The room, or what remained of it, was a charred, ruined shell. The walls were blackened, the floor scorched, and nothing was left of Luka's brave stand. But amidst the destruction, something far more horrifying remained. Dark, viscous black goo splattered across the floor and walls, glistening ominously in the dim light. The sight of it sent a wave of nausea through Roderick. He had never seen anything like it, something so unnatural, so wrong.
Percival's eyes widened in disbelief. "What is this...?" he muttered, barely audible. His voice cracked with a mixture of horror and confusion. He had expected destruction, a finality to the creature's menace. But this— this was something else entirely. The goo, thick and alien, began to move.
Before either of them could fully process what was happening, the black substance started to converge, pulling together like some sentient liquid, slithering toward a single point on the ruined floor. It bubbled and rippled, coiling upon itself with an unnatural fluidity. Percival's breath caught in his throat as the mass slowly took form.
"How...?" Percival whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. He stood frozen, his mind unable to reconcile the horror of what was unfolding before him. Beside him, Roderick's face drained of color, his body rigid with terror.
Before their eyes, the goo began to solidify, reshaping itself into something horrifyingly familiar. The void creature-the very one they thought Luka had destroyed, reassembled itself, its dark form rising from the goo with sickening ease. Its blackened skin glistened with malice, and its hollow eyes, empty yet alive with intent, locked onto Roderick once again.
"Roderick..." the creature's voice hissed, more distinct now, dripping with a malevolent hunger. The sound of it was enough to paralyze Roderick in place, his limbs no longer obeying him. The way it said his name, like a curse whispered by the shadows themselves, made him feel like it already owned him.
"Roderick, RUN!" Percival shouted, shoving his son backward, desperately trying to put himself between the boy and the monster. But it was already too late.
The creature had reformed faster than they could have imagined, and before they could even think of an escape, it lunged.
There was no hesitation, no moment to react. The void creature moved with terrifying speed, faster than anything they had ever seen. It was a blur of shadow and death, and then, blood-bright, crimson blood-splattered across the stone floor.
Roderick's eyes widened in shock, the world slowing around him. His father's voice broke through the haze, a heart-wrenching scream of pure anguish.
"Noooo!!" Percival's body jerked as the creature's claws tore through him, a violent spray of blood marking the brutal impact. He stumbled, his hand instinctively clutching his abdomen, where the void creature had struck. His eyes, wide with pain and disbelief, locked onto Roderick's for a brief, heart-shattering moment. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he needed to tell his son. But no words came.
The creature didn't stop. With merciless efficiency, it twisted and turned toward Percival, its eyes cold and unfeeling as it moved to finish the job. Percival didn't even have time to cry out as the creature's claws slashed through his chest, sending him crumpling to the floor in a lifeless heap.
Roderick screamed—a sound born of pure horror and heartbreak. His legs gave way, collapsing beneath him as he stared at the scene in disbelief. His father-his protector, his world-was gone in an instant, taken from him in a gruesome, blood-soaked moment. The pain was too much, the shock too overwhelming. He couldn't move, couldn't think. His father's lifeless body lay in a pool of darkening blood, and all Roderick could do was watch as the void creature, its task seemingly incomplete, turned its gaze toward him once more.
"Roderick..." the creature uttered again, that same haunting whisper. It advanced slowly, savoring the fear it could sense in the boy, its claws dripping with the blood of those who had tried to protect him. It knew he was helpless, frozen in terror.
And Roderick, still paralyzed by the enormity of his loss and the nightmare before him, could only watch as the creature approached, inching closer and closer, until its shadow loomed over him like a death sentence.