Ethan forced himself to move.
The whispers gnawed at his mind, each voice slithering through his thoughts like cold fingers probing into his skull. He had to stay focused.
"Lara, Gregor—move!" he snapped.
Lara barely reacted, her hands clutching her ears. "They're inside my head," she sobbed. "They know me. They—"
Ethan grabbed her by the arm and dragged her forward.
Gregor, however, did not follow.
He stood still, staring into the abyss of the dungeon corridor.
Muttering.
Ethan stopped. "Gregor, come on!"
The warrior didn't move. His lips barely parted as he whispered something under his breath.
Ethan stepped closer. "What are you saying?"
Then Gregor turned to face him—and Ethan's blood ran cold.
His eyes were pure black.
---
Oscar Watches
Oscar pulsed with satisfaction.
Gregor was the first to fall. The whispers had taken root deep in his mind, bending him to the will of the abyss.
It was only a matter of time before he turned against the others.
The dungeon was no longer just a trap—it was a living nightmare, reshaping reality itself.
Oscar's mana ticked upward.
---
[Oscar's Mana: 10/10]
New actions unlocked.
Summon Abyssal Horror (10 Mana) – Drag a being from beyond reality into the dungeon.
Open a Shadow Gate (10 Mana) – Create an abyssal portal leading the adventurers somewhere… worse.
Let Madness Take Over (10 Mana) – Let Gregor become fully consumed, turning him into a servant of the abyss.
---
Oscar pulsed with dark amusement.
What would be more entertaining?
If he summoned a horror, they would have no chance.
If he opened a gate, they would be lost in an even deeper nightmare.
If he let Gregor turn… they would have to fight one of their own.
Oscar decided.
---
Inside the Dungeon…
Ethan stepped toward Gregor. "Snap out of it!"
Gregor smiled.
A wide, twisted, inhuman grin.
His voice was layered, as if something else was speaking through him.
"The abyss… welcomes you."
And then he lunged.
---
Brother Against Brother
Gregor lunged.
His axe, once a trusted weapon in Ethan's hands, now swung with unnatural speed—faster, heavier, and filled with a strength that wasn't human.
Ethan barely dodged. The blade grazed his shoulder, slicing through his armor like it was paper.
"The abyss welcomes you," Gregor repeated, his voice no longer his own.
Lara screamed, stumbling back, her already fragile mind pushed further toward the breaking point.
Ethan didn't have time to comfort her.
Gregor attacked again.
---
Oscar Watches
Oscar pulsed with satisfaction.
The corruption had worked better than expected. Gregor wasn't just a puppet—he had become something else entirely.
His strength had doubled. His body moved like a shadow, slipping between attacks with unnatural grace.
He was still Gregor… but not really.
And that meant Ethan had only two choices.
Kill his own friend.
Try to save him.
Would he hesitate? Would his emotions make him weak?
Oscar wanted to know.
And so, he watched.
---
Inside the Dungeon…
Ethan blocked the next strike, his arms numb from the impact.
He had fought alongside Gregor for years.
They had survived countless dungeons together.
But now…
Now Gregor wasn't human anymore.
"Gregor!" Ethan shouted, hoping—praying—that his friend was still in there. "Fight it!"
For a second, Gregor hesitated.
His blackened eyes flickered. His fingers twitched.
But then—
The abyss screamed through him.
And Gregor attacked again.
---
Oscar's Decision
Gregor was too far gone.
But Ethan still had a chance to survive.
Oscar's mana had recovered.
Summon an Abyssal Horror (10 Mana) – End it now.
Open a Shadow Gate (10 Mana) – Drag Ethan and Lara somewhere far worse.
Let the Fight Continue (No Mana Cost) – See if Ethan will kill Gregor or die trying.
Oscar pulsed.
And he made his choice.
---
The Heart of the Abyss
Ethan's heart pounded in his chest as he dodged yet another strike from Gregor.
His friend—his brother—was lost. There was no doubt about it anymore.
Gregor's eyes—black, hollow, and devoid of humanity—screamed at Ethan. But even as he swung his axe with deadly force, there was a part of him that still hesitated. The connection between them, forged through years of battles, missions, and trust, was still there.
But it was fading.
