Max looked at the distorted figure in the mirror and felt a subtle, creeping sensation climb up his spine—an unease that burrowed into the pit of his stomach.
The figure twisted, its silhouette twitching with flickers of chaotic flames, unstable waves of energy rippling off its form in sharp pulses. It wasn't monstrous, but it was certainly… wrong. Familiar yet distant. Like looking at a version of himself that had forgotten what it meant to be him.
"Now that's disturbing," Max muttered under his breath, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he shifted his gaze to the side where a stone tablet stood, half-shrouded in mist. The words engraved on its dark surface glowed faintly with a soft white light, pulsing as if responding to his presence.
He stepped forward and read the message aloud, voice steady.