Chapter 67: The Master

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: The Master

The blows kept coming.

Victor raised his arms to protect himself, but one of the shadows struck him with such force that he was sent flying several meters. His body rolled across the white floor, leaving a trail of blood behind. He had barely managed to stop when another shadow was already looming over him, raising one of its limbs to crush him.

"Dammit!"

Victor twisted his body and barely dodged the attack. The limb slammed into the floor, sending white fragments flying that disappeared shortly afterward. Victor took advantage of that moment to grab it with both hands and bite down with all his strength.

He had no idea whether it would do any good, but he wasn’t going to stand still and wait for death.

A few meters away, Brika wasn’t faring any better. The little goblin had thrown herself at another shadow, striking it with her fists and legs. However, every attack seemed useless. Those monsters were simply too strong, and although their bodies could be struck, they didn’t seem to suffer any significant damage.

One of the shadows grabbed her by the neck and hurled her to the ground.

Brika coughed, spitting out blood. She tried to get up, but another shadow kicked her in the side, sending her rolling across the floor.

They weren’t tired. Neither of them felt their strength diminishing, but their bodies were becoming increasingly battered.

It was an absurd fight.

Victor knew it.

Brika knew it too.

And yet, they both got back up.

[Cogito, ergo sum.]

The floating eye drifted across the battlefield, following Victor as he lunged at another shadow. Its words continued to repeat over and over, as if it were trying to convey something important to him.

’I’ve already heard that damn phrase!’ Victor thought.

He didn’t have time to solve riddles. He could barely stay on his feet, let alone figure out what the hell that Latin phrase meant.

"Victor!"

Brika appeared beside him and struck a shadow that was about to attack him from behind. The monster barely staggered, but that was enough for Victor to move out of its reach.

"Thanks!" he shouted.

"Don’t get distracted!"

"I’m not getting distracted!"

The two stood back-to-back. Victor raised his fists while Brika assumed a fighting stance. Their breathing was ragged, and blood covered much of their bodies.

Then the shadows charged at them again.

Victor took a blow to the abdomen, while Brika was struck by a limb that brought her to her knees. Despite that, neither stopped fighting. Victor grabbed one of the creatures by the arm and slammed his forehead into it, while Brika clung to another to keep it from attacking her companion.

It was a desperate struggle.

One they couldn’t win.

"This is wonderful!" the Wendigo said with a laugh, its voice echoing from all directions. "You two are absolutely wonderful!"

Victor spat out blood and raised his head.

"Shut your mouth, you sick bastard!"

"Don’t get distracted, Goggles. You wouldn’t want to die by accident."

The shadows attacked again.

Victor took a blow to the face. His head snapped violently to the side, and he fell onto his back. Brika tried to reach him, but one of the creatures grabbed her by the leg and dragged her away.

"Victor!"

He reached out, but couldn’t get to her.

[Cogito, ergo sum.] the eye said as it floated between them.

’What the hell do you want me to think?!’

Victor tried to get up, but a shadow planted its foot on his chest. Pain coursed through his body, and blood filled his mouth. Messages began appearing all around him.

[The god "Serpent That Bites Its Own Tail" thinks this story was entertaining while it lasted.]

[The god "Fisher of Opportunities" is trying to find new opportunities.]

[The god "President of the Snows" is disappointed by how short this story was.]

[Several other gods are watching your imminent end.]

’You bastards!’ Victor thought, but he didn’t have time to get angry at those deities.

The Wendigo laughed again.

"Our time together is coming to an end, Goggles. I’ll take care of the little goblin while you’re gone. In fact! I’ll become you!"

Brika struggled to free her leg. A shadow struck her in the back, making her fall face-first onto the ground. Even so, she planted both hands on the floor and tried to get back up. Not because she particularly wanted to keep fighting, but because if this was going to be the end, why not fight with everything she had?

[Cogito, ergo sum.]

The eye approached Victor again.

[Think. Think. Think.]

"Enough!" Victor growled.

[Cogito, ergo sum. Think. Think. Think.]

"What the hell am I supposed to think about?!"

The Wendigo burst into even louder laughter.

"I have no idea what that thing accompanying you is, but it’s certainly made this journey more entertaining..."

Victor clenched his teeth. His body was being crushed against the floor, but his eyes kept moving. He looked at the shadows, the blood spreading beneath his body, and the white space surrounding them.

This was his mind.

Everything he had seen since entering this place had been memories. Memories of Brika, memories of his own, and settings that had appeared one after another.

’Think...’

[Think! Whatever you think will exist!]

Victor stopped struggling for a moment.

Whatever he thought would exist?

It was an absurd idea. It made no sense. And yet, something inside him began connecting those words to everything that had happened. If this was his mind, why was he supposed to obey the Wendigo’s rules?

Why should he accept that those shadows were invincible?

At the same time, Brika opened her eyes.

The little goblin had heard the eye’s words and finally understood what it was trying to tell them. She looked at the white floor, then at the shadows, and finally at Victor.

"Victor!" Brika shouted.

He turned his head toward her.

[Think! Think!]

The floating eye approached once more. Its voice echoed throughout the entire space, this time with such force that it seemed to shake even the whiteness of the memory itself.

[This is your mind, and within it, you are the Master.]

The Wendigo stopped laughing.

The small weakness in Soul Gaze had begun to reveal itself.