Chapter 92 - A Masked Phantom

The air thickens, becoming nearly unbreathable, as if the oxygen has been sucked out of the atmosphere. She can feel it now—its gaze on her, searing her flesh from a distance. There’s a low hum vibrating through her bones, an energy so familiar, so insidious, she can taste it in the back of her throat.

Without warning, the entity emerges from the shadows, and Selena’s breath catches in her throat. It stands before her, its form wavering as though reality struggles to contain it. It’s both corporeal and ethereal, a mass of darkness that writhes and pulses with malevolent intent. Its eyes, if they can even be called that, glisten like oil in the moonlight, locking onto Selena with an ineffable hunger. It doesn’t speak—at least not with words. Its presence alone is enough to bamboozle her senses, to flood her mind with images too horrific to comprehend.

The entity moves toward her, slow, deliberate, as if savoring each step closer to its prey. Selena wants to scream, but her voice falter