The darkness swallowed me whole, and for a moment, I couldn't tell where I ended and the entity began. The crystal burned in my chest, its power far beyond what I could control. My mind spiraled, pulled into the vast expanse of shadows that threatened to drown me. The whispers grew louder, coaxing me deeper into the void.
"Jade, you can have it all," the entity's voice purred, slithering through the cracks in my willpower. "Power. Control. Freedom from fear. All you have to do is let go."
I fought to push it back, but it was like trying to hold back a flood with my bare hands. The darkness inside me surged, feeding on my doubts and insecurities, amplifying every fear I'd ever had. I saw flashes of my past—every moment where I'd failed, every mistake I'd made. It showed me Raven, bloodied and broken because of my choices. Leif and Zara, consumed by the shadows because I wasn't strong enough to protect them.
