

With a heavy breath, Salem broke into a sprint.

If this were a dream, then there had to be rules. A way out. A door, a threshold- something.

The first one was already open… maybe that doesn’t count…

Her thoughts raced as fast as her feet.

When did I even fall asleep?

The distance vanished beneath her stride. Years of track and field carried her effortlessly forward, her body remembering what her mind couldn’t grasp. In seconds, she reached the double doors at the far end- solid, imposing, promising escape.

She reached for them-

They burst open.

“Oof—!”

The impact knocked the breath straight from her lungs. Salem stumbled back, hitting the ground hard, the marble unforgiving beneath her.

For a second, the world tilted.

Then she looked up.

And promptly forgot how to breathe.

Standing in the doorway was someone… impossible.

Tall. Poised. Radiant.

Long platinum hair spilled over their shoulders like spun silver, catching the light with an almost ethereal glow. Their eyes- golden, piercing- locked onto her with quiet intensity, as if they could see straight through her.

They were beautiful in a way that defied definition.

Not a man. Not a woman. Something else. Something more.

Their robes set them apart immediately- far more elaborate than the others. Blue embroidery curled across the fabric like flowing water, threaded with gold that shimmered in the light. Layers of sashes draped elegantly, and atop their head rested an ornate adornment that echoed something holy… something authoritative. Much like something the Pope would wear.

Their hands were clasped in prayer.

And they were staring directly at her.

Curious. Calm. Unshaken.

For a moment, Salem could only stare back- caught, suspended in that gaze.

Then she noticed the figures behind them.

Rows of robed onlookers, their faces twisted not with fear- but disgust.

The spell shattered.

Salem blinked, reality crashing back in.

“Great,” she muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes as she pushed herself upright. “Here comes another one.”

She dusted herself off, jaw tight-

-and then froze.

Pain flared sharp and real through her body.

Her expression faltered.

…My ass hurts.

A beat.

Why does my ass hurt in a dream…?

“She is not a demon… but we cannot have the saintess of the Temple of Dawne be someone with such an… ominous skin color.”

The words struck like a slap.

And yet-

If not for the poison laced through them, Salem might have melted where she stood. Their voice was dangerous in its beauty- smooth, controlled, laced with quiet authority that sank beneath the skin.

It made her stomach twist.

It made her furious.

Salem took several slow steps back, instinct screaming at her to put distance between them- now. Only then did she fully register the figures surrounding them. Not merely attendants.

Knights. Armed. Watching.

Waiting.

Her glare could have cut steel. It swept across them, sharp and unapologetic—and they flinched. Several recoiled outright, their composure cracking as unease rippled through their ranks.

They were afraid of her.

All of them.

All except one.

That one remained perfectly still. Untouched. Unmoved.

Beautiful.

“And even without a divinity gauge,” they continued, their gaze dragging slowly, deliberately over her, “I can tell your divine power is… boundless.”

A pause. A faint curl of amusement touched their lips.

“Such intensity. Such raw, unrestrained aura… exactly as one would expect from a summoned being.”

That smile sharpened- cruel, knowing.

“We will simply use your power… to perform the ritual again.”

“Excuse me?” Salem’s voice came out sharp, incredulous, edged with disbelief. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

The figure tilted their head slightly, as if amused by her confusion. Slowly, almost thoughtfully, they unclasped their hands and brushed their fingers along their chin.

A gesture too casual. Too dismissive.

“There is no need,” they said softly, “to explain ourselves… to a power source.”

The words landed heavily. Dehumanizing. Final.

Salem flinched- but not at the insult.

At the light.

Gold.

Shimmering particles began to rise around them, drifting upward like sacred dust caught in an unseen current. The air itself seemed to bend toward them, alive with quiet, gathering power.

It was… beautiful.

Hypnotic.

For a single, dangerous second, Salem could only stare.

Then instinct screamed louder than awe.

Move.

Her breath hitched as reality slammed back into place. This wasn’t for show—

This was a weapon.

Fast, trembling fingers checked what had grounded her from the moment she opened her eyes in the void- her duffle bag still slung across her back, solid and real. Sneakers planted firm. Stable. Ready.

And thank God-

She was dressed to run.

