Ethan lifted the pestle in his hand, his movements sluggish, pounding it rhythmically into the mortar. He crushed the glowing stones mixed with dirt into fine powder with each dull thud. Despite the damp, cold atmosphere of the cave, and his threadbare, rough-spun clothes, Ethan’s face betrayed no concern, as if the oppressive environment and the mind-numbing task meant nothing to him.

The cave wasn’t empty—around Ethan, other teenagers, dressed similarly in rough fabrics and their hair tied with coarse twine, worked away. But these kids bore more than just the marks of hardship. Each one had visible physical deformities and mutations. One girl, suffering from albinism, had her body dotted with countless eyes, while a boy nearby had tentacles growing out of his arms. The cave was like a museum of deformities, showcasing the grotesque forms of human suffering.

Their tasks mirrored Ethan’s, grinding different substances—some worked on herbs, others on minerals. But the air of silent suffering weighed heavy. Many seemed uneasy, distracted, as if dreading something more than the monotonous labor.

Suddenly, a sharp scream broke the silence.

Ethan’s head snapped toward the sound, as did the others. In one corner of the cave, a pudgy, cleft-lipped boy had a lecherous grin plastered across his face, attempting to pull a terrified albino girl into his grasp.

“Heh, I’m just gonna touch, just for a second, I promise,” he snickered, his hands eagerly reaching for her.

Ethan’s brow furrowed as the girl’s sobs grew louder, more desperate. He didn’t move immediately, continuing to pound the mortar. But a surge of unexplainable anger rose within him. Suddenly, he stood, hefting the mortar stone, and strode over to the boy.

WHAM!

The heavy stone smashed against the boy’s skull with a sickening crunch. Blood poured from the wound as the boy froze in shock before collapsing into a heap, clutching his head, groaning in agony.

The albino girl, wide-eyed and trembling, scurried behind Ethan, hiding from her attacker.

"You’re dead meat! Do you know who my master is?! Once he finds out, you’re done for!" the boy shrieked through gritted teeth, his face twisted with pain and fury.

Ethan barely glanced at him, his voice as cold as the cave’s air. "Your master? He’s nothing. A speck. A worthless insect." The moment those words left Ethan’s mouth, silence descended like a hammer. Everyone froze. Nobody had ever dared speak like that.

The other kids stared at him, their eyes wide with shock, fear etched in their expressions. Ethan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Why am I even angry? This isn't me… I’m not like this. I can’t let them get to me," he muttered to himself. "Calm… just calm down."

Before he could fully regain his composure, a voice called from the entrance to the cave.

"Ethan, Lucinda, the Master has summoned you," called a tall figure clad in a tattered robe, holding a dusty whip. His bearing was far superior to that of the children in the cave, even though his robe’s cuffs were worn thin from countless washes. Compared to the ragged clothing Ethan and the others wore, he might as well have been royalty.

At the sight of the robed man, the cleft-lipped boy grinned, blood still dripping down his face. "Haha! You’re finished! You’re as good as dead now!"

Ethan didn’t bother acknowledging the boy’s taunts. He turned and followed the robed man without hesitation, Lucinda—a pale, frail girl with a slight slant to her mouth—silently trailing behind him.

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Just as Ethan was about to leave the cave, he felt a soft tug on his sleeve. He turned to find the albino girl, her wide, tear-filled eyes pleading silently. She didn’t want him to go.

Ethan’s expression remained unchanged. He coldly shook off her hand and marched toward the exit.

Once out of the cave, the group entered a massive cavern. The walls were honeycombed with small, narrow passages, like a giant anthill. Each passage bore a rotting wooden sign, carved with strange, ancient symbols that seemed to pulse with a forgotten malevolence.

The scene was unsettling. The deeper they went into the cave, the more the air thickened with an oppressive energy. Whispers echoed from the walls—low, incomprehensible voices that seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once, watching, waiting.

Ethan and Lucinda followed the robed man deeper into the core of the cave. The rough-hewn walls now displayed twisted carvings—deformed figures, ancient beings—depictions of an age-old evil. The weight in the air grew heavier with each step, making it harder to breathe.

As they walked further into the labyrinth, a woman with a crooked smile suddenly appeared beside them. She fished out a dark, dirty piece of candy from her pocket and, grinning stupidly, held it out to Ethan.

“Want… candy?” she slurred.

Ethan’s brow furrowed in annoyance. Without hesitation, he took the candy and stuffed it into his sleeve, barely acknowledging her. She, in turn, popped a piece into her own mouth and giggled. “Master is good… Master gives candy…”

Ethan didn’t respond. They walked for what felt like an eternity before finally reaching their destination—a massive, ancient altar. Before them stood a towering obelisk, looming like a dark mountain. Its shadow swallowed everything, casting the entire chamber into eerie darkness.

Ethan’s heart sank as he stared at the obelisk. But worse than the altar was the figure standing before it.

A knight, clad in once-pristine silver armor, stood there. His armor, now marred by blood and sinew, had dozens of eyes growing from its surface. The eyes shifted, scanning the room. In the knight’s hands was a massive pestle, and he pounded it rhythmically into a large cauldron of dark, bubbling liquid. The sound reverberated like a bell tolling, sending shivers down Ethan’s spine.

“Master…” Lucinda stammered, clasping her hands together in a clumsy bow, her voice trembling with awe and fear.

The knight turned slowly, revealing his ghastly face—six eyes spread across his face, and his mouth filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth.

“You’ve finally arrived, my loyal followers,” the knight rasped, his voice thick with madness. “I’ve been waiting.”

Without warning, the knight moved with unnatural speed, snatching Lucinda by the throat. With a sickening thud, he hurled her into the cauldron. She barely had time to scream before the knight raised the massive pestle high and brought it crashing down onto her head.

CRACK!

Her skull split open, spraying brain matter across the altar. The knight didn’t stop. Again and again, the pestle rose and fell, turning Lucinda’s body into a grisly pulp.

Ethan winced with each impact, his face twitching uncontrollably as blood and gore splattered across the knight’s armor. But the knight continued his gruesome work, whispering a dark incantation under his breath.

“Great Sleeper, hear our pitiful cries.

Devourer of minds, consume our souls.

Your gaze will cover the world,

And all will tremble beneath your shadow.

In chaos, we offer our flesh and blood.

Open your eyes once more

And bring the world to ruin.

Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!”

The incantation echoed through the chamber, a sickening chant that seemed to warp the air itself. With one final heave, the knight lifted Lucinda’s mangled remains and poured them into the cauldron.

The knight raised his arms to the heavens, eyes wide with fervor. “Arise, all-seeing one! Come forth!”

From the shadows, two figures, their bodies writhing with tentacles, emerged and knelt before the altar. Without hesitation, they slit their throats, letting their blood pool at the foot of the obelisk.

The ground trembled. Ethan felt a deep rumble beneath his feet as an ancient presence stirred.

The knight closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, his face alight with twisted ecstasy. Slowly, he turned to face Ethan, his voice dripping with malice. “I hear you’ve been talking shit about me, huh? Is that true?”

The room seemed to freeze. The air was thick with tension.

Ethan’s heart raced, but he forced himself to stay calm. He closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing. "It’s not real… none of this is real…"

“Answer me!” The knight’s footsteps grew closer, his rank stench overwhelming.

Ethan clenched his teeth, forcing his eyes open—and everything was gone. The cave, the knight, the altar—all vanished.

Instead, he found himself lying in a bright, sterile hospital room, his legs strapped down to the bed. The smell of disinfectant filled the air.

Ethan stared at the ceiling, dazed, as reality slowly seeped back in.

“Was… was it all just a dream?”