Years passed, and still, Kassandra did not wake. Many people forgot about her, except for those caring for her lifeless body and her father, Christopher. In those five years, Loretta and Christopher had another child—a boy named Alexios, now two and a half years old.
But let’s turn back the clock five years and see what was happening in Kassandra’s mind while her body lay dormant.
After falling into the coma, Kassandra’s consciousness awakened, though her body remained still. Trapped within her own mind, all she could see was darkness—a void that seemed endless, as is often the case in these spaces. With nothing to do and no sense of direction, she began to move, floating aimlessly into the unknown.
Time became meaningless in that vast emptiness. What felt like an eternity passed—one and a half years, to be precise—before she finally stumbled upon something: a black and dark green altar. As she approached it, the altar flared to life, casting an eerie glow that illuminated the surrounding space for kilometers in every direction. Left, right, up, and down—everything was bathed in the unsettling light. The sudden brightness caught Kassandra off guard, shocking her after so long in the dark.
Then she heard it—a voice emanating from the altar, cold and commanding. “Place your hand on the altar,” it instructed.
Without hesitation, Kassandra obeyed.
The moment her hand made contact, dark energy engulfed her entire being. In mere seconds, the energy separated from her, morphing into an exact copy of herself, the only difference being their eyes. The doppelgänger’s eyes glowed with an ominous dark green light, its eyes piercing her very soul.
Kassandra stared at the figure, terror and disbelief flooding her senses.
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Before she could process what was happening, the doppelgänger rushed forward and touched her forehead with a single finger. Instantly, Kassandra felt her body lose all strength, collapsing to the ground like a limp ragdoll. The entity gazed down at her with absolutely no emotion. If you looked into its glowing eyes, you would see Kassandra’s confusion and fear reflected in them.
Seconds stretched into minutes, and her expression twisted in pain. Minutes bled into hours, and Kassandra’s mouth opened in a scream. Agony coursed through her. This torment dragged on for two long years, each day filled with deeper misery and mounting despair. Slowly, the emotional pain consumed her entirely, until there was nothing left but desperation.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the doppelgänger spoke, its voice dripping with malice:
“Remember this feeling. This is misery. This is agony. They lead to desperation. This is your power—Despair. Now, you will understand what it means to experience it. Study the faces of other desperate souls, and see how they fall into it. Only then will you be worthy of knowing my name.”
The moment the entity finished speaking, Kassandra’s suffering paused. Abruptly, she found herself witnessing someone leaping from a high place. She screamed in horror—it was her first time watching someone die. But the nightmare didn’t stop. One after another, more people appeared, each dying in front of her in different, gruesome ways. The only common thread was their despair.
Another year and a half passed like this, with Kassandra forced to witness scene after scene of death and desperation. Then, the being spoke again:
“Have you learned what Despair is? Because when you hear my name—and you will—it will bring a despair far greater than any you’ve witnessed here.”
“No! Please! No! Please, don’t!” Kassandra cried out, her voice trembling with fear.
Ignoring her desperate pleas, the doppelgänger placed its finger on her forehead once more and said coldly, “It’s disappointing, but you are not yet ready to embrace Despair. First, you must experience true Agony.”
Withdrawing its finger, the entity’s voice rang out one last time, fervent and commanding:
“Go now. Awaken, my successor!”