"Momma!?" Andreas shouted as he jolted up, his chest heaving with panic. His wide eyes darted around. It was his room—the familiar small bed, the threadbare blanket drap- ed over it, the soft drip of water from the faucet in the corner, the lantern that hung casting shadows along the walls. But something was off.

There was no door. Andreas froze. The one thing that could have led him out was missing.

His breath quickened as the realization set in. The air felt thick, as if it weighed down on him. It hit him—a flash of memories that sent prickles crawling through his skin. His neck. The snap. His mother's scream.

“No… no, no, no…” Andreas said apprehensively, instinctively reaching up to clutch his neck, but felt no pain. “Momma!” he cried out, cracking with desperation. But there was no answer. Only silence.

He sat down, wrapping his arms around his knees, rocking back and forth as tears brimmed in his eyes. "Please, Momma... please..." he whispered. The walls seemed to press closer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something—movement. The shadows along the walls began to shift, swelling, as if they had come alive. They expanded, growing darker, thicker, swallowing the room inch by inch until everything around him was plunged into an impenetrable blackness.

Andreas' heart thudded violently in his chest. Panic surged through him as he stumbled to his feet. Swiftly, he ran over to the lantern, taking it down and clutching it to his chest. The small flicker of light became his shield.

He could feel it. A presence. Something was in the room with him. Watching him.

"H-hello?" he whispered, shaking as he clutched the lantern even tighter. The silence stretched on.

Then—a deep, low groan that resonated across the room cried out. The vibration crawled beneath Andreas' skin, freezing his breath in his throat, sending icy shivers racing up his spine. His chest heaved as panic gripped him tighter with every passing second.

“Who... who was that? What’s going on?!” Andreas’ voice broke. There was no reply, only a long, suffocating pause.

A low resonant murmur. It seeped from every corner of the room, threading through the thick darkness. Andreas flinched violently, whipping his head around in every direction. His wide, tear-filled eyes darted across the void. The lantern in his trembling hands cast a weak, flickering glow, barely enough to carve through the blackness.

“Please—who’s there?!” he cried as the words stumbled out in a desperate plea.

The silence pressed down on him once more. Suffocating him like a wolf with its claws poised over his throat.

Andreas’ knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor. His breaths were shallow and uneven, tears streaking down his cheeks as he rocked back and forth. The lantern slipped from his fingers, clattering softly onto the floor as its dim light wavered. Curling into himself, he pressed his forehead to his knees, trembling as he tried to block out the soundless void surrounding him.

“Momma… please... what’s happening?” he whispered.

A long, drawn-out groan echoed again, reverberating through the walls and the floor beneath him. Andreas’ head shot up, his body rigid with fear as he stared into the black. The room held its breath once more, the stillness terrifying.

Then, the ground beneath him began to shift. Andreas gasped, his eyes widening as the floor rippled like water, distorting the faint light from the fallen lantern. It shimmered and twisted beneath his palms, and he scrambled backward, his heart hammering.

Before him, the shadows began to coil and gather, collapsing inward into a shape —massive, ominous, and blacker than the surrounding void. It stretched upward, smooth and unbroken, until it loomed over him like an obelisk of night.

And then, it opened.

A single, enormous eye stared down at him, its iris glowing with an otherworldly, golden light. Three pupils floated unnaturally within the iris, scattered and unblinking, each one fixed on him as if dissecting his very being. The oppressive silence was shattered only by Andreas’ shallow, hitching breaths.

The eye was impossibly still, its cold, unblinking stare cutting through Andreas. He wanted to scream, to run, but his legs wouldn’t obey. He was trapped—small, powerless, and drowning in the presence of something far beyond his comprehension.

Tears streamed down his face as his lips parted, but no words came. This impossible eye, seeping through the very marrow of his being. The cold air pressed against Andreas’ skin. But as the seconds passed on, his ragged breaths began to even out.

The eye… it didn’t move closer. Nor did it strike or lash out. It just… watched him.

Andreas’ hands lowered from where they clutched his knees. His chest still rose and fell quickly, but the terror that had gripped him began to loosen its hold. He glanced at the lantern, its faint light flickering faintly beside him, and then back to the enormous eye.

His gaze locked with the three pupils floating within the iris. They didn’t blink nor shift. For all its sheer enormity, it remained perfectly still. It carried an uncanny calmness.

Andreas tilted his head slightly, his breathing further slowing. His fingers stopped digging into the fabric of his breeches. “...Hello?” he whispered.

