The figure in the doorway lingered like a dark cloud, its presence suffocating. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to steady my breath. Whatever was before me, it wasn't human. It wasn't even something I could begin to understand.
The voice that had whispered my name—Angelica—had already shifted into something more sinister, slithering through the air like a serpent.
"Angelica..." it crooned again, drawing the syllables out like a taunt.
My instinct screamed at me to run. To turn and bolt, but the eerie calm of the figure before me rooted me in place, my feet like lead.
Behind me, Alistair and Kieran tensed. Kieran's hand hovered over his sword, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the intruder. Alistair, however, stood still, his expression unreadable, though there was a subtle shift in his stance. His eyes, normally guarded and distant, flashed with something darker, something far more dangerous than I had ever seen.
"Who are you?" Alistair's voice was sharp, cutting through the tension like a blade. But there was no authority in it—no command. There was only a quiet, menacing edge, the kind of voice a predator might use when faced with another creature far stronger than itself.
The figure in the doorway tilted its head, its form partially cloaked in shadows, making it impossible to make out distinct features. The faint glow of its eyes, however, burned through the dark, too unnatural to be mistaken for anything human.
"Who am I?" it repeated, its voice high and mocking. "That is a question you should have asked long ago, Crown Prince."
Alistair's jaw clenched at the sound of the title, and I could see the muscles in his neck tighten. It was clear the figure was no stranger to him, and whatever connection they had, it was enough to make Alistair bristle with a mix of anger and restraint.
Before I could ask what was going on, the creature's gaze turned to me, its eyes widening with recognition. "Angelica," it whispered again, more fervently this time.
I felt the words press against my chest, like a weight trying to crush the breath from my lungs. I stumbled backward slightly, my mind reeling. There was no way this thing knew who I really was. It couldn't.
But then I remembered—the system. The warnings. The unknown entity.
It had been silent ever since we arrived here, and now... it wasn't just a passive observer. This creature knew something, something that the system hadn't told me.
"Angelica..." The creature's voice shifted, growing darker, more insistent. "You've run long enough. But now, it's time to face your destiny."
I gripped my arm, my nails digging into my skin in an attempt to stay grounded. Face your destiny? What did that mean? Was this the force the system had been warning me about?
"What do you want?" I finally managed to ask, my voice barely a whisper, still trembling. The creature tilted its head, almost as if amused by my words.
"You are the one who has awakened it," it said. "And now you must be the one to control it, or it will control you."
A cold shiver ran down my spine. I turned toward Alistair, hoping for some kind of explanation. He was still standing there, silent as ever, watching the creature with an intensity that bordered on calculation.
"Control it?" Kieran spoke, breaking the silence with his sharp, skeptical tone. "You're talking in riddles. What are you? What do you want with Angelica?"
The creature's gaze flicked to Kieran, and there was a momentary flicker of something—an amusement, a smirk.
"Ah. The loyal knight. I was wondering when you would speak up," it purred. "Do you really think she is the same as before, Kieran?" The name was a spit of venom. "Do you still believe the woman you are protecting is the one you think she is?"
I felt the cold sting of the words, even though I wasn't the one being addressed. I looked at Kieran, hoping for some reassurance, but there was only wariness in his eyes now. His hand was still resting on his sword, but I could see that the uncertainty had crept into his posture. His loyalty to me—whoever I was—was being tested.
"Stop it," Alistair finally cut in, his voice low but commanding. "What do you want from us? Answer me."
The creature chuckled softly, the sound grating against my nerves. "What I want... is for Angelica to realize that she is more than the pawn she once was. That she can take control of her fate—or else... well, let's just say the kingdom's future will be shaped by others."
I frowned, my heart pounding harder in my chest. Fate? Kingdom's future? What was this creature talking about?
Alistair moved, his steps fluid and quick, closing the distance between him and the figure. "You're threatening my kingdom? Is that what this is about?"
The figure didn't flinch. In fact, it stepped forward, into the room, its form becoming more defined. I could now see that it was cloaked in a tattered black robe, its face shadowed, but the piercing eyes glowed a sickly yellow, illuminating its unnatural features. I had never seen anything like it before. The power it exuded was suffocating, and even Alistair's usually unshakable demeanor seemed to falter in the presence of this creature.
"You are all puppets in this game," the creature hissed. "All of you." It glanced at me. "But Angelica—she is the key."
I took a step back, my hands trembling at my sides. The key? I wasn't the one pulling the strings here. I wasn't a puppet—I was just trying to survive, to find my place in this strange world. But the more I heard, the more I realized that there was something far bigger at play—something I wasn't ready for.
"What do you want from me?" I demanded, my voice more steady than I felt.
The creature stepped closer, its eyes never leaving mine. "You've already chosen, Angelica," it said, its voice reverberating in my mind, sending a chill through my bones. "Now, you must embrace what you've become. Or the world will burn."
Before I could react, the creature lunged toward me with inhuman speed. I stumbled backward, barely avoiding the shadowy figure's grasp. Kieran was already at my side, his sword drawn and ready, but before he could strike, Alistair raised his hand, stopping him with a single, wordless command.
"No," Alistair said, his voice firm. "Not yet."
I was frozen. Every part of me screamed to run—to fight—but something about Alistair's calmness held me in place. What was going on?
The creature paused in front of me, its face now only inches from mine. I could feel its cold breath, a whisper against my skin.
"Make your choice, Angelica," it hissed.
Suddenly, the room was bathed in an eerie light. The walls seemed to shimmer, like the air itself was warping, distorting. I could hear the system's warning now, its voice cutting through the silence:
System Alert: Dangerous anomaly detected. Immediate action required.
What the hell was going on? The air crackled with dark energy, and I knew, in that moment, that this was only the beginning.