The woods around me shifted, dissolving into a suffocating darkness that felt alive, pressing against my skin. It wasn't just the absence of light... it was as though I had been pulled into another realm entirely.
The figure wearing Celia's face stood before me, her movements fluid and regal, her gaze unflinching. She strolled closer with an air of smug confidence, her voice slipping through the silence like silk.
"You have quite a sharp sense, don't you?" she said, her tone laced with mockery.
Before I could react, my body locked in place. It was as if unseen chains had coiled around me, tightening with every breath. My Mist Sword flickered, then vanished entirely, leaving me defenseless. My muscles strained against the invisible bonds, but it was futile.
"Don't worry," she purred, her voice softening into a familiar cadence that only deepened the wrongness of her presence. "I won't hurt you."
She leaned in so close I could feel the phantom warmth of her breath. Her blackened eyes glimmered with something cruel as her lips curved into a saccharine smile. "You're quite the handsome young man, you know. I'd like to keep you for myself… but it seems your heart is already set on another..."
The words cut deeper than they should have, and I clenched my jaw.
She straightened, the smile never leaving her borrowed face, and began to circle me with cunning steps, her presence predatory. "I have a date for you," she added playfully, her tone sing-song, her grin widening.
My voice came out low and cold. "What makes you think I'll go along with whatever this is?"
Her laugh rang out, sharp and mocking. "Oh, I like that expression," she said, her eyes narrowing with amusement. But in the next instant, her face twisted into something dangerously serious as she noticed something I didn't, only to snap back into that childlike playfulness.
"Let me tell you a little secret," she said, leaning in as though sharing gossip. Her voice was a blend of echoes, reverberating unnaturally in the oppressive darkness. "Would you like to hear it?"
I paused for moment. "Tell me," I replied evenly. "And I'll decide whether it's worth my time."
She tilted her head, feigning thoughtfulness. Then, with deliberate slowness, she placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered in my ear.
"Did you know that Team 4 is dead?"
My heart seized.
She continued, her voice dropping into something dark and jagged. "Their bodies have been possessed… by the Three Lords of Teka. And in just a few minutes, they'll emerge from the portal and devour everyone in your camp."
The words made me froze, my mind racing to process them. Team 4… dead? Possessed? The Lords of Teka?
" how did this happen?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Her smile widened, revealing teeth too sharp, too many. "Oh, you're curious now," she teased. "Let me spoil you a bit. Consider it a gift."
She stepped back, folding her arms as though savoring the moment. "Do you remember the tomb that Team 1 and Team 3 passed through? That wasn't just some relic or ancient graveyard of the tower. It was the resting place of the Lords of Teka. And when you Wanderers entered this tower, your presence woke them up."
She paused, her pitch-black eyes glinting. "They've found suitable vessels in Team 4. And to fully recover, to ascend beyond this floor, they need blood. Specifically, the blood of one hundred Wanderers who've completed their first evolution."
Her words hung heavy in the air, each one sinking into my chest like lead.
She placed a hand on her hip, her grin as infuriating as ever. "Oh, and don't forget.. the Lords of Teka are the final wave of this floor's sub-mission. You defeat them, you move on. Fail… and, well, sacrifices will be made."
Her figure began to blur, edges fraying as though she were being erased from reality.
"Wait!" I called out, wanting answers.
But she only chuckled, her voice echoing as her form faded. "Survive this, and we'll talk again. Oh, and my date? It's still waiting for you... Agon." Her final word 'Agon' lingered in the suffocating silence, a haunting whisper that refused to fade.
The invisible chains binding me dissolved in an instant. My legs gave out, and I collapsed to my knees, gasping as though I'd just surfaced from drowning.
In that moment.... a deafening boom shattered the stillness, the sound of something wet and fleshy exploding in the distance. The camp.
Her words echoed in my mind like a prophecy: In a few minutes…
The realization hit like a dagger to the gut.
The Lords of Teka had arrived.....
[SYSTEM ALERT]
+
DEFEAT THE BOSS OF WAVE 3 — 2 — 1
THE LORDS OF TEKA
Failure — Sacrifices
+
I forced myself to my feet, legs trembling beneath me. The system's announcement blared in my ears, the weight of it crushing.
This wasn't a fight. It was a massacre.
And it had already begun...