THE BLACKTHORN CODEX
Episode 60 — The Void Puppets
Date: November 18, 2023 — Time: 4:12 PM
As the previous episode ended, the two heroes stood up, exhausted, but with one certainty: they must survive and understand Selerion before this tide of death completely submerged them.
The incandescent fog still hung over the depths of Selerion. The screams of the possessed victims echoed like an endless echo, each howl hammering at Leander and Clarisse's consciousness. The tension was palpable: each breath could be their last.
Twisted figures emerged from the void. This time, the possessed bodies were faster, more cunning. Some had enormous arms, others had faces emerging from their shoulders or torsos, screaming simultaneously in all directions. The invisible sorcerers orchestrating the scene cackled, pulling invisible threads that guided every movement.
Léandre launched a concentrated bolt of lightning, striking a body that appeared behind Clarisse. The impact caused flesh to explode, and blood to mingle with black smoke, but immediately two new creatures emerged from the fragments. Clarisse, feeling the pressure, created a spiral of fire and ice. The bodies were thrown back, but others were already emerging, some with membranous wings, others with tentacles or multiple claws.
A scream rang out, unlike any other: a larger body rose from the ground, its multiple eyes oozing a purple glow. It concentrated a mental force that sent Léandre and Clarisse reeling, their minds assailed by horrific visions: friends and loved ones horribly killed, distorted memories, images of their own deaths.
Clarisse screamed, launching a fireball that exploded upon contact with the giant body, but the body immediately reformed, more monstrous. Leander, focused, channeled lightning through his hands, striking the ground to create a wave of energy. The shock sent several possessed creatures flying in all directions, but the sorcerers had anticipated every move. New bodies emerged from behind them, their eyes glowing a deadly red.
The battle became a macabre ballet. The possessed victims attacked in waves, some splitting into multiple fragments with each destruction, as if Selerion were regenerating death itself. Clarisse's fire and ice merged into swirling tornadoes, while Leander struck with concentrated electric arcs and lightning. Each attack destroyed bodies, but others emerged, each time faster, more twisted.
At the center of the storm, a colossal body emerged, a sorcerer partially visible within, its immense arms manipulating several victims simultaneously. A voice echoed in their minds: "You understand nothing. Every death creates an ally. Every lost breath fuels Selerion."
Leander and Clarisse understood that the massacre was far from over. But Borax, fused with them, whispered through their minds: "Transform fear into strength. Every body killed is a lesson, every possession is a challenge. Master your powers, or this world will swallow you up."
While the pressure seemed a little dull, like a deceptive appearance, the two heroes, panting but determined, prepared for the next wave. The void stirred, ready to vomit up even more possessed victims, and Selerion seemed to feed on their fear.