The city's pulse grew louder. Lycius could hear it now-a rhythmic, otherworldly thrum that reverberated through his body. Each step he took felt heavier, like the veins beneath the cobblestones were pulling him deeper into their grasp.
He couldn't tell how far he had wandered from the gaping chasm at the city center. The fog was thicker now, curling in tendrils that whispered against his skin. His left eye burned with an intensity that made it hard to focus, and the veins along his arm pulsed black like they were alive.
For the first time since waking, he heard something other than silence.
A faint cry-distant, desperate-cut through the oppressive fog.
Lycius froze. His heart raced as he strained to listen. The cry came again, more urgent this time, carrying with it a raw edge of terror. He stumbled forward, his body moving on instinct, the city's pulse now syncopated with his own hammering heartbeat.
As he rounded the corner of a crumbling structure, he saw her.
A young woman, no older than twenty, was trapped. Tendrils of black veins had erupted from the ground, coiling around her legs like living chains. She thrashed against them, her face contorted in panic, her screams slicing through the fog.
"Help me!" she cried, her voice trembling.
Lycius hesitated, his feet rooted to the ground. The veins pulsed with a sickly light, and the whispers in his mind grew louder.
"Do nothing," they urged, their voices layered and resonant. "Her pain will nourish the world. Her fear will feed the veins. Let her go."
"No," Lycius muttered, shaking his head. He staggered forward, his hand reaching for her.
The whispers turned to a cacophony of protest. "Interfere, and you sever the bond. Interfere, and you weaken the city. Interfere, and you risk everything."
The woman's eyes locked onto his, wide with terror. "Please!"
Lycius knelt beside her, his hands trembling as he grabbed at the veins constricting her legs. They were warm to the touch, pulsing as if alive. A surge of nausea rolled through him as the veins seemed to recoil, their surface slick and sinewy.
"Do not touch them!" the voices roared. "You are one of us. You are not meant to fight us!"
But Lycius didn't stop. He pulled at the tendrils with all his strength, his left eye burning hotter with every movement. The veins hissed in protest, tightening their grip on the woman. She screamed, her body convulsing.
"Let her go!" Lycius shouted, his voice echoing through the empty streets.
The veins suddenly lashed out, striking his arm. Pain shot through him like lightning, and he fell back, clutching his wrist. When he looked down, he saw that the black veins on his arm had spread further, crawling up toward his shoulder.
The whispers in his mind grew quieter, replaced by something else-a deep, guttural growl that seemed to come from the earth itself. The ground beneath him trembled.
The woman whimpered, her voice faint. "Please... don't leave me..."
Lycius forced himself to his feet. The veins had begun to retract, pulling her deeper into the ground. Without thinking, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulling with all his strength.
For a moment, everything was still.
And then the veins released her.
The two of them fell back, tumbling onto the cobblestones. The woman sobbed, her body trembling in his arms. Lycius stared at her, his chest heaving, his left eye throbbing with unbearable heat.
But the city wasn't done with him yet.
The ground beneath them cracked open, revealing a glowing network of veins pulsating with crimson light. The whispers returned, louder than before, their tone sharp and accusatory.
"You have broken the balance. You have defied the will of the world. Now, you must pay."
Lycius clutched his head, the whispers tearing through his mind like knives. The woman scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide with terror.
"What's happening?" she asked, her voice shaking.
Lycius didn't answer. He couldn't. The pain was overwhelming, his vision blurring as the world around him seemed to warp and twist.
And then he saw it.
A figure emerged from the fog, tall and imposing, its silhouette framed by the pulsing veins. It was the same hooded figure from before, but this time, its presence felt even more oppressive.
"You've made your choice, Lycius," it said, its voice cold and final. "Now, you must face the consequences."
Before Lycius could respond, the ground beneath him gave way, and he plunged into darkness.
---