The Entity Chosen.

chapter 14

As the exit gate closed, sealing the survivors from the fog-drenched horror they had just escaped, Liriyal stood motionless on the other side, her eyes fixed on them with a piercing, unfeeling gaze. Her blood-red irises glowed like embers in the dim light, a twisted satisfaction radiating from her as she watched them disappear beyond the Entity's reach. She could feel its presence swelling inside her, filling every hollow corner of her mind, its dark thoughts mingling with hers until she could no longer tell where she ended and it began.

Through her lips, the Entity's voice spoke, cold and taunting, echoing through the fog as if to remind the survivors that it was never truly gone.

"Run all you like," it sneered, a dark laughter slipping through Liriyal's voice. "But know this — there is no escape. You'll return to me, again and again, and each time, I will be here, waiting... watching."

The survivors, just beyond the gate, caught fragments of her voice carried on the wind, and a shiver ran through each of them. They could still feel the weight of her gaze, her presence like a dark stain lingering in their minds.

Dwight turned back, his face a mixture of guilt and sadness, barely able to comprehend the transformation that had overtaken their friend. But as he peered into the mist, his heart pounding, he could see nothing but the empty space where she had stood, her form swallowed by the fog.

On the other side, Liriyal's hands flexed, her fingers curling as she adjusted to the Entity's complete control. Her skin prickled, every nerve thrumming with the power coursing through her, a sensation both foreign and familiar, her own identity fading into the background as the Entity solidified its hold.

"You tried to resist, Liriyal," it murmured, its voice dripping with dark amusement, slipping through her own lips as though she were mocking herself. "But look at you now. Look how beautifully you fit into my grasp. There is no room left for you... only me."

She could feel the Entity settling deeper within her, merging with her very soul, entwining itself so completely that her body no longer felt like her own. Its control was absolute, her own will extinguished, her thoughts barely a whisper lost beneath the relentless tide of its influence.

Her blood-red gaze shifted back to the gate, the shadows clinging to her form as the Entity urged her forward, taking satisfaction in every step, in the smooth, obedient way her body responded. She was its vessel now, a creature of its own design, her every movement, every word dictated by its whims.

The Entity spoke again through her voice, each word laced with malice. "You will be my shadow in this fog, my relentless hand. You will hunt them, break them, and each time, they will know it was you who brought their suffering."

Liriyal's lips curved into a sinister smile, the Entity's satisfaction flooding her mind, drowning out any trace of doubt, any flicker of the person she had been. It could sense her fading memories, the warmth she had once felt for her friends, and it delighted in twisting those memories, warping them into something hollow, meaningless. The faces of Dwight, Meg, Claudette, and Feng became distant, no longer companions but targets, prey for her to pursue, her purpose now stripped of humanity, her loyalty recast in dark devotion to the Entity's will.

The survivors, still catching their breath just beyond the gate, listened as Liriyal's voice drifted through the fog, taunting, filled with a chilling certainty that pricked at their hearts.

"You think you can hide from me?" she called, her tone soft, seductive, but laced with cruel intent. "Run back to your little sanctuary. Whisper your fears to one another. But know this: I am always here, in the shadows, waiting."

Meg's jaw clenched, her fists tightening as she turned her back on the fog, unable to bear the thought of the friend they had lost. "We'll find a way to save her," she whispered to herself, as much to assure her own heart as to promise her friends.

But Liriyal's voice cut through her thoughts, sharp and mocking. "Save me?" the Entity laughed, amused at their naivety. "There is nothing left to save. She is mine, a creature molded to my purpose. And she will hunt you. She will bring your pain, your despair, and she will revel in it."

The survivors shared a look, each one grappling with the weight of the Entity's words, the chilling certainty that their friend was gone, replaced by a creature entirely devoted to their suffering.

Back in the fog, Liriyal's blood-red eyes narrowed, her form blending into the shadows, her gaze unblinking, empty but for the Entity's malice.

"So run," she murmured, her voice low, almost affectionate. "Run until you can't, and then... I will be waiting."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enjoyy~