"Young warrior, release your anger," the voice urged, its words dripping with seductive malice. "Let it consume you, and I shall grant you the power to enact your revenge."
Bennet's inner struggle intensified. He knew that succumbing to this dark entity's persuasion would lead him down a path of darkness, one from which there might be no return. But the thought of finally avenging the suffering his people had endured at the hands of the Silver Blade Pirates was a temptation too powerful to resist.
"I am asking you, who are you?" he demanded once more, his voice tinged with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
A moment of eerie silence hung in the air before Lamia's voice, like a haunting whisper, returned. "I am Lamia, and I seek the blood of the wrongdoers."
Bennet's mind raced as he tried to process the significance of the name. Lamia – the name resonated with a sense of dread, and he couldn't help but recall the chilling stories he had heard as a child. In the tales passed down from generation to generation, Lamia was synonymous with the boogeyman, a mystical creature that lurked in the shadows, preying on those who had strayed from the path of righteousness.
According to the stories, Lamia was an ancient and vengeful spirit, a relentless harbinger of justice whose sole purpose was to seek out those who had committed grave injustices and deliver a fearsome retribution. The creature was said to be born from the darkest depths of human suffering and anger, a manifestation of the collective desire for vengeance.
It was a name whispered in hushed tones around campfires, a name that invoked both terror and a strange sense of satisfaction among those who had suffered at the hands of wrongdoers.
Now, here in the depths of the forest, facing an entity that claimed to be Lamia, Bennet couldn't help but wonder if the legends held some semblance of truth. The voice's proclamation that it sought the blood of wrongdoers aligned with the tales of the creature's relentless pursuit of justice.
But Bennet remained skeptical. The voice's sinister and manipulative demeanor made it difficult for him to fully trust its intentions. He couldn't ignore the fact that it had urged him to embrace his anger and forsake the path of honor.
"What do you want from me?" Bennet asked.
"I don't need anything from you but you need something from me" answered Lamia "You won't be able to survive this, not when Erebus is involved".
"Erebus?" asked Bennet, he heard that name before but he couldn't remember from where.
The darkness of the forest seemed to intensify, and shadows danced around him as if listening to their conversation.
"Erebus, the embodiment of darkness," Lamia began, her tone carrying an air of ancient knowledge.
"Erebus was one of the primordial deities, born from Chaos. He is the personification of the deep, shadowy darkness that fills the space before time and creation. Erebus is a force older and darker than any mortal or deity."
"You see," Lamia continued, "Erebus is not just a name or a story. He exists in the shadows, in the depths of darkness that lurk beyond mortal comprehension. When you seek vengeance against those who have wronged you, when you tread the path of darkness, you inadvertently draw his attention."
Bennet's brows furrowed in thought as he processed Lamia's words. The name Erebus held a weight he hadn't fully comprehended until now.
"Why are you telling me this?" Bennet questioned once more, his eyes still fixed on the monstrous manifestation that had so effortlessly thrown Captain Orion aside.
Lamia pointed at the monstrous shadow that had so effortlessly thrown Captain Orion aside.
That is a fruit of Erebus, born of the darkest recesses of one's soul. Your friend has embraced its power and nurtured it until it blossomed into this formidable entity." she answered.
"My friend? You mean, that's Captain Kai?" Bennet asked as he struggled to reconcile the image of the noble captain who had led the Moon Raiders with the monstrous figure that now stood before him.
"Yes, the pursuit of power, the desire for retribution, and the shadow of Erebus have reshaped him into this formidable force," Lamia responded.
"Embrace me, and I shall help you bring your friend back," she reiterated, her words holding a promise of redemption in the midst of darkness.
"Embrace you?" Bennet echoed, a quiver of uncertainty in his voice. He looked at Lamia, her form a shifting silhouette within the ethereal realm she inhabited. "The same way Captain Kai accepted Erebus, what if this is a trap?"
