As I stood before this thing, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He looked exactly like me, from the black hair that framed his face to the piercing purple eyes that seemed to see right through me. His body structure was identical, his voice a haunting echo of my own.
"Who are you?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady despite the quivering that threatened to betray me. The stranger's smile was enigmatic, his eyes glinting with a knowing light that made my skin crawl.
"Fear not, boy," he said, his voice low and soothing, yet somehow menacing. "I mean you no harm...at least, not yet." He paused, studying me with an unnerving intensity. "You wish to return to the world of the living, do you not?"
I nodded, my heart racing with anticipation. "Yeah,so what do I do." The stranger's smile grew wider, his eyes glinting with amusement.
"Very well," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I shall grant your wish...but at a price, of course." He paused, his eyes seeming to bore into my very soul. "You see, I am not the curse that afflicts you...but rather, I am the one who cursed you."
I felt a jolt of shock, my mind reeling with the implications. "You're the one who cursed me?" I repeated, trying to wrap my head around the concept. The stranger nodded, his expression unyielding.
"Yes, I am. And now, you wish to make a deal with me to regain your life?" I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. "Very well," he said, his voice dripping with anticipation. "But first, you must understand that the price of your life will be steep...one that you may not be willing to pay."
He paused, studying me with an unnerving intensity. "So, I ask you...what are you willing to offer in exchange for your life?" I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. What could I possibly offer that would be worth my life?
The stranger's eyes seemed to gleam with amusement, as if he knew the turmoil that was raging within me. "Come, boy," he said, his voice low and persuasive. "Do not be shy. Offer me something...anything...that you think is worthy of your life."
I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. What did I have to offer? What could I possibly give that would be worth my life? And then, it hit me...the one thing that I had always taken for granted...the one thing that made me, me.
"My soul," I said, the words tumbling out of my mouth before I could stop them. The stranger's eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of excitement.
"Very well," he said, his voice dripping with anticipation. "Your soul it is, then." He held out his hand, and I felt a strange sensation, as if my very essence was being pulled out of me.
A ball of pure light exited my mouth and rested in his palm. "The deal is complete," he said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. I felt...different...empty...as if a part of me had been ripped away.
"Who are you?" I asked, trying to fill the void that had been left within me. The stranger's face seemed to shift and writhe, like a living shadow.
"I am the End of all things," he said, his voice low and menacing. "I am the existence after death...the silent one...the keeper of secrets...the bringer of darkness."
He paused, studying me with an unnerving intensity. "And you...you are special...a child of darkness...a whisper of death...one who walks with both the living and the dead...the seeker of the End."
His words seemed to echo within me, resonating with a deep and abiding sense of purpose. I felt...different...changed...as if I had been remade in some fundamental way.
The stranger's laughter was like a cold wind, sending shivers down my spine. "Rise, my prince," he said, his voice dripping with anticipation. "Go forth, seeker of the End."
And with that, everything went black. When I opened my eyes again, I was back with Luna, standing before a door that seemed to pulse with a strange and otherworldly energy.
Luna's eyes were wide with concern, her voice trembling as she asked, "Did you do it?" I nodded, feeling a sense of emptiness within me.
Another door appeared, and Luna grabbed my hand, her eyes locked on mine. "When we walk out of that door, things will be different for you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But please...don't lose your way."
I nodded, feeling a sense of trepidation wash over me.
Luna's grip on my hand tightened, and together we stepped through the doorway. As we emerged on the other side, I felt a strange sensation, like I was being pulled apart and put back together again.
When my vision cleared, I found myself standing in a world that was familiar yet strange. The sky was a deep, burning crimson, and the air was thick with an otherworldly energy.
I looked down at my hands, and they seemed...different. They seemed stronger, more powerful. I could feel a strange, pulsating energy coursing through my veins.
Luna stood beside me, her eyes shining with a mixture of concern and wonder. "You're...different," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I nodded, feeling a sense of unease wash over me. What had I become? What had I traded my soul for?
I felt a strange, creeping sense of dread as I realized that I was no longer the same....no longer human. I was something...else. Something powerful, something ancient.
The voice in my head, the voice that had been whispering to me since I made the deal, spoke up again. "Rise, my King," it said. "Go forth, seeker of the End."
I nodded, feeling a sense of purpose wash over me. I knew what I had to do. I had to find the End, to seek out the source of the darkness that had consumed the me. No the darkness that had become me.