Elyon, The Witness (2)

"I am Elyon, and I will be your companion forever."

The voice was dangerously close to Louis's ear, sending a violent shiver down his spine. He jumped back, nearly tripping over his own feet, his breath catching in his throat.

"What was that for?!" he exclaimed, his face drained of all color.

"We are stuck together forever."

"That doesn't mean you can sneak up on me. Besides, I can't even see you."

A low, amused hum filled the air before a faint ripple distorted the space in front of Louis. Slowly, the figure materialized—floating slightly above the ground, draped in an obsidian cloak adorned with glowing cyan patterns. At the center of its chest pulsed an intricate circular design, almost like an ancient mechanism, radiating an eerie but mesmerizing energy.

Then came the hood—deep, shadowed, completely devoid of a face. No features, no eyes, just an abyss of darkness that swallowed any light that dared to enter. Behind the figure, faint luminescent rings hovered in the air, shifting like the sights of a celestial scope locked onto a target.

"It seems I should have made you fail the test," Elyon mused, their voice smooth yet layered with an artificial resonance as if multiple voices spoke in unison.

"Oi! My bad, my bad," Louis quickly raised his hands in surrender, his eyes flickering with a golden hue as he composed himself.

Elyon's hood tilted slightly, the neon patterns on their cloak pulsing in a slow rhythm as if evaluating him. "At least you learn quickly. That may prove useful."

Louis exhaled, his heartbeat finally slowing. "So... what exactly are you?"

"A Witness," Elyon stated simply. "An observer. A guide. A guardian, if necessary. My purpose is to ensure you walk the correct path."

"Sounds like a fancy way of saying babysitter," Louis muttered.

Elyon didn't respond immediately, but the shifting cyan glow of their form seemed to intensify for a brief second as if annoyed. Then, with an almost imperceptible sigh, they floated closer.

"You do not yet grasp the weight of what you carry," Elyon said. "You passed the Trial of Self, but that was merely the first step. There is more to come, and I will ensure you do not falter."

Louis crossed his arms. "And what if I do falter?"

Elyon leaned in slightly, their faceless hood tilting downward as if peering directly into his soul.

"Then I will remind you why you must not."

A chill ran down Louis's spine.

Great. A floating, cryptic, glowing ghost thing was now attached to him forever.

This was going to be fun.

Then he heard it...

A voice, soft yet desperate, cutting through the haze in his mind.

Her voice.

His sister's voice.

Ellie's voice.

It wavered, laced with worry and fear.

"Brother! Brother! Wake up!"

A sharp jolt ran through his body, his limbs twitching involuntarily. His senses dragged themselves back to reality, sluggish and uncoordinated, as warmth pressed against his shoulders—small hands shaking him insistently.

Louis sucked in a sharp breath, and his eyes snapped open. Blinding light flooded his vision, forcing him to squint as he groaned. A dull ache pounded at the back of his head. His mind swam with lingering remnants of Elyon's voice, of shadows and glowing sigils, but those thoughts scattered when he registered where he was.

Flat on his back. Cold floor. His room.

And Ellie, kneeling beside him, her face inches from his, brows furrowed in frustration.

"Finally!" she huffed, letting go of his shoulders and sitting back on her heels. "I thought you died or something!"

Louis blinked, his mind still sluggish. His cheek rested against the wooden floor, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the package—the one that had arrived earlier—sitting innocently beside him.

He groaned, rubbing his temples as he pushed himself up. "Yeah, yeah. I'm alive. No need to start planning my funeral just yet."

Ellie scoffed, crossing her arms. "Hmph. It could've fooled me. You were out cold! I called you like ten times."

Louis ran a hand through his hair, wincing as he tried to piece together what had just happened. Elyon. The test. That voice. It had all felt so real… but now, he was back in his room like none of it had ever happened.

He glanced at Ellie, her blue eyes scanning him critically as if checking for injuries. "What happened?" he asked.

"I should be asking you that," she said, tilting her head. "I heard a weird thump from your room, came up here, and found you sprawled out on the floor like some corpse."

Louis exhaled, shaking his head. "Guess I just… passed out."

Ellie frowned, unconvinced, but didn't press further. Instead, her gaze flickered to the package beside him. "That thing still creeps you out?" she asked, nudging it with her foot.

Louis eyed the package warily. It looked normal—harmless, even—but he knew better. His stomach twisted at the thought.

"Yeah," he admitted.

Ellie sighed, standing up and dusting off her skirt. "Well, whatever. If you're not dying, then I'm going back downstairs."

She turned on her heel and started toward the door, her expression shifting into something more… distant.

Louis blinked at her sudden change in attitude. "Wait—why are you giving me the cold shoulder all of a sudden?"

Ellie paused in the doorway, arms still crossed. She didn't look back.

"Because you scared me," she muttered, her voice quieter now. "And I don't like being scared."

Louis opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, she was already gone, her footsteps fading down the stairs.

He sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

Great. Now, he had two ominous presences to deal with—one glowing, faceless entity and one very annoyed little sister.

Louis exhaled slowly, rubbing his face with both hands before dragging them down his cheeks. His head still felt heavy, like something was pressing against his skull, but it wasn't just fatigue. It was something else—someone else.

Then, it came.

A low, distorted chuckle slithers into his mind like oil seeping into cracks.

"You scared me~," Elyon mimicked in a sing-song voice dripping with mockery. "And I don't like being scared."

Louis froze. His hands dropped from his face as a shiver ran down his spine.

"Oh, what a tragic moment. Such heartbreak. Such sorrow. Your beloved little sister turns away from you, and all you can do is sit here like a fool."

Louis scowled, rolling his eyes. "Oh, shut up."

"Oh, shut up~," Elyon echoed back, laughter curling around their words like smoke. "Is that all you have to say? Are you not going to reflect? To ponder your choices? To weep?"

Louis groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I swear to Jesus—"

"Ah, yes. Jesus." Elyon cut in smoothly, their voice practically purring in his skull. "The one you have chosen to blame for your misfortunes."

Louis gestured vaguely at the air, frustration boiling over. "Yeah, obviously! Who else am I supposed to blame? Myself? No, thank you! I was having a normal day, minding my own business, and then—boom! Ominous package. Creepy test. And now you are whispering in my head like some dollar-store eldritch being!"

Elyon hummed thoughtfully.

"Blaming an ancient deity for your fate is certainly a bold move. One could argue that you brought this upon yourself, but I find this far more entertaining."

Louis scoffed. "Of course you do."

"I mean, truly," Elyon continued, feigning amusement. "If Jesus is responsible, does that not make you his chosen one? His divine protagonist? His beloved little pawn?"

Louis groaned loudly, dragging his hands down his face again. "Nope. Not doing this. I refuse to be in some divine conspiracy. I am not built for that."

"Oh, but you are."

The certainty in Elyon's voice sent a chill through him.

Louis inhaled sharply, pushing himself up off the floor. He wobbled slightly before steadying himself, his gaze flickering to the package.

He stared at it. It stared back—or at least, it felt like it did.

"...This is actually Jesus's fault," he muttered under his breath. "I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I'm sure He does."

"And yet, here you are, blaming a divine entity instead of taking control of your own destiny." Elyon's voice dipped into something silkier, more insidious. "Fascinating. Let us see where this path leads."

Louis sighed heavily.

"Yeah, sure. Let's see where it leads."

He turned toward the door, still rubbing the back of his head as he trudged downstairs.

Ellie was still mad at him. Elyon wouldn't shut up. And worst of all, he was starting to suspect that his life had just permanently gone off the rails.