Damon did not know how long they all stood there unmoving. He didn't even know if his perception of time still existed, or even if he was still himself. All he knew was his heart didn't even feel like it was pounding.
It was only after Sylvia stood up, looking aroundāher face still covered in bloodāthat she frowned a bit, as if she didn't realize what was happening. She stood up, confused, her brow raised.
"Emmā¦ is there any reason why you guys aren't moving?"
Sylvia's confused expression and her words seemed to pull them back to reality. It was almost as if their sense of fear finally returned.
Their legs gave out, trembling with beads of sweatā¦ their faces were almost lifelessā¦
Damon forced down the fear, his head buzzing. He looked at Sylvia, who was covered in blood, but she looked alright. She wasn't even hurt. She had used her fingers to carve the words she was saying into the monolithā¦
But now her fingers looked fine. Her headāwhich she had bashed into the monolithāwas unhurt, only covered in blood. But she didn't even seem to notice.
Damon looked at her, his body wouldn't stop trembling. From the terrorā¦
"Yā¦yā¦ are you okay?"
Sylvia looked at him with an expression of confusion.
"I should be asking you thatā¦ you guys don'tā¦ I mean, you guys areā¦ you look like you've seen a living nightmare."
Damon looked at her, his eyes widened with fear and shockā¦
'Sheā¦ she doesn't rememberā¦'
He knew Sylvia well enough. True, she was picking up some of his less-than-savory habits, but even then, he could tell if she was lyingā¦ Right now she was just confused why they all looked so horrified.
Leona looked at herā¦
"Youā¦ Iā¦ yoā¦ weā¦ are covered in bloodā¦"
Sylvia blinked. "What are you talkiā"
She paused, her eyes wide. Her armor's awakened shellāher Ascendant armorāwas matted with blood, its fabrics slick with redā¦
She did not understand where the blood came from.
"Thisā¦ whenā¦"
Evangeline looked at her.
"Itā¦ the blood is yoursā¦"
Sylvia looked horrified, her hands suddenly trembling. She didn't remember anything. She couldn't. The last thing she remembered was reading the last line on the monolithā¦
The line that had called the goddess of doomā¦ the goddess of the abyssā¦ When she read that part, everything had gone blackā¦
Now here she was, supposedly covered in her own blood. Her friends looked like they'd seen something horribleāsomething terrifying beyond what words could defineā¦
While she was covered in bloodāher bloodāyet she remained unharmed. If anything, she felt better than everā¦
Damon stood up, his hands trembling. He bit his lips to suppress the shaking. Even his Remorseless skill didn't dare kick inā¦
That was how horrible, it had been.
He placed his hands on her faceā¦
"Are you okayā¦"
She nodded slowlyā¦
"Iā¦ I am fineā¦ I don't knowā¦"
She couldn't be sureā¦ Hearing her say those words, Damon nodded. He held his trembling hands. The others were all on their buttsā¦ fear in their eyesā¦
He took a deep breath, slowly sitting down on the groundā¦
For a few minutes, there was silence.
Leona slowly spokeā¦ not addressing anyone in particular.
"Whā¦ what was thatā¦"
Damon bit his lips. He was hoping no one brought it upā¦ he didn't even want to think about it.
But sometimes it was best to share one's fears. He couldn't deny them that reliefā¦
Matia lowered her head into her knees.
"I don't knowā¦ itā¦ it felt like I was looking at the endā¦ not like dyingā¦ justā¦ the endā¦"
She bit her lips, her eyes wideā¦ "It was looking at meā¦"
Evangeline gritted her teeth. "It wasn't attacking usā¦ I just couldn't even imagine doing anythingā¦ I didn't even dare feel fearā¦"
She pulled her golden hair. "Whyā¦ why did something like that have to be hereā¦ why, whyā¦"
Xander looked at the skyā¦ "It felt like a godā¦ but notā¦ it felt good, benevolent, right? But so evilā¦ so wrongā¦"
Sylvia lowered her headā¦
"I was possessed, wasn't Iā¦ by itā¦"
The others were all quietā¦ Xander bit his lipsā¦
"Thiā¦ this is something the temple would know how to handle bestā¦"
Sylvia paled. The others all lowered their headsā¦
Involving the temple was the worst possible outcomeā¦
Damon sucked in a breath of cold airā¦ the kind that bit at his lungs and sent a shiver down his spine. What they had seen here today was more than enough for the temple to want them dead a million times overā¦ and Sylviaā¦ her getting possessed? That alone would be enough for the High Clerics to brand her as an abomination.
Even if she was born into powerāeven if she stood at the summit of noble bloodlinesāthe temple wouldn't hesitate.
They'd send assassins in the dark. The kind who didn't miss.
Damon stood up, his legs barely cooperating. He had to protect her. Somehow. He forced a laugh, dry and hollow, scraping past his throat like sandpaper.
"A godā¦ yeah right. As if a god would possess Sylvia," he muttered, shaking his head with exaggerated disbelief.
"I can't believe you guys didn't realize it when it was so obviousā¦"
They all turned to him, eyes wide, clinging to the hope in his words, desperate for a reasonāany reasonāthat would make what they saw easier to swallow.
"That wasn't a god," Damon continued, his tone sharpening with each word, "It was the same horror that attacked me earlierā¦ if I had to guess, it's because Sylvia has spirit affinity. That's why it managed to get to her."
Their expressions shiftedāless shock, more realization. Still frightened, but now clinging to reason like a lifeline.
"Spirit affinity makes her vulnerable to possession," he said slowly, eyes fixed on the broken monolith smeared with dried blood. "Especially if her heart is full of doubtā¦"
He pointed to the ruined stone monolith, his hand trembling slightly.
"Sylvia's heart must've cracked the moment she saw the monolith referring to the goddess with suchā¦ blasphemy. That doubtāit must've opened a gap inside herā¦ the horror used that gap to slip in and take control."
He clenched his jaw as he finished spinning the lie.
"If I had to guessā¦ it used her to carve those words into the stone. But it didn't kill us, so it left. Possessing Sylvia must've cost it somethingā¦.or we weren't killingā¦"
The silence that followed was heavy, but not empty.
Their shoulders dropped. The terror in their eyes softened into a cautious understanding. If it wasn't divine, then maybe it was just something that could be foughtā¦ avoidedā¦ even defeated.
Xander let out a shaky breath, head lowered. Dark rings hung under his eyes like bruises from a nightmare that refused to fade. A tear slipped quietly down his cheek.
"Itā¦ it was just a trickā¦ thank the goddessā¦"
Damon nodded slowly, his face unreadable. But deep down, he knew what he'd said was a lie.
That thing hadn't just been a trick. Sylvia hadn't been possessed by some random spirit. No, she'd been usedācontrolled by a divine artifact. One capable of channeling a god's will, even if only briefly.
True she wasn't possessed by a godā¦but she still carried out his divine will.
He turned his gaze to the monolith, the words etched in blood still flowing faintly on stone.
'I was right,' he thought. 'The unknown god has plans for Sylviaā¦ but why? What isn't she telling usā¦ what did she do to be given such a vile gift?'