The Withering

World Ender

You stared in shock, unable to tear your eyes away from the figure slumped in the middle of the room. As your eyes adjusted to the darkness, more details came into focus, and each one was more horrifying than the last.

Ydris was barely recognizable. His presence had been reduced to something unearthly, almost grotesque. Black, jagged scars crisscrossed his sickly pale skin, as if the darkness had carved its way into his very soul. His body, once full of life and energy, was now thin and frail, his clothes hanging loosely from his gaunt frame.

The most unsettling part was his eyes. Even from a distance, you could see they were no longer the vibrant, mischievous eyes you knew. They were sunken, with a ghostly, pale light flickering within them, as if the last remnants of Ydris were trapped somewhere deep inside, struggling to hold on.

Dark tendrils of shadow clung to him, seeping from the scars, pulsating as if they were alive, feeding on whatever was left of him. It was clear that whatever they tortured him with had overtaken him, leaving behind a twisted shell of the person you once knew and loved.

Ydris slowly lifted his head, the effort clearly agonizing for him. His body trembled with the strain, every movement seeming to cause him immense pain. His eyes found yours.

He tried to speak, to warn you, but his voice was barely more than a rasping breath. His lips parted, and all that escaped was a faint, broken whisper of your name. It was so quiet, so weak, that it was almost swallowed by the oppressive silence of the room. Yet, it carried with it all the desperation and fear he felt for you.

You could see him struggling, wanting to tell you to run, to get as far away from him as possible, but he had no strength left to form the words. His entire being seemed to tremble, as if the weight of the shadows inside him was crushing what little remained of his will.

Despite the horrific state he was in, all Ydris could think about was your safety. His eyes, though dimmed and shrouded in darkness, conveyed a silent plea. 

Leave. Save yourself.

As you stood frozen in place, a chilling voice suddenly echoed through the dark room, slicing through the silence like a knife.

"Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up,"

The voice was smooth, almost amused, with a cold edge that sent shivers down your spine. 

You spun around, and from the shadows, a person emerged. 

Sands, his eyes gleaming with a mix of triumph and malice.

"I must admit," Sands continued, his tone laced with mockery, "I wasn't entirely sure you'd come. Ydris spoke so much about you, about how much he believed you'd come to save him. But I had my doubts. After all, love makes fools of us all, doesn't it? Blinds us to the truth,"

Your heart pounded in your chest as Sands circled around you, his presence suffocating. 

"And yet, here you are, just as I hoped," He said, a cruel smile tugging at his lips, "I wasn't convinced you'd risk everything for him. It seems I underestimated the depth of your shared delusion,"

He paused, his eyes flickering between you and Ydris. 

"Tell me, did you think you could just get in here and save him? That your love would somehow conquer all? How tragically naive,"

"You... you planned this," You finally managed to choke out, fury and fear boiling within you, "You used him to lure me here,"

"Of course I did," Sands replied, almost bored with the obviousness of it, "What better way to break a soul than to dangle hope in front of them, only to snatch it away? You've been playing right into my hands,"