Rosie's Games

Chapter 377: It is the Only Way

However, the moment she enveloped him in a tight hug, the hairs on the back of her neck stood, and her heart quickened as an inexplicable tension filled the air.

Without warning, a crackling sound echoed. The ground beneath their feet shook violently, and loose rocks and debris tumbled down the cliffside, adding to the chaos.

A deafening roar echoed as the air started to move in a circular motion, slowly becoming a dark swirling vortex that seemed to lead to nowhere. The wind grew stronger, tugging at their clothes and hair.

"What is going on?"

Rosalind could feel the energy that crackled in the air. It was stranger, otherworldly, its sounds making her skin crawl.

"When I tell you to jump, you jump."

Rosalind stared at Lucas when she heard his voice.

"Do you understand me?" he asked. This time, she nodded.

As if on cue, the vortex opened wide enough and swallowed Rosalind and Lucas, pulling them into its dark embrace with a sickening lurch.

The wind and lightning ceased as abruptly as it began, leaving behind a silent canyon.

"That- Where are they?" Atior said, her voice panicky.

"The vortex swallowed them," Elias said.

"We need to find them."

"No," Huig said. "What we need to do is run."

"What?" Everyone turned their attention to the monstrous creature not too far away from them.

It seems that the vortex had attracted the attention of the monster.

"Can't we fight it?" Elias spoke.

"It is stronger than any monsters that we have fought before," Magda said.

"But can we fight it?" Elias said, a fire already appeared on his hand.

"You lunatic! If you want to live- "

"Then you run," Elias interrupted Atior's words "You run. You coward."

Elias surged forward with a fierce determination, his red hair blazing like the fireball he held in his hand.

..........

She was back.

Rosalind could not help but immediately notice that she was inside another dream.

This time, she was in the middle of a fight, a war.

Rosalind watched in horror as the demonic monsters rained down destruction upon the human armies. They were outnumbered and outmatched, and their weapons seemed useless against the towering beasts. Screams filled the air as soldiers fell, their bodies torn apart by the sharp claws and teeth of the demons.

She looked around. Once again, no one seemed to notice that she was there, watching everything.

Finally, Rosalind's gaze landed on a woman who stood her ground in the midst of the chaos. In fact, there were a few people who immediately got her attention as she had seen them before but what really attracted her attention was the woman that resembled her.

She was dressed in armor and wielding a glowing sword that seemed to dance with a fiery white energy. The woman, along with her allies, fought with a ferocity that rivaled that of the demons, cutting down one after the other with graceful, deadly strikes.

She looked stunning.

The woman looked like a goddess who had descended to defend the humans.

Rosalind watched in awe as the woman's sword sliced through the air, leaving a trail of flames in its wake. The demons seemed to hesitate for a moment as if taken aback by the woman's courage and skill.

The woman fought with all her might, but even her strength was no match for the sheer number of monsters that swarmed around her.

"We need to leave!"

Rosalind eyed the man who held the woman's arm. It was Lucas! It was the man that looked like Lucas!

"What are you doing!? You cannot exhaust yourself again!" the man hissed, anger dancing in his beautiful blue eyes.

"We cannot leave," the woman shook the man's hand away. "Do you want them to defeat humanity?"

"Are you going to sacrifice everything, even your life for the sake of the humans?" Lucas asked.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation before she used her sword to cut the monsters.

"You-" Lucas's expression turned grim. He grabbed her arm. "Let's go."

"What are you doing!?"

"We are losing the battle!"

"I am not leaving!"

"We are- "

The woman who resembled Rosalind pushed the man away. "I said, I am not leaving!"

...

Suddenly, the scene once again shifted.

The place before Rosalind was unrecognizable. All she could see was rubble and ash. The streets were littered with debris and broken pieces of buildings.

The air was thick with the stench of death and destruction, and the distant sound of mournful cries and howls filled the silence. The once lush parks and gardens were now barren, with twisted metal and rubble in their place. It was a place of desolation, a haunting reminder of a war.

"Is this what you want?"

Rosalind turned around and was surprised to see the woman that resembled her staring straight at her as if she could see her.

"Is this what you wanted all along!?" The woman started crying.

As Rosalind spun around, a voice reverberated from behind her. She gaped in astonishment at the man standing there, a perfect replica of Lucas. How could he look so identical to her long-lost friend?

"I only wanted to save you," he said, his eyes pleading for her understanding.

"You only wanted to save yourself!" The woman spat back, her voice thick with bitterness and resentment.

"That's not true," the man objected. "If I hadn't pulled you out of there, you would have died along with the others!"

"The others died because I couldn't protect them!" The woman snapped back.

"You can't protect everyone," he countered. "As much as you want to, it's impossible to save everyone else!"

As the woman turned around, she began walking in the opposite direction without a word.

"Where are you going?" the man called out after her.

"We need to find a way to save them," she replied firmly.

"What?" he asked, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I am going to find a way to bring back those who have lost their lives," she declared with a determined glint in her eyes.

The man's expression turned to one of disbelief. "Have you finally lost your mind?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Sorcery..."

"What?"

"It is the only way."