The monster's grip on me tightened as it leaned closer, its voice low and almost reverent. "You are our boss, Elara. You always have been." The words slithered into my mind, coiling around my thoughts like a serpent. I shook my head, refusing to accept what it was saying.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I managed to choke out, my voice trembling with a mixture of fear and disbelief. "I'm not your boss. I've never been."
The monster's eyes gleamed with a dark, knowing glint. It raised its hand, and a glowing bubble of light formed in its palm, pulsating with an eerie energy. "You've forgotten," it hissed. "But memories have a way of returning, whether you want them to or not."
