The Entity Chosen.

chapter 15

The fog hung thick and heavy, swallowing every sound except for the faint, maddening laughter that drifted through the mist. Each step the survivors took felt weighed down by an oppressive presence that clung to them, pressing in, smothering. They could barely see a few feet ahead, yet somehow, they could sense her - Liriyal, or rather, the twisted creature she had become under the Entity's control.

A soft giggle broke the silence, echoing through the fog, and Jake felt a shiver run down his spine as her voice drifted closer, rich with mockery, dripping with a dark, sadistic pleasure. She was humming, but it was more than that - it was a twisted whisper, a melody warped and eerie, a cruel lullaby that taunted them with every note.

"With the lights out, it's less dangerous..." she whispered, her voice soft and teasing, carrying an insane edge that made his blood run cold. "Here we are now, entertain us..."

She stepped forward from the fog, her blood-red eyes gleaming with a deranged light, her twisted smile wide and unsettling, her gaze locked onto her prey with the intensity of a predator savoring the hunt. She moved with a grace that was haunting, her every step slow, calculated, as if she had all the time in the world to toy with them. Her dark hair, streaked with crimson, framed her face, accentuating the madness that burned in her gaze.

Jake crouched behind a broken tree trunk, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he watched her from a distance. The way she moved, the look in her eyes - there was nothing left of the friend he had known. She was something else entirely, something darker, twisted into a creature that delighted in their terror. He motioned to Felix, who crouched beside him, his hands shaking as he reached for a lever on a nearby generator.

But Liriyal's voice cut through the silence, taunting, playful, as if she could see every fearful movement, every silent breath. Her lips curled into a sinister grin, and she giggled softly, her voice rich with dark amusement.

"Load up on guns... and bring your friends..." she sang softly, each word dripping with sarcasm, her gaze sweeping the fog as if searching for them. "It's fun to lose and to pretend..."

Her laughter filled the air, high-pitched and unhinged, a sound that echoed through the fog, sending chills through the survivors. Felix's hands stilled, his face pale as he looked toward the sound of her voice, terror etched in every line of his face.

She stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with glee, her expression a twisted mask of amusement as she prowled closer, savoring every step, every ounce of fear she could sense from them. Her gaze settled on Felix, who had backed himself into a corner, his back pressed against the cold metal of the generator. She leaned forward, her gaze narrowing, her smile widening as her voice dropped to a whisper.

"I feel stupid and contagious..." she murmured, her tone soft, mocking, as if speaking a secret just for him.

He tried to move, to slip away, but her hand shot out, her fingers brushing his shoulder with a chilling touch that sent a shock through him. He froze, his breath catching as she leaned closer, her gaze locking onto his with a sadistic, almost affectionate gleam.

"Why are you running, Felix?" she asked, her voice filled with a cruel amusement, her lips twitching with delight as she watched his face pale, his eyes wide with terror. "There's nowhere to hide."

Her laughter spilled over, a twisted giggle that resonated with a deranged joy, each note filled with a dark satisfaction as she watched him struggle. Felix stumbled backward, his breath shallow, but she only tilted her head, her eyes glinting as she let him go, savoring the fear radiating from him.

Behind a nearby stack of metal scraps, Yui and Kate crouched, their eyes fixed on Liriyal, their breaths quick and shallow. They could see the unhinged glee in her expression, the way her smile stretched just a bit too wide, her eyes gleaming with a madness that was both terrifying and entrancing.