Chapter 40 Ryder’s Rage
There was a strong stench of wet stone and iron in the dungeon air. The torchlight that flickered on the frigid walls made the soldiers' shapes look longer as they walked back and forth at the end of the hall. Ryder felt like his own body was betraying him with every step he took in his cage. He had always knew the curse was getting stronger, but it had never felt like this before. It wasn't simply hurting.
It was a continual, nagging pressure inside him that made his body twist and turn against his will. His muscles hurt like they were being ripped apart, and his skin felt like it was crawling with something dark and out of control. Ryder hit the stone wall with his fist and let out a hoarse howl. The noise echoed through the silent halls of the prison. He was gasping for air, and the curse was making him feel like he was dying.
He couldn't hold it in much longer. It was getting to be too much. The curse had always been there, but now it was in charge. It felt like there was something else inside him that was alive, ravenous, and ready to break free. It got worse every time it took hold. The force inside him had always been black, but now it had a life of its own. He could feel it getting stronger with each second that went by. His body shook, and he lurched back, holding his chest as if he could hold his heart together.
The scorching feeling under his skin got worse, and Ryder's mind was full of bits of thoughts that weren't his own. The curse was talking to him, telling him to give up and let go. His eyes moved around the cell quickly, and his eyesight become blurry. It wasn't only hurting physically; it was hurting mentally as well. He could hear the whispers that had always been there, but they were suddenly louder and more persistent. It was the darkness inside him that was crying out to him and pushing him deeper. He recognized the voice, but it didn't sound like his own.
"Ryder, you can't fight it anymore." His palms turned into fists and a harsh growl came from his throat. "I won't be your puppet," he said through clenched teeth, his voice raspy with anger. But he knew in his heart that it was already too late. The curse has already done its job. He could feel the changes happening under his skin, in his bones, in the way his senses were getting sharper, and in the overwhelming strength that was flowing through his veins. Ryder's body jerked with a sudden, intense burst of energy, and he screamed in pain. His spine arched, and his vision swam as the curse ripped through him like a fire, searing through every nerve ending. His muscles grew too quickly, and the veins under his skin glowed a horrible green. The discomfort made it hard to see. And then it just stopped..
Ryder fell to his knees, gasping for oxygen and sweating on his forehead. His breath came in short, jagged bursts, and the transition made his whole body shake. He was not the same man anymore. There was no way to go back; the curse had taken complete possession. He looked up, his eyes on the dimly lighted bars of his cage. He could sense the power, like an animal that was ready to be set free. Ryder didn't know his own voice at first as a scream broke the calm of the dungeon. But when his senses become sharper, he knew it was. He was the one. He was screaming in anguish, hatred, and despair. The curse was eating him up from the inside out. A person suddenly showed up at the door. He could see her, Sienna, through the bars.
The light from the fire lit up her silhouette, and her eyes were wide with dread and resolve. She had come. She had come for him. But what was she going to find? The man she had known or the monster the curse had made? "Sienna..." Ryder's voice was hoarse and barely a whisper. He tried to get up, but his body wouldn't let him. He lurched forward, his legs hardly able to hold him up. The curse had taken away his strength, but it had also made him stronger, faster, and more dangerous. "Sienna..." This time, his voice seemed more urgent. He could feel the energy inside him, like a tidal wave, and he realized that he was no longer the same guy. She walked closer, and her eyes were so focused on him that Ryder's heart stopped. She wasn't scared. But she should be. "You've come," he said in a hushed voice.
"What are you going to do, Sienna? Will you stop me? Or will you lend a hand? He could see the doubt in her eyes, the way they flickered. She didn't know what to do. She was the only one who could get through to him and see past the curse, but Ryder wasn't sure if she could save him from this. "I didn't come to assist you," Sienna whispered gently, her voice shaking, but there was a steel edge to her words. "I came to stop you." The words hit Ryder like a blow in the stomach. He staggered back, the weight of her rejection hitting him hard. His eyesight got blurry again, and the voices of the curse were louder and more urgent.
Ryder's voice was low, and a growl was forming in his chest. "You don't get it, Sienna." The curse has gotten to me. "I'm not the same man you knew." She moved forward again, still looking at him. "Then I shall end whatever you've become." Ryder's lips twisted into a bitter smirk, and his hands turned into fists. The power inside him flared up again. His body shook with the violence of it, but he didn't care anymore. He was completely consumed by the curse, and he would let it consume everything else.
"You'll have to murder me then, Sienna," Ryder said, his voice full of agony and anger. "Because I won't be stopped. Not anymore. The words hung in the air between them, full of the raw, uncontrollable power that had taken over him. Ryder's body twisted and turned as the curse took full grip of him, and his figure shimmered in the dim light. He was ready to let the curse's full power out when he saw her eyes. They weren't scared or angry. There was something else, something deeper, that showed they were connected in a way that neither of them could break.
For a little moment, Ryder wondered if there was a way to go back to the man he used to be. But the curse made it hard for him to think. Ryder's vision got better again, and his senses were on high alert. His inner darkness had come to life, and the world outside his cell looked to be full with strange energy. He was not the same man who had once stood in front of Sienna. He was no longer the same person; he was a being of anger and raw strength. Sienna made another step forward and spoke firmly. "I will stop you, Ryder."
"Then try," he said with a sneer, his hands sizzling with evil energy. The curse had completely taken over him, and he couldn't control it. The air was thick with tension, and when Sienna got closer, Ryder stepped back, his hands still sizzling with black energy. The curse was too strong and too much. Then, as Ryder's body changed again, the sound of breaking stone filled the room. His transformation was almost complete. Ryder's body shook, and the place seemed to throb with an unnatural intensity, as if it were on the edge of something horrible. His muscles were tight, and his veins were glowing with sickly green power.
This was a direct result of the curse he could no longer control. He was breathing heavily and his chest was rising and falling as he tried to hold on to what little humanity was left inside. Sienna kept her ground, but there was a little shake in her stance, a sign that a storm was rising between them.