ARCEUS'S POV
The dust storm hit me as the thunderous roar shook the earth. The air grew thick, almost unbreathable.
—Kuheuk!
I coughed hard, feeling the dust invade my lungs. My throat burned, but that was the least of my concerns at that moment. The centipede was lunging at me, and I knew I was going to die.
This is the end, I thought, squeezing my eyes shut, bracing for the searing pain that never came.
Instead, I felt strong arms envelop me and the soft chest of a woman against my face. I knew that embrace, that scent, that warmth.
Mom…
I opened my eyes and looked up, finding her face tense but resolute. My heart sank as I saw the two scythes—jaws-like— so close that I could make out bits of mud stuck to their gleaming surface.
My mother fell face-down with me in her arms, barely avoiding the blow that could have killed us both.
But that moment of calm lasted barely a breath. Reality was far crueler: we were lying on the ground, completely vulnerable, and a massive blade hovered above us like a guillotine about to fall.
I saw the exact moment my mother realized our situation. Without hesitation, she rolled to the side with me still in her arms.
The sound of the blade striking the ground was deafening, causing small tremors I felt in my bones.
If she had been a second slower… I didn't want to finish that thought.
Adelaide tried to stand, but the blade came at us like a deadly whip. My heart stopped when, instead of dodging, my mother used her own back to cushion the blow.
I heard her stifled groan of pain, and I felt her body tense around mine as we were sent flying through the air.
"Why, Mom? Why are you sacrificing yourself like this for me?" The questions tormented me as we soared through the air.
I watched as she braced her body for the impact, protecting me with every fiber of her being.
The crash against the rocks was brutal, but she rolled with mastery, dispersing the force of the impact while keeping me safe against her chest.
As soon as we hit the ground, Adelaide stood and began to run. Behind us, the earth exploded with unimaginable violence.
The monster tore through layers of rock as if they were mere sheets of paper.
The crater it left was an open wound in the earth, two meters deep and twenty wide. Its eyes, small but filled with primal malice, followed us with a mix of rage and hunger that froze the blood in my veins.
It's too fast, I thought in terror as I saw it lunge toward us.
Its legs pierced the earth, leaving a trail of destruction as it tried to impale us with its scythes. Rock fragments flew from its spiked carapace like a deadly rain.
Fortunately, my mother had managed to gain enough distance. I saw her lower her body without slowing, run a few more meters, and then turn around.
The monster was already moving, with an agility that seemed impossible for something of its size. It was like watching a derailed train barreling toward us at full speed.
My heart stopped when Adelaide set me on the ground, kneeling before me.
Her eyebrows trembled as she clutched her back, and I could see the pain in every one of her movements.
—Arceus —her voice, that voice that had always been my beacon in the darkness, now sounded broken and shaky as she placed her hands on my shoulders—. Run, don't look back, do you understand?
The words caught in my throat, forming a knot that threatened to choke me. I brought my trembling hands to my face, realizing with terrible clarity what my mother planned to do.
Tears began to flow uncontrollably, and my breathing grew ragged as I bit down hard on my lower lip.
—But Mom… —I managed to articulate between sobs.
—Obey, Arceus! —She roared, and I saw tears in her eyes. I had never heard her use that tone; it was the voice of someone who knew they were in their final moments.
—No… No! —I screamed with all my strength, refusing to abandon her. I saw the pain on her face, mingled with a guilt that mirrored my own.
That's when I noticed it: drops of blood near her feet. My mother was injured.
Rage surged within me, an anger so intense it burned inside. It was an indescribable feeling, more terrible than anything I had experienced in my short life.
The next instant, the space where we had been was obliterated by the monster. My mother's arms moved at a speed my eyes could barely follow.
Was I dead?
That was all I could think as my small body didn't even register the moment the centipede accelerated.
I watched in horror as Adelaide was violently thrown backward. The sound of her arms breaking and her ribs cracking was etched into my memory forever.
Before I could do anything, the sharp tip of a scythe struck her chest with the force of a battering ram. The blow was enough to cave in her ribcage and send her flying through the air like a rag doll.
I struggled to stand, my entire body protesting against every movement.
When had I fallen?
My mother had knocked me down when she was thrown back, but the shock had kept me from realizing it at the time.
My mind raced as I assessed the situation: she had managed to defend herself once, but it was painfully obvious she couldn't do it again.
I turned my head and saw her… my heart stopped for an instant. Somehow, my mother lay on the ground, her body twisted at an unnatural angle.
Something was wrong. I watched as she struggled to breathe. A dark, thick liquid poured from her mouth, and horror washed over me as I realized it was blood.
She's drowning… my mother was drowning in her own blood.
Tears blurred my vision as I watched the person I loved most in the world sacrifice herself for me. The pain in my chest was unbearable, as if every broken bone in my mother's body were a dagger piercing my heart.
It was all too real, too cruel.
I saw her try to move, her limbs barely responding to her commands. It was like watching a puppet with its strings cut, and each of her feeble movements tore at my soul.
The centipede's strength had been devastating, and the cruel reality hit me like a hammer: winning wasn't even an option in this battle.