Free Realm Wraith by T. R. Briar

it picked up speed. As drops fell onto his hand, he suddenly flinched. A strange electrical feeling danced across his fingers, like every droplet was charged with a fiery energy that burned his skin. He was backing towards the door when a rushing noise filled his senses, and a wall of water roared down the stairs. Rayne fled out the door before it could reach him, dashing out out into the field, in time to watch the house topple as the water destroyed it from within. The walls collapsed in on themselves, and the second floor crashed down into the first floor, creating great waves that cascaded through the bare windows before they crumbled away with the walls. In a matter of seconds, the house was nothing but wrecked lumber.
    Rayne waited for a few minutes, wondering where on earth that wave even came from. He could still hear running water, but it didn’t feel threatening anymore. He walked back to the wreckage. Though broken planks and shattered stone scattered everywhere else, the front room had no debris. The table still stood there, but the apples inside had been burned to cinders. Now a small pool of water lapped against the table legs, not draining out despite the holes in the floor. He reached down and touched the water, but now it felt cool against his hand, and didn’t burn like before.
    “I will never understand this place,” he muttered.
    A sensation rippled down his neck, and he had the eerie sensation that somebody was watching him. He turned and noticed a large, black animal observing him from the tall grass. It made no sound, and turned what looked like a head in Rayne’s direction. Mist and dead vegetation hid most of its face and body.
    “Are you—was this your home?” Rayne called out to it. He thought for a moment. “What am I doing? As if something like this could answer me.”
    The animal, of course, did not answer. It appeared to be a large dog. As it stared straight ahead, it drew back its lips, baring gleaming fangs. It crept towards Rayne, who made no motion to run, walking on deadly, clawed feet. As it drew near, it looked up, its eyes shadowed beneath black fur. A horrid uneasiness swept over Rayne, a smothering madness as he stared at a creature beyond his ken. He backed away a little, but it continued to walk towards him. It raised itself up above the mists, no longer walking low to the ground, and now Rayne could see the beast had three massive heads. Though he could not see its eyes, he felt its hidden gaze passing right through him.
    “What the hell are you?!”
    Rayne backed away, unable to turn around, for he feared looking away from the beast more than holding its gaze. The creature appeared startled. It also backed up several steps, and continued to size Rayne up and down. Then it turned and bounded off into the black abyss, leaving only silence.
    Rayne fell to his knees, overtaken by dizziness. Though this monster had been fairly small, the beast’s three heads reminded him he was no longer in his own world. There was something about the atmosphere around the creature that he found utterly maddening.
    “What do you want with me?” he screamed up at the skies. “Why have you brought me here?! Am I to be your plaything for eternity? I’ve done nothing to deserve this! Answer me, you bastards! ”
    His words were lost in the howling winds that swept all around him, intensifying the fog. Soon he couldn’t see anything in front of him, and the mists even swallowed the ruined house right beside him. Rayne was past the point of being mystified now. Like a floodgate had been opened, his breathing became more rapid, and wrathful feelings consumed him. He felt as if he’d been greatly wronged. He was being dragged against his will from nightmare to nightmare, and it had frayed his last nerves. He began to lose himself in this new emotion that washed away his desperate fear. The more he tried to repress it, the deeper it grew within him. He closed his eyes, just for a moment, waiting