Descent into Madness

Chapter 4: Descent into Madness

Content Warning:

This novel contains intense psychological horror, hallucinations, and severe mental instability. The protagonist's descent into madness is heavily explored with graphic imagery and unsettling themes. Reader discretion is advised.

Scene 1: The Fractured Reality

The voices never stopped.

They had followed him. The battlefield was long behind him, the corpses rotting under the dying sun, but Seth could still hear them. They whispered inside his skull, slithering through his thoughts like parasites burrowing deep.

"Murderer."

His shadow stretched unnaturally before him, twisting, warping, mocking him.

"Monster."

Seth staggered forward, his breath sharp, erratic. He had been walking for hours—or was it days? Time had begun to dissolve into a fragmented mess. His limbs ached, his bones felt like they were splintering beneath his skin, but he could not stop.

Because every time he did, they would come.

A wet, sickening squelch behind him.

He spun around.

Nothing.

But the ground was shifting, breathing. The soil pulsed like flesh, rippling as if something beneath it wanted out. Hands—skeletal, bloodied—clawed their way free.

And then—

His mother's voice.

"Seth… are you still hungry?"

His stomach twisted violently, bile rising in his throat. He turned sharply and ran, his own footsteps echoing back at him tenfold.

His body was breaking. His mind was breaking. And deep inside, something was laughing.

Scene 2: The Hallucination's Grasp

He didn't remember when he fell.

One moment, he was running. The next, he was sinking.

The ground beneath him had turned to tar, thick and cold, gripping at his legs. He flailed, struggling to pull himself free, but the more he fought, the deeper he sank.

The darkness embraced him.

And then, he was not alone.

A shape loomed over him. No, many shapes. Twisting, shifting shadows, faces carved from bone and malice. They spoke in unison, their voices hollow, suffocating.

"Join us."

Hands latched onto his arms, his legs, his throat—pulling him down.

The abyss swallowed him whole.

Scene 3: The Abyss Speaks

Darkness.

Then—

A sharp, wet breathing.

Seth opened his eyes. He was lying in a pool of blood.

No.

Not blood. Flesh.

The ground beneath him was no longer soil. It was pulsating, alive, stitched together from countless faces—distorted, screaming. Their mouths opened and closed without sound, their hollow eyes fixated on him.

Then the whispers began again.

"You belong to us now."

Seth tried to move. His hands sank into the flesh, the texture slimy and hot. A mouth beneath his palm bit down, tearing through his skin. He yelped, jerking away, but more mouths opened—

And they were all laughing.

A choked gasp left his lips. He was losing himself. His mind was fraying, splitting at the seams.

Then, a voice. Familiar. Amused.

"Are you ready to surrender?"

A shadow materialized before him, towering and monstrous. Vorrath.

The demon crouched beside him, taloned fingers tracing the edge of Seth's trembling jaw. His grin was endless.

"I told you, didn't I?" Vorrath murmured, his voice like silk over broken glass. "You're breaking. But you don't have to fight it." He leaned closer, whispering, "You can let it consume you."

Seth's breath hitched. The temptation… it was suffocating.

His body spasmed violently. Bones twisted, flesh split open, something foreign was forcing its way inside of him. He couldn't breathe.

His ribs cracked as if something inside wanted out. His veins burned, his vision blurred, and his mind fractured.

It hurt. It hurt. It HURT.

He couldn't think, he couldn't see, only feel— endless, ceaseless pain.

And then—

The abyss trembled.

The air itself cracked, splitting apart as an overwhelming force crashed into existence. The weight of the divine presence was suffocating, pressing down like a thousand invisible hands crushing his lungs.

The ground beneath him shattered—the writhing faces twisted in agony, their flesh splitting as if reality itself could not withstand the arrival.

Then—

SYSTEM ALERT: ⚠ A powerful divine presence is descending. ⚠ The abyss is collapsing under immense spiritual pressure. ⚠ An unknown force disrupts all existing entities. ⚠ A Constellation has forcefully intervened.

A gentle touch.**

A warmth, out of place in the chaos, pressed against his cheek.

A soft, honeyed voice filled the air, laced with possessiveness and eerie affection.

"My poor, poor Seth…"

His body jerked violently, the overwhelming agony suddenly dampened.

He gasped, his eyes snapping open—

And she was there.

A woman stood in the abyss, shrouded in divine light, yet tinged with madness. Her hair cascaded around her like silver silk, her crimson eyes glowing with an unnatural, obsessive hunger.

She cupped his face, her fingers ice-cold yet unbearably tender.

"You were about to leave me again…" she whispered. "You promised you wouldn't die without me this time."

Her smile widened, too wide, her grip tightening. "Did you forget me, Seth? Your devoted constellation… Nyxara?"

He couldn't speak.

She pressed her forehead to his, her breath warm against his lips. "I won't let them have you. You are mine." Her voice darkened, dripping with possessive delight. "Forever."

The abyss shattered.

Scene 4: The System's Warning & The Curse's Growth

SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: ⚠ [Nyxara, the Star of Devotion] has claimed priority over the host. ⚠ Constellations are in uproar. ⚠ Unknown entities are watching in silence.

Darkness pulsed around him. His body convulsed, spasming violently. His veins burned, his muscles twisted, shifting into something wrong.

Then—

Ding.

SYSTEM WARNING: ⚠ Mental stability dangerously low. ⚠ Host is experiencing rapid corruption. ⚠ Unknown affliction spreading—'The Devourer's Curse' has evolved. ⚠ Emergency intervention detected—[Nyxara, the Star of Devotion] intervenes.

Seth's breath caught. His pain was numbing, his consciousness flickering.

And yet—

He felt her arms wrap around him, her embrace too tight, too desperate.

"You don't have to be alone anymore," she whispered. "You have me."

Seth closed his eyes.

The abyss screamed.

End of Chapter 4

📜 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.