Axel's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurry and slow to adjust. The familiar sound of water cascading around him was oddly soothing, yet his mind was anything but calm. The rhythmic drops of the shower, falling in slow motion, felt like hypnotic pulses, drawing him deeper into his own thoughts.
"I killed a man... It felt like I was on the verge of ecstasy, like I had reached the peak of something beyond pleasure," he muttered to himself, barely recognizing the voice in his head. "The same when I killed that woman. No guilt. No regret. Just this...
primal satisfaction. What's wrong with me?"
The memory of their bodies, broken and lifeless, flooded his mind, and the whisper—the voice—began its usual cycle, faint at first, like a distant hum, but building, always building, until it was louder than anything else in the world.
**[DEVOUR]**
It was almost impossible to hear anything else when the voice got this loud, banging in his ears like the crash of cymbals. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to shut it out, but it was futile. It never stopped. Ever since he returned from that damned portal, ever since he acquired this cursed ability, the voice had become a constant companion. A parasite, feeding off his sanity.
Axel stood there, the water pouring over his muscular frame, trying to focus on the present. The tiny droplets of water, falling in slow motion, were captivating, almost mesmerizing. Every droplet hit his skin like a small weight, pulling him further into the moment. Maybe if he concentrated hard enough, he could drown the voice. Maybe.
*Would there be a cure for this?*
The question echoed in his mind, but he already knew the answer. There was no cure. There was no escape. This was the cost of power. The voice, the urges, the uncontrollable thirst for blood—he couldn't be rid of it. And worst of all, he was terrified that he would lose control one day.
Completely.
He thought about his family. Annie. He couldn't let them get hurt. Not by him. He'd rather disappear than let that happen.
Sighing, Axel turned off the shower, feeling the sudden absence of water like a void. He grabbed the towel from the rack, drying himself with a mechanical motion, his mind distant, lost in the labyrinth of his dark thoughts.
Rowin had been generous to offer him a place to stay in his suite, especially after the chaos of the last mission. The house was massive, far more advanced than his old apartment. The doors didn't need keys; instead, they worked with digital security, and the design was sleek, modern, with an almost futuristic touch. Yet, for all its beauty and luxury, Axel felt uneasy here. There was something... off.
Draping the towel over his shoulder, Axel moved towards his discarded clothes. His old ones lay in a heap, torn and soaked in blood and who knows what else. He grimaced. Wearing those again would be a disgusting affair, and he could already imagine Annie's voice nagging him about hygiene.
Axel whirled around, his breath catching in his chest. Rowin stood there, casually leaning against the doorframe, a twisted grin plastered on his face. His eyes, once familiar, now gleamed with something dark, something unhinged.
"You... killed them? Why? Why would you do this?" Axel's voice cracked, unable to hide the emotional weight behind the words.
Rowin chuckled, his grin widening as he stepped into the room, his boots splashing in the blood as though it were nothing more than water. "You ask *me* that? After all the lives you've taken? We're the same, Axel. You and me. There's no difference."
Axel's hands curled into fists. "No. I'm not like you."
"Really?" Rowin's eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "You think you're innocent? You think you're not a killer? I've tasted it, Axel. I've ascended beyond humanity, just like she said. You have too.
We both have."
Axel's heart pounded in his chest as Rowin's voice grew louder, more frenzied. He could hear the voice—the sinister whisper—rising in the back of his mind.
**[Devour...]**
"No..." Axel muttered under his breath, his eyes wide. The voice was growing louder.
**[Devour!!]**
Axel's vision blurred as the voice grew more insistent, overpowering his senses.
**[DEVOUR!!!]**
***Author's note***
Trying to recover... Can't post 3 today because of my health, thanks for reading and baring with me. Please support.