Chapter 51: The Entity (2)

The room felt colder now, as if the very air had been drained of warmth. Mia couldn't shake the feeling that they were standing on the edge of something catastrophic, something they were completely unprepared for.

"What's the entity?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What is it?"

Lucas's eyes narrowed, his expression darkening. "You wouldn't understand. It's a force of nature, Mia. It's not just a creature, it's a system. A mind, a consciousness that exists outside of time and space. It can bend reality—reshape it. It's a power beyond anything the world has ever seen. And once it begins its rise, there will be no stopping it."

Mia felt her breath catch in her throat. "So, what are we supposed to do?" she asked, feeling the panic rise inside her. "How do we stop it?"

Lucas looked at her, his gaze cold, unreadable. "You can't. But you can try to survive. That's all you can do now."

The chilling finality of his words sank deep into Mia's chest, and she could feel her heart race in terror. She couldn't accept this. She couldn't accept that there was no way out, no way to fight whatever dark force they had unleashed.

"We're not just going to give up," Ethan said, his voice a low growl. "We'll fight. We'll find a way. We have to."

As if on cue, the air in the room shifted again—an oppressive weight settling heavily over them. The very space seemed to shimmer, and for a moment, Mia thought she saw something shift in the shadows at the far side of the room. But when she blinked, it was gone.

Ethan turned, his eyes narrowing. "Did you see that?"

Mia nodded slowly. "Yeah... I saw something too."

Lucas's face turned pale. He stepped back, his body rigid with tension. "It's here," he whispered. "It's already here. And it's not alone."

Before anyone could react, the floor beneath them groaned, a deep, resonant sound like something massive shifting within the building's foundations. The walls trembled, and the lights flickered, casting long, distorted shadows across the room.

Mia's heart skipped a beat as the temperature dropped, her breath now visible in the cold air.

"What's happening?" she asked, her voice shaking.

The entity's voice came again, clearer now, not just in their minds but in the room itself—its tone filled with dark amusement. "You have released me, and now... you will witness what happens when the world bends to my will."

The shadows in the room seemed to grow, stretching and twisting like living things. And then, with a sickening crack, the walls began to pulse with dark energy. The room seemed to bend and twist in on itself, the very fabric of reality unraveling before their eyes.

Mia's breath caught in her throat. "It's—" she began, but the words failed her as the shadows began to solidify into a figure.

The figure was tall, its form cloaked in darkness, its face obscured by a hood. But there was something about it—something that felt alive, something that made Mia's skin crawl.