Chapter 118 Run away
Chapter 118: Run away
Milo pov
I felt the sensation of cold water being splashed on me, soaking my entire body. My lungs heaved like it wanted to collapse. For terrifying seconds, I didn't know where I was.
“Milo! Milo, wake up!”
A voice caught my attention. My body tensed, The owner of the voice was no other person but
Daphne.
She was holding an empty bucket of water, her face filled with concern as her chest continued to rise and fall like she had just run a marathon.
I blinked once, twice, my brain trying to process everything all at once. The flames, the chains, the man, then… my sister's voice.
My surroundings blurred, and suddenly I was still in the dark room, and Daphne's face blurred, overlapping with the image of the faceless man who had just whispered my doom.
“No… stay back!” My voice ripped out from me in a raw, animalistic way that sounded more like a growl before I could stop it. I felt a prickling sensation in my eyes, heat flaring behind my eyes like fire waiting to burst out.
Daphne froze, her entire body became rigid, Her pupils widened like she had seen the very devil himself.
Instinctively, I tried to reach out to her, but she suddenly jerked backward so fast that you would think she had touched a life wire, slamming against the opposite wall. The bucket in her hands clattering on the floor.
Her face turned pale white, as she stared at me as if she was staring into something I couldn’t see.
I saw her knees wobble threatening to buckle under her trembling body.
“M-Milo… your aura...” Her voice was filled with fear and sounded like she was in pain.
I scrunched my brows for a second, clearly confused at what she was saying.
“Y-you are hurting me”
The word “hurt” hit me like a slap to the face,
and instantly, my foggy brain immediately cleared instantly. The hum in my veins stopped. The crushing aura that filled the room once evaporated like smoke.
The fire was gone.
And suddenly, I was just Milo again, weak, soaked and shaken from what had just happened.
Daphne stumbled back against the wall. She clutched her chest, taking deep, noisy breaths like she was just pulled out of water.
“I am so sorry daphne” I tried to apologize, but she refused to meet my gaze, clutching her hands to her chest as though they could keep her safe.
I licked my dry lips, getting up from my wet mattress on the floor, but I was forced to stop when her body tensed again.
“Daphne… please, what did you see?”
For a heartbeat, she looked as though she wanted to run. But then she took a deep breath, shaking her head too quickly.
“It’s… nothing,” she muttered. “Just— you scared me, that’s all.”
I frowned, wanting to move but thought better of it. “Daphne, please, I need to know.”
She hesitated, and her lips parted before her mouth moved, like a whisper she didn’t want to admit.
“Your eyes, Milo. For a moment, they… they weren’t yours. They burned pure yellow. It's something I have never seen…”
My heart kicked hard against my ribs.
She waved it off, as if the more she talked the less, it would matter. “Forget I said anything, Maybe it's just me mailing things.”
But I was hardly convinced. I could clearly see that she was shaken from what she saw. I didn't miss the way her hands still trembled despite hiding it.
My mind quickly went to my dream. And no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t forget the faceless man’s voice, the chains, the fire and how it felt so real and alive, I could swear my skin still tingled with the residue of everything burning in my veins.
“M-milo!” Daphne’s urgent whisper cut through the haze of thoughts that was swarming in my head.
I looked at her, she looked a little calmer now than before but she had another expression on her face…
Was that a worry or concern?
“You overslept…”
Her words barely registered when it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't asked why she was the one suddenly waking me up from my sleep, even having to resort to water.
“How long did I sleep? ” I asked, a part of me dreading the answer.
“A long time milo. James told me that I should not wake you no matter what that you needed the sleep, but I couldn't just allow you to sleep for hours—”
The mention of James brought back yesterday memories and how I had become a diamond shadow. I was a little shocked. It felt like a long time already. While it was just yesterday night…
I paused, my body tensing up as what today dawned on me.
“What? —That’s not possible,” I croaked, my voice still thick from sleeping almost the whole day. My mind scrambled to process the truth, clawing at my fog of confusion. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not!” she hissed, her wide eyes reflecting both panic and pity. “It's already starting. You can check for yourself.”
A cold dread coiled in my stomach. Without letting her finish what she was saying, I stumbled towards the nearest window.
I yanked the curtain aside—
And froze.
The evening sunset illuminated my face. The courtyard below was alive with roaring voices, a sea of people moved under the blaze of torches they held in their hands. I could hear the excited chants and howling of people coming from the pack square, like some sort of a celebration.
It sounds like death rehearsing its final lines.
My blood turned to ice.
It was real, It is happening now.
The death match is this night!!
dream or not. I wiped my eyes vigorously, hoping I was still in a deep sleep and this was part of my nightmare I would soon wake up from, but no matter how hard I wished for it to be a dream— the very thing I had silently prayed against, the nightmare I had foolishly brought upon myself— was happening today,
and I was late.
I stumbled back from the window, strength draining from my legs. My chest heaved up and down, and the walls seemed to be closing in on me. I didn’t know when Daphne reached me until I felt a hand touch my shoulders, jerking me back to reality.
“They have already started the pack runs already. It's the first part of the pack bloodmoon. ” Daphne whispered, her hands gripping my shoulders, steadying me from falling over. “If you don’t get down there now and fulfill the binding contract, cornel forced you to…”
Daphne trailed off, but I already knew what she wanted to say,
If I didn’t fight tonight, if I didn’t show up, I wouldn’t need to worry about the rogues or the prickling feeling still running lowly inside my skin—
My stomach twisted into knots.
“…then the punishment will fall on you—and worse, it will fall on me too, we will die!!” The evil voice suddenly boomed in my head, eliciting a sharp groan of pain from me. My head felt like it was splitting into two from the rough intrusion.
The room spun around me. My skin buzzed again with that strange vibration, that invisible hum I could feel inside me but couldn’t control. It is stronger now, getting louder as time goes on.
“Milo, listen to me,” Daphne pressed, her voice trembling with urgency. “You still have time…”
I shook my head, I knew she was just trying to relive the tension, but I know the truth.
“I can’t back down. It's not an option” I whispered hoarsely. “Even if I wanted to, that stupid bastard made sure of it.
Daphne’s eyes glossed with tears, mere looking at her worried face almost made me want to tear up despite my determination not to.
I was now a member of the shadow unit. I had managed to win a diamond badge, something only two people have achieved since the time memorial. I opened my mouth to tell her not to worry—
“Then run away!"