Trapped In Elysium: A Virtual Reality Nightmare-Chapter 124: Don’t let me die

Von’s breath was heavy as he set Borik gently on the cold stone floor, laying him on his side near the torchlight. The flickering fire danced across the wounded dwarf’s pale face, revealing how much blood he’d already lost. The crude puncture wounds in his limbs where the spirit had pinned him were still bleeding freely, dripping down the wall and soaking into his clothes.

Von pressed his hand against Borik’s chest, trying to keep him still. "Your wounds are getting worse," he said, his voice low, grim. "You’re losing too much blood... I have to do something."

Borik let out a faint groan, his face contorted in pain. "D-Do what you must..." he rasped, barely audible, his voice dry and cracked.

Without wasting another moment, Von snatched Borik’s short axe from the ground. He held the flat of the blade into the fire, eyes narrowed and jaw clenched tight. The flames hissed and licked around the metal, heating it slowly. Sweat rolled down Von’s brow—not from the heat, but from the weight of what he was about to do. He looked down at Borik, who was barely conscious now, his breathing shallow, his eyelids flickering.

"I won’t let you die here, friend," Von muttered to himself.

He tore a strip of fabric from his own shirt and wadded it up, kneeling down beside Borik and stuffing it into the dwarf’s mouth. "Bite," he said. "Bite down hard."

Borik’s eyes flared open weakly, the realization hitting him—but he couldn’t protest. He bit the cloth just as the metal started to glow red.

Von moved fast. He brought the red-hot axe head down onto the first wound—Borik’s right thigh. The metal sizzled as it met flesh, and a terrible muffled scream tore from Borik’s throat. His body bucked in agony, the veins in his neck straining as he thrashed against the pain. Von grabbed his shoulder, holding him down firmly with all his strength.

"I know," Von muttered, grimacing, "I know it hurts. But you’ll live."

The smell of burnt flesh filled the chamber, thick and choking. Von didn’t hesitate. He moved to the next wound—Borik’s upper arm—and pressed the scorching steel to it. Again, Borik screamed into the cloth, his eyes wide with pain and watering.

Von worked quickly, cauterizing the rest—four deep wounds in total. By the end of it, Borik’s body had gone limp, trembling, sweat drenching his face. The cloth fell from his mouth as he coughed, his voice hoarse and broken.

Von dropped the axe and collapsed next to him, breathing hard, the torchlight flickering madly between them. "You’re still alive," Von said, more to himself than to Borik. "You’re still with me..."

Borik gave a small grunt of pain, barely conscious. "You... better not cry on me... giant... bastard," he wheezed.

Von chuckled weakly and leaned his back against the stone wall. The torch crackled beside them, the only sound in the dark.

They had survived—barely. But the palace wasn’t finished with them yet.

_______

Sophia sat in the corner, her back pressed hard against the rough stone wall, arms clutched tight around her knees. The darkness in the room felt endless, pressing in from every side, like it was alive—breathing with her, choking her. She had cried herself quiet, though the tears hadn’t stopped. Her breath hitched in shallow gasps, every inhale sharp, her thoughts spinning with panic.

She didn’t know where Liam was. Or Marcus. Or Eleanor. Or even Mariel. She had screamed their names until her throat burned, but no one had answered. Just silence. That horrible silence that left too much space for fear.

Her bow lay on the floor beside her, useless without arrows. She had dropped her quiver during the fall—when the trap in the palace floor had swallowed them all into separate halls. She’d tried to find a way out. Checked every inch of the walls, the ceiling, even the floor again. Nothing moved. The room was just stone and shadow and silence.

Then, without warning, the torches along the walls ignited with a sharp flare, the sound like a hissed breath. The fire burst out in rhythm, one after the other, illuminating the room in bright, flickering gold.

Sophia flinched, her eyes stinging as the sudden light forced them to adjust. She stumbled to her feet, heart hammering wildly.

And then she saw her.

Sera.

Standing in the center of the room, still and silent.

But it wasn’t her. The thing standing before her was hollow-eyed and twitching at the joints, her head tilting ever so slightly as though she couldn’t quite remember how to hold it upright. Her mouth curled in a smile that had no warmth—just teeth. Sharp. Wrong.

Sophia’s breath caught in her throat. Her body moved before her mind could catch up, dropping into a fighting stance, bow raised purely out of reflex.

No arrows.

Her eyes darted to the side. There—on the ground, near the wall—three arrows, scattered like discarded bones. Hope flashed through her like lightning. She didn’t wait. She dove, her boots skidding slightly on the stone as she reached out, fingers grazing the first arrow.

Behind her, the creature snarled.

She grabbed the arrows in one sweeping motion and spun, already nocking one, her fingers flying on instinct. The string stretched tight, her aim locked on the thing wearing Sera’s face.

It charged.

Sophia let the arrow fly.

It whistled through the air and struck Sera directly in the chest with a sickening thud. The impact sent her stumbling back. Her feet tangled beneath her, and she crumpled to the ground.

For a moment—just a moment—everything stopped.

Sophia stood frozen, her bow still raised, another arrow nocked and ready. Her breathing was ragged, uneven. She watched as the figure on the floor twitched once. Then went still.

And then came the sound.

A soft yelp.

Not a growl. Not a shriek.

But a human cry. Sera’s cry.

Sophia blinked rapidly. Her fingers loosened on the bowstring. She lowered it slowly, her eyes fixed on the body.

Sera groaned, trying to move, her hand trembling as she clutched at the arrow in her chest. Blood was already seeping through her shirt, dark and heavy. Her eyes fluttered open.

And they were no longer black.

Just brown. Wide. Filled with tears.

"Sera...?" Sophia whispered, stepping forward, unsure if what she was seeing was real.

Sera’s lips trembled. "S-Sophia..."

Her voice broke on her name. Her body shook.

"I—I don’t feel it anymore... it’s gone..." Her face twisted in pain. "But... oh gods... it hurts."

Sophia was already at her side. She dropped to her knees and gently pulled Sera into her arms. Her friend was warm, trembling, her blood staining Sophia’s hands immediately.

Sophia pressed her palm against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, trying to ignore how much there was. "Stay with me," she whispered. "Just hold on, okay? You’re gonna be alright. I’ve got you."

Sera’s eyes brimmed with tears. "Don’t let me die... please... I—I didn’t mean to—"

"Shh." Sophia wiped at her face with the back of her hand, even though she was crying too now. "You’re not going to die, you hear me? I won’t let you."

She clutched at Sophia’s sleeve weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was awake... inside it. I could see everything. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t... I couldn’t stop it..."

Sophia’s chest heaved, her own tears spilling freely now. "It’s over," she whispered. "It’s over. You’re here. With me."

Sera’s body trembled violently against her. Her blood was soaking through Sophia’s clothes, warm and terrifyingly fast. Her lips quivered, mouthing something too soft to hear.

"I’m so sorry..." she finally choked out.

"No, no, don’t say that," Sophia said quickly. "You didn’t do anything. That thing took you... you didn’t choose this."

Sera blinked slowly, her strength already beginning to fade.

"Sophia..."

"I’m here."

"Thank you..."

Sophia held her tighter, rocking gently back and forth on the cold stone floor, whispering empty promises that she wouldn’t let her die—wouldn’t let her go. The firelight danced around them, but nothing in the world felt warm.

The arrow still jutted from her chest. The blood still poured.

Sophia pressed harder, trembling.

"You’re not going to die..." she whispered again.

But her voice cracked.

And even she didn’t believe it.