Whispers of Madness

Chapter 3: Whispers of Madness

Content Warning:

This novel contains graphic psychological horror, hallucinations, and mental instability. It explores the descent into madness, disturbing imagery, and paranoia. Reader discretion is advised.

Scene 1: The Lingering Echoes of Death

The blood had dried on his skin, but Seth could still feel it dripping.

He stood in the center of the massacre, the corpses surrounding him like a grotesque offering. Their faces were frozen in agony, eyes dull, mouths gaping—as if they had died screaming.

But something was wrong. The battlefield was silent, too silent. And yet, he could hear them.

A wet squelch echoed behind him. A corpse shifted.

"Murderer."

Seth's breath hitched. His head snapped to the side. The corpses hadn't moved—yet the voices came from all around him.

"Monster."

The words slithered into his ears, intimate, inside his skull. He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms, trying to drown out the sound with pain.

But it only grew louder.

"You liked it, didn't you?"

A slow, suffocating dread coiled around his chest.

He had enjoyed it. The way their eyes widened in terror, their limbs convulsing as life was torn from them. It had felt right.

Then the ground beneath him twitched.

A whisper drifted through the blood-stained air, fragile, weak—

"Seth…"

His breath caught in his throat.

The corpses twitched again. Their fingers curled, bones creaking, joints popping. Their skin peeled, exposing raw muscle, their lips split into grotesque grins, revealing rotting, jagged teeth.

One of them stepped forward.

And Seth felt his sanity splinter.

Because it was his mother.

Her frail, shattered body barely held together, her flesh riddled with gaping wounds, blood-soaked rags clinging to her. Maggots wriggled in the open slashes across her throat. One of her arms hung limply, held together by strands of flesh.

But it was her eyes that broke him. Hollow. Empty. Accusing.

"My son… why did you eat me?"

Seth screamed.

Scene 2: The Crumbling Mind

He stumbled backward, shaking his head violently.

"No. No. NO!" His voice was hoarse, frantic. "You're dead! You're gone!"

His mother took a step closer.

Her bones cracked with every movement, her body barely able to hold itself up.

"You ate me, my son."

He couldn't breathe. The scent of raw, rotting flesh invaded his senses. The iron taste of blood coated his tongue. His stomach twisted, and bile rose in his throat.

Behind her, the other corpses moved. Their necks snapped at unnatural angles, their mouths splitting open as if trying to speak—

"Why did you kill us?"

"Why did you eat her?"

The words were thunder inside his skull.

Seth clutched his head, his fingers clawing into his scalp. His nails tore through skin, blood dripping down his face.

The corpses laughed. A wet, suffocating, distorted laughter that clawed at his eardrums.

"Shut up!"

They crawled toward him, their bloodied hands reaching—

A decayed finger pressed against his lips. It was ice-cold, rough, and writhing with unseen movement beneath the surface.

"E A T."

Seth's scream tore from his throat, raw and primal.

He swung his claws blindly, slicing through nothing.

The bodies were gone.

But the laughter remained.

A voice slithered through the chaos, smooth and amused.

"Losing control already?"

The world snapped back.

The battlefield was still. The corpses were motionless.

And before him, Vorrath stood, smirking.

Scene 3: The Beast Within

Seth trembled, his breath erratic. His skin crawled as if something moved beneath it.

"What… what is happening to me?" he rasped.

Vorrath chuckled, stepping forward, his monstrous form shifting like a living shadow.

"You are breaking, Seth."

Seth doubled over, pain exploding in his chest. He clawed at himself as if trying to rip something out.

"No, no, NO!" he gasped. His ribs cracked, shifting beneath his skin. His nails split as he clutched his head. His mind was unraveling.

"You are no longer human. Your body and mind must adjust."

Seth tried to focus, but his vision swam, shadows twisting at the edges. His mother's voice called to him again.

"My son… don't you miss me?"

He turned—and she was there.

Her face whole. Smiling.

Warmth spread through his chest. His eyes burned. For the first time, he wanted to believe it.

"M-Mother?" his voice cracked.

She opened her arms. "Come here, Seth… Let me hold you one last time."

His body moved on its own.

He staggered toward her.

He reached out.

Her lips curled into a twisted grin.

"E A T ."

Her mouth split open, her entire jaw unhinging like a beast. Black, writhing tongues lashed out, reaching for him.

Seth collapsed, screaming.

Scene 4: The System's Warning

Darkness swallowed him. He floated in an abyss, weightless, thoughtless.

Then, a cold, mechanical voice broke through.

SYSTEM WARNING: ⚠ Mental stability compromised. ⚠ Host is experiencing reality distortion. ⚠ Unknown affliction detected—'The Devourer's Curse.' ⚠ Immediate action required.

Seth gasped, his eyes snapping open.

He lay in a pool of blood, alone.

But the whispers remained.

And they were growing louder.

End of Chapter 3

📜 Author's Note: This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and settings are purely imaginary. This novel contains dark themes meant to enhance the story and character development. Reader discretion is advised.