Chapter 38: Darkness

The dimly lit chamber pulsed with flickering candle light. The atmosphere was cold, biting to the skin. Shadows slithered along the walls, coiling and uncoiling like serpents poised to strike. The room was silent except from a strangled gasp which echoed through the room as a figure struggled against an unseen force, dark shadowy veins constricting around his throat.

The man clawed at the tightening grip, his eyes bulging in desperation. Whispers of arcane power swirled around him, the shadows seemingly alive, feeding on his terror. The sinister tendrils came from a figure cloaked in darkness, only his silhouette discernible in the flickering candlelight.

A man gasped for air, dark veins wrapping tightly around his neck. He tried to pull the veins away, eyes wide with fear. The veins pulsed, feeding off his panic.

A figure stepped forward, hidden in the shadows. His eyes, gleaming with darkness.

"Traitor," the figure growled.