Path of the Extra

Chapter 87: Descent into Madness [2]

Azriel felt his insides burn as if a fire raged within him, yet at the same time, an icy wind brushed against his skin, making him shiver uncontrollably.

The conflicting sensations gnawed at him—heat scorching him from the inside, cold prickling him from the outside.

It was disorienting.

He collapsed to his knees next to Instructor Kevin, every movement scraping against him like sandpaper.

The bottle of water sat useless in their hands, untouched.

In front of Azriel, a figure materialized.

Blurred, shadowy, its features unrecognizable.

Yet its presence alone was enough to freeze him in place.

”Ooooo... hmmmm... laaaah... mmmm...”

A soft lullaby drifted from the figure, eerie and gentle.

The melody wrapped around him like a noose.

Azrielʼs eyes, wide and unblinking, locked onto the figure.

He couldnʼt look away. He didnʼt want to look away.

”Ooooo... hmmmm... laaaah... mmmm...”

The lullaby persisted, and with every note, a strange comfort washed over him.

The pain, the thirst—everything faded.

Why did this feel so familiar?

It was wrong.

He knew that.

Yet, the more he listened, the calmer he felt, as though he was sinking into some dark, warm abyss.

His body, previously crippled with pain, moved on its own.

He stood, the bottle of water slipping from his hand and landing in the sand with a muted thud.

Each movement shouldʼve hurt, but Azriel didnʼt notice.

He was entranced.

Step by step, he moved toward the figure.

”Mmmm... ohhhh... laaaah... hmmmmm...”

He couldnʼt even tell if the voice belonged to a man or a woman.

”My prince... wait...”

Kevinʼs voice was faint, hoarse—distant.

It didnʼt matter.

Nothing mattered but that song.

Azriel continued walking.

The pain that had once ravaged his body dulled into nothingness, replaced by a peaceful numbness.

A sense of serenity.

He walked.

And walked.

Until he was close enough to see it.

Azrielʼs steps faltered as the figureʼs features slowly sharpened.

The lullaby still dripped from its lips, but now he could see clearly.

It was a woman.

Her hair, a soft chocolate brown, cascaded down her shoulders.

Her eyes, aa shade of emerald green, gleamed.

Her skin was pale—too pale, like freshly fallen snow untouched by the sun that did not exist here.

She wore a simple white dress, flowing around her.

In her arms, she cradled a torn, black cloth, stroking it gently.

She looked down at it with a soft, affectionate smile as she continued to hum the lullaby, her voice soothing.

”Mmmm... ohhhh... laaaah...”

”Ah...”

A breath escaped Azrielʼs lips, barely audible.

His body trembled, lips quivering as the realization struck him.

He knew this woman.

”Mother...”

The moment the word escaped his lips, Azriel felt his blood freeze.

His eyes widened as he suddenly snapped out of the trance.

The lullaby didnʼt cease.

The woman remained oblivious, still cradling whatever lay beneath the torn cloth.

This was wrong. Everything was wrong.

ʼWhy... why is she here...?ʼ

A mental attack.

It had to be.

Just like that time in Europe.

He had nearly succumbed to the crying fog then; he wasnʼt about to make the same mistake again.

Or... at least, thatʼs what he wanted to believe.

Yet, he couldnʼt move a single muscle, his gaze locked onto the woman before him.

She looked so real.

The more he stared, the weaker he felt, memories flooding back unbidden.

Their last conversation.

The accident.

The hospital.

The hateful eyes she had given him in her final moments.

Azrielʼs hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms until blood dripped.

ʼWhy the fuck is it always a mental attack...?ʼ

The sheer fact that a creature could invade his mind—and was strong enough to manifest here, on the second floor—darkened his thoughts.

ʼOf course, something like this would happen...ʼ

If the first floor hadnʼt finished him off, then the second surely would.

And if that didnʼt do the job...

”My prince... please, donʼt move.”

Kevinʼs hoarse voice reached him as he stood beside him, offering the bottle of water Azriel had dropped.

”Donʼt get too close. Donʼt look away from it... and donʼt talk to it.”

Azriel nodded heavily, eyes still fixated on the figure that resembled his mother.

He gulped down the water in one go, his focus unbroken.

”What youʼre seeing is what we call a Cradler—nasty void creatures that manipulate your mind by taking the form of someone you wish to see. Itʼs not someone I know, so it must be someone you desire. Here, I thought it would be someone more familiar…”

”Get to the point, Instructor.”

