As the sun dipped toward the horizon, I made my way to the south side of the university. Each step felt heavier than the last, my heart hammering in my chest. Even the wind carried a bite that gave me goosebumps. Still, I couldn't turn back. I had to face this.
At the end of the back corridor, I stopped before a heavy wooden door. It had always been guarded before, but now....now that the spirit had been unleashed and no one stood watch. The worn lettering carved above the frame read: South Wing.
I swallowed hard. The air here was unnaturally cold, far sharper than it should've been in the middle of summer. My fingers trembled as I reached for the handle, only for the door to creak open on its own.
My chest tightened, eyes widening as the darkness inside yawned open. Moonlight spilled faintly through the windows, revealing nothing but layers of dust, as if the place had been abandoned for centuries.
Muttering a well-worn spell under my breath, I stepped across the threshold. My body resisted every step, leaden and uncooperative, while my mind screamed to keep going. The hall stretched wide, almost like a mansion within itself, a reminder that this university had once been a castle.
Before I could take in the details, a sudden rush of voices cut through the silence, followed by a wild uproar that shook the emptiness around me. My head jerked toward the noise. Fear clawed at me, but something deeper, an urge I couldn't suppress, pulled me closer.
From there, the space opened into what might have once been a living room. Straight ahead, a staircase rose into the shadows. I hesitated, scanning the room, then forced myself forward.
But the voices stopped. My brow furrowed as I glanced around, and a scream tore through the silence. A sharp gasp left my lips as something unseen struck me hard, sending me backward down the stairs. I hit the floor with a jolt, and pain rushed through my body.
I forced my eyes open, and a shiver ran down me as I tried to sit upright, only to feel a sudden, icy grip on my leg. Panic shot through me, and a silent cry escaped as I jerked my leg, trying to pull free. In seconds, my back slammed sharply against the wall.
A small, shaky sound left me, tears rolling down my cheeks, and then I heard low and cruel laughter echo around the room.
I hadn't even called the spirit. Why was this happening?
I tried to stand, but a sudden cold wind brushed against me, even though no window was open. My eyes squeezed shut, and breathing stopped. Meanwhile, my hands gripped the hem of my shirt.
Then I felt cold and sharp breath on my face, as if someone was right there. As if someone was pressing impossibly close, exhaling just inches from me.
I forced my eyes open, but there was nothing. It was empty space. Yet the breathing remained, slow and deliberate. I swallowed hard and shut my eyes again.
Time stretched, endless and silent, until the breathing finally stopped. I let out the breath I'd been holding, my body trembling as I opened my eyes to scan the room. But what I saw made me freeze on my feet.
On the wall, something clung in the shadows. Its body was bent and twisted, limbs stretched in impossible angles. A woman… in a white gown, pale and ragged, hung like she had no weight at all.
Her head tilted slowly, almost lazily, and her eyes, or the dark hollows where they should be, seemed to be watching me.
My throat went dry. I tried to run, but my eyes widened in terror as I saw there was no door. The way out had vanished.
I spun around, desperate, and for a moment, I saw it: a cruel smile lingering in the shadows before it disappeared entirely. But relief didn't come.
Every instinct screamed at me, warning me it could appear anywhere. My fist clenched, and my fingers brushed the ring on my hand, the one Elara had given me. Instead of comfort, it only tightened the fear. If I didn't act, this thing would go after her.
I shook my head and pulled out a pin with trembling hands. I pricked my finger, letting a single drop of blood fall.
Suddenly, a low growl echoed around the room, vibrating through the walls and floor. My legs shook beneath me as I whispered, "Take me instead… leave her."
The growl stopped. For a few seconds, it was just silence, which scared me more than the growl.
Then, something brushed against my finger. A shiver ran down my spine as I looked down and screamed, stumbling away from there.
The same thing from the wall crouched before me, limbs bent at strange, impossible angles, and head tilted low. Its pale, twisted face hovered over my hand, sniffing the blood. My breath caught in fear. I had no idea what I should do; I just froze there.
It came closer again, making my stomach turn. My limbs refused to move this time. I couldn't look away.
Then, almost impossibly, it twitched one limb, jerking like a puppet, its head tilting closer. A sound slipped from it, a hiss, wet and hungry. I wanted to scream, but my voice refused to leave my throat.
It was as if my body didn't belong to me anymore. Somehow, I managed a shallow breath, and the thing's attention snapped to me, a harsh, guttural chuckle filling the room. My eyes widened in terror, then squeezed shut as it drew nearer. Then, suddenly, it was gone, but the sound lingered, shaking the walls.
I couldn't tell if it was playing with me or hunting me. My gaze darted around and then froze. A pair of black, clawed hands reached toward me from the shadows. But my legs refused to move.
My lips parted as silent tears ran down my cheeks. The laughter sharpened as the shadow drew closer, a voice whispering in a low, venomous tone, "Welcome, Arin."
The thing seemed part shadow, part… something else, sinking into my own shadow as if it was sliding inside me, claiming my body from within. A strange heat spread through me, as my own body was moving against my will.
My hands lifted on their own, touching my face, and a giggle escaped that wasn't mine, while my mind screamed in panic. Then, a voice echoed inside my head:
"This body is fully mine now."
My breath caught. Its hand brushed the knife I'd tucked in my belt. For a single, precious moment, I regained control. I fumbled and finally gripped the cold steel, the silver knife.
With what little strength I had left, I yanked it free. Moonlight glinted off the blade, and a shriek ripped through the room, sharp enough to make the walls tremble.
I shut my eyes and pressed the knife into my palm, whispering the spell the Professor had taught me. My body felt like it was on fire as I started.
I stumbled and fell to the floor, twisting and arching as if my own body had turned against me. Every part of me ached, but I forced the words out, one by one, until the final syllable left my lips. The fight ebbed. The air fell silent.
And then the voice came again, inside my head, low and cruel:
"You made the biggest mistake by caging me inside you… For now, I'm trapped. But the moment I take full control... I'll kill the one you tried to protect."
My chest tightened, breath stuttering as if the words were strangling me. Then came the sharp laughter, tearing through my skull until it felt like my brain was bleeding.
After that, I remember nothing. Darkness swallowed me whole.