"The others all wanted something from me," you say. "What about you? What do you want? I'll give it to you if you give me something in return."
"What is it that you think I have to give?" the Fog Beast asks.
"Power," you explain. "You're able to do things only someone or something that isn't human can do. If you want something from me, fine, but I want a stronger connection to that power."
"What we want from you is to reach inside and see what is there," the Fog Beast says. "We want to know whether you are the next one we must take, and if we reach inside, it will be easier to take you when the time comes."
That sounds terrifying, but there's no backing out of this now.
"Fine," you say. "It's a deal."
All at once, the fog swallows you whole. Everything is white, and the dampness fills your mouth and nostrils until you are certain it is in your lungs.
When it's over, you are choking on the ground. Something deep inside your core has changed, like a second heart has been buried there. Another thing is present there too. A coldness like a smooth stone pulled out of an icy lake.
"Well?" you ask the creature.
"What we learned is not for you to know," it tells you.
"Why do you have to do this?" you ask it. "Kill people, I mean."
"We do what we must. We do not enjoy it."
"Do you really have to, though? Can't you just stop? Haven't you taken enough people?"
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