THE BLACK THORN CODEX
Episode 61 — Rise of the Possessed
Date: November 18, 2023 — Time: 4:48 PM
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 forth even more possessed victims, and Selerion seemed to feed on their fear.
Chaos reigned in the abyss of Selerion. The screams of the possessed victims formed a sinister crescendo, each note a warning, each cry a blade slicing through the soul. The black mist, thick as mercury, rippled above Leander and Clarisse, reflecting their deepest fears.
New figures emerged from the cracks in the void. Some had multiple heads, screaming out of sync, their limbs twisted and articulated to the extreme. Others were fused with fragments of the surroundings: walls, stones, and water seemed to transform into living weapons. Selerion's sorcerers, invisible, guided every move like a master playing chess with human bodies.
Clarisse felt a wave of terror: a possessed child advanced, his eyes black, his smile twisted. He leaped with inhuman speed, striking Leander's arm. The shock sent an explosion of ice and fire ripping through the ground, but the child's body deformed, splitting into three small puppets, each with a glint of madness in their eyes.
Leander concentrated his energy, surrounding his body with arcs of electricity. He launched a lightning attack at a horde of victims surging behind Clarisse. Lightning struck, blowing several bodies to pieces, but immediately, others appeared, as if crafted from the shadows themselves.
A sorcerer finally partially emerged, his immense silhouette floating above the abyss. His voice echoed in the air and in the minds of the heroes:
"You think I can survive? Every victim becomes a weapon. Every breath is an opportunity for me."
The sorcerer gestured, and about fifty bodies, all previously killed, suddenly appeared, animated by his powers. Some had monstrous arms ending in metal claws, others heads on their torsos and backs, still others membranous wings that allowed them to fly and attack simultaneously. The tide of death crashed down on Clarisse and Léandre.
Clarisse launched a combined beam of fire and ice, which swept through several bodies, but she felt her strength rapidly diminishing: Selerion seemed to be absorbing the energy of the dead to regenerate the possessed. Leander understood that they could no longer rely on defensive reactions: they had to strike together, with precision and power.
They combined their powers. Leander channeled electricity into Clarisse's whirlwind of fire and ice, creating a swirling storm of pure energy. The possessed bodies were thrown against the walls, some exploding into black dust. But Selerion responded: new creatures emerged, some with familiar human faces, distorted in expressions of pain and terror. The battle was a continuous ballet of destruction and regeneration.
At the center, the sorcerer manipulated masses of flesh and bone, forming monstrous hybrids of several bodies. Leander and Clarisse were simultaneously struck by a wave of mental force: horrific visions of their slain loved ones, burning cities, and mutilated bodies overlapped in their minds, threatening to paralyze them.
Borax, within them, whispered:
"Don't give in to horror. Transform your fear into mastery. Every slain body is a lesson, every possession an opportunity to increase your power."
Guided by this voice, they straightened, concentrating their combined powers. Fire and ice swirled around them, electrified by Leander's energy. They attacked with precision, striking the sorcerers through their puppets. Each blow partially destroyed the body, but some creatures adapted, changing shape, attacking with greater ferocity.
As the episode drew to a close, Leander and Clarisse realized something terrible but essential: Selerion knew no limits. Each death brought a new challenge. Each possession became more powerful than the last. But amidst the chaos, there was a glimmer of hope: each successful attack allowed them to better understand the sorcerers' logic and prepare a strategy to turn the tide against them.