The moment stretched taut. Then, without a sound, the three pupils shrank, narrowing into sharp pinpoints that echoed intensity. The light around the iris pulsed faintly, sending faint ripples of golden light across the surrounding void.

Andreas flinched slightly, then blinked. His voice steadied, just barely, “Can you understand me?”

The eye didn’t answer, but the pupils shifted, circling one another. The glow in its iris seemed to deepen. The shadows stretched along the walls as if reacting to Andreas’ words.

Andreas hesitated, rubbing his clammy palms on his breeches. He glanced at the flickering lantern again, then back at the eye. “Do you… know what happened to my momma?” he asked.

The pupils stilled. Then shifted again, but slower this time, as if it were hesitant. The glowing iris dimmed slightly, the golden hue flickering like an uncertain flame. The ripples of light slowed and the shadows softened.

Andreas observed closely, his brows furrowing as if he tried to understand the eye’s movements. He looked back at the eye, almost fascinated. “You’re not going to hurt me, are you?” he asked softly.

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The eye still gave no response, but something about the stillness of its movements felt less threatening. Andreas’ expression began to soften. He didn’t feel the oppressive weight of its stare, rather, he felt watched. Seen.

“Uhm, are you… lost too?” he asked.

Andreas blinked, leaning forward slightly as the faint ripple of light spread outward from the eye. His brows knit in concentration, his small fingers brushing his chin. “Is that a yes?” he asked softly.

The eye remained still, the pupils circling each other.

Andreas’ face softened again as he tilted his head. “Do you… need help finding your momma too?” he ventured hesitantly.

The pupils paused, then shifted erratically. A ripple of light shimmered outward, more uneven this time.

Andreas stared, his fear ebbing. Slowly, he put a finger to his lips, thinking. “Okay… uhm…” He scratched the back of his head, trying to muster some sort of confidence. “Since you can’t talk, what if… every time you want to say yes you do one of those light wave thingies? And if you want to say no, you, uh…” He hesitated, frowning in thought. “I don’t know, do something else?”

The eye’s golden hue pulsed faintly, its pupils circling once before a soft ripple spread outward.

Andreas let out a breathy laugh, his lips curling into a soft smile. “Awesome! That works!”

For a moment, the silence returned. But it felt calmer, the stillness carrying a quiet warmth.

Andreas rubbed his chin, glancing at the eye again. “So… are you lost?” He asked again, his tone careful, shy.

The eye’s pupils stilled, then rotated slowly. Another ripple of light spread outward.

Andreas’ face eased, his smile fading into a thoughtful frown. “Oh… I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes shimmering in the dim light. “Is there… any way I can help?”

Another gentle wave of light rippled out, almost like a nod.

Andreas’ shoulders relaxed, his hands dropping to his lap. “Oh good! I’ll try my best!” he said earnestly. “I’m, uhm, not sure how. But I’ll try. And if we find a way to talk better, maybe we can help each other!”

The eye’s glow brightened, the pupils tilting slightly.

Andreas offered a sheepish grin, his cheeks a tinge of pink as he scratched the back of his neck. He glanced back at the golden eye, and asked hesitantly, “Do you know how to get back to my momma? She might be able to help too…”

The pupils stilled for a moment, seeming to hover in indecision before shifting again. A ripple of light spread outward, gentle and deliberate.

Andreas’ face brightened, his smile widening. “Really? You do?!” he exclaimed.

But just as he was about to say more, a dark shape began to emerge from the shadowed wall. Andreas froze, his heart skipping a beat as a pitch-black arm—like the shadows themselves—extended into the room.

He stumbled back slightly, clutching his chest. “W-whoa!” he yelped.

The arm paused for a moment, then retreated quickly into the wall, dissolving into the darkness like smoke.

Andreas blinked. “Oh! Is that your arm?” he asked. The eye sent out another ripple of light in response.

Andreas winced, pressing his hands together in apology. “I’m super sorry! I didn’t mean to be scared—I just… didn’t expect it, that’s all,” he said quickly but earnestly.

The pupils within the eye shifted, their movements quicker, as though they were bouncing. The arm emerged again, slower this time, unfurling cautiously from the wall. Andreas tilted his head, his face lighting up. “Wow… that’s so cool,” he murmured.

The arm reached down, its shadowy fingers brushing against the fallen lantern. It lifted the lantern with grace, setting it upright on the floor. Andreas watched, his mouth slightly agape, as the arm raised a single finger, its tip glowing faintly with a golden light.

