Future of Calamity [Under Rewrite]

Chapter 3 - Hell

Velvet found herself staring up at the bland, wooden ceiling of their home; her mind foggy and dazed. With a gasp of realisation, she attempted to sit up in her unusually comfortable bed. "How... How did I get home?"

"Velvet!" A familiar voice called from the side.

Laphicet came running in, his body free of any injuries and a relieved expression on his face. "Laphi! You're all right!" she exclaimed in glee, but in her attempt to fully sit up, an enormous pain flashed through her head. "Ow!" Velvet flinched, her brother coming close to keep her steady.

Looking down into his timid golden eyes, a shameful expression grew upon his face. "Sorry. It's all my fault." His gleaming locks fell over his face in hurt.

Pushing through the drilling pit of pain in her side, the woman attempted to console him as she laid her hands soothingly on his shoulders. "No! If you weren't there, there's no telling what mightve happened to me." Velvet stared at his solemn expression that ceased to change, even with the appreciative smile she gave. Eventually, he reached behind himself, and took out the gift he'd prepared before. The antique comb felt brittle and fragile in her hand, but as soon as the metallic feeling lay on her palm, her fingers hugged it gently with immense care.

"Your old one broke, right?" the boy asked in confirmation, "You've got beautiful hair. It would be a waste if you didn't take care of it," Laphi appraised. Soon after, Velvet was enveloped in a warm hug that seemed to melt away any embers of discomfort that came from her wounds. The smile he wore, was one she'd do anything to protect, and was one she'd cherish. "I'll make a new world. A world where my sister can be happy."

She awoke to that same ceiling again. The same room, the same decorations, the same window. But, when she looked to her right in search of the pleasant face of her brother, she saw nothing. Velvet let out another strained gasp as she shot up, finding no difficulty in it this time. The girl peered around in confusion, until she noticed the dreadful crimson hue that accented her room from the uncovered window. A single, blood red moon hung in the sky ominously. Its sheer presence radiated danger.

"The Scarlet Night!? What's going on?" she urgently exclaimed, a deep dread pooling in her chest as she looked around. "Was that... Was it all a dream?" Velvet wondered, before she felt a mild but noticeable weight in her left hand. The comb sat there, unchanged. Her eyes shot open in immediate shock and worry. "No! It wasn't!" Velvet immediately knew her goal as she leapt out of bed, and beelined straight for her front door, boots pounding the hard wood.

Upon reaching the darkened outside, the sight shook her to the core. Everything was dyed a sickly scarlet, and claw marks reigned the natural environment. It didn't take long for Velvet to notice the absence of an aching from where she was wounded. 'It must've been Arthur that helped us back there!'

Growl...

A sudden scratching of tiles and crashing of dirt alerted her to an entity behind her. Whipping around in severe alarm, a beast leapt down from its perch, and snarled grimly at the frightened woman before it. Its claws twitched and curled in anticipation, and its breath smelled of death. It was another werewolf, similar to the one before. Suddenly, a cacophony of frenzied growls started to grow from all around her; more daemons crawling out from the brush. Each one that began to appear adorned torn and ripped vestments eerily similar to that of people. "No... What's happening?" Velvet whimpered, as she slowly stepped back in fear.