The eye stood above the altar.
It was large, the pupil curled into a thin slit.
The moment it opened, it was as though the surroundings had frozen in place.
The world refused to move.
Lazarus, Anne, and An'as could only stand completely still, their entire bodies frozen in place as cold sweat trickled down their back.
This was…
This…
What was this?
The eyes of the three trembled, their thoughts starting to fade.
The vertical slit of its pupil stretched endlessly, a void deeper than the abyss itself, and from it radiated a sinister red glow that pulsed like a heartbeat.
It wasn't just looking at them.
It was peering through them.
Every instinct screamed to flee, but their bodies were paralyzed. Trapped in that crimson gaze, as if even the notion of resistance had been stripped from their bones.
The eye knew them.
Every secret.
Every fear.
Every thought they'd ever tried to bury.
It knew it all.
…And the idea itself felt suffocating.
