"...come join us..."
Nemo shivered violently. The whispers clawed at the edges of his sanity, insistent and seductive.
"We know... we can free you... from your pain..."
He felt sick. Waves of nausea rippled through him, causing him to double over the sink. His trembling fingers clung desperately to the porcelain edge as the world spun around him. Nemo vividly remembered the moment he'd been ripped awake, violently torn from the comforting oblivion of sleep.
He could still feel the invasive presence burrowing into him, piercing his soul, and embedding itself in his very being. Memories surged forth uncontrollably—visions, fragmented and sharp. One vision was of a desolate world cloaked entirely in mist, shadowy and silent. Another showed him a metallic realm, an entire landscape frozen mid-motion, encased in shimmering silver. But the last vision...
Another piercing stab of pain tore through him as the final, dreadful image forced itself into his consciousness.
"Forget them... We can help you..."
Nemo shook his head bitterly, fighting tears that pooled hotly in his eyes. Lies. All lies. He understood too well the sinister promises whispered sweetly into his mind. He knew exactly what had happened to him. Rooting—an awakening filled with torment and madness, a condition that transformed ordinary people like him into something twisted, tainted.
"Please let this just be a nightmare," he muttered desperately.
But reality answered harshly. Pain crashed through his body again, fierce and unyielding, brutally grounding him in this horrifying new existence. He had no choice. He had to report himself to the authorities.
His gaze slowly lifted from the sink, stained with traces of blood and vomit, meeting his reflection in the mirror. His light brown hair was tousled and sweat-soaked, his blue-brown speckled eyes dull with exhaustion. Normally, he appeared fit and strong, shaped by years of physical labor beneath Atlantis's unforgiving sun. But now, the face staring back at him was gaunt and hollow, a ghost of the man he once was.
His hands trembled violently as he activated the automatic faucet and splashed cold water onto his face, desperate for clarity.
"Aren't you coming soon?"
The whispers came again, countless voices layering over one another, gently brushing past his ears. Goosebumps prickled down his spine.
"No," he whispered defiantly, though doubt lingered in his voice.
"Nemo, are you in there?"
A familiar voice jolted him upright. Fen. Of all mornings, he'd forgotten his friend was always awake early. Trying desperately to steady his breath, Nemo rasped, "Yeah, give me a second."
Taking a deep, shaky breath, he swung open the bathroom door, immediately regretting meeting Fen's concerned eyes.
Instantly, reality shattered around him. Fen's familiar form twisted grotesquely, morphing into a towering beast that dwarfed the highest skyscrapers in Atlantis, its massive claws reaching greedily towards him. Nemo gasped, stumbling back against the bathroom wall as the illusion vanished, replaced once again by Fen's worried expression.
"Whoa, Nemo, are you okay?" Fen stepped closer, concern etching deep lines across his face.
"...eat him..."
Nemo swallowed hard, suppressing his panic. "Yeah," he croaked weakly. "Just slept badly. I'll be fine."
Fen hesitated, clearly unconvinced. "Did you... have a certain dream?"
Nemo froze, dread sinking into his stomach. Fen wasn't like the others. He wouldn't dismiss a lie easily. Fen had witnessed the same horror before; his sister had undergone rooting, and he had been there through every devastating stage.
Gathering what little courage he had, Nemo spoke quietly. "What did your sister do when it happened to her?"
Fen's face darkened with painful memories. "At first, she tried to end her life. Then she tried to end ours. Eventually, madness consumed her until the Chain Keepers finally took her away. You seem... better off right now, though."
"...tear him apart... devour him..."
"I'm handling it," Nemo muttered, forcing his voice to stay steady despite the monstrous tentacle he saw wrapping tightly around him, crushing his breath away. Fen's expression contorted, grief and anger battling for dominance.
"This damned curse... this tainting! Why did it have to take you, too?" Fen's voice cracked, the edge of tears evident. "You don't understand. You're tainted now, Nemo. You've crossed the line; you're no longer mundane. Even if you survive the trial, they'll train you, then throw you to fight endless horrors until you break."
Fen's face twisted grotesquely, skin splitting open to reveal writhing tendrils of darkness and countless needle-sharp teeth glistening with blood, yet tears still streamed from eyes impossibly human amidst the horror. "You're already dead," he whispered hoarsely, his voice distorted and monstrous yet heartbreakingly familiar. "Just like my sister—"
Nemo looked away sharply, eyes fixed resolutely on the stairs. He couldn't bear to watch Fen crumble, nor could he afford to listen to the sinister suggestions filling his mind.
"...destroy him... eat him... end it..."
Fighting the overwhelming urge, Nemo rushed past Fen, down the stairs, barely registering his friend's muffled sobs. His feet pounded urgently against the steps, propelling him forward. Fortunately, the corridors were still quiet in the early hours, sparing him from curious eyes and prying questions.
Bursting from the building, Nemo found himself on the bustling streets of Atlantis, the great swimming megapolis forever drifting across vast oceans. Dawn was just breaking, painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson, but Nemo was too consumed by internal agony to appreciate its beauty.
Another wave of intense pain slammed into him, threatening to buckle his knees. He staggered forward, gripping his head tightly as the whispers grew more insistent, increasingly vivid.
"...we are near... come below... join us..."
Visions assaulted him relentlessly—horrors from deep below Atlantis, monstrous shapes writhing and beckoning, their haunting calls resonating powerfully in his bones. Each step grew heavier as Nemo forced himself forward through the eerily quiet streets, fighting desperately against the sinister promises echoing in his mind.
"...we know the answers to many questions..."
He blinked, momentarily disoriented, finding himself standing at the entrance to the subway station. How he'd ended up there, he had no idea. The whispers coiled seductively around him, pulling him towards the darkness below.
"...we know the reason behind the cataclysm..."
He stood before the entrance, his mind splitting, driving him inside and keeping him out, logic and madness wrestling for control. But he didn't know which part was which.
"...we can tell you about your family..."
Taking a shaky breath, Nemo realized his choice was already made. He stepped forward into the dimly lit stairwell, descending slowly into the waiting shadows.