Sovereign of the Forsaken Path

Ezra ran.

The whispers behind him grew louder , warping into distorted voices that scratched against his skull.

"Join us."

"The hunger is eternal."

"There is no escape."

Ezra gritted his teeth and kept moving. The tunnel twisted in unnatural ways, the walls narrowing and shifting as if they were alive.

The shadows at his back crawled forward , tendrils stretching toward him.

The Sigil on his chest burned again, pulsing like a second heartbeat.

And then

The whispers stopped.

Ezra skidded to a halt, panting.

Silence.

That was worse.

He turned slowly , his lantern raised

And nearly dropped it.

The whispers hadn't stopped.

They had gathered.

At the edge of the light, a crowd of figures stood motionless.

They were human shaped , but wrong.

Some were too thin , their limbs stretching in ways that shouldn't be possible. Others had faces that flickered , shifting between expressions like a broken mask.

And all of them were watching him.

Ezra exhaled shakily. "Okay. So, what's the deal? You guys selling something, or…?"

Silence.

Then, the nearest figure stepped forward.

Its head twitched violently, the skin of its face peeling away like melting wax.

A hollow, rasping voice escaped its throat.

"You bear the Mark."

Ezra tensed.

The figure took another step.

"You have devoured. You will devour again."

Ezra frowned. "Yeah, about that. What happens if I just… don't?"

The figure's jaw stretched unnaturally wide.

"You will."

Ezra clenched his fists. He didn't like that answer.

Didn't like the certainty in it.

The crowd of figures began to shift, their forms warping at the edges , as if they weren't entirely real.

Something about them felt unfinished.

Like they were waiting.

Ezra swallowed. "So, are you guys gonna attack me, or are we just standing here in creepy silence all night?"

The figures did not move.

They just kept watching.

Then, one of them raised an arm and pointed

Not at Ezra.

At something behind him.

Ezra felt ice in his veins.

Slowly, he turned

And froze.

The shadows at the far end of the tunnel had started to boil.

Something massive was stirring within them.

Something that made even the twisted figures hesitate.

Ezra's breath was unsteady. "Ah. Fantastic. More problems."

He didn't know what was coming.

But he knew one thing for certain.

He needed to move.

Now.