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The pain was blinding. Yuna screamed, but she didn't stop. She couldn't. Rite was still there, fighting beside her, his sword flashing, but his movements were beginning to slow. Lisa's voice cracked as she shouted, but Yuna couldn't hear the words. It was all noise, chaos, and the oppressive weight of the creatures' power pressing in from all sides.
A force like nothing she had ever felt slammed into her, knocking her off her feet. One of the Voidborne Entities had caught her off guard. The creature's claws raked down her side, and she could feel her body screaming in protest. Her vision blurred, but she fought through the pain. She had to.
But then the air shifted. The creatures weren't just attacking—they were warping her mind. The fear was overwhelming, more powerful than anything she had ever felt before. It clawed at her thoughts, a voice whispering in the back of her mind. They're too strong. You can't win. You're alone. Give up.
Yuna shook her head, trying to fight back. But the pressure was too much. She could feel the darkness crawling inside her, twisting her thoughts. Her limbs felt heavy, and the urge to retreat—to hide—was almost unbearable.
Suddenly, a harsh beep sliced through the haze in her mind, cutting through the fog of fear. A warning flashed in her vision, and she blinked, trying to focus.
Corruption Status: 0% > 13%The influence of the Voidborne Entities is taking hold.
The numbers flickered in and out as the corruption began to seep into her very being. Yuna's heart raced as she tried to clear her head. She had felt it before—the creeping, insidious spread of the Voidborne's power. It wasn't just physical; it was inside her mind, warping her thoughts, twisting her will.
Another beep.
Corruption Status: 13% > 30%
Her thoughts became harder to hold onto, and the weight of it all pressed down on her chest. Get up. Get up!
Yuna staggered to her feet, but her limbs were slow, sluggish. Her vision blurred again, and the air around her seemed to darken. The creature's form seemed to shift in the periphery of her sight, as if its very presence was warping the world around her.
"Yuna!" Lisa's voice shattered through the fog again, but this time it sounded distant, like a fading echo. "Stay with us!"
But Yuna could feel herself slipping. Her hands trembled, and the world seemed to tilt. She could see the creatures, their glowing eyes tracking her, waiting for her to fall.
The corruption continued to rise, like an endless tide pulling her under.
Corruption Status: 30% > 47%Your thoughts are no longer your own. Resistance is weakening.
"No!" Yuna roared, forcing her body into motion despite the overwhelming weight of the fear and corruption gnawing at her. But the fog was closing in. She couldn't fight it alone. She needed help. She needed—
Another sharp, painful pulse hit her mind, and the numbers on the warning system seemed to spin.
Corruption Status: 47% > 62%
She could feel the edges of her vision darkening, the creatures' shadows crawling closer, but they weren't the real threat anymore. The real danger was the corruption inside her. It was slowly taking control, suffocating her, making her a prisoner in her own body.
No. She couldn't let that happen. Not now. Not when she was so close to losing everything.
With one final push, she dug deep within herself, fighting to keep her mind clear, to not let the corruption claim her completely.
But it was too late.
When Yuna awoke, she was no longer in the cabin. The coldness of the ground beneath her sent a shock of clarity through her mind, and she staggered to her feet, her body aching with every movement. But the pain didn't matter. What mattered was that she was alone.
The cabin, the creatures, the fight—everything felt far away. Her heart pounded in her chest as her eyes scanned the unfamiliar landscape. The forest stretched out before her, twisted and dark. There was no sign of Rite, no sign of Lisa. Only the eerie silence of the forest.
She opened her mouth to call out, but her voice faltered. The air was thick, heavy, and she could sense something else now—something familiar and terrible. The Voidborne had found her, and they were hunting her.
Yuna's mind raced. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't wait for them to find her. But where were Rite and Lisa? Had they made it out? Was she the only one left?
Her breath came in shallow gasps as she stumbled through the underbrush, every step taking her farther from the cabin—and farther from her companions. The fear gnawed at her insides, but she refused to give in. She had to find them. She had to survive.
In the distance, she could hear the faint, unmistakable growl of the Voidborne creatures. They were hunting.
And Yuna wasn't going to be their prey.