Victoria had fought until her arms burned and her strength ran dry. Morbidly grotesque hands had come out of the darkness again and again, dragging at her shoulders, clutching her wrists, pulling her down no matter how hard she struggled. She struck where she could, but there were too many of them. One by one the dead men forced her to her knees on the cold stone floor. Her axe and daggers wrenched from her grip. They held her there without anger, without mercy, only waiting. Then someone stepped into the narrow beam of light falling through the broken roof. At first she saw only the glow, a strange rune burning at the boy’s throat and the same cold light shining in his eyes. Her head sagged with exhaustion until one of the zombies forced her to look up at him.

“I used to be like youthe boy said quietly. “Weak. Ignored. Everyone stronger than me, everyone laughing.His fingers brushed the glowing stone around his neck, and the light flared brighter in the dust filled air. “I found this rune calling to me from a hiding spot within these ruins. At first it only listened when I spoke to small creatures. Rats, crows, anything that could sneak into places for me acted at my whim. They brought me food. They stole whatever I wanted.A thin smile crossed his face. “Then a warrior came looking for me. I learned the rune could control more than animals from a simple bite from the rats.Behind Victoria, the silent men stood like statues waiting for his next word. The boy tilted his head slightly as he studied her. “They sent many others after that. Brave men, all of them. Now you see where they ended up.
His glowing eyes narrowed. “And soon, you will join them.

NOTES:---------
Part 2 of about 5 total to make the story work.

From March of this year (2026). Finally getting around to posting it here.

I really hope this doesn't cross the line, I needed to show that she lost, powerless, the boy won. He is above her, she is diminished by hands of the zombie men, she is exhausted, he is calm.

RAW image in slot #2 for comparison. Yes, I cropped it after all of the painful rendering time.

NO AI-post edits done in the free Google Snapseed and the free Affinity Canva