The realization snapped everything into place.

A plan, crude but desperate, formed instantly.

Garden. Wall. Jump.

She’d done worse before. Metal fences at school. Late nights. Bad decisions.

A stone wall?

She’d clear it. Or die trying.

Determination hardened her expression as she took one step back.

Then another.

One more—

And then she moved.

Salem spun on her heel and exploded forward, sprinting full speed toward the open garden.

She didn’t need to look back to know she’d caught them off guard.

She heard it.

The sudden break in their composure.

The sharp edge of urgency slicing through that once-calm voice—

“Capture her! Alive!”

Her bag slammed rhythmically against her back with every stride as she burst from polished marble onto open grass. The shift in footing didn’t slow her- not even a fraction.

The wall loomed ahead.

Closer. Closer-

For a single moment, something strange caught her eye.

A flash of pale movement.

Hair?

No- impossible.

Her twists were dark. Deep black, threaded with wine-colored highlights. That shimmer- silver-white- had to be nothing more than light playing tricks.

It had to be.

She didn’t have time to question it.

Her focus snapped inward- sharp, instinctive, absolute.

Her breath tore from her lungs in hard, violent pulls. Her muscles burned as they pushed her faster, farther. The weight of her bag, the strike of her feet, the wind cutting across her skin, the scent of grass and sweat-

Every sensation was too real.

Too sharp.

Too grounded.

The truth hit her like a collision.

This wasn’t a dream.

It couldn’t be.

Dreams didn’t ache like this.

Didn’t breathe like this.

Didn’t fight back like this.

Her pulse roared in her ears as the wall rose to meet her-

And the world finally, fully, terrifyingly snapped into focus.

This was not a dream.

This was not Earth.

But this…

This was reality.

The wall loomed ahead- only a handful of feet away now.

As Salem closed the distance, the details sharpened with brutal clarity. Vines crawled wildly across the stone, twisting in thick, tangled paths. At the very top, metal railings crowned the wall- each gap lined with long, arrow-like spikes, gleaming faintly in the sun.

One wrong move…

And she wouldn’t just fall-

She’d be impaled.

Behind her, the pounding of armored footsteps lagged farther and farther away. The knights were struggling- slowed by their own weight, their own bulk.

Too slow.

Way too slow.

A surge of confidence ignited in her chest, burning hot and electric. Her body answered immediately, every muscle tightening, pushing harder, faster.

Her heart thundered, driving her forward like a war drum.

Closer.

The wall was right there.

Now.

In a single, fluid motion, Salem dropped her center of gravity, legs coiling beneath her like a spring. She crouched, ready to launch- ready to climb, to fight, to escape-

And then…

Cold.

A chilling presence slid down her spine like ice water poured straight into her bones.

Her body knew before her mind could catch up.

Something was behind her.

No-

Someone.

The distant thunder of the knights was still there, still far, still chasing- but this presence?

This was close.

Too close.

“You’re fast, summoned one.”

The voice came from directly behind her- calm, composed, impossibly near.

Salem didn’t have time to turn.

Didn’t even have time to react.

“If not for your skin…”

A breath- soft, almost regretful- ghosted at her ear.

“You would have made an excellent Holy Maiden.”

Her stomach dropped.

“Your reflexes. Your instincts…”

A pause.

A quiet, cutting finality.

“Such a shame.”

And then…

Hands.

Cold. Unyielding.

Fingers clamped around her throat and lifted.

Salem’s body left the ground in a violent, effortless motion, the world ripping out from beneath her feet as she was dragged back. Air choked out of her lungs in a jagged gasp as she was spun around, forced to face the blazing afternoon sun and the approaching line of knights.

Her legs kicked uselessly in empty air.

Her body twisted, fought, thrashed- anything.

But it didn’t matter.

They were stronger.

Far stronger than she had realized.

Her hands shot to her neck, clawing desperately at the iron grip crushing her airway, but she couldn’t pry it loose. Not even a fraction.

“-gh!”

The sound tore from her throat, raw and strangled.

Her vision flickered, the light too bright, too sharp. The world blurred at the edges as oxygen slipped further and further out of reach.

The knights were getting closer now.

Too close.

Her movements weakened.