2 – Infinite Judgment

Ashley knew how this would play out the moment the giant snake burst from the treeline.

Her thumbs moved first. They clawed at empty air, reaching for a plastic joystick that wasn’t there. The pattern recognition followed a half second behind, automatic and useless: classic jump attack, half rotation left, dodge with B. Her hands still thought this was something she could pause.

“Crap.”

Right. Right.

She cursed at the air and forced her legs to move instead.

Her legs kicked, every muscle in her body tensing. She lost her footing, thrown off by the unexpected weight and wild lurching of her new wings.

The snake’s maw yawned open. It was wider than it should have been possible: wide enough to take her head and shoulders in one bite. Two fangs curved down like ivory daggers, biting hard into her.

Ashley twisted, trying to shield herself from the biting jaws. Pain ran from the point of impact to her shoulder blades.

She forced her eyes open, grinding her teeth. Through the translucent wings flapping around her, she saw into the dark throat of the snake. Its fangs were buried deep in the translucent wing that she had wrapped around her body involuntarily, almost instinctively.

Black ooze seeped into the wound.

The snake contracted its jaws. The liquid spread through into her wings, spreading in a black web, the veins beginning to carry the poison through her like roots drinking water.

Ashley grunted. “I’ve been stabbed. Oh god, it hurts.”

Her limbs were heavy, but she willed Celestine’s body to move. She pushed her wings outward with everything she had.

“This is a game, Ashley.” She pushed the words through her teeth. They were something to hold onto while the world fell apart around her. “How do I tone down the bloody pain settings?”

A sharp, cold chime sounded in her ear.

“What now? I am busy!”

She spoke the words an instant before realizing she already knew that sound. She had heard it many times through her headphones, but now it resonated inside her mind.

[Effect: Poison. -100 HP.]

Ashley swallowed hard. That small number felt like a physical weight on her chest. Her vision rippled at the edges. The clean greens and browns of the forest bled outward into a sickly violet fringe. It pulsed in time with her heartbeat.

“No. I don’t care if it hurts. I’ve done this a million times.” She found strength in her own words. “I am not going to die for a lone A-rank mob!”

She planted a knee into the dirt and locked her jaw. She did not let herself fall the rest of the way.

“Need assistance, mistress?” Aury’s voice was entirely unbothered.

“No. No. I can do this.”

“Might I suggest a medium-level spell to clear the way, your holiness?”

“I’ll show you a medium-tier spell.” Ashley gritted her teeth, keeping herself together. “I just need to adjust to… this.”

“Adjust to your feelings?”

“Something like that. These. Sensations. Yes.” She breathed through her nose. It was slow and deliberate: the same technique she used during her yoga classes. “Shut it now. I need to focus.”

The pain is fake. It’s just a number.

The snake’s body thrashed against the dirt. The full length of it whipped through the undergrowth, uprooting ferns and crushing the soft earth. The jerk of its head ripped the fang free.

It shook its tail: a dry rattle that carried a promise of violence.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The withdrawal was a corkscrew in reverse. The barb caught as it dragged back through the wing’s substance. A ragged sound escaped her before she could stop it.

Her left wing fell against her side. The feathers flickered. Their light stuttered between bright and dim, like a screen losing signal. One of the unfamiliar muscles had gone numb. She could not tell if it was shock, damage, or the venom.

Ashley adjusted her shoulders. The weight of the wings was a physical anchor. The burning pain crawling through the new limb was a fire she could not put out.

The snake coiled. It was resetting for a second strike. Its body was massive. Up close, the scales shimmered like an oil slick beneath the matte exterior. She had fought this boss before from behind a controller. Standing before it, it wasn’t a boss. It was just enormous. It was a mountain of muscle and malice.

“Screw this,” she said. Her voice was thin, but it held. “I’ve got no time for something like you.”

I’m not dying here. Whether this means dying and respawning or dying for real, I’m not gonna find out now.

She raised her head and reached inside herself, finding that second heart full of something she had always called [Mana]. She squeezed it, feeling it surge through her body and arms.

She’d barely touched it before for a single medium spell, but now she could sense the truth of it. That phantom muscle, that second heart, had the strength to condense carbon into diamonds.

Carefully, she contracted it. A torrent of raw, unbound energy tore through her limbs. The mana bar at the edge of her vision dropped one third.