"Gregor… please!" Ethan cried out again, trying to reach the man he once knew.
Gregor only smiled, a twisted, cruel grin, and suddenly lunged forward, using his full weight to knock Ethan off his feet.
The air was knocked out of Ethan's lungs as he hit the ground hard. He could feel his chest burning, and his vision swam. The blackness at the edge of his sight wasn't just the fading light of the dungeon—it was the Abyss closing in around him.
"The abyss welcomes you," Gregor whispered, his voice growing ever more distant and strange.
Ethan had no time to think, no time to react—his mind raced as his sword lay just out of reach. Gregor was coming for him again.
---
Oscar Watches
Oscar's abyssal influence rippled throughout the dungeon, the deep whispers in his mind growing more intense as the confrontation unfolded.
Ethan was strong, but he was not prepared to face Gregor's corruption. The longer he fought, the more the abyss consumed his friend.
Ethan hesitated.
Oscar's mana pulsed, signaling that he could intervene—either ending it all or intensifying the horror.
---
[Oscar's Decision]
The choices presented themselves once again.
Summon Abyssal Horror (10 Mana) – Let the creature from beyond reality finish the fight.
Open a Shadow Gate (10 Mana) – Drag them into the deepest pits of the dungeon.
Let the Fight Continue (No Mana Cost) – Let Ethan and Gregor decide their own fates.
Oscar considered the options.
Summoning the Abyssal Horror would end the struggle quickly. But it would also kill everything in its path, including Ethan. Would that be entertaining?
Opening a Shadow Gate would drag them into a new nightmare, but it would give Ethan and Lara another chance to escape. But how long would they survive there? Would it be enough to crush their spirits?
Letting the fight continue would be more of a test. Ethan's resolve was wavering, but there was still a chance for him to either rise above or break down. Which one would it be?
---
Inside the Dungeon…
Gregor's weight pressed down on Ethan, his massive hand wrapped around the warrior's throat.
"Just... end it..." Gregor hissed, his voice no longer his own. The words were guttural, growling, like something was controlling him. His grip tightened.
Ethan's heart pounded louder as he gasped for breath. His mind raced. The dungeon had changed him. He wasn't fighting against just a corrupted friend anymore—he was fighting against the Abyss itself.
His fingers brushed the hilt of his sword. He couldn't reach it.
A cold laugh echoed through the chamber, growing louder.
The abyss was calling him. Calling for him to let go.
"Ethan..." Gregor whispered, his grip loosening just slightly. "Join us. Embrace it."
But Ethan's will had not been fully broken. Not yet. He refused to give in. Not to the abyss. Not to Gregor.
With what little strength he had left, he pushed Gregor off. The movement was wild, desperate, but it worked. Gregor stumbled backward, just enough for Ethan to roll out of reach.
He gasped for air, his mind still clouded with the voices, the whispers, the darkness creeping into every thought. He couldn't hear his heartbeat—only the voices of the abyss. But he wasn't broken yet.
---
Oscar's Final Decision
Oscar pulsed again, feeling the struggle within the adventurers. The Abyss had them at its mercy.
But there was something else—something beautifully twisted about Ethan's refusal to break. The fight wasn't over yet.
Oscar decided, then.
---
[Abyssal Horror Summoned]
Mana Consumed: 10
Abyssal Horror Emerged.
A gaping portal opened in the center of the dungeon, its swirling mass of blackness tearing apart the very fabric of reality. Out of it emerged a creature unlike anything the adventurers had ever seen. Its body was twisted, composed of hundreds of writhing limbs and eyes, glowing an eerie crimson. It was the stuff of nightmares.
It screeched as it lumbered forward, its movements unearthly and wrong, its body shifting and changing in ways that defied logic. Every step seemed to make the ground itself recoil in fear. The air turned cold, suffocating. The adventurers were now trapped between Gregor's madness and the horror of the Abyssal creature.
Ethan's eyes widened in terror. "What is that thing?!" He struggled to his feet, sword in hand, but the creature was too massive.
Gregor, no longer in control of his own mind, sensed the arrival of the creature. His black eyes locked onto it, and for the briefest moment, he hesitated.
But then, with a maddened laugh, he charged at Ethan once more.