The eye welled with water, as if about to cry. A single tear fell and, upon touching the ground, instantly filled the crater beneath it. The eye remained still and silent, blinking from time to time.
"Don't trust it..." the woman murmured, taking a step back while clutching her twisted arm.
Milo tried to sit up, but the poison from the red mist had left him weak. His muscles barely responded."What is that thing?" he murmured, his voice hoarse from the damage to his throat.
Shay looked at the crater, now filled with clear water. His throat burned, as if he had swallowed fire, and every breath was torture. Blood still poured from his leg—he knew it was only a matter of time before he dehydrated.
"Whatever it is," he said in a ragged voice, "it doesn't seem like it wants to attack us."
Gathering his strength, he pushed himself up using his uninjured leg. Limping, he began to approach the crater.
"Stop, you idiot!" the woman shouted. "We don't know what that thing is!"
Shay turned to face her. His face was pale, soaked in sweat and blood.
"We're going to die anyway if we don't find water," he said, pointing to his wound. "I'm already losing too much blood, and that mist's poison is killing us little by little."
The eye blinked slowly as Shay approached, tracking his every movement. The knight could feel that pupil fixed on him, as if it could pierce through his flesh and see straight to the bone...
"Shay... be careful," Milo murmured, barely audible in the vast chamber.
Shay nodded without looking back. Every step was torture. When he reached the edge of the crater, he dropped to his knees, leaning on the only leg that still obeyed him.In front of him, the water shimmered motionless—clear as a mirror.
The giant eye blinked again. This time, with greater intensity, as if it had fully locked its focus on Shay.
He hesitated for a moment. Then, driven by the thirst that burned his throat, he dipped his hands into the water and brought them to his lips.
The moment it touched his tongue, he felt almost immediate relief, as if the liquid was washing away the poison and pain from his body.
"It's... it's clean water," he murmured, surprised.
He drank more, eagerly, feeling how each sip brought a little strength back to his body. It was a strange sensation... as if the water wasn't just quenching his thirst, but cleansing something deeper within him.
Hearing this, Milo began to crawl. His arms trembled with each movement as he slowly pushed himself across the stone floor.
"Wait, dwarf," Shay said, trying to stand. "I'll help you."
"No... I can do it," Milo panted. "And I'm not a dwarf. I'm a halfling."
The woman watched the scene from a distance, her expression hard to read. Her eyes moved from the giant eye to the water, then to her wounded companions. A crease formed on her brow, as if she were trying to remember something important.
Meanwhile, Milo had reached Shay. The knight helped him get closer to the water.
"Drink, little warrior," he said with a tired smile. "You'll feel better."
Milo dipped his hands and drank. The relief was almost immediate. Color returned to his pale cheeks, and his breathing grew steadier.
"It's... incredible," he whispered after several gulps. "It's like I've never tasted real water before."
The eye continued watching them. Motionless, except for its slow, occasional blinks. The black pupil gently expanded and contracted, as if analyzing their every move.
Shay looked toward the woman, who remained apart, watching them in silence.
"You should drink too," he said. "It eases the pain."
She shook her head, not moving from her spot.
"I don't trust it," she replied, bringing a hand to her wounded neck. "There's something about that eye... it feels familiar..."
A malicious laugh echoed throughout the chamber, making the stones tremble.
The giant eye changed suddenly. Its pupil expanded until it nearly consumed the entire iris, becoming total darkness. The earlier calm vanished—the eye now radiated a thick malice, like an invisible fog that filled the room.
"What's happening?" Milo whispered, his voice trembling with fear.
"Nothing good..." Shay replied, his face tense.
The ground began to shake violently beneath their feet. Cracks split the ceiling above, and chunks of stone came crashing down with thunderous force. They struck close enough to rattle them—but not close enough to kill. Not yet.
Shay tried to stand, but collapsed to the floor. His body, which had only just begun to recover, now felt heavy as lead. His wounded leg burned with new intensity.
"Not again," he growled through clenched teeth. "Milo, it's the Lotus!"
Milo was on his knees, clutching his head, as if it were about to explode.
The sensation was the same as before—only now, multiplied. As if whatever was watching them had grown tired of playing… and was finally revealing its true form.
It attacked their minds once more."No matter where you hide… I can see you. I can always see you..."
The voice echoed inside their thoughts, like poison spilling into every corner of their consciousness.
Milo collapsed onto his side, his body convulsing as he fought to resist the invasion.
"I... won't let you... win," he managed to say through clenched teeth.
Shay crawled toward him, each movement a battle against the invisible force trying to crush him. His mind filled with images of surrender, of a tempting peace found in complete submission—of eternal rest whispering sweet promises into his ear.
The woman watched the scene from a few meters away. Unlike her companions, she didn't seem affected by the Lotus. But even so, she remained still. She didn't show it, but a flicker of fear crept through her body. And for someone who never felt fear… that was saying something.
"It's useless to resist... and so much more comfortable to give in," said a voice, each word soaked in dark pleasure. "Don't waste your time struggling. Embrace your fate."
The voice echoed through the entire chamber. It was a rotten sound, as if corrupted by centuries of darkness and solitude.
The woman stepped forward.
"You..." she said, swallowing hard. "You're Bhael, aren't you? The god of death."
The eye pulsed, as if responding to her recognition.
"They know my name. How... touching," the voice replied, laced with mockery and twisted delight. "Not many remember it."
"It can't be..." Shay murmured.
"I'll come to visit you," the voice continued, each word like a poisoned caress. "I want to see you kneel... in person."
Shay saw people who looked like his family dying slowly before him, and he couldn't move to help them. He saw the fields of his homeland burning under a pitch-black sky. He saw his own hands covered in blood—blood of innocent people he didn't even remember hurting.
Before Milo's eyes, the faces of all those he had failed appeared. The ones he swore to protect... and couldn't.
Sad faces slowly twisted into masks of pain, staring at him with silent blame. The guilt crushed his chest more than any physical force could.
"Is that all you've got, Bhael?" the woman said, showing no sign of being affected.
The eye's pupil contracted suddenly, focusing on her with a force so intense it almost felt like pressure against the skin.
"Spawn of Astaroth..." the voice growled, thick with restrained fury. "You will come to know true terror..."