• ❁Alchemic Scars [Editing]❁ •

• ❁ Prologue ❁ •

Prologue

"No! Stop!"

Blood splatters upon dark, stone walls, staining them a sickening red. Knelt in the gruesome run-off, clutching their shoulder tightly is a young girl, no more than 8 years old. Her screams tear from her throat as she watches her sister and brother, both wrapped in thin black tendrils, being stung apart; elongated into pixellated ribbons. The threads twist and turn before disappearing into the never-ending void of a large, white slit in the centre of the dark room.

"Come back! Please!" The girl cries out again. The blood pouring from her severed right arm has turned her summer dress dark, the floral print no longer visible. Through blurred vision she looks at her missing limb, her eyes widening as the revelation hits her, another scream escaping her. Tears streak down her cheeks, mixing with the blood accumulating on the floor.

Before her now, within the slitted eye, the black ribbons that took her brother and sister writhe like worms in the air. Inside this demonic organ appears a spark of light. It grows larger and larger until it engulfs her completely. White flashes before her, too blinding for her to look at clearly, but she gets just enough to notice the strangeness before her. Images flash repeatedly, knowledge pouring into her mind at record speed.

She closes her eyes as tight as she can, trying to resist the influx of information, knowing it's too much to take in. Then, out of the pain and the misery, a voice cuts through. A voice so cold and soulless that it chills her to her very core. It speaks softly, yet their words seem like daggers to her skin.

"Child," It speaks. "You have made a grave mistake trespassing on forbidden ground."

A small, white figure surrounded by black static appears in the centre of this subliminal space. It looks young, yet it speaks as if it has been in this world for eternity. The girl takes in her new surroundings; a white void with a single, grey, stone door lifted off the floor, marked with unknown symbols. The texture on it is patchy, almost ancient.

"Who-" She attempts to mutter out, but is cut off by that demonic voice.

"Who am I?" It laughs. "Well, I'm glad you asked. I have been called many things throughout time, but let's make this easy for you; call me, Truth."

The girl stays where she is, keeled over on all threes, eyes nearly unseeing. The figure laughs once again with a terrifyingly wide, toothy grin and waves its hand. Suddenly, she feels something yank on her insides, pulling her backwards. She closes her eyes for but a second before she finds herself back in the cold, damp, dark basement.

The pain in her shoulder comes flooding back all at once, making the girl delirious. She clenches her left hand into a tight fist, fighting with all her might to stay conscious. She hears the residual sound of a 'tinkle' and a 'thud' from where my siblings had disappeared. There in their place lay two bundles of clothing. Next to that, a thin notebook belonging to my brother and a pair of pearl earrings belonging to my sister. These items were treasures from her parents. Realising the opportunity now given to her, the girl crawls her way across the floor to get to the items. She pulls them to her side before reaching a finger out to the pool of blood produced from her severed arm. She takes some of the congealed liquid and traces a symbol inside the front cover of the notebook; a blood seal. Then, taking a sharp fragment found from a broken vase, she does the same for the pearl earring.

"I beg of you!" She yells, trying my best not to slur or choke on her tears. "Bring them back to me! I don't care what you take from me; my organs, my limbs, anything. Just bring Marcus and Jackie back!"

A silence fills the room, only being broken by her feeble sobs and a sudden shrill cackling. The voice of Truth peeks through the still air.

"Oh, I won't take your limbs or organs," It says, laughing hysterically. "I'll take your memories!"

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Edit:
Hey Quillers!
For those returning to this story you will notice that I have unpublished all my chapters. I want to do this so I can edit the book properly as there have been significant changes and removed content so having unedited sections will only confuse new readers. Hope you can understand.
Until next time Quillers! Bye ~