Chapter 4 The Eyes in the Dark

Chapter 4: The Eyes in the Dark

The crimson eyes stared at him from within the

darkness.

Unmoving.

Unblinking.

Watching.

Ashton instinctively took a step back.

Then another.

His breath hitched.

A crushing pressure suddenly descended upon him like an invisible mountain.

His knees nearly buckled.

The air around him grew unbearably heavy, pressing against his chest, his throat, his very soul.

He couldn’t breathe.

His hands trembled violently.

Cold sweat ran down his back.

For the first time in years—

Ashton felt true fear.

Not the nervousness of an exam.

Not the discomfort of social attention.

This was primal.

Ancient.

The kind of terror that came when every instinct in your body screamed that something before you existed far beyond your understanding.

His lips parted, but no sound came out.

The darkness shifted.

Slowly, unnaturally, it gathered into a towering shape.

Not fully human.

Not fully shadow.

Its body seemed woven from black mist itself, its outline constantly distorting as though reality struggled to contain it.

Only its crimson eyes remained clear.

Burning.

Piercing straight through him.

Then it spoke.

Its voice was unlike anything Ashton had ever heard.

It was layered.

As though countless voices spoke at once.

The language itself was strange—twisted and ancient, made of sharp syllables and haunting resonance.

And yet—

He understood every word.

“As I foresaw… you understand me.”

Ashton’s eyes widened.

How?

He had never heard this language before.

Yet the meaning flowed directly into his mind as naturally as his native tongue.

The shadow tilted its head.

“So it is true.”

Its crimson gaze narrowed.

“You are the one.”

Ashton gasped for air, clutching his chest as the

pressure intensified.

“What… are you…?”

The shadow ignored his question.

It studied him in silence.

Then—

It spoke again.

This time its voice carried disappointment.

“And yet… merely human.”

Its form flickered.

“A fragile vessel.”

The crimson eyes gleamed coldly.

“A pebble standing before the abyss.”

Ashton swallowed hard.

He wanted to run.

Every fiber of his being screamed at him to turn back.

But his legs refused to move.

The entity leaned closer.

Its eyes glowing brighter.

“Not yet capable.”

Ashton trembled.

Not capable of what?

What was this thing talking about?

The shadow seemed to read his confusion.

Then, after a long pause—

It spoke a single name.

“Elsinore.”

Everything stopped.

The moment that name entered his ears, Ashton’s body froze.

His pupils shrank.

A violent shiver ran through him.

Memories he could not explain surged through his mind like lightning.

Fragments.

Broken images.

A towering black castle.

A sky split by crimson storms.

A throne surrounded by endless darkness.

And a man—

A tall figure cloaked in shadow, his face hidden.

Watching him.

Waiting.

Ashton’s lips parted.

His voice trembled.

“…No.”

The name clawed at something buried deep inside him.

Something forgotten.

Something impossible.

His body shook uncontrollably.

His eyes widened with disbelief.

He knew that name.

He didn’t know how.

He didn’t know why.

But he knew it.

And more than that—

He knew who it belonged to.

His voice came out as barely a whisper.

“…Father?”

The instant the word left his mouth, the shadow’s crimson eyes widened.

For the first time, the entity showed emotion.

Shock.

Then—

The crushing pressure vanished.

Ashton’s vision blurred instantly.

The forest spun around him.

His knees gave out.

And as darkness swallowed his consciousness—

The last thing he heard was the shadow’s low murmur.

“So the seal is breaking…”

Then everything went black.

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