the room was a prison of darkness, its walls closing in with every passing second. the only source of light came from a single candle, its flame flickering weakly as if struggling to stay alive. zoryth sat in the corner, his knees drawn to his chest, his eyes fixed on the shadow dancing on the wall. it was a distorted version of himself, its grin too wide, its eyes too dark. it seemed to mock him, or maybe it was him who was mocking the shadow. he couldn’t tell anymore.
"YOU’RE NOT REAL," ZORYTH WHISPERED, HIS VOICE HOARSE AND UNSTEADY. BUT THE WORDS THAT CAME OUT WEREN’T HIS. THEY WERE DEEPER, DARKER, LACED WITH A HUMOR THAT MADE HIS SKIN CRAWL. "I’M NOT REAL?" THE SHADOW SHOT BACK, ITS VOICE ECHOING LIKE A CHILD’S LAUGHTER. "YOU’RE THE ILLUSION, ZORYTH. YOU’RE THE SHELL, AND I’M WHAT LIVES INSIDE YOU."
zoryth closed his eyes, pressing his palms against his temples, trying to silence the voices that swarmed his mind. but they were louder than ever, each one fighting for control. there was "nox," the one who always laughed, even when zoryth wanted to scream. there was "morgha," the one who whispered dark thoughts he didn’t dare act on. and then there was "elinor," the one who only appeared when he wanted to forget, singing old songs that reminded him of a childhood he couldn’t recall.
he opened his eyes suddenly, only to find himself standing in front of a cracked mirror. the face staring back at him wasn’t his. it was pale, with a smile too wide, too terrifying, like the one he saw in his nightmares. "WHO ARE YOU?" ZORYTH ASKED, HIS VOICE SHAKING.
"I’M YOU," THE FACE IN THE MIRROR REPLIED, ITS VOICE A CHILLING ECHO. "I’M THE ONE YOU’RE AFRAID TO BECOME."
zoryth stumbled back, but the grin didn’t disappear. it was everywhere—on the walls, the ceiling, even in his own shadow, which now stretched behind him like a dark cloak. he knew he couldn’t escape. because these weren’t just voices in his head. they were him. and he was them.
the air in the room grew heavier, and the candle’s flame flickered wildly, as if struggling to stay alive. zoryth’s breathing quickened, and the whispers in his mind became a deafening roar. "KILL... DESTROY... PLAY... SAVE..." EACH VOICE WAS A COMMAND, A PLEA, A THREAT. HE COULDN’T TELL WHICH WAS WHICH ANYMORE.
"STOP!" HE SCREAMED, BUT THE VOICES ONLY GREW LOUDER. THE SHADOW ON THE WALL BEGAN TO MOVE ON ITS OWN, STRETCHING AND TWISTING UNTIL IT TOOK THE SHAPE OF A TALL, SLENDER FIGURE WITH GLOWING RED EYES. "YOU CAN’T SILENCE US, ZORYTH," IT SAID, ITS VOICE A BLEND OF ALL THE OTHERS. "WE ARE YOU. AND YOU ARE US."
zoryth felt his body go numb as the figure stepped out of the shadow and into the room. it was nox, but it was also morgha, elinor, and fairus. it was everyone and no one. "CHOOSE," IT SAID, EXTENDING A HAND TOWARD HIM. "WILL YOU BE THE HERO OR THE VILLAIN? THE SAVIOR OR THE DESTROYER?"
zoryth looked down at his hands. they were shaking, and for a moment, he thought he saw blood on them. but when he blinked, it was gone. "I... I DON’T KNOW," HE WHISPERED.
THE FIGURE LAUGHED, A SOUND THAT FILLED THE ROOM AND MADE THE WALLS SHAKE. "THEN LET US DECIDE FOR YOU."
before zoryth could react, the figure lunged at him, and the room exploded into chaos. the walls crumbled, the floor buckled, and zoryth felt himself falling into a void of darkness and light, where the voices were louder than ever.
when he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the room. he was standing in the middle of a burning city, the sky above him a deep, bloody red. the figure was gone, but the voices remained. "WELCOME TO THE BEGINNING," NOX’S VOICE WHISPERED IN HIS EAR. "THE GAME HAS JUST STARTED."
zoryth looked around, his heart pounding in his chest. the city was empty, but he could feel eyes watching him from the shadows. "WHAT IS THIS PLACE?" HE ASKED, THOUGH HE WASN’T SURE IF HE WAS TALKING TO HIMSELF OR THE VOICES.
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"THIS IS YOUR MIND," MORGHA’S VOICE REPLIED, HER TONE DARK AND AMUSED. "AND SOON, IT WILL BE YOUR REALITY."
zoryth took a step forward, and the ground beneath him cracked, revealing a bottomless pit of darkness. he looked down, and for a moment, he thought he saw faces staring back at him—faces he recognized, faces he feared.
