The dark spirits lunged at Elias all at once.
An overwhelming, suffocating pressure crushed him. Pain — sharp, relentless, and soul-wrenching — gnawed at every fiber of his being. His breath grew shallow. His vision blurred with hallucinations.
His body was swallowed by the ever-growing cloud of smoke and magic. The spirits clawed at his mind, his memories, his identity — devouring his very soul.
Fighting back with all his corrupted energy, Elias desperately tried to hold on to his memories, forcing water element through his body — clinging to the purity and clarity it symbolized. But at the same time, he had to direct Deteus to counterattack — to shatter the spirits' wills.
But there were hundreds.
The agony mounted by the second. His body trembled; his mind frayed at the edges. Ten relentless minutes passed — and this war of wills was slowly crushing him.
Elias was at his limit. His soul was fading. His sense of self dissolving in the suffocating darkness.
"Is this... how it ends?" Thoughts spiraled as despair wrapped around him. "Is this really it? Am I going to die... like this?"
A deep pang of regret stabbed through him. "Maybe... maybe I was reckless. I let Deteus provoke me into this. No... this was my own arrogance. I was so sure I'd win... Hah... fooled by a Sangra's words... But... what does it matter now? It's over... Zyphia... looks like you're on your own now. I'm... sorry."
His mind unraveled. He was ready to let go... ready to become one of them — another wandering soul trapped in this cursed forest.
But then — a voice.
A voice powerful, ancient... commanding. A voice of someone who endured endless suffering and still stood tall.
"So... that's it? You're giving up? Gonna let yourself be consumed... turned into a wandering soul... cursed to rot in this forest for centuries? How... pathetic."
The words struck Elias like lightning. He twitched, teeth gritted. "Shut up... I... I've already lost. I've fought enough."
"Fought enough? Fool. Lions don't choose surrender. Even if you fall, you fight until the very last breath. Surrender... is for cowards. For the weak."
Elias fell silent. Then... a bitter chuckle escaped him. "To the last breath, huh... Yeah... Yeah, you're right. This is a battle of will... not power..."
A thought clicked in his head. "Of course... a battle of wills isn't about who's stronger. It's about who holds out longer — who breaks first."
"Thank you... wise old clock."
Then — he laughed.
A wild, crazed laughter echoed through the suffocating dark. His body flared with a brilliant, violent violet aura.
"This is it... this is MY WILL!"
The tide turned in an instant.
The shadows recoiled as Elias, now a vortex of violet energy, began devouring them — crushing them into dust, scattering their essence like dust in the wind.
Screams — bone-chilling, deafening screams — echoed as spirits fled. Some exploded midair, their remains caught by sunlight and dissolved. Others hurled themselves into the sky, choosing vaporization over facing Elias.
In less than a minute... nothing remained.
Elias stood at the center, no longer laughing. A terrifying smile stretched across his face. His once pale, human skin had become corpse-like. His black eyes had turned violet, and the aura surrounding him made him look like a nightmare born of the abyss.
Then — the violet aura condensed. It twisted into the shape of a humanoid figure.
No face. No skin. No hair. Just a silhouette — with a wide, black grin carved into its empty face... and glowing violet eyes barely visible in the darkness.
"Mmm... that was delicious... no, no... that was divine." The violet figure cackled. "Hey... why don't we do this more often? We're strong now... let's go slaughter something. It'll be fun!"
Elias sighed, unimpressed. His terrifying grin faded as his body shifted back to normal. "Oh shut up. Weren't you black? Why the hell are you violet now? And... since when can a Sangra form... take a humanoid shape?"
"Tsk, tsk. Told you... I'm special," the figure — Deteus — chuckled gleefully. "Damn... that was fun. Watching those spirits drown in their own fear... showing them their deepest regrets, their sins... breaking their minds... tasting every scream... Haah, I think I'm addicted."
"What? Fear...?" Elias blinked. Then his eyes widened. "Wait. WHAT? You... you feed on FEAR?!"
"Pfft. Now you get it."
Elias clenched his fists, glaring at the shade. "Why... WHY didn't you tell me this before?!"
