𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀, luke castellan

ꜰɪꜰᴛʏ-ᴛᴡᴏ

Mist of Madness.

🌎

Rory was still lost in her thoughts when a strange, thick mist began to seep into the chamber. It crept forward slowly, unfurling in tendrils that slithered across the floor like searching fingers. The mist was too deliberate, too uniform in its progression. The way it curled and reached felt more like it was alive, as though something unseen guided it. She watched, her mind snapping back to the present, a sharp prickle of unease crawling up her spine.

The mist didn't billow or swirl like normal fog-it moved with purpose, like an entity unto itself, slowly filling the chamber with a creeping silence. Rory's pulse quickened, a sinking feeling settling in her chest. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, every instinct telling her something was horribly wrong with this fog. It wasn't natural-nothing in this maze ever was.

Rory sat frozen, her pulse a hammering rhythm in her ears as the mist thickened before her, curling and writhing like something alive, twisting and churning at the edges of her vision. She swore she could almost hear it whispering, faint voices that seemed to rise and fall within the thickening fog-ghostly remnants of those who had perished within the labyrinth. Victims of the maze, trapped forever in its endless corridors. Her fingers tightened instinctively around the hilt of her sword, the leather grip creaking under the pressure.

The coldness of the air was sharp, biting through her armor and clothing as the mist advanced. It crawled higher, its pale fingers stretching up the walls, clinging to the stone with unnatural speed. It pooled at their feet, swirling in thick, ghostly eddies, its eerie glow casting an otherworldly light on their surroundings.

"Wake up," Rory hissed, her voice raw with urgency, cutting through the stillness. She nudged Chris and Mary more forcefully, her tone frayed with strain. "Get up, something's happening."

Chris was the first to stir, his eyes fluttering open as he squinted into the gloom. His face contorted in confusion before the sight of the creeping mist brought him fully awake. His breath caught in his throat, and he blinked rapidly as the growing alarm seized him. Mary followed a beat later, sitting up with a sharp intake of breath. Her wide eyes reflected Chris's own mounting dread.

They quickly scrambled to gather their belongings, their movements hurried and clumsy as they huddled close to Rory. The mist seemed to close in on them from all sides, its tendrils licking at their feet, threatening to swallow them whole.

"We need to move," Rory said, her voice low but tense. She didn't need to raise her voice; the fear threading through the air made her words hit harder. "Stick close to each other. We can't afford to get separated."

The others nodded, though their faces betrayed the growing fear that gnawed at their resolve. Rory led the way, her sword held tightly in her grip, the blade reflecting what little light filtered through the mist. Each step was cautious, deliberate, as they moved through the fog. The air was thick and cold, making it difficult to breathe, and every sound was muffled as if the mist absorbed everything around them.

Rory's heart pounded in her chest, her instincts on high alert, but she kept her expression unreadable. The others didn't need to know how unnerved she was.

She fought the urge to summon light. She had managed to do it once, but there was no guarantee she could do it again. Not here, not now, under such pressure, she wasn't in the right mind to even try to control it.

Suddenly, a scream cut through the silence like a blade. The sound was sharp, raw, and filled with terror. Rory's heart jolted, the sound reverberating through the dense fog that clung to them like a living thing.

"Mary!" Chris shouted, his voice panicked as he bolted in the direction of the scream, his footsteps pounding against the stone floor.

"Chris, no, don't!" Rory called after him, her voice straining with desperation, but it was too late. The fog thickened, curling around him, and in an instant, he was gone, swallowed whole by the mist. One moment he was there, and the next, he had vanished into the haze.