Waiter from Nowhere

Jay's mind spun in confusion as the shadows closed in around him. The sensation was almost suffocating, as if the very air in the room had turned to lead, pressing down on his chest. He could feel the presence of the waiter—the demon—watching him with a quiet, unsettling satisfaction.

The darkness, thick and oppressive, wrapped around his arms and legs, holding him in place. Jay tried to struggle, to break free, but it was useless. The power of the shadows was too strong.

But something inside him still resisted. A flicker of light, a stubborn spark of defiance, burned in his chest. His master had always told him that he controlled both light and darkness—that no force could truly bind him, that he could always find his way out. But now, trapped in this cold embrace of darkness, Jay wasn't sure if he could still harness that power.

The waiter's voice broke through his thoughts, cool and detached. "You've always been so naïve, Jay. So trusting. But your fate was sealed long ago. The Elixir was always the goal. You were never meant to live a normal life. The ritual must be completed, and you will play your part."

Jay's heart pounded as he tried to make sense of the words. "The Elixir..." he muttered again, as if saying it out loud would help him understand.

The waiter's smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "Yes. The Elixir of Immortality. It grants eternal life, but at a cost." He leaned closer, his voice lowering to a whisper. "It will give you immortality, but it will never return what you lose. You will live forever, but pieces of you will be lost—your humanity, your soul, your body—until you are nothing but a hollow shell."

Jay's blood ran cold. "No..." he whispered. He had always feared it, but he had never truly believed that it was real.

"Now, you understand," the waiter said, his eyes glinting in the dark. "You were never meant to live the way others do. You were meant to bring the Elixir to us, to make immortality a reality."

Jay felt a deep, gnawing emptiness grow in his chest. "I... I won't be a part of this," he said, the words coming out barely above a whisper.

The waiter's expression softened, but only for a moment. "It's too late for that, Jay. You've already played your part."

With a cruel smile, the waiter began the incantation, his hands weaving in the air with slow, deliberate movements. The shadows tightened, and Jay felt his strength begin to slip away. He could hear the words, the chant that would complete the ritual, sealing his fate.

"No... I can't... I won't..." Jay gasped, his breath shallow, the weight of the shadows growing heavier. But the darkness didn't listen. It only pressed in closer, pulling him deeper into its cold embrace.