The Unknown Realm #4 (Waverly Stump and The 7 Realms)

XXVI

Waverly had never actually believed the ideology that in a fleeting moment before death, one's life could flash before their eyes until she felt the extremely cold blade of a cooking knife pierce through the flesh in her right shoulder, and saw her own life play out like vivid yet brief memories.

Judson was glaring down evilly at her, ignorant of her piercing screams and weak outcries. His left hand caged the material of her shirt in a fist whilst his right slowly worked, twisting the wooden hilt of the short blade he had just driven into her shoulder.

She barely saw it coming.

In all her years of being stabbed and cut by different kinds of blades, there had never been a pain that could compare. Jolts of searing numbness spread like cold liquid from the tip of the blade down into her chest. She let out a wheezing gasp and subsequently let go of Calaire to clutch Judson's arms as her entire body began to loll and burn in response.

Poison. Her inner voice wailed in utmost panic.

Waverly's brain went haywire. The internal numbness continued to take its course until it touched something that ignited anguish like an explosion of fireballs - a forgotten stab wound below her midsection. The old deadly poison that had laid dormant inside her for months, waiting to be sparked into devouring flames by another of its kind. Her face contorted into one of deep discomfort as well as pain; a weak cry escaped her lips, and she felt all the blood draining from her face.

Judson finally let go of the blade, still staring into her eyes, watching her soul crumble.

A single tear rolled down her cheek before her eyelids began to droop. The deep red in her lips instantly lost its color and became a frosty blue. Her face went pallid as death. Her strong grip loosened around his arms and slid down his body to her sides; rendered weak and lifeless.

"Do not worry." Oculmus sneered in a vile tone through him. "He will share your pain."

Judson let go of her shirt and her body inclined backward, toward the yawning crevice. In that very moment, the Godhead of Chaos receded inside him and he realized himself.

"Waverly!" He shouted and stretched forth a hand to reach for her, but it was too late. His grip only caught air.

Her petite form slipped backwards, headlong and cleanly through the crevice, and further into the darkness.

"No!" Judson wailed, trying to follow, but his wings were much too large.

Nonetheless, he continued to try. He glanced down into the blackness in complete terror, waiting to hear the faintest sound of a crash, a thud, or a splash below, but there was only a loud, pitiful silence, and the sound of his own blood rushing violently inside his ears. Enraged, he began to stamp on the bridge until it broke in half. Still, there was not enough allowance in the opening to let him pass.

"No!" He wailed again and slumped to a sitting position on the smooth red rock, his hands gripping the sides of hair.  "What have I done?"

Pained tears streamed down his face. His teeth ground against his jaw in pointless regret - he could not remember at all.

Meanwhile, Waverly fell like a log, unaware of her surroundings, or the state of her own body. The gorge was unnaturally deep, and thankfully, the incredible stones that jutted out of its rough, dark walls did not break her fall. She fell for a bout of minutes until, at last, a cold body of water received her into its clear depths with a deafening splash. After a few moments, it disgorged and her body came floating on the surface, gently propelled and rotated downstream by the natural flow of current in the water. It was unknown by any how long she floated for - hours or an entire day - but soon, she began to regain consciousness. At first, it came in the form of cold wetness inside her ears, and then a stabbing pain in the pit of her stomach and shoulder. Her feet were numb and so were her arms. Her eyesight was hopelessly weak, leading her to believe the world above was one big, colorless blur of confusing spots that moved like liquid.