Riven tossed and turned beneath the weight of heavy blankets, his brow glistening with sweat. Shadows danced on the walls of his small, cluttered room, flickering like the embers of a dying fire. In the depths of his restless slumber, he heard faint whispers—unfathomable words echoing through the haze of his dreams.

"You are the hero…" The voice slithered into his mind, insistent and chilling. "You will be the death…"

Riven's heart raced as the whispers swirled around him, wrapping him in a shroud of dread. He struggled to comprehend, but fear lodged itself in his throat like a thorn. There was a heaviness in the air, a sense that something sinister was approaching—a darkness creeping closer.

"You will let everyone die!" The voice crescendoed, its tone rising like a storm. Riven felt as if he was standing at the precipice of a deep abyss, the darkness pulling him in.

He stumbled through the dreamscape, awash in shades of gray and dust. Squinting, he strained his eyes against the debris-filled haze that hung like fog. His heart thudded in his chest—was it fear or a desperate desire to escape?

"Who are you?" Riven shouted, the sound of his voice swallowed by the void.

"You are the hero…" it repeated, but this time the voice twisted and contorted, each syllable edged with a sinister glee. "You will be the death of everyone who trusts you!"

Suddenly, a cacophony of haunted laughter erupted, filling the air with the screams of those he knew: friends and mentors, their faces contorted in fear and betrayal. The laughter echoed, mocking him, making his skin crawl.

"No!" Riven cried, instinctively pressing his hands against his ears as if to block out the torment. "Stop it! This isn't real!"

The colors around him shifted violently, draining away to jet black and drenching the dream in blood-red hues, his surroundings transforming into a hellscape devoid of life. Shadows twisted and writhed, re-forming into grotesque shapes, each more horrific than the last, as the voice grew more insistent, more menacing.

"You will be everyone dead!" it screeched, now a deafening roar, shaking him to the core. The world around him became a swirling tempest of horror and despair.

Riven screamed, a raw, primal sound, but no one could hear him. He felt himself falling, spiraling down into the darkness that wrapped around him like a vise. Everything shattered into shards of nightmare.

Suddenly, he was jolted awake, his eyes shooting open to the familiar confines of his room. The remnants of the dream clung to him like the dust that settled in the corners. Breathing heavily, Riven's heart raced as he grasped the edges of his blanket, struggling to detach himself from the weight of the dream. It felt too real, too suffocating—a harbinger of things to come.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and sat up, the flickering shadows now cast by the early morning light. Yet the whisper lingered, a ghost in his mind that he could not shake.

"You will be the death…"

Riven shook his head, battling the remnants of the dream. He had survived another night, but deep within, he knew that something dark was awakening within him—and that the whispers were only the beginning.

Riven woke with a start, his heart racing, the remnants of the dark dream still clinging to him like a shadow. He blinked into the dimness of his room, the early morning light filtering through the curtains. Something felt off. He glanced around, looking for the familiar presence of his mother—but she was nowhere to be found. Panic gripped him. His mother had no job, no friends, and almost never left the house.

"Mom?" he called, his voice trembling as he swung his legs off the bed and padded toward the kitchen, dread pooling in his stomach.

As he approached, the air thickened with a sense of foreboding. Suddenly, vivid images flooded his mind—his mother sprawled on the floor, blood trickling down her face, her eyes wide with despair. She screamed for him, her voice echoing in his ears, "How could you, Riven? How could you let this happen?"

The illusion gripped him tightly, a cruel reminder of his deepest fears. Tears welled up in his eyes as he choked back sobs, his voice cracking under the weight of guilt. "Mom! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—" Each word felt like a knife in his heart, twisting with pain. "I'll be better! I promise!"

With every sob, he felt the presence of loss loom larger, the echoes of an unfinished conversation he'd had with her when he was just six years old. Riven collapsed to his knees, feeling small and helpless in a world that felt unbearably cold without her. "Please, Mom!" he cried, his voice breaking, "Come back!"

Meanwhile, Evelyn, his aunt, was returning from grocery shopping, her mind distracted by the list of chores she had to complete. As she stepped through the door, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to wake Riven. "Oh no, I forgot!" she muttered, slapping her forehead. "I need to check on him."

But as she moved toward the kitchen, her heart sank at the sound of heavy sobs punctuating the silence. Rushing inside, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of Riven on the floor, his face pale and streaked with tears, whispering his mother's name in a heartbreakingly raw manner.

