Dave's eyes opened to the endless white plain. He shot to his feet, looking around in confusion. He knew this place. Slowly, he turned and saw Lord Dan staring at him with those deep black eyes.
His hand went Straight to his stomach, it was fine. No hole, no blood, no pain. But he remembered it clearly. His own mom had stabbed him. The shock made it hard to even breathe.
"I… am I dead?" Dave asked, his voice trembling.
~ Not quite, but you will be if we don't act quickly. ~
"But… she drove a hole straight through my stomach. How am I even standing here? How am I alive?"
~ There are things you don't know yet. I'll start with this, you carry a second consciousness, something I believe is common among the izigans.
It's like your life force, your will for power. But that consciousness… it's the opposite of your personality. It makes the hard decisions when you won't. ~
"No… no, forget that. I don't care right now."
Dave cut him off, his voice sharp. He
stepped forward and pointed at Lord Dan.
"What's happening to my mom?"
Lord Dan's expression didn't shift. His voice remained calm.
~ She is still your mother… but something else is inside her. She is under the control of an unknown cosmic entity. ~
Dave clenched his jaw, rubbing his chin in frustration. His thoughts tangled, but he forced the words out.
"So what do I do? How do I get back up there?" he asked, desperation in his tone.
~ That's what I'm trying to tell you. Your secondary consciousness is awake now, and if your instincts remain weak, it will take full control. You don't want that. You won't like what it decides. I can take over your body instead, you are far too weak to fight whatever is possessing her. ~
Dave's face twisted in disgust. He shook his head and raised his hand at Lord Dan, voice rising.
"That's my mom, not some… thing you're trying to label. Don't call her that!"
he shouted, his face burning with anger, his words fueled by desperation.
Lord Dan's voice grew harsher, his patience thinning.
~ Your blindness will be the end of you, Dave. You were stabbed by her. What more proof do you need? If not for your regenerative abilities, you'd already be dead.~
"Regenerative… abilities?" Dave's eyes widened in shock.
~ Yes. You heal, even from wounds that would kill others. I don't know if it's common among your kind, but it saved you this time. Still, it's not absolute.
It won't bring you back if your head is taken, or if your heart is destroyed. Understand this, there is no more time. There's only one way forward. You must kill your mother. If you do, the entity inside her will die with her.~
Dave's hearing dulled the moment the words left Lord Dan's mouth, kill your mother. Everything else blurred into silence. He shook his head violently, his chest tightening.
"No. No way. There has to be another way. You make it sound so easy, kill her? Are you serious? I'll never do that."
~ If that is what you've chosen, then I can do nothing more. But know this, if you die again, there will be no coming back. ~
"I don't need your help." Dave's voice steadied, his eyes firm with stubborn resolve. "I'll figure this out myself."
He clenched his fists, forcing strength into his body. His vision slowly returned, and he felt himself waking.
His eyes opened, blinking against the blur. His hands went straight to his stomach. Blood stains covered his shirt, but the wound was gone. Not even a scar.
His heartbeat quickened, each thump heavy in his chest. He knew then, this wasn't just survival. It was a fight he couldn't afford to lose.
He looked around, searching for his mom. Nothing. Then, tiny dust particles rained down on his head and shoulders. He lifted his gaze. His breath caught in his throat.
Up above, clinging to the wall with seven long tentacles sprouting from her back, was his mother, or what was left of her. Part of Rita's face was still there, but twisted and corrupted.
The creature's black eyes locked on him, shock flashing across its warped expression.
"How… how is he alive? Impossible… Ah, I see. He regenerates. Quite the specimen indeed. I must be free. So much trouble… but you, boy, you'll be my next vessel. With you, I will scour this earth until I am free."
The thing's voice crawled like poison into Dave's ears as it descended slowly, its tentacles gripping the walls for support.
Dave swallowed hard, his body trembling. His eyes watered as he whispered through clenched teeth,
"Mom… I know you're in there. Please… come back to me. Remember the park we used to go to every weekend? Remember clay day? I know you do."
A smile broke through his tears as he looked straight into the creature's black eyes, hoping—begging—for a flicker of his mother's soul. For a moment, it seemed to work. The monster froze, just a few feet away. They stared at each other in silence.
Then one tentacle snapped forward like a whip, its sharp end aimed at his throat.
Dave's hand shot out and caught it midair.
His body burned—blue cosmic energy erupted from his palm, crawling up his arm. His tattoos glowed, lines of light spreading across his chest, his neck, until even his eyes blazed with a bright blue glow.
In an instant, Dave was back in the endless plain. But this time, he wasn't standing. He was sinking, pulled down by white ink-like hands that rose from the ground. Lord Dan stood above, watching.
~ I'm sorry, Dave. This isn't my doing. Your secondary consciousness has judged your decision unfit.
It refuses to die with you. It has subdued you, and now… I will take over. I will do everything in my power to save your mother. But if it cannot be helped, then only one outcome remains. ~
Dave screamed, thrashing as the white hands dragged him deeper. His cries echoed until his voice was swallowed, and the plain closed over him.
Back in the real world, Dave's body moved, but it was no longer him.
Lord Dan had taken control. His hand glowed with blinding white light, moving faster than the eye could follow.
In a single strike, the tentacle he held was severed, crashing to the floor.
The creature shrieked, its body twisting as blood sprayed across the walls. It scurried, screeching in agony.
~ The creature and the human are one. There is no other choice. ~