The room was dimly lit, shadows stretching along the walls like silent watchers. The air was heavy, still. This penthouse was nothing short of a prison—one draped in luxury, yet drowning in darkness. He lay on the bed, eyes open, restless. Sleep was an illusion, just another trap he had no way of escaping.
But tonight, it pulled him in.
The illusion began.
He was running—running through a dense forest, choked with darkness. The air was thick, suffocating, as if the trees themselves wanted to keep him trapped. Something was behind him. Watching. Waiting. Yet no matter how fast he moved, no matter how hard he pushed, he was getting nowhere.
Then, the whispers came. Mocking. Taunting. Cruel.
"Pathetic."
"Run, run, little prey. It won’t change a thing."
"You think you can escape?"
"Fool. You were meant to suffer."
"Go on, fall. You know it’s coming."
His breath hitched. His legs burned. But his body was tired, weak, bound to fail.
And then—he did.
His foot slipped, and he hit the ground with a thud. The creatures stilled. A silence stretched through the forest, thick with anticipation.
And then—laughter.
Low, twisted, inhuman. This was the moment they had been waiting for.
They descended upon him, clawed hands grabbing, shaking him mercilessly. He fought, thrashed, but there was no escape. His body was dragged across the forest floor, dirt and thorns cutting into his skin.
Then—pain.
A tree. Covered in thorns, each spike sharp enough to pierce through flesh. And they slammed him against it.
A gasp. A choked breath. A sharp, unbearable sting.
His own blood painted the bark, warm and wet, soaking into the ground beneath him. This was an illusion. It had to be. But the pain—it was real. Too real. Too much.
Then—darkness.
He didn’t know how long he was unconscious. When he came to, he was bound.
Two trees stood tall on either side of him. Chains wrapped around his wrists, pulling him apart. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t fight.
Then came the whip.
A sharp crack.
Then another. And another.
The pain tore through him, every sting biting deep, setting his skin on fire. But he didn’t scream. He just took it. Letting every lash carve its mark. Letting the agony consume him.
And then—he woke up.
A sharp jerk. A ragged breath. His body was drenched in sweat, the ghost of pain still lingering on his skin.
His hands trembled as he reached for the lamp, lighting the room in a dim, flickering glow. The nightmare should have ended. But something—someone—was still there.
Through the rain-streaked window, he saw him.
Death.
Standing in the storm, watching. His presence was suffocating. His clothes, dark and gothic, looked as if they had been stitched from the night itself. But he did nothing.
He spared him.
And then, with slow, measured steps, he left.
The man on the bed didn’t move. He just stared, silent, tears slipping down his cheeks. But his face—it was empty. Expressionless.
Tears with no emotion.
The night moved on. The world remained unchanged. But something had shifted. Two souls had crossed paths, and history would remember it.