Annabelle didn't move. Her hands, buried into the seat of the carriage, trembled uncontrollably. The ruined landscape unfolded before her, but her eyes no longer registered anything. Everything was blurry, a chaos of indistinct shapes and washed-out colors, like a strange dream from which she couldn't wake up. But the scent of blood suddenly dragged her back to reality.
The sounds of the outside world—the whinnying of the remaining horse, Georges' nervous breathing, the growls of the beasts—felt distant, even though the rain had just stopped.
She had seen… no, she had lived the unimaginable. It was too much for her. Amandinne, the gentle nun who had always taken care of her after her father's death and her mother's abandonment, had become a nameless horror. A monstrosity infested with writhing worms that, at every moment, seemed ready to devour them alive. But it wasn't just the monster that haunted her. The rumors about her father's family, who never lived long lives, and Georges' power to summon these beasts… None of this should exist, and yet, it was there. Right in front of her.
She had no time to catch her breath, no time to understand what was happening.
She didn't understand anything anymore. Why all of this? Why now? And why did she feel this connection pulsing within her, like a taut rope beneath her skin? Every heartbeat of the creatures, every movement of their black, imposing bodies seemed to echo in her own chest. She felt linked to them in a way she couldn't explain, as intimate as a shared breath.
Annabelle felt a lump form in her throat. She wanted to speak, to scream, but no words came out. Her breathing was short, gasping. Her thoughts spiraled, tangled in fear and anger.
Then, a hand gently rested on her shoulder. She jumped and looked up at Nicolas. His face was serious, but his gaze was soft.
— Annabelle, breathe.
She shook her head.
— All of this… all of this is too weird, Nicolas.
He nodded slowly.
— I know. But you need to calm down first. Look at me.
She tried to hold his gaze, but it was difficult. Her heart was pounding too fast.
— We're all lost, Annabelle. You're not the only one.
— But you're not… linked to them! she spat, her voice trembling.
Nicolas frowned slightly, surprised and unsure he understood.
— What do you mean?
She hesitated. She wasn't even sure she understood it herself.
The beasts stood there, silent, just a few steps away from the carriage. Their brown eyes gleamed under the moonlight. Georges quickly gave an order, his tone tense.
— Alright. The worms, clean all of this up quickly. Leave none behind, including those that may have scattered into the forest.
On the corpse of a man and a horse.
Nicolas watched the beasts move, then turned to Georges.
— Are you sure they'll listen? he asked in a low voice.
Georges pressed his lips together.
— I hope so.
Nicolas grimaced.
— You hope? That's all you have?
Georges shot him a dark look.
— Would you like to try giving them orders yourself? Who was it that said, "It's not ideal, but we have no choice. Do it!" when the situation was critical?
Nicolas sighed and shook his head. He glanced at Annabelle, still shaken, arms crossed tightly against herself as if shielding from an invisible cold.
— We're screwed, Georges.
— I know.
A heavy silence settled between them before Nicolas spoke again.
— But what exactly do you know about this ring and these monsters?
Georges ran a hand through his hair, irritated.
— Not much. Our parents told me I should only use it in life-or-death situations. That's it.
— … Seriously?
— Seriously.
Nicolas clenched his jaw, clearly frustrated.
— Great. We've got supernatural beasts summoned by a ring that no one understands.
Georges didn't reply immediately.
— If you have a better idea, I'm listening, Nicolas.
The younger man groaned and ran a hand down his face, exasperated.
— Not for now…
Annabelle, meanwhile, watched the beasts rise and obey her uncle with reluctance.
She shook her head, trying to chase away her thoughts, but they clung to her. The ring. She didn't know what it was, what it meant. What was it doing in all of this? Was she ready to accept what came with it? Did she accept this invisible but undeniable bond?
The beasts moved forward, obeying Georges' command. Their massive bodies moved with an eerie grace. They began to clean the area around them, dragging Amandinne's remains and the debris of the fight. They devoured the worms they found, following the trails of blood to track their prey.
Annabelle averted her gaze slightly. It was disgusting.
Where did these creatures come from?
She felt a pressure in her chest. Suddenly, she stood up and hurried out of the half-wrecked carriage. She had to ask all the questions burning inside her.
— Georges, she said, her voice shaking, what was all of that? Why these… these creatures? Where do they come from?
Georges didn't look at her right away. His eyes remained fixed on the beasts finishing their task, their massive forms slowly moving away from Amandinne's remains. A heavy silence fell over them, suffocating all sound, as if the forest itself was holding its breath. Then, finally, Georges turned to her. His eyes were dark, tired, but a glint of uncertainty hid in their depths.
— I… I don't know, Annabelle, he replied in a rough voice. I don't know. But we have no choice. They're here. We summoned them. And now, we have to live with them. I don't know how to send them back. I don't think channeling my mana back into the ring is a good idea. Our parents barely told me anything about how it works.
Annabelle felt heat rise within her. Not against Georges, no, but against everything that had led them here. Against the secrets and the lies. Against a legacy she didn't understand. She was afraid of the unknown.
— You summoned them, she murmured, her throat tight. You didn't even think about the consequences.
Nicolas stepped forward, placing himself between them.
— Stop.
Annabelle shot him a glare.
— Are you going to tell me to just accept all of this too?
— No.
She hesitated.
— … Then what?
He took a breath, then spoke calmly.
— What I mean is, Georges didn't do this for fun. He didn't know what would happen. And… to be honest, no one knows how it works.
Annabelle felt her anger falter slightly.
— So what? We're just going to live with these things now?
Nicolas didn't answer immediately. He looked at the beasts in the distance, then at Georges.
— For now, we're going to try to understand. And… we'll handle it together.
Annabelle lowered her gaze, troubled.
Georges stared at her intently, as if weighing his words before speaking.
— I did what had to be done, Annabelle. Do you think we should have let whatever Amandinne became consume us?
Silence fell, heavy and oppressive. Georges let out a deep sigh.
Annabelle turned away, her eyes drifting back to the beasts. Their task was complete. The worms were gone, the ground was cleared. This invisible bond between her and them… She could no longer ignore it.
And for the first time, she understood they might be here for a long time.