That night, I couldn't sleep.
I kept turning on my bed, trying to get comfortable, but it wasn't working. My body felt restless, like something inside me wouldn't stay still.
Every little sound reached me—the ticking of a clock, footsteps outside, even the wind brushing against the window. It was too much.
I covered my ears.
"Just stop…"
But it didn't.
My chest tightened, and my head started hurting again. I shut my eyes, forcing myself to calm down.
Slowly… everything faded.
And I drifted off.
Darkness.
Cold air wrapped around me.
I opened my eyes.
The cave.
I was back.
"No…" I whispered, my heart starting to race.
Chains were still there, wrapped around my wrists and ankles—but something felt different this time. They weren't as tight.
I moved slightly.
Clink.
The sound echoed.
I froze.
Then I heard it.
A slow breath from the darkness.
"You came back."
My body tensed immediately.
"I didn't come here on purpose," I said.
A low chuckle filled the cave.
"You're waking up."
I shook my head.
"No… I'm not you."
Silence.
Then—
"Then why are the chains loosening?"
My heart skipped.
I looked down.
The chains… they were moving. Slightly. Like they couldn't hold me properly anymore.
I stepped back.
"Stay away from me."
The darkness shifted—closer this time.
I could see more of it now. A massive figure, still chained… but not like before. It was moving. Slowly.
Those eyes—crimson—locked onto me.
Then it spoke again.
"Why are you so foolish?"
My body froze.
"Look at me… look at you."
I didn't want to.
But I did.
I looked at the chains on my hands, then back at it.
"We're both chained."
My chest tightened.
"Same place."
Its voice was calm. Too calm.
"And you can feel it, can't you?"
I clenched my fists.
"The chains… loosening."
Clink.
The sound came again—louder this time.
"Just like mine."
My breathing became uneven.
I could feel it. Something inside me… responding.
"See?"
It stepped forward slightly, the chains around it stretching tight.
"We are the same."
My heart dropped.
"No…"
I shook my head quickly.
"That's not true."
But even as I said it… I wasn't sure.
My chest felt tight, like something inside me was reacting to its words.
"I don't even know what you are!" I shouted.
The creature tilted its head slightly.
Then—
"I am what you are becoming."
My mind went blank.
The cave trembled slightly, dust falling from above. The chains around it started shaking.
Clink.
Clink.
Clink.
The sound grew louder. Closer. Heavier.
"Stop…" I muttered.
But it didn't stop.
It began to rise—not fully, but enough. Enough to feel it.
That presence.
Wild.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
Then it spoke again.
"Next time…"
A pause.
"I won't be the one in chains."
I woke up immediately.
I sat up, breathing hard, my body covered in sweat. My heart was racing.
"That wasn't just a dream…"
I looked at my hands.
They were shaking.
But not just from fear.
Something else.
Something deeper.
I clenched my fist slowly.
"…what am I becoming?"