The Book of Abbadon

Uphedis

You cry as you struggle to break free from Vaktash’s grasp, and without hesitation, Verzo goes to shoot Tom in the face. You scream as the red beam leaves his hand, but in the blink of an eye, Verzo unexpectedly moves his hand away at the last second causing the beam to go past Tom's head and miss. Then, almost as if he's been interrupted, you immediately see Verzo's demeanor change from arrogant to humble before he quickly turns and walks away from Tom looking down at the ground and talking to himself.

“ My- My Lord… “

He mumbles to himself under his breath as he stands there silent for a moment before speaking again.

“ But- what about the Lamenter…? “

Verzo pauses as if he's listening closely and you can see the other two Valghuli take on a nervous expression while Verzo speaks to the voice that's presumably inside his head. Seeing these powerful Valghuli in such a timid state around you is unsettling while you listen to Verzo's side of the conversation.

“ Of course… it will be done. Your will is my command. “

Verzo then turns back around and slowly walks back to where you and Tom are. After a brief moment of him silently thinking to himself, he speaks in a foreboding tone.

“ It appears there has been a change of plans… “

Verzo says as he pulls some sort of vial out of his robes, looking down at it anxiously. The vial looks like a wicked object that's not of this world, and it appears that there's some type of living blood-like substance that's moving around inside of it.

“ Abbadon… “

Verzo says before he turns his gaze towards you. Him calling you by your name makes you feel even more uneasy as he opens the vial.

“ Our Lord wishes to speak to you… here… in person… “

Verzo then slowly pours the substance inside the vial into his other hand. You see the shape of his hand begin to malform and turn black before he drops the empty vial and grabs Tom's robe with his free hand, pulling him up onto his feet.

“ Rather than waste such a powerful vessel like the lapdog's, it appears Our Lord has chosen him as a temporary means to enter this mortal realm… “

Verzo looks deep into Tom's eyes with a malevolent gaze and speaks to him in a condescending tone.

“ You should feel honored to be chosen as his vessel. Since the beginning of existence itself, there has never been a vessel strong enough to contain his power… “

Tom opens his eyes and defiantly looks at Verzo with a peaceful stare. You can tell that Verzo wants Tom to be afraid, but Tom's unfazed expression makes it seem like Tom's the one who's in control.

“ We'll see if your physical form can withstand it, for the power of Our Lord defies The One's limitations of existence. Now… become None. “

Verzo immediately plunges the black hand deep into Tom's chest and Tom begins to writhe around in pain, groaning subtly as if he's trying to mask the fact that he's hurting. Verzo then rips his hand out of Tom's chest and Tom falls to his knees, curling into a fetal position while he holds his chest. You can hear him barely able to muster his last words to you while he continues to fight the liquid that's consuming him from the inside.

“ Donny… don't… give up… “

You see a black aura slowly begin to radiate from Tom's body and the hole in his chest glows an ominous red. After a brief moment of Tom struggling with all his might to keep his composure, he lets out a torturous scream as the Darkness inside of him slowly seeps out of his skin. You watch in horror as his physical form distorts, becoming completely consumed in a black smog that pollutes his physical form, almost as if the fabric of his very existence is being devoured and eaten alive. Tom continues to wail in agony as he throws himself backwards onto the ground while the red hole in his chest continues to glow brighter and brighter until it's so bright that it burns your eyes and dries the tears on your face. Tom's body twitches around uncontrollably on the ground like he's possessed, and his blood curdling screams break your heart as you watch your brother endure this excruciating pain while his physical form slowly becomes consumed right in front of you. The Valghuli Exemplars around you all watch in amusement as the last of the Darkness leaves Tom's body until he lies on the ground, silent and still like a corpse with dead eyes and pale skin. These events mirror that of your past trauma and your mind begins to race as the memories of Ariel and Rosie come flooding back.