The Vessel of Silent Agony

The ground beneath Zami's feet trembled as he ventured deeper into the forsaken parts of the colony, beyond where the ruins of old stone structures crumbled into the earth. His thoughts were clear despite the relentless barrage of memories and endless training that accompanied him. The vessels. These avatars of the entities he had sought for so long. They were unlike anything he had faced before, beings of terrifying strength and ancient power. The Bone Monarch had been an ordeal, but this next step in his journey was something far darker, more ominous.

Zami's heart pounded in his chest, his mind sharp and focused, as he traversed the desolate corridor. The temperature seemed to drop as he approached, a coldness seeping into his very bones. The walls were coated with an eerie purple glow, casting long, twisting shadows. This was no ordinary place.

The first time Zami encountered Silent Agony, he didn't know what to expect.

The creature stood before him, an avatar of pure suffering. Its body was a mass of pulsating purple tendrils that twisted and writhed like a living nightmare. Dozens of eyes, each glowing with an unnatural hue, dotted its monstrous form. They blinked and stared in all directions, as though aware of everything at once. A mouth, not one but many, lined the creature's body, each one silently screaming in agony, as if it had lived through centuries of torment.

Zami stepped forward, instinctively drawing his katana, its ominous black blade gleaming under the dim light. He couldn't sense it fully, but something about the creature made the air feel denser, the space tighter, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

The Silent Agony's eyes locked onto him, its many mouths opening simultaneously in a symphony of broken words, all distorted by pain and suffering.

"You carry him," the creature's voice hissed, a chorus of distorted tones emanating from every part of its form. "The one who speaks to you. Karesh."

Zami's grip on his katana tightened. Karesh? Was this creature talking about the entity inside him?

"Yes," Silent Agony's voice twisted, seemingly reading Zami's thoughts, "I can feel him in you. The one who hides behind your flesh."

Zami remained silent, but his mind raced. Karesh had never mentioned anything about these creatures—these vessels. Was Karesh connected to them in some way? Was he their origin or merely a reflection of their power? The questions burned inside his head, but there was no time for answers.

The Silent Agony didn't wait. In an instant, the creature lashed out, its tendrils whipping through the air with deadly precision. Zami barely managed to dodge the first strike, using his enhanced reflexes to evade the whip-like appendages that tore through the stone where he had stood moments before.

He retaliated instantly with *Multiple Slash*, his blade flashing through the air in a blur of speed. The tendrils recoiled from his strikes, but to his shock, they healed almost immediately, the wounds sealing up with a grotesque, unnatural fluid.

"This will be different," the creature hissed, its many eyes locking onto Zami. The mouths scattered across its body opened, letting out a horrible, pained wail.

Zami's body froze for a moment, the scream reverberating through his very soul. He fought against the sensation, shaking his head to clear the disorienting effect. This creature, this *Silent Agony*, was manipulating him.

The next tendril came fast, and Zami barely had time to react. He used *Blade Bind*, parrying the strike and redirecting the tendril away from his body. However, the force of the impact made him stumble.

"No!" Zami gritted his teeth and dug his feet into the ground, stabilizing himself. He felt the ground tremble as Silent Agony approached.

Suddenly, the creature lunged forward, its mouth opening wide, as if to swallow him whole.

In that split second, Zami relied on a move he'd perfected long ago: *Precision Strike*. He focused every ounce of his remaining strength into one concentrated blow, aiming for the center of Silent Agony's chest.

The strike connected, but it didn't pierce as expected. Instead, Zami's blade struck against what felt like a wall of liquid darkness, repelled by the creature's aura. He was thrown backward, landing hard against the stone floor.

The Silent Agony's voice echoed in his mind again.

"You can't defeat me." The voice was cold, but there was an eerie calmness to it. "I am beyond your reach."

Zami rose to his feet, his muscles burning, blood dripping from his body. His mind raced, searching for any weakness, anything he could exploit. This creature—this *Vessel*—was unlike anything he had ever faced. Its strength and resilience surpassed even the Bone Monarch's.

He needed to think fast. He couldn't afford to waste time.

He turned his attention back to the shard in his satchel. Could it be the key? Was it connected to this power somehow? He had to push forward.

He activated *Adrenaline Surge*, his body surging with power. In that brief moment, Zami felt every fiber of his being come alive. His movements were faster, sharper.

He charged, using *Wild Cat Flow* to disrupt the creature's balance, quickly closing the distance. In one fluid motion, he unleashed *Hawk Drop*, his foot connecting with one of the creature's tendrils and driving it into the ground. But the creature's form merely twisted, the tendril healing almost instantly, only to strike back with a vengeance.

*Critical Dues*—Zami struck with both palms, aiming to pierce the creature's chest. The impact was immense, but the creature merely absorbed the blow, laughing darkly.

"Your will is strong, but it won't be enough," Silent Agony whispered, its eyes narrowing as its tendrils coiled like serpents. "I will break you."

Zami pushed forward with *1-Inch Punch*, his fist surging forward with terrifying force. The creature staggered back, but it didn't falter for long. Zami had only bought himself a moment.

With *1-In Various Strike*, Zami launched a flurry of devastating punches to the creature's torso. But it responded with an overwhelming force, sending Zami flying backward. His body crashed against the wall, and his vision blurred.

A sharp sensation gripped his chest, as though he were being pulled back through time itself.

The world around him faded, and when it returned, he was standing once again at the edge of the chamber, just before his first strike against Silent Agony. His body, though damaged from the previous attempt, was whole—his wounds vanished as if they never existed. It was as though the time around him had been reset, returning him to the moment before the creature's brutal assault.

Silent Agony stood before him, eyes flickering with an unsettling awareness. It was as if the creature felt the disturbance, as if it knew this wasn't the first time Zami had engaged in this fight.

Zami clenched his fists, his focus sharpened. He would not let the same mistakes be made.

With the fresh knowledge of his previous failure, Zami prepared himself again, moving with even more precision this time. His senses heightened, his mind clearer.