The glowing finger moved purposefully, tracing patterns in the air. Andreas’ breath hitched as the light began to form a figure—an outline of a woman, her features soft and familiar. The golden glow shimmered faintly, capturing every curve of the image.

Andreas’ eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat. “Momma!” he cried, tears brimming in his eyes.

The golden outline flickered gently, like a crackling flame, and Andreas reached out, his small hand brushing the glowing figure as if to hold onto it. His lips quivered as he whispered, “Momma…”

The arm lingered near the lantern, still and quiet. The eye remained watchful, its pupils calm but curious as they studied the boy's reaction.

Andreas sniffled, wiping his face with the back of his hand. He glanced back at the eye, his tone soft but resolute. “Can you really help me find my momma?”

The eye pulsed, a ripple of golden light spreading outward.

Andreas hesitated, his small fingers curling at his sides as he bit his lip. Then, with a shaky but genuine smile, he asked, “If you do help me… how can I find you? So I can return the favor… you know, help you too.”

The eye widened slightly, its pupils converging as though focusing entirely on him. Slowly, the arm moved again, its pitch-black fingers extending toward Andreas. Andreas flinched slightly but held his ground. The hand didn’t stop. Instead, it pressed its cool, shadowy finger lightly against his chest, right over his lacryma.

Andreas blinked, startled. He glanced down at the faint golden glow emanating from the spot where the finger touched. The light seeped softly into his shirt, warm and oddly comforting. He looked back up at the eye. “What… what does that mean?” he asked with a whisper.

The hand didn’t respond. Instead, it ruffled his hair gently, its touch surprisingly light and warm, almost like a breeze. Andreas’ lips parted slightly as his cheeks flushed.

The hand then withdrew, extending toward him in an open gesture, its fingers reaching out. Andreas tilted his head, studying the hand. It hovered there, patient and steady, as though offering him a choice.

After a moment’s hesitation, Andreas reached out. His small fingers curled cautiously around the hand. It was cool to the touch, and the subtle glow of the golden eye reflected faintly off the dark surface.

The eye lifted him with ease, its strength effortless but gentle. Andreas stumbled slightly as he stood, fidgeting with his breeches. “So… what do we do now?” he asked, his tone carrying both nervousness and curiosity.

The eye didn’t respond immediately. Its arm retracted, the shadows rippling as it plunged its hand into the golden surface of its iris. The room seemed to hold its breath.

Andreas gasped audibly when the arm withdrew. In its grasp was a small, luminous sphere no larger than a marble, glowing brighter than the lantern’s flame.

He stared, his jaw slack. The sphere pulsed faintly, radiating warmth that pricked his skin. “What… what is that?” he whispered

The eye’s two remaining pupils shifted slightly, their focus never leaving Andreas. It held the marble-like pupil out toward him, the glow reflecting in his wide, astonished eyes. The unspoken weight of the gesture pressed into the air between them. Andreas’ throat tightened as he took a gulp.

“I… if I take that… I’ll find Momma?” he asked. The eye sent out another ripple of light. The warm wave washed over him steadily.

Andreas hesitated, his small hand tightening into a fist at his side. He stared at the glowing sphere, his heart thudding. Then, with a sharp exhale, he nodded. “Alright… I’ll take it then.”

He reached out slowly, his fingers trembling. Just as they brushed the edge of the sphere’s glow, the hand jerked back slightly, retreating an inch. Andreas froze, blinking in confusion as the pupils darted about, shifting as though evaluating him.

The pause stretched, the air thick with tension, as though the void were holding its breath. Then, the pupils stilled, their gaze sharpening. The hand extended again, slower this time, reluctant yet deliberate, and lowered the sphere into Andreas’ open palm.

The moment his fingers made contact, the light erupted.

A brilliant, searing radiance poured through the room, consuming everything. Andreas staggered, shielding his eyes with his free hand, but the warmth of the glow poured into his skin.

“Don’t worry, Momma… I’m coming,” he whispered. His fingers curled around the sphere, clutching it tightly as the world around him dissolved into a white void.

A voice cut through the silence.

Ethereal and resonant, it rang like a chime. Its presence enveloped him, soft yet vast, like a goddess murmuring into his soul.

“My light shall reside within you, fragile as you are,” the voice intoned, each word wrapping around him like silk. “Yet know this—your soul remains but a flicker, tethered to the precipice. Tread carefully, child, for each step into life may draw you nearer to the edge. When the eyes of death stare into yours, I shall claim their essence to mend your own.”

The warmth of the light became overwhelming, and then, all went silent.