War God's Reckoning

Meaning of despair

Nancy's heart lurched violently into her throat. Regret, horror, and indescribable fear chewed through every last fragment of reason she still possessed.

Just when she became certain her body would splatter against the unforgiving concrete below, turning into nothing more than a mangled mass of flesh without even leaving behind a complete corpse; a miracle happened.

Something caught her.

A slender leg extended as casually as though it were resting on a footstool instead of intercepting a falling human being. It stopped her descent cold, leaving her suspended in midair.

Nancy froze. Then gasped.

Her mind simply refused to process what had happened.

Her waist rested awkwardly across the outstretched leg, leaving her hanging in an utterly undignified position.

How could something so dainty effortlessly balance the weight of a grown woman?

Her thoughts descended into complete chaos.

None of it mattered.

All that mattered was that a savior had arrived.

Her shaking hands instinctively grabbed the leg to steady herself as hope surged violently through her chest.

She looked up. Another scream exploded from her throat, louder than the last.

It was that same ghostly face with blood steadily trickling from its lips.

She was staring straight at that same smile that seemed capable of dragging people straight into nightmares.

This time, however, Nancy noticed details she had missed before.

The ghost had a pair of childish pigtails that bounced gently in the wind.

A long leather trench coat fluttered around her slender frame, matching leather trousers, disappearing into combat boots.

Weapons of varying sizes were strapped neatly across her body, making her resemble a professional assassin who had wandered straight out of a horror film.

The contradiction was horrifying.

The childish hairstyle and playful smile, paired with deadly butchering equipments.

It all blended into something grotesquely surreal.

Trinity grinned broadly before raising one hand and giving Nancy an almost adorable little wave, batting her eyelashes innocently.

Nancy's pupils contracted violently. A broken scream escaped her.

Her fingers lost all strength.

She slipped. Once again, gravity seized her.

This time, she was falling face first.

Pure instinct told her exactly what awaited below. If she struck the concrete in that position, her face would be crushed beyond recognition.

Half an inch from the ground, a hand suddenly grabbed the back of her clothes.

The powerful grip yanked upward just enough to bleed away the terrifying momentum.

Nancy collapsed into uncontrollable sobs.

At this point, death itself no longer frightened her the most. It was the way this mad ghost toyed with her mind.

Piece by piece. Layer by layer.

Relentlessly tearing apart every mental and psychological defense she possessed until nothing remained.

Her thoughts had become painfully simple.

Fear. Despair. Horror. Death.

No matter how desperately she tried to think of escape, those four emotions crashed endlessly through her mind, drowning out everything else.

"Aiya!"

That childish, playful exclamation floated down from above once again.

Nancy screamed as though someone had driven a knife through her heart.

Her entire body quivered. Then she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Please...please just kill me..."

A bone-deep chill spread through her body. It felt as though every drop of blood in her veins had frozen solid.

Trinity giggled. The sound rang through the empty factory like pearls scattering across polished marble.

"Sister, how can you say that?" she asked with exaggerated innocence. "I'm only playing with you because I like you too much."

"Crazy... You're crazy..."

Nancy's words tumbled over one another without coherence. "She's crazy..."

Her lips trembled violently.

Her body spasmed uncontrollably, teetering dangerously close to complete psychological collapse.

The corners of Trinity's lips curved higher.

The madness dancing inside her eyes became even more pronounced.

Without warning, she released Nancy completely.

Nancy hit the ground and rolled across the rough concrete.

The impact scraped her face, arms and knees as grit bit into exposed skin. Tears continued pouring down her cheeks, stinging every fresh scrape while her sobs echoed helplessly through the empty factory.

"Don't worry." The ghostly face smiled.

"I won't let you die."

She crouched slightly, resting her chin on one hand as though making a heartfelt promise.

"It'll feel like you want to die. It'll feel like you can't hold on anymore. Like you're teetering on the edge of hell..."

Her smile widened, enough to send chills down the strongest warrior's spines.

"But fear not, I'll always pull you back."

Another delighted giggle escaped her lips.

"How can I let you die? I want to play with you for a very long time."

That promise shattered something inside Nancy. A broken scream burst from her lips. Her eyes became unfocused as the last threads of sanity began to slip away.

How could there not be a single person in this entire world willing to save her?

Without warning, memories surfaced. Xavier.

Whenever something happened, got into trouble, or needed help, he had always appeared. Always.

Her sobs grew even louder.

If it were Xavier, he would have noticed she was missing.

He would have found her.

But now, he was probably dead. No one was coming for her. Her eternal assurance that her back was being watched had disappeared.

The thought stabbed straight through her heart. Regret crashed into her like an unstoppable tide. Pain followed closely behind.

She cried until she could no longer distinguish tears from breath. Trinity watched silently. The warmth disappeared completely from her eyes.

She grabbed Nancy and effortlessly hauled her upright. Nancy gasped, her heart pounded wildly against her ribs.

Before she could understand what was happening, the ghostly figure hurled her upward.

A terrified scream escaped her lips as the night sky spun violently around her.

A hand caught her arm in midair. The wind roared past her ears. Then she was flung across the rooftop like discarded luggage.

She hit the ground hard before sliding to a stop.

Gbim!

Something massive landed only a few meters away.

The violent impact made Nancy's heart seem to perform an impossible somersault inside her chest.

She was exhausted. Completely exhausted.

Every muscle screamed in agony.

Every nerve begged her to lose consciousness.

"What have I done to deserve this?"

A fist suddenly tangled itself in her hair, ripping apart what remained of her carefully arranged French twist.

She was dragged backward before being hurled against the wall.

The impact drove the air from her lungs.

Warm blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Agony exploded through her body.

Her entire torso throbbed violently, making her wonder if something inside had cracked.

Before she could recover, she was hauled back onto her feet.

A rusted metal drum stood nearby, its murky water reflected distorted fragments of moonlight.

Nancy stared at it blankly, unable to understand why it suddenly mattered.

Then she was shoved toward it.

Panic surged through her all over again.

The ghostly figure forced her head beneath the dirty water. Her muffled struggles sent ripples racing across the surface.

When her strength finally began to fail, she was pulled back up.

She coughed violently, desperately dragging precious air into burning lungs.

Before her breathing could steady, she was plunged beneath the water once more.

The brief glimpse she caught of Trinity's ghostly smile before disappearing beneath the surface destroyed the last sliver of hope inside her.

Whatever this thing was, it was completely abnormal, unreasonable, and unhinged.

It wasn't even human anymore. Whether she would die had long ceased to matter.

She was certain she would.

The only question left was: what would this unhinged psycho do to her before the end finally came?

Despair clawed relentlessly at her heart.

Agony hollowed out what remained of her spirit.

For the first time in her life, death stood before her with terrifying clarity.

Surely, this was the end. No hope in sight.