[Within Ghost Nether's Consciousness]
The excruciating pain, sharp enough to tear his very soul asunder, receded like the tide.
Ghost Nether finally recovered from the inescapable torment. He scrambled to reconnect with his body.
Yet, in the next instant, a chilling realization froze his mind.
The link to his body had been completely severed.
To his horror, he realized that while he could still see the world and hear its sounds, the body that had been his constant companion was no longer his own. It had been utterly usurped.
The man wearing his face slowly raised a hand, methodically adjusting his tattered robes. The face... *his* face... broke into a smile. It was a smile weathered by the ages, one he knew all too well, one that had haunted him with terror his entire life.
It was over.
It was well and truly over.
This place—his own mind—was no longer his alone. It had become his master's private playground.
