The Awakening of the Unseen

The air over Obsidian Point grew heavy, thickening into a suffocating, electric fog. The stone platform beneath Ethan's feet pulsed like a vast, ancient heart, each throb sending crimson light spiraling up his legs and into his core.

Anna, pinned to the frozen ground by serpentine shadows, fought to keep her eyes open. Her chest heaved against the pressure wrapped around her ribs, and her vision swam. But she refused to look away.

Ethan stood in the center of the ritual. His body convulsed in sync with the platform's pulse. His arms wrapped protectively around his abdomen, fingers digging into his flesh as though trying to hold something in.

Or… hold something back.

Victoria stood on the edge of the stone, eyes gleaming like a goddess witnessing her creation come to life. She raised her arms, and the shadows responded, stretching toward the sky in jagged, unnatural arcs.

"It's time," she said softly. Her voice resonated through the air, vibrating in Anna's bones.

The sigils carved into the platform blazed brighter. The ground trembled.

And Ethan screamed.

Anna's nails scraped against the cold earth as the sound of his agony cut through her like a serrated blade.

"Ethan!" she choked out. "Fight her!"

His eyes—wide, wild—met hers for an instant. His lips moved, but no words came. His body arched backward, spine bowing unnaturally as the glow beneath his skin intensified.

The shape beneath his abdomen shifted—something large and serpentine pressing outward against the fragile barrier of flesh. Anna's stomach turned at the sight.

Victoria stepped forward, her expression one of rapturous satisfaction. She knelt beside Ethan, her fingers brushing his jaw with chilling tenderness.

"Shhh, my love," she whispered. "Don't fight it. Let it through."

Ethan's muscles spasmed. His teeth gnashed together as his knees buckled. He collapsed to the stone, his breaths reduced to shallow gasps. But he shook his head, voice raw with defiance.

"No..."

Victoria's smile faltered. Her eyes narrowed.

"You still don't understand, do you?" she murmured. She pressed a hand against his abdomen. The shadows surged around them, tightening, anchoring him to the platform. "This isn't about what you want."

Ethan convulsed. His mouth opened in a silent scream as tendrils of shadow coiled around his torso.

Anna thrashed against her restraints, desperation flooding her veins.

She had one chance.

Her gaze darted toward the knife—still lying on the stone near the platform's edge. If she could reach it...

The shadows loosened as Victoria poured her energy into the ritual. Anna shifted her weight, tensed her legs, and then lunged.

Her fingers scraped the hilt just as a shadow snapped around her ankle. With a scream of effort, she twisted and drove the blade into the ground.

The sigils on the blade ignited. The shadows recoiled with an unearthly shriek. Anna wrenched herself free and rolled onto her feet.

Victoria turned, her eyes blazing with fury. "Stay back!"

Anna didn't stop. She charged toward Ethan, knife raised, and with every step, the blade pulsed brighter.

Victoria thrust out a hand. A wave of shadow shot toward Anna—

Anna dropped to her knees and slid beneath it, momentum carrying her toward the center of the platform. She lashed out, slashing the blade across the glowing sigil beneath Ethan's feet.

The stone cracked with a deafening crack. The crimson light sputtered.

Victoria screamed. The shadows recoiled violently.

Ethan collapsed, body limp. Anna caught him before he hit the ground, the heat radiating from his skin like fire.

"Ethan!" she gasped, cradling his face. "Come back to me!"

His eyes fluttered open. The silver haze wavered, flickering. His lips moved, voice so faint she had to lean close to hear it:

"She's still here... inside me..."

Anna's throat tightened. "We'll get her out. I swear."

The ground beneath them groaned. The cracks Anna had created spread outward, and from the ruptures, a low, guttural sound rose—a sound like something vast and hungry waking from slumber.

Victoria staggered toward them, face twisted with rage. Her eyes locked on Ethan.

"No!" she hissed. "He's mine!"

Anna tightened her grip on Ethan and forced herself to her feet.

Victoria lunged.

Anna drove the knife forward.

The blade pierced Victoria's chest.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Victoria's eyes went wide. She gasped, mouth opening in shock. The shadows around her convulsed wildly, twisting in agony.

Anna's heart pounded as she shoved the knife deeper. "Get. Out. Of. Him."

Victoria's lips parted in a breathless laugh. Blood—black as tar—seeped from the wound. "You think... this stops me?" Her hand rose, grasping Anna's wrist. The contact sent ice shooting through Anna's veins.

Victoria leaned in close, voice a shattered whisper. "I... am... eternal."

The shadows surged upward. The force of it threw Anna backward. She hit the stone with a sickening crack, the air driven from her lungs.

The knife, still embedded in Victoria's chest, pulsed with energy. Cracks spread along her skin, spiderwebbing across her torso and limbs. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as tendrils of shadow poured from the wound like smoke.

Ethan stirred. His eyes snapped open. The silver-black swirl was gone—replaced by pure, dark crimson. His body arched upward, his hands clutching his abdomen.

The platform beneath him split apart with a final, thunderous crack.

From within Ethan's body, the shadows burst forth—

And the child emerged.

The creature that unfolded from Ethan's core was both beautiful and monstrous.

Its skin shimmered like obsidian, veins glowing faintly beneath the surface. Its eyes—identical to Victoria's—gleamed with unearthly intelligence. Tiny, delicate fingers curled in the cold air.

Victoria, despite the shadows tearing her apart, extended a hand toward the creature. "Come... my darling," she whispered.

The child tilted its head. Its gaze shifted toward Ethan—still collapsed on the stone—then toward Anna, then back to Victoria.

It stepped toward her.

Victoria's face lit with triumph. "Yes... come to me. I am your mother. I made you."

The child reached her side.

And then—

It plunged its small, perfect hand into her chest.

Victoria gasped. Her body convulsed, eyes wide with disbelief. "No..."

The child's hand glowed. Victoria's skin cracked further. Shadowy essence poured from her form and into the child's palm.

She tried to pull away, but the child's grip held fast.

Anna pushed herself up, eyes wide with shock. "Holy shit..."

Victoria's scream pierced the night. Her form splintered into fragments of shadow and light, drawn into the child's body.

And then—

Victoria Lane, self-proclaimed queen of death and power, was gone.

The child turned. Its gaze settled on Anna.

Anna's fingers twitched toward the knife, but the child simply blinked, curious. It knelt beside Ethan's unconscious form and placed its hand on his chest.

Ethan gasped. His eyes opened. His skin was pale, his breathing labored—but his eyes were his own.

"Anna..." he rasped.

The child looked at him with something like affection, then stood. Its head tilted toward Anna.

"You protected him," the child said. Its voice was young and ancient all at once.

Anna's throat tightened. "Yeah. I did."

The child smiled faintly. "Good."

It turned and walked toward the forest. The shadows parted for it, bowing as it passed.

And then it was gone.

Anna rushed to Ethan's side. His pulse fluttered beneath her fingers, but it was steady. His abdomen was smooth now—no trace of the monstrous pregnancy remained.

He opened his eyes, and tears spilled down his cheeks. "She's gone," he whispered. "Victoria's gone."

Anna held him tightly, her own tears falling freely.

But as she looked toward the woods where the child had vanished, her relief curdled into dread.

Victoria might be gone.

But whatever had replaced her...

was something far worse.