The Demon Knows My Vice

The darkness pressed in closer, as though it had a physical form, a tangible weight. Mariah's breaths came in short, ragged gasps, a stark contrast to the beast's steady, languid rhythm. She could feel the cold tendrils of his mind slithering into hers, probing her deepest thoughts and fears. The dark landscape around them seemed to respond in kind, shrinking tighter around her, squeezing the life out of her, making her heart pound in her chest like a trapped animal. She felt as if she were drowning, The entity’s presence seemed to loom larger, every inch the predatory beast he was, his voice booming and resonating within the confines of her mind. Each syllable was a punch to the gut, twisting and turning inside her like a knife.

Fear pulsed in her veins, a cold, chilling undercurrent that was rapidly becoming a tumultuous whirlpool. Mariah longed to recoil- to shrink back from his touch as his paw made contact. Yet she was forced to remain still, at the mercy of his whims. The paradox of his gentle touch and the threat of violence that lurked within the shadowy aura surrounding him created a sickening knot in the pit of her stomach. She felt the heat and firmness of his paw tracing over her ribs, leaving a trail of prickling awareness in its wake. Each word he spoke echoed ominously throughout her mind leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. His tone was eerily sweet, dripping with an almost sickening fondness that made her skin crawl. Was it your mother, or your father Alastor that gave you that name? I-I don’t know.

Her silver gaze locked onto the obsidian-black eyes of Moros as he moved around to face her – a predator revealing his full glory to his cornered prey. The sight of him was heart-stopping. Massive, muscular, and exuding an oppressive aura of power, he loomed over her. His wicked grin, so similar to her father's yet so chillingly different, sat beneath those piercing eyes that seemed to look straight past her skin and into her very soul. Each breath she drew was a struggle, as if the air had turned stagnant in his presence.

The resemblance between this being and her father was undeniable- but perhaps she wouldn’t have recognized it had he not just spoke her father’s name. But the way each syllable rolled off the demon’s tongue sent shivers coursing down her spine. The connection was almost uncanny. Yet, she couldn't deny the surge of dread that gripped her heart as the implications of this revelation began to sink in. Was it her imagination? What did it mean? Who are you?

The sinister words slithered out of his mouth, wrapping around her heart like a silken noose. His paw gently brushed down her cheek, the touch so disturbingly intimate that she felt as though she were being violated, the soft fur under his touch bristling in revulsion. She continued to struggle, to try and pull back instinctively- to run. Her breath hitched in her throat as he chuckled lowly, clearly amused by her repulsion. She wanted to respond, to lash out at him, to defy his cruel intention. But her strength was waning, her limbs trembling under the weight of her fear. There was a flicker of defiance in her eyes, but it was quickly smothered beneath the wave of helplessness that washed over her. Get away from me! The words echoed through her head, a silent scream that filled every crevice of her thoughts, but her lips remained sealed shut, unable to give it voice. A cold chill spreading through her body as he continued to touch her.

"Mariah Mendacium"