Seven followed the lich, each step heavy with dread, as if the very ground beneath him were sinking, pulling him deeper into the clutches of an incomprehensible nightmare.
His thoughts were a whirlwind, shattered fragments of terror and confusion that refused to coalesce. His limbs moved on their own accord, compelled by a force beyond his understanding.
And then, from the murk of encroaching darkness, the lich's presence seeped into the silence, its voice, no, its very essence, piercing through Seven's fragile hold on reality.
"How curious" it mused, the words curling around Seven's thoughts like tendrils of spectral smoke, "that you remain silent. Has your mortal mouth forgotten its purpose, or has your tongue grown too timid for the cadence of this forsaken world?"
Seven felt those words coil around his mind, an unspoken command that pressed heavily upon his chest, demanding a response.
He couldn't, he wouldn't.
The relentless flood of fear within him battled against a deep, paralyzing silence that had become his sole companion since his reluctant arrival in this dismal realm.
The lich's measured steps slowed, its presence looming like a gathering storm. "What is this? A human so mute, a mere puppet ensnared by fear?"
The air itself seemed to pulse with an otherworldly force as the lich continued, "Come, now," it urged, its mental voice sending a ripple of warmth through his spine.
"Open your mouth. Let your voice be heard, if you still remember how."
Seven froze, his body rigid as though bound by unseen chains.
His throat constricted, as if every fiber of his being recoiled from the act of speaking.
With trembling resolve, his lips parted, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, a feeble sound—a voice—broke the silence.
"Uh, I—I am Seven," his voice cracked, barely more than a whisper, trembling with fear.
The lich paused, a flicker of something akin to amusement, or perhaps genuine curiosity, shifting behind its glowing eyes.
It tilted its skull ever so slightly, as though savoring the novelty of this human utterance.
"Ah, yours truly sees," it intoned, the words caressing Seven's consciousness with an eerie gentleness.
"I had almost forgotten that humans, such curious beings, speak in many tongues. My apologies, little chimera."
Stepping closer, the lich extended its bony hand and let it rest gently on Seven's shoulder.
The chill of its touch belied an undercurrent of warmth that rippled through him—a sensation both unsettling and inexplicably comforting.
"There,"it whispered, its voice flowing like a dark river of antiquity. "I have forged a bridge between us. Now, you may share your thoughts and feelings with me. Let us uncover the depths of what lies within."
A tremor of energy coursed through Seven, as though some hidden reservoir within him had been unlocked.
His chest constricted under a suffocating pressure, yet before he could muster further comprehension, the lich spoke once more.
This time, its tone bore a playful lilt amid the darkness. "Oh my, oh my" it mused, "the sheer magnitude of fear you bear, little one. Yours truly can sense it pulsing through every fiber of your being."
A wave of dread crashed over Seven as he realized just how tangible his terror had become, clinging to him like an inescapable shroud.
But the lich's voice, its thoughts, seemed to chuckle, a low sound echoing like the shifting of ancient bones.
"Do not fret, little chick" it cooed, darkly amused yet oddly soothing, "for yours truly is harmless, as you see. You have nothing to fear from me when I only wish to see how brightly your inner flame may yet burn."
Seven stood still, his mind spinning with confusion and fear.
The heavy silence that surrounded them broke when, with a shaky voice, he finally managed to speak:
"I just-uh, I arrived here yesterday, and I don't know where I am."
The words hung in the air, fragile and unsure, like a soft secret shared with the dark. For a long moment, only the echo of his confession filled the space, mingling with the lingering fear inside him.
The lich looked at him, its skull tilting in a way that was hard to read.
Its glowing eyes shone with both amusement and deep understanding.
Its thoughts flowed into Seven's mind in the strange language they now shared.
"Ah, yours truly is pleased that you speak at last," it intoned, a slight smile in its tone.
"Yet, thy words ring with a note of doubt, as if the fates themselves might mock such a sudden arrival. But I sense thy honesty through the connection we share."
The lich moved closer, as if eager to see the truth within him. Its bony hand, still resting lightly on Seven's shoulder, sent a quiet, reassuring chill through him.
"Fret not, little chimera" it continued, its voice soft yet full of weight. "Yours truly, though neither fully alive nor truly dead, has wandered these empty corridors longer than thou can imagine. I too once felt lost in a world that made no sense."
A faint smile seemed to flicker in the hollows where the lich's eyes were.
"Now, let us use this bond between us. Share with me not only thy words but the feelings within thy heart. Tell me thy confusion, thy wonder, thy fear—so that yours truly may know the true measure of thy spirit in this lonely realm."
The lich's words, promising both truth and change, echoed softly in the dim light.
Seven's heart pounded as he balanced between the terror of the unknown and a strange pull toward the lich's mysterious presence.
In that quiet moment, with the cold cobblestones silently watching their meeting, Seven began to feel that perhaps his sudden arrival, both accidental and frightening, held a purpose after all.
Seven stood still, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on him.
He closed his eyes for a brief second, trying to gather the thoughts swirling in his mind.
With a deep, shaky breath, he began to share his feelings with the lich through the strange, silent connection they had formed.
It wasn't words, but emotions, images, and memories that flowed into the lich's mind.