It was a valid concern, one born from the knowledge of the perilous path Captain Kai had tread upon. The allure of power, the promise of vengeance, and the seduction of darkness had ensnared the captain's soul.
"The path I offer is not without its risks and sacrifices. Just as darkness can consume, it can also be harnessed for a greater purpose. I am neither friend nor foe" Lamia's response was measured.
"What do you need from me, what sacrifices must I make?" Bennet asked.
"I am consumed by a relentless thirst for vengeance against the bloodline of Zeus," she whispered, her voice carrying the weight of centuries of anger and betrayal. "I can offer you my aid, but it comes at a harrowing price. In exchange for my help, you must pledge to bring down a child of Zeus." Lamia, her gaze as piercing as it was inscrutable, revealed her dark purpose.
"Which child of Zeus do you seek vengeance against?" Bennet inquired, his voice quivering with apprehension.
Lamia's luminous eyes, like twin orbs of spectral fire, bore into him. "The man you know as Captain Orion," she declared, her words carrying the weight of eons. "He reeks of Zeus's mark, and his bloodline must be held accountable."
"Very well," Bennet declared. "I accept your offer. I promise to bring down Captain Orion, the child of Zeus, in exchange for your aid."
"However," he continued, his voice laced with a sense of strategic forethought, "now is not the time. I will have to defeat him when the right time comes."
Lamia's lips curled into a sly smile, her gaze fixed upon Bennet. To her, the prospect of orchestrating the humiliation and downfall of a child of Zeus through a fair fight was a source of dark amusement.
"I agree with your plan," Lamia responded, her voice taking on a tone of satisfaction.
Bennet nodded, his eyes fixed on the shadowy figure before him. "So, what's next?" he inquired, his curiosity mingled with a growing sense of anticipation.
Without a word, Lamia stepped closer to Bennet, her movements fluid and deliberate. And then, as if guided by an invisible force, she merged with him, the boundaries of their separate existences blending into one.
For a moment, Bennet felt a shroud of darkness enveloping him, an eerie sensation similar to being submerged in an abyss. The world around him vanished, and he found himself in a realm of shadow, where the boundaries of reality and illusion blurred.
A vision materialized before Bennet's eyes— there, in the midst of the obsidian void, stood a woman of breathtaking beauty. Her smile was radiant, a paradoxical beacon of warmth, she had a beauty that seemed otherworldly.
The suffocating darkness faded away, leaving Bennet in the midst of a vivid. He found himself transported to a place that felt strangely familiar yet entirely distant. Before him, within the confines of this ethereal recollection, stood the mesmerizing woman, her beauty a radiant beacon in the dimly lit tableau.
Surrounding the captivating woman were a multitude of men, their faces etched with expressions of fervor and yearning. Each man vied for her attention, their hearts laid bare in their pursuit of her affection, but she remained an elusive figure, untouched and unclaimed.
Bennet watched as the men, driven to madness by their infatuation, attempted to win her favor through grand gestures and impassioned declarations. They offered her gifts of precious jewels, recited poetry that dripped with adoration and engaged in acts of gallantry that bordered on the extravagant. Yet, despite their unwavering devotion and fervent pursuit, the woman remained unmoved.
"This... Is this her memory?" Bennet murmured to himself, the words hanging in the air like a whisper carried away by the currents of time. His voice, muted and distant, seemed to fade into the recesses of the memory itself, leaving him with a haunting sense of being an uninvited observer in this ethereal realm.
The memory remained undisturbed by his presence, the woman's allure and the men's yearning playing out as if in a timeless loop. Bennet, a mere spectator to this intimate recollection, found himself drawn deeper into the world that surrounded her. With each passing moment, he sensed that there was more to this memory than met the eye, a hidden truth or purpose that eluded his understanding.
As Bennet found himself trapped within the labyrinthine corridors of Lamia's memories, a pressing question gnawed at his consciousness: Was there a way to navigate this realm and return to the real world?