"Riven!" she exclaimed, rushing to his side. She knelt down beside him, instinctively reaching to wipe away his tears. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay, Riven. It's all in your head," she whispered softly, wrapping her arms around him, hoping to shield him from the torment.

But Riven shook his head vigorously, his sobs rising higher in intensity. "She's dead! She's gone!" The words tore from his throat, filled with an anguish that Evelyn knew all too well.

Evelyn's heart ached for him. She understood the pain of losing a loved one; Riven had been so young when his mother died. It was a wound that had never truly healed, a scar that colored his memories and dreams with shadows. She pulled him closer, her own eyes welling with tears as she whispered more insistently, "I know, Riven. I know it hurts. But she wouldn't want you to feel this way. You're not alone. I'm here."

Riven leaned into her embrace, his sobs gradually softening as the warmth of her presence wrapped around him. With each whispered reassurance, Evelyn hoped to help him feel anchored in the world they shared—and to remind him that though his mother was gone, the love she had for him remained as a guiding light in the darkness.

Evelyn gently placed her hand on Riven's shoulder, shushing him softly as he trembled with emotion. "Shhh, it's okay. I'm here," she reassured him, her voice soothing like a balm.

Riven shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. "She is dead… she's dead," he repeated, the ache in his voice hollow and raw.

Evelyn's heart ached for him. "I know," she replied, eyes filled with compassion for the pain he was enduring. "But you're not alone." She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close as he cried, the weight of grief a heavy presence between them.

After a while, Riven's sobs began to subside. Evelyn whispered sweet, comforting words, sharing fond memories of the lost loved one. She kissed Riven's forehead, her touch tender. "Let's sit on the couch for a bit, okay? Just breathe."

Riven nodded, the warmth of her kindness slowly easing his despair. As he settled onto the couch, he felt a sense of safety envelop him. But Evelyn had another plan—a way to lift his spirits.

"I'll make something special for you," she said, her voice brightening with the thought of food. "Let's see… waffles! Everyone loves my waffles!"

Evelyn moved to the kitchen, excitement bubbling within her. She gathered the ingredients: eggs, flour, milk, sugar, and baking powder. She found her trusty waffle iron and pulled out her secret ingredient—cinnamon and a dash of vanilla extract.

"This is my secret weapon," she chuckled to herself. "Everyone loves when I put this in." With a sense of purpose, she mixed the batter, pouring in each ingredient while humming a cheerful tune.

As she stirred, an unsettling feeling crept over her. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she spotted an owl perched on the window ledge, staring directly at her with its piercing yellow eyes. It felt like the creature was gazing into her very soul, sending a chill down her spine.

Shaking off the eerie sensation, Evelyn returned her focus to the mixing bowl, blending all the ingredients together. But with every glance back at the owl, it seemed to inch closer, as if it were drawing nearer with each glare.

She blinked rapidly, trying to dismiss the feeling of dread. When she opened her eyes again, the owl was gone. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. "Just my imagination," she muttered, shaking her head.

But then she heard it—a soft, haunting call of the owl, echoing in the silence. "Hoo, hoo…" The sound sent another wave of unease through her.

Evelyn glanced up, peering around the kitchen. Nothing. The owl had vanished without a trace. She turned to the window where it had been, only to find it perched again, its gaze locked onto hers as if it had never left.

"What are you doing here?" she wondered aloud, perplexed. It seemed impossible; she thought it had been outside just moments before!

The air grew thick with an unsettling tension, and Evelyn felt a shiver travel down her spine. Why do I feel like it knows something?

As she prepared to continue making the waffles, dread settled within her like a stone. That emblem from the letter she had crumpled earlier—the twisted snake encircled by a thorny vine—made her skin crawl. She had seen it before… in her mother's diary.

Just as she poured the batter onto the waffle iron, a flutter of wings caught her attention. The owl returned, this time flying in through the open window. It landed on the countertop, its eyes glinting in a way that made her blood run cold. Before she could react, it dropped something at her feet.

Evelyn gazed down in shock as the creature let loose a crumpled piece of paper—a letter. Hesitantly, she reached out and picked it up, her heart racing.

Unfolding it, she found the letter was dated and written in jagged, hurried script. Her breath hitched in her throat as she read:

We know where you live.

You thought you could run away…

We saw everything.

Your nephew is unaware.

Evelyn's hands trembled as she crumpled the letter tightly into a ball, fear roiling within her. This can't be real!

She turned abruptly, looking behind her, panic setting in fully. The kitchen felt like it was closing in, shadows stretching maliciously across