Kevinʼs expression darkened.

”Right... The thing is, Cradlers are supposed to only appear from the seventh floor onward...”

ʼGreat...ʼ

A void creature that belonged on the seventh floor had manifested on the second.

Azriel kept staring, unwilling to look away.

Squinting slightly, he tried to sense its mana core, but found nothing.

”Instructor, where is its mana core?”

”Weʼre not seeing its real body... I think.”

His words provided little comfort as a sigh escaped Azrielʼs lips.

”So how do we kill it?”

A surprised expression crossed Kevinʼs face, but he didnʼt break his gaze from the Cradler.

”My prince, we canʼt. We need to retreat and head back to the surface. I thought weʼd be fine, even with a small floor shift or two, but... a Cradler on the second floor? Gods know what else might be lurking.”

Azriel bit his lip.

Kevin was right; it was becoming too risky.

Only Jasmine knew about the void dungeon targeting him, and even he found it ridiculous to confront a Cradler on this floor in person.

The Cradler showed no signs of changing its actions, still singing that lullaby, still cradling whatever lay beneath the cloth.

That smile...

It made Azriel sick.

His face contorted in disgust.

”Instructor, whatʼs beneath that cloth?”

His voice came out colder than intended, surprising Kevin.

”I donʼt know. All Cradlers have them; they specialize in mental attacks. Their singing lures victims and leads to their demise, but I canʼt say whatʼs hidden beneath that cloth.”

Silence fell as Azriel continued to stare at it.

”My prince... if itʼs not too rude, who is this woman before us?”

Kevinʼs curiosity was understandable, though there was a time and place for such questions.

Azriel hesitated, listening to the lullaby echo in his mind.

”... A dead woman.”

”I see... I apologize for asking something so insensitive.”

Azriel nodded, his gaze fixed.

”Itʼs fine, but how do we get out of this situation?”

Kevin tilted his head, considering the woman.

”We walk back slowly and hope it leaves us alone?”

”....”

ʼWhat did he just say...?ʼ

Azriel felt a chill of disbelief, though he couldnʼt bring himself to look at Instructor Kevin.

He simply nodded and followed the instructions.

Slowly, he took a step back.

Then another.

And another.

Instructor Kevin mirrored his movements.

But...

It didnʼt take more than five steps before an icy shiver ran through Azriel.

The singing had stopped.

”Instructor...!”

”Calm down! Just donʼt move!”

Azriel obeyed, frozen in place.

Neither of them dared to budge as they watched the Cradler, who continued to stare at the cloth, its smile unmoving but its song ceased.

Azrielʼs heart pounded against his ribs.

He was desperate to destroy the void creature in front of him, yet he knew he was powerless.

A Cradler was a formidable foe—even Instructor Kevin had to be on high alert.

Then...

With the same smile, the woman who resembled his deceased mother finally looked up.

A shuddering breath escaped Azrielʼs lips as those familiar, eyes locked onto his.

He felt as though he was suffocating.

”Instructor...”

”Donʼt move, my prince... not yet.”

They continued to stare at one another, cold sweat dripping from both Azriel and Kevin.

The tension was suffocating.

Until...

”It has been so long, hasnʼt it, dear?”

”…!”

Azrielʼs eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat.

The voice, unmistakably his deceased motherʼs, made his blood run cold once again.

He gritted his teeth, remembering Kevinʼs warning:

Donʼt get too close. Donʼt look away from it and donʼt talk to it.

Azriel wanted to rip the Cradlerʼs tongue out, his rage boiling over.

The Cradler tilted its head, a look of confusion on its face as it tapped its chin thoughtfully.

”Is something wrong, my dear? Itʼs been so long. I long to hear your voice.”

”Donʼt say a word. It wants you to fall for its tricks,” Kevin murmured urgently.

Azriel nodded.

He wanted this to end swiftly.

Seeing his deceased motherʼs acting like this was agonizing.

He had to bite his tongue, struggling to keep the urge to vomit at bay.

”Oh, I see…”

A look of sudden realization spread across the Cradlerʼs face, her smile widening unnervingly.

””!!””

She took a deliberate step forward.

And then...

She was right in front of Azriel.

Inches away from his face.

Azrielʼs mind went blank.

He could barely react as a cold shiver ran down his spine from the sudden, chilling touch on his cheek.

”It must have been lonely, right? You donʼt need to hold back in front of me anymore, my sweet, sweet dear…”