"DON’T LOOK DOWN," ELINOR’S VOICE WHISPERED, SOFT AND GENTLE. "LOOK AHEAD. THERE’S STILL HOPE."
BUT FAIRUS’S VOICE CUT THROUGH HERS, HARSH AND UNFORGIVING. "HOPE IS A LIE. THE ONLY TRUTH IS PAIN."
zoryth closed his eyes again, trying to block out the voices, but they were part of him now. he couldn’t escape them. he couldn’t escape himself.
and as he stood there, in the middle of the burning city, he realized one thing: this was only the beginning.
the city was a maze of ruins, its skyline dominated by towers that reached into the blood-red sky. zoryth walked through the desolate streets, his footsteps echoing against the silence. the air was thick with the smell of smoke and ash, and the ground beneath his feet was cracked and unstable.
"WHERE AM I?" HE ASKED, HIS VOICE BARELY ABOVE A WHISPER.
"YOU’RE WHERE YOU’VE ALWAYS BEEN," NOX’S VOICE REPLIED, ITS TONE PLAYFUL YET MENACING. "INSIDE YOUR OWN MIND."
"BUT THIS... THIS FEELS REAL," ZORYTH SAID, LOOKING DOWN AT HIS HANDS. THEY WERE STILL SHAKING, BUT NOW THEY WERE COVERED IN A THIN LAYER OF ASH. "HOW CAN THIS BE MY MIND?"
"BECAUSE YOU’RE FINALLY SEEING THE TRUTH," MORGHA’S VOICE WHISPERED, HER WORDS SLITHERING INTO HIS EARS LIKE A SNAKE. "THIS IS WHAT YOU’VE BEEN HIDING FROM. THIS IS WHAT YOU’RE AFRAID OF."
zoryth closed his eyes, trying to calm the storm in his mind. but the voices were unrelenting, each one pulling him in a different direction. "STOP," HE WHISPERED, BUT THE VOICES ONLY GREW LOUDER.
"YOU CAN’T RUN FROM US," FAIRUS’S VOICE GROWLED. "WE’RE PART OF YOU. WE’LL ALWAYS BE PART OF YOU."
zoryth opened his eyes and looked around. the city seemed to stretch on forever, its horizon lost in a haze of smoke and fire. "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?" HE ASKED, HIS VOICE BREAKING.
"YOU FIGHT," ELINOR’S VOICE SAID, SOFT BUT FIRM. "YOU FIGHT FOR WHAT’S LEFT OF YOU."
"OR YOU GIVE IN," MORGHA’S VOICE COUNTERED, HER TONE DARK AND SEDUCTIVE. "LET US TAKE CONTROL. LET US SHOW YOU WHAT YOU’RE TRULY CAPABLE OF."
zoryth took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. but the voices were too strong, too many. he felt like he was being torn apart, piece by piece.
and then, suddenly, he heard a new voice. it was different from the others—soft, almost imperceptible, but it was there. "FOLLOW ME," IT WHISPERED.
zoryth looked around, but there was no one there. "WHO ARE YOU?" HE ASKED, HIS VOICE SHAKING.
"I’M THE ONE YOU’VE FORGOTTEN," THE VOICE REPLIED. "FOLLOW ME, AND I’LL SHOW YOU THE WAY."
zoryth hesitated, but the voice was calm, reassuring. it wasn’t like the others. it didn’t demand or threaten. it simply... existed.
"WHERE ARE YOU?" HE ASKED, TAKING A STEP FORWARD.
"FOLLOW THE LIGHT," THE VOICE SAID.
zoryth looked ahead and saw a small, faint glow in the distance. it was weak, barely visible through the smoke and fire, but it was there. he took another step, then another, following the light as the voices in his mind screamed for him to stop.
"DON’T LISTEN TO IT!" NOX SHOUTED. "IT’S A TRAP!"
"STAY WITH US," MORGHA WHISPERED. "WE’RE ALL YOU NEED."
but zoryth kept walking, his eyes fixed on the light. the voices grew louder, more desperate, but he ignored them. for the first time in what felt like forever, he felt a sliver of hope.
and then, just as he reached the light, everything went black.
when he opened his eyes again, he was back in the room. the candle was still flickering, the shadow still dancing on the wall. but something was different. the voices were quieter now, almost silent.
"WHAT... WHAT HAPPENED?" HE WHISPERED.
"YOU FOUND A PIECE OF YOURSELF," THE VOICE FROM THE LIGHT REPLIED. "BUT THERE’S STILL MORE TO FIND."
zoryth looked around, but the voice was gone. the room was silent, the shadow still. but for the first time, he felt like he wasn’t alone.
and as he sat there, staring at the flickering candle, he realized that this was only the beginning.
End of Chapter One