Paralyzed under the electric spectacle of the stormy heavens, the three men stood frozen, their tongues weighted by terror.

Goon 1 found his thoughts caught in a whirlpool of dread, (Why… can’t I speak… my body feels like lead, and my heart won’t cease its thunderous assault within my chest...)

Another thunderous boom echoed across the sky, and Goon 2 vanished without a trace, leaving Goon 1 and 4 in a state of utter bewilderment and panic.

Goon 4, his voice quivering with fear, managed to stammer out, "Wha… What did you do with him!…”

Eidolon, appearing detached, responded, “I’ve stood here the entire time. I haven’t moved an inch."

As the next thunderclap resounded, Goon 1 disappeared as if he had been a mere illusion. Fear pounded in Goon 4's chest, loud enough, he thought, that it might be audible to the world outside his body. His mind whirred, trying to find a way out, but the realization was stark and unforgiving. Escape was not an option; it was just a matter of time.

With a gasp, he made a desperate plea, his words stuttering, "Please…I have a family….. I was just doing what was necessary for them! Isn’t it clear? It was either you or us! We saw you storing food… we didn’t kno-"

Eidolon’s voice cut across his plea like a blade, "Silence!" The sound seemed to tremble in Goon 4’s soul, stilling his words.

Moving towards him, Eidolon posed a question, "Did you even know the name of the girl you killed?"

Goon 4 pleaded, "No…. Please…. Let me go…. I swear on all that's holy, I’ll never repeat such a thing… I just want to see my family...”

Eidolon’s voice was a cold, angry hiss, "Did you consider that when you shot me? When your friend shot me?" He towered over the prostrate form of Goon 4.

Goon 4's pretense of fearful tears transformed into malevolent glee, "You won’t cheat death a second time!”

Suddenly, Eidolon found himself encased in a cocoon of concrete, sharp spikes protruding ominously within.

Goon 4 sneered, "Fool! You fell for the oldest trick in the book! My ‘Cocoon Execution’ is my trump card!"

(Even though it’s not fully formed, it should be enough to finish this beast… I can’t believe I had to use it on him… what a monster…)

The cocoon began to shrink, and the sound of crunching filled the air.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Goon 4 celebrated, "That’s right! You got what you deserved for messing with me!"

But then, a chill skittered across his skin, an ominous feeling of impending doom. Unbeknownst to him, Eidolon had reappeared, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.

Eidolon, his voice a demonic growl, commanded, "Turn around, look at me. I want to see your fear-stricken eyes."

Goon 4 stuttered, "H…How did you escape... If it wasn't you inside, then what was that sound?..."

Eidolon chuckled, clearly amused, "I merely created a glass replica of myself and was behind you the entire time. Although I hadn't used this trick before, it proved rather useful," he said, his gaze boring into the back of Goon 4's head.

Goon 4 began to question again, "Where are the rest of m-"

Abruptly, Eidolon moved, kicking Goon 4 into an invisible mirror-like surface.

"Shhh, the real hell is just beginning," Eidolon's laughter echoed eerily around his mirror realm.

Moments later, all three men found themselves trapped within cubic spaces. Each cube was covered on all sides with mirrors, and they could only see each other through one mirror. They were shackled to the walls by skeletal hands, their attempts to break free futile.

Goon 4 shook his head, trying to clear his vision, "Ugh… my head… HEY! What the hell… where am I?! What is this place?!"

Goon 1 echoed his panic, "Can anyone hear me!!" His voice echoed off the mirror walls, amplifying his terror. "Damn it!! Where are the others?!"

Goon 2, his voice seething with frustration and anger, shouted, "When I get out of here, you're dead! Do you hear me?! Dead!!"

Suddenly, a robotic voice filled their mirrored prisons, as if a hidden speaker system had been activated.

System: "Welcome to Eidolon's 'Mirror of the Damned' Domain. Here, time and death are but an illusion."

Goon 1 spat back, "What the fuck does that mean?" He continued to struggle against his restraints, to no avail.

System: "Those unfortunate enough to be captured will face the wrath of the demon lord. Your souls now belong to him," the voice glitched, taking on a sinister, demonic tone.

Eidolon decided to visit Goon 1's room first. He passed through the glass wall, a cruel smile on his face. "Let's begin the experiment," he said, watching as Goon 1 continued to struggle.

Goon 1 pleaded, "Let me go! I promise to leave you alone if you do!"

Eidolon retorted, "It’s too late for that now. I want to watch you bleed." He extended his hand, and a blade made of glass formed from the mirror floor.

He put his hand out and from the mirror floor, a glass blade to shape in his hand. Eidolon used the blade to slice open Goon 1's forearm, cutting through skin, muscle, and veins. Goon 1's screams echoed off the mirrored walls as blood gushed from the wounds. Eidolon licked the blade clean, his eyes gleaming with a perverse pleasure.

Once he reached Goon 1's bone, he drilled into it with the blade, creating a macabre flute from the man's forearm. He lifted the bone to his lips and blew, a discordant sound filling the room.

Eidolon frowned, "It doesn't sound right..." His sinister smile returned, "I think I didn't make enough holes. Oh well, guess I'll have to make another one," he said, looking at the terrified Goon 1.

Goon 1, his screams reduced to whimpers, sobbed, "Please….. Stop… I’m sorry…. I-"

Eidolon cut him off, his voice devoid of emotion, "As I said before, your pleas are pointless. I want to watch you bleed, to witness your suffering. I will show you something far worse than death!"

Eidolon, visibly irritated by the endless pleas, tore Goon 1's jaw off, silencing him abruptly. With a simple wave of his hand, Goon 1 was released from his confinement. Fear-driven adrenaline surged through him, and he lunged at Eidolon, striking out with the only arm he had left.

The blow landed solidly, but Eidolon only laughed, even as the fist remained embedded in his face.

Eidolon, animated, exclaimed, "Good! There's still some fight left in you. I will shatter that fleeting confidence. This shall be your personal hell!"

Seizing Goon 1's attacking hand, Eidolon twisted it, snapping the wrist as easily as if it were a mere twig. Eidolon then discarded the glass blade, opting for a more visceral approach. His fists flew in a flurry of punches, each one landing with a sickening thud. Eidolon's form echoed the style of a seasoned boxer, precise and lethal.

With a swift kick, he sent Goon 1's face crashing into the glass wall, then dragged his face across it, embedding shards of glass into his skin. Tossing the bleeding and battered man to the ground, Eidolon retrieved the blade and with a swift, decisive motion, bisected Goon 1 at the waist.

Dragging the upper half of Goon 1's body out of the mirrored prison, Eidolon left a gruesome trail of blood in his wake. Adjacent to Goon 1's cell, a spike of glass formed, onto which Eidolon impaled the writhing half-man, leaving him as a macabre display of suffering.

"Now, who shall be the next to endure my torment?" Eidolon mused, his thoughts wandering to the next phase of his sadistic game.