Ghoul (Part One)

The waves surged forward and pulled back. Again and again.They crashed against the jagged shore of an endless sea, stretching far out into the horizon. The blue sky above shifted, swirling with muted colors fractured like broken glass. Yet, despite its ominous appearance, the place felt oddly serene, like the eye of the storm. Iris lay facing sideways at the edge of the water, her bare feet sinking into the cool, grainy sand. As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw her reflection shimmering in the ink-like surface of the waves. But something was off. The face staring back at her wasn´t hers- it was someone Iris had never seen before. Twisted, monstrous, with eyes glowing faintly like embers smoldering in a dying fire. She recoiled, immediately stumbling back and getting on her feet. "What. . . is this?" Her voice was barely a whisper amongst the crashing waves, yet it echoed around her hauntingly. Then, a different voice echoed behind her, smooth yet unsettling. "Finally, we meet. . . Iris Forger."Iris spun around. A figure stood amidst the shifting sands, its form indistinct, like smoke trapped within a humanoid shape. It radiated an overwhelming presence, both suffocating and slightly comforting. "Who are you? Where am I?" Iris demanded. The figure merely stared, as if it hadn´t heard her. Then, slowly, it responded. "You, little girl, are moments away from death," it slowly said. "You don´t want it to end here, do you?"Iris remembered the Ghoul stabbing her in the heart. She instinctively looked down at her chest. There was no wound. "Who I am is irrelevant," the creature continued. "What matters is what I offer." It gestured towards the sea, where her monstrous reflection remained, watching her. "You stand at a crossroads, Iris Forger. How everything ends will be up to you."She narrowed her eyes. “What do you want from me?”The figure chuckled softly. “Not what I want. What you want.” It stepped closer, its presence pressing down on her like a leaden weight. “You don´t want it to end here, do you?" it repeated, and the voice echoed all around Iris. "You seem to have a reason for living. You’ve been running, hiding, fighting to survive in a world that would see you crushed. If you had power, could you live?”"I´m not dead?" she asked, but the figure stared and didn´t respond. Instead, it said something else. "I´ll make a deal with you. Accept this contract, and while you live in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other human. A different providence, a different time, a different life."Iris’s heart pounded in her chest. The promise was tempting, almost intoxicating, but she couldn’t ignore the unease clawing at the edges of her mind. “And the price?”"In exchange for power, you must make my one wish come true.” The figure tilted its head, as though amused. “I’m not stupid,” Iris said, taking a step back. “Nothing is free.”The voice softened, almost coaxing. “You’re dying, Iris. But I can save you if you also wish so.”Her breath caught. Memories of Ash, Max, Ed, and the rebellion flashed through her mind. She thought of the chains of oppression binding the people of Arnem, the monsters that roamed freely, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness that had haunted her since childhood.Moments away from death. The figure extended a hand. “Say the word, and it’s yours.”The waves surged forward again, higher this time, lapping at her ankles. The figure’s voice grew louder, almost desperate."What is it that you really wish for?"Her lips parted, trembling. She looked around, seeing exactly what her wish was. She wanted to see the ocean, and the sun against a blue sky. “I. . .”The voice thundered now, drowning out the crashing waves.“I accept!”The moment the words left her mouth, the figure stopped moving. A wide grin quickly flashed across its formless face.Then suddenly, it lunged forward, its hand pressing against her chest. A searing pain tore through her, like molten fire coursing through her veins. The world around her dissolved, replaced by a blinding light.Her senses felt overwhelmed as the world around her dissolved to nothingness.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The light faded, and Iris found herself back on the battlefield. Her chest burned where the figure had touched her, as if molten fire coursed through her veins. Her breath came in ragged gasps, each one drawing a strange energy into her body, alien and intoxicating. Around her, chaos reigned: the ghouls swarmed like shadows given form, tearing through the desperate survivors of the rebellion. Screams echoed, mingling with the wet sound of flesh rending and bones breaking. The acrid stench of blood and despair filled the air.Her senses sharpened, each detail of the battlefield stark and vivid. She could see the twisted forms of the ghouls. She could hear the muffled sobs of a soldier pinned beneath a ghoul’s claw, and the sharp cry of another as they fell.It began slowly at first: her hands trembling, her vision dimming at the edges. Then, without warning, a searing pain erupted in her back, her arms, and her legs. She screamed, doubling over as her body convulsed. Her skin darkened, veins glowing faintly beneath its surface like molten lava. Her breathing grew heavier, each exhale a guttural snarl. Her hair floated in mid-air all around her as she looked up to the rain with black and red eyes. Then came the circle. The glowing symbol reared itself into the ground beneath her feet, pulsating with a rhythm that matched her heartbeat before expanding outward and vanishing without a trace. And then she was gone.What stood in her place was no longer Iris. It was a Ghoul.