The room was a disaster zone. Shattered glass crunched under Ben's feet. The walls groaned like they were alive, shifting in and out of focus as the very air rippled with energy.
And in the middle of it all—Ellie stood frozen, her chest rising and falling in sharp, panicked breaths.
The shadow behind her lurched, twisting like liquid smoke, taking shape—half-human, half-nightmare.
It turned its head slowly, an eerie crack echoing as its gaze locked onto Ben.
Then it grinned.
And Ben knew one thing.
They were absolutely screwed.
Ellie swallowed hard, her voice barely a whisper. "Ben… I don't think it's happy."
Ben let out a dry, humorless laugh. "No kidding."
The thing took a step forward, its foot not touching the ground but sinking into the floor like a ripple on water. Its body shifted, flickering between forms.
Ben's stomach twisted. This wasn't just Victoria. It wasn't just the nameless soul.
This was something worse.
Something that had been waiting.
Ellie clenched her fists, her whole body tensing. "I think we accidentally unsealed something ancient and pissed it off."
"Oh yeah?" Ben edged backward. "You think?"
The entity let out a sound—half-laughter, half-scream—before lunging.
Ben yanked Ellie out of the way just in time. A blast of pure darkness hit the wall behind them, exploding into a swirling void.
"What the hell—?!" Ben gasped, dragging Ellie with him as they bolted through the ruined space.
The thing snapped its fingers—and suddenly, the exit was gone.
The doors, the windows—all vanished.
"Okay," Ellie muttered, hands on her hips. "That's just cheating."
The shadow loomed closer.
"You." Its voice came from everywhere, a thousand whispers bleeding into one. "You stole my vessel. You meddled in my domain."
Ellie scowled, crossing her arms. "Excuse me?! First of all, I didn't steal anything. You hijacked my body first!"
Ben elbowed her. "Ellie, maybe don't sass the ancient horror?"
The thing tilted its head. "You will suffer for your arrogance."
Ben sighed. "See? Now you've made it mad."
Ellie rolled her eyes. "It was already mad!"
The entity's form twisted, its smoky limbs stretching toward them. The temperature dropped, and suddenly—
Ellie started floating.
"Oh, come on!" she yelped, flailing. "I just got back in this body, and now I'm getting kidnapped again?!"
Ben grabbed onto her ankle. "Not happening!"
The entity jerked Ellie higher—and Ben, refusing to let go, got yanked up with her.
Now they were both floating.
"Okay, new plan!" Ellie shouted, kicking wildly. "How do we exorcise something we just released?!"
Ben grunted, holding onto her for dear life. "I don't know! Maybe apologize?!"
"Apologize?!" Ellie shot him a look. "To what, the evil void monster?!"
The shadow roared, shaking the entire space. "SILENCE!"
And then, it threw them.
Ben crashed into the remains of a bookshelf, Ellie into the opposite wall. Dust and debris rained down.
Ben groaned, peeling himself out of the wreckage. "Ow."
Ellie sat up, rubbing her head. "Okay, that was rude."
The entity descended on them, shadows coiling like smoke.
Ben gritted his teeth. "If you've got any bright ideas, now's the time."
Ellie clenched her fists. "Just one."
And then she charged straight at the thing.
Ben's jaw dropped. "Ellie—?"
The entity barely had time to react before Ellie punched it in the face.
The entire room shook.
The shadow reeled back, stunned.
Ben stared. "Did you just punch a demon?"
Ellie blew on her knuckles. "Damn right, I did."
The entity let out a low, guttural snarl. The shadows convulsed, dark tendrils snapping like whips.
Ellie and Ben ducked, rolling away just in time as the entity struck again.
Ben scrambled to his feet, heart pounding. "New plan! Maybe we hit first, ask questions later!"
Ellie cracked her knuckles. "Now that's a plan I can get behind."
The entity lunged.
And the battle began.