Helios was trembling.
It wasn't a superficial tremor, it wasn't ordinary fear. Every fiber of her body screamed the same thing: run. Her muscles contracted in involuntary spasms, her hands opening and closing as if trying to grasp something that no longer existed. Never in all her existence had she witnessed anything like this.
Wherever she looked… they were there.
Shadows.
Not simple silhouettes. Not ordinary darkness. They were living forms, twisted, pulsating, crawling over one another as if they shared a single consciousness. They surrounded her. Watched her. Encircled her with cruel patience.
And all of that… dwelled inside that boy.
The realization fell on her like a slab of stone.
It exceeded her entirely. That presence was not just power; it was something primitive, vast, unfathomable. An abyss with a pulse. A force so colossal that merely perceiving it tore at reason itself.
It was too much.
Too vast.
Too impossible.
Too… wrong.
Its limits were uncertain. Incalculable. Not even her mind—accustomed to analyzing, to measuring, to understanding—could trace an edge. She tried to rationalize it. Failed. Tried to quantify it. Impossible.
For the first time… she doubted.
-Could anyone stand against that monstrosity?
The mere question made her feel small.
Then it happened.
The colossal, impossible monster—formed by that tide of shadows intertwining like black flesh—lowered its head slowly. Not abruptly. Not in fury.
With intention.
It descended until it was level with her.
Helios stopped breathing.
The thing watched her.
All those shadows watched her.
And the worst part wasn't its size. It wasn't its grotesque shape, nor the unbearable pressure warping the space around it.
The worst part was that they were conscious.
They knew she was there.
Helios took a step back. Then another. The air was thick, dense, as if every particle resisted allowing her to move. She felt her very existence being examined, dissected, measured… and discarded.
The monster raised its head again.
For a second, there was absolute silence.
And then it roared.
It wasn't a sound. It was an assault. A tearing. An eruption so brutal it didn't just shake the space—it shook her mind. It was a rigid, bestial, imposing and powerful roar; a howl that seemed to come from the very origin of fear.
Reality vibrated.
Helios felt her identity fracture. As if something were trying to rip her out of herself. Her own existence cried out, begged, screamed to be taken away from there.
She couldn't stay.
She must not stay.
And suddenly—
Everything shattered.
Space collapsed like shattered glass.
Helios returned.
Air rushed violently back into her lungs. Her legs gave out for a brief instant. The real world received her with unbearable harshness… but even there, even back—
The echo of the roar still thundered inside her head.
And now she knew.
That wasn't just power.
It was something waiting.
Something that could awaken at any moment.
Helios returned.
The real world hit her like a wet, freezing slap. Air tore into her lungs, scraping her throat. The light… the light was too bright after that.
She recoiled from Morgan as if she had touched fire.
She stumbled backward with indescribable, almost animal terror. Her legs tangled; she lost her balance and nearly fell, but managed to brace herself with one hand against the ground. She didn't care about dignity. She didn't care about anything.
She just wanted distance.
She just wanted to be far away.
As far away from him as possible.
-h-hey… are you okay?...
( Morgan asked, worried, confused )
He took a few steps toward her instinctively and extended his hand to help her up. It was a sincere, gentle gesture…
Helios reacted as if that hand would harm her.
She began swatting at the air, striking at nothing, trying to push him away. Her breathing turned erratic, broken; every inhale a fractured gasp, every exhale a tremor. Her eyes were wide—too wide—bloodshot with terror.
-Get away from me, get away from me!...
( Helios screamed desperately )
Morgan froze.
Confused. Hurt. Not understanding.
The silence around them began to grow heavy.
Luzbel was the first to react. She rushed over immediately, crouched in front of Helios, and tried to grab her shoulders.
-What's happening? What's wrong with you?...
( Luzbel said, worried )
Helios tried to speak.
Her lips moved. Her throat vibrated. But no voice came out. It was as if something were strangling it from within. As if saying it would make it real.
-What happened? What did you see?...
( Luzbel asked, confused, not knowing what to do )
Helios slowly lifted her gaze.
Her pupils trembled.
She met Luzbel's face, filled with concern… and for a few seconds she stared at her as if trying to make sure she was still there, that something stable still existed in the world.
Some of her own students hurried over.
-What's wrong, teacher? What's happening?...
( They asked, worried )
But Helios didn't hear them.
She was in shock.
She slowly turned her head again, as if the movement weighed tons, until she looked back at Morgan.
And when she finally focused on his face…
Her expression changed.
The bewilderment vanished. The confusion shattered.
And in its place remained absolute terror.
A sharp scream tore from her throat—raw, involuntary. It wasn't a rational cry; it was the pure sound of fear.
Luzbel looked up at Morgan, trying to understand what could possibly be provoking such a reaction.
But there was nothing.
Just him.
Standing there. Still. His hand still half-extended. His brow furrowed in incomprehension.
Nothing more.
Nothing… that the others could see.
But Helios could.
Behind him.
Surrounding him.
Almost embracing him.
Those figures.
Twisted shadows, dense, layered over one another like bodies melted into a single living mass. They moved without moving. They breathed without lungs. And all of them—all of them—were staring at her.
Conscious.
Waiting.
Helios raised a trembling hand and pointed at him. Her finger wouldn't stop shaking. It was hard for her to form words; each syllable was a battle against the panic crushing her chest.
She tried to swallow. She couldn't.
And with a broken thread of a voice, she finally managed to say something.
Just one thing.
-He's a monster.
Silence fell like a tombstone.
Morgan didn't understand.
Luzbel didn't either.
But Helios… Helios knew that what she had seen was not an illusion.
Because those shadows had not remained in that dimension.
They were still there.
Watching her.
End of chapter.
Next chapter: he has to know.