The walls around me trembled again.
At first, it was a subtle vibration, like the hum of a forgotten machine. But then the earth groaned beneath my feet, a deep, unnatural sound that reverberated through my chest, rattling my bones.
I stumbled, clutching at the cold stone walls of the cell. My fingers scraped against the jagged edges, but I couldn't focus. The hunger gnawed at my insides, a ravenous beast clawing at my sanity, my very soul.
Feed.
It whispered again, that voice. My flesh burned with the need to devour — to consume. The souls were so close now, so tantalizingly within reach. But each time I thought I could give in, a flash of the man's face — the one who had stepped forward to stop me — cut through the haze.
Hold on.
The thought echoed in my mind. The grip on my shoulder. His voice, filled with something real. Humanity. Something that had been slipping away from me for so long, now flickering back like the faintest ember in the wind.
The ground shook again, a violent tremor that nearly threw me to the floor. But I stayed on my feet, teeth clenched, fighting the darkness threatening to swallow me whole. The hunger was unbearable, but so was the need to hold on — to stay me.
A sudden burst of light flared through the cracks in the walls. I turned, heart racing, eyes searching the darkness, the walls now barely holding together.
He's coming, the voice boomed in my mind. Alekhans's power is inevitable.
The light flickered, bright like fire, and for a moment, I could see beyond the wreckage of this place. The walls were crumbling, the tunnel collapsing, but I was no longer alone. The man who had helped me — the one with the spark of defiance in his eyes — was by my side, moving quickly as the tremors intensified.
"We need to get out of here!" His voice broke through the chaos like a lifeline. He grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the nearest exit, but I could barely move. The hunger kept me rooted to the spot, like the ground itself had grown roots into my skin.
Don't listen to him, Alekhan's voice thundered once more. You are already mine. You cannot escape. You will not escape.
The words twisted in my head, a whirlpool pulling me deeper, drowning any thoughts of resistance. But then the man turned sharply, his hand locking around mine, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt something — a pulse of warmth. A human touch. Something that felt like salvation.
"No," he said, his voice firm. "Not today."
We moved together, each step a struggle, every breath a battle against the darkness. The cell door cracked open, the weak light from the outside pouring through, and we stumbled into the hallway. The air was thick with the stench of decay, but it didn't matter. We were free, for the moment.
"What's your name?" the man asked, his voice still tense, but laced with concern. "I'm not going to ask you to do anything unless I know who I'm trusting."
"I… I don't know if I can tell you," I said, my voice hoarse, barely more than a whisper.
"Why?" he asked sharply, eyes scanning the corridor, his hand still gripping mine. "You can trust me."
I hesitated, the hunger still gnawing at the edges of my consciousness, but something in his eyes kept me grounded. You can trust him. The words repeated in my mind, faint but persistent.
"I'm… I don't even know who I am anymore," I said, choking on the words. "I'm losing myself. The hunger… it's too strong."
The man nodded, understanding flashing in his eyes. "I get it," he said softly. "But we'll help you fight it. We have to stick together."
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. There was no way out of this alone. I wasn't strong enough to fight Alekhan's hold on me — not yet.
But maybe… maybe with him, with these others, I could find a way to fight back.
"What's your name?" I asked again, my voice barely a whisper. I needed to know. I needed something to hold onto.
He looked at me for a long moment before answering. "Call me Kael," he said simply. "And we'll get through this. Together."
Kael pulled me into the deeper passages of the underground complex, through winding corridors lined with dimly flickering lights. There was an urgency in his movements now, his pace quickening. But as we ran, I noticed something strange — something I hadn't seen before.
The walls around us weren't just stone and rubble. There were carvings etched into them — symbols I didn't recognize. Ancient. Powerful. I could feel the hum of energy radiating from them, like they were alive.
"What are these?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me despite the terror clawing at my back.
"They're wards," Kael said, his voice low. "Ancient protections. They were placed here to keep the dead at bay. But they're not foolproof. They only work so long as we keep the faith."
"The faith?" I repeated, glancing at him in confusion. "In what?"
Kael didn't answer right away. He stopped, looking over his shoulder at the corridor we had just passed through. His expression hardened, eyes narrowing as if he could sense something approaching. Something dangerous.
"I'll explain later," he said. "For now, we need to keep moving."
I nodded, and we pressed on.
The further we ventured, the darker it became. The flickering lights above cast long shadows, but even the shadows seemed to tremble in the presence of whatever force lingered just beneath the surface of this place. The air felt heavier as we moved deeper into the complex, the walls closing in on us with each step.
Eventually, we came to a large chamber. At the center was a low platform, surrounded by more runes, glowing faintly in the dark. The space was eerily silent, the only sound the distant rumble of the world above — Alekhan's influence threatening to break through.
"This is where we hide," Kael said, stopping at the edge of the platform. "Our sanctuary."
But as he said it, I felt something shift — a sudden wave of unease washing over me. It wasn't the hunger, though that was still gnawing at my mind. No, it was something else — something in the air. A presence. A shifting, malevolent presence.
No… the voice inside me whispered. This is not salvation. This is another trap.
I froze, my blood turning to ice as I turned to Kael. He seemed to notice my hesitation, but before he could speak, a sound interrupted us. A low, guttural growl echoed through the chamber, followed by the scraping of claws against stone.
Then, from the shadows, they emerged.
The first was a twisted figure — tall, gaunt, its eyes glowing with an unnatural light. Its skin was pale, stretched tight over sharp bones, and its mouth hung open in a permanent, hungry grin. It wasn't human. It was something worse.
I backed away instinctively, my heart racing in my chest. The hunger flared again, screaming at me to feed. But I didn't give in. Not this time.
"We need to fight!" Kael shouted, drawing a blade from his side. His eyes were fierce, but there was something more in them — a determination I hadn't seen before. He lunged at the creature, and for a moment, I was paralyzed. My body refused to move.
No. The voice broke through the fog. You're stronger than this.
I didn't know where the strength came from, but I acted on instinct. I reached for the nearest weapon — a jagged piece of broken metal — and rushed toward the creature, swinging it wildly. It wasn't graceful, wasn't precise, but it was enough. The creature recoiled, its twisted form hissing in rage.
Kael took the opportunity, slicing through its chest with a fluid motion, his blade cutting deep. The creature screeched in pain, a horrible, bone-chilling sound, before collapsing to the ground, its eyes dimming.
I stood there for a moment, breathless, watching the creature's form twitch and shudder before it stilled.
Kael turned to me, a brief flicker of admiration in his eyes. "You're stronger than I thought."
I looked at him, heart still racing, adrenaline coursing through me. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing."
"Trust me," he said. "It is. You're learning to control it."
Before I could respond, the chamber trembled again, and more figures appeared from the shadows. The hunger inside me stirred, rising with the force of the creatures that poured into the room.
"We'll need to fight together," Kael said, his voice steady despite the chaos. "But if we do this right, we might just stand a chance."
And for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt the faintest spark of hope.