"What, and ruin the surprise?" Deteus giggled. "Relax, kid. Sangra abilities are misunderstood. You barely know anything about them anyway."
Elias's voice turned ice cold. "Then tell me... what exactly ARE you? If you're truly a Sangra... what kind of ability are you?"
Deteus floated closer, grinning wider. "Ah... such suspicion. Fine. Here's the truth. I'm a Sangra — a legendary-tier soul element. As for what exactly I am... even I don't fully know. But this much is certain — I'm your power. I'm the thing that makes you strong. I'm what keeps the other elements from overrunning your mind. I guide you in battle. I feed you knowledge when you need it."
Elias sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Legendary tier... We're not even sure if that's true. Besides... Sangra is supposed to corrode the mind — drive people insane. But you..."
He sat down on a rock, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You... you help me. That... that's what's abnormal."
Deteus grinned wider — a hollow, eerie grin. The gap in his mouth stretched unnaturally as he floated close.
"Exactly. Because I care, brat. I'm the only one who does." His voice deepened, vibrating through Elias's mind.
"Your father abandoned you. Your mother... doesn't even remember you. The villagers hated you — always saw you as a demon. So tell me... what makes you so different from me?" His whisper turned darker. "How many lives have you ruined? Hedric... did you know he had a son? You turned a child into an orphan."
"...Shut..." Elias whispered.
"How many of the bandits had newborns waiting for them, huh?"
"Shut up..."
"What about the slaves you killed? The souls you devoured just now? I didn't create myself, child. You created me. I was born from your hatred. Your rage. Your thirst for power."
"SHUT UP!" Elias roared, his scream thundering through the forest.
"Face it. You're no different from me. A monster. A killer. A devourer of lives. How many more... until you admit it?"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Elias clutched his head, falling to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "Damn it... Damn it... Damn it... I'm not a monster... I just... I just wanted to be strong. To protect them... to find them... to live a happy life... Damn it..."
Deteus floated over, wrapping his misty, violet arms around Elias's neck like a friend comforting a crying child.
"Aww... don't worry, buddy. I'm here. I always will be. I just wanted you to understand... how cruel your own words can be. There, there... it's okay... I'm sorry... stop crying now."
A massive, satisfied grin stretched across Deteus's void-like face as he held the sobbing boy. "After all... now you'll never doubt me again."
---
A Few Minutes Later...
Elias finally calmed down.
For the first time... he found comfort in the dark. Maybe... he wasn't truly alone. Maybe... this cursed power was his only real companion.
As they hunted a few more fleeing souls, the bond between Elias and Deteus grew even tighter.
Walking back toward the waterfall, Deteus slipped back into Elias's body.
"Hey... by the way, after everything that happened... I forgot to ask. This new violet form... does it come with new powers? Also... could you always do this?" Elias asked mentally.
"Hmm... nope. This is new. As for the powers... Let's just say... it'll be a surprise." Deteus chuckled.
Elias sighed, brushing aside the thick turquoise leaves as he made his way forward. The shock of everything still lingered, gnawing at his mind.
"So... what now? Am I just... a monster now? Should I keep going like this? Or... maybe... maybe I can use this power... for something better? But... what even is the better path? What should I do?"
"Ugh, stop thinking so much. Relax a little." Deteus muttered.
Elias exhaled but... his thoughts wouldn't stop spiraling.
When he finally reached the waterfall...
His heart stopped.
The leaf bedding was scattered. The map Zyphia always kept close... was lying abandoned on the ground.
A strange feeling washed over him.
Then — his eyes glowed crimson.
A vision hit him like lightning — flashes of figures with violet skin... dragging Zyphia away in her sleep. She woke, fought back, but was overpowered and taken.
Then — the vision faded. A sharp pain stabbed through his eyes as if someone had pressed burning fingers into them.
He fell to one knee, gasping. "What... was that?"
Looking around, confusion twisted into horror. "Was that... real?"
Then he spotted it — faint footprints pressed into the grass.
Real or not — one thing was clear.
Zyphia... had been kidnapped.