Chapter 45:  Containing Horrors


    Abel''s eyes snapped open, his breath hitching in his throat as the remnants of the dream clung to his mind like a thick fog. His heart pounded violently in his chest, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. The air in his room felt heavy, stifling—like something unseen was pressing down on him. He had dreamt of the lab again. The dark green liquid, the writhing shadows, and the horrific, distorted faces of the horrors. But this time, there was something more—a sense of vastness, of cosmic hunger.


    In the dream, he had gained fragmented memories of a horror that went by Star Eater—an incomprehensible being of the void, devouring entire stars with its monstrous maw, its form barely distinguishable from the darkness that surrounded it. He could still feel its presence, a deep, gnawing hunger lingering inside him. Abel sat up, running a hand through his damp hair, his fingertips cold to the touch. He tried to shake off the unsettling feeling, but it lingered, wrapping around his thoughts like a web.


    His reflection in the window caught his attention. The dim light cast strange shadows on his face, making his features appear gaunt and hollow. His eyes—he squinted, stepping closer—were not the same. For just a fleeting moment, they shimmered with a faint, distant glow. It was almost like the light of stars, but hollow and unsettling, as if they were being consumed from within.


    "What... what is happening to me?" he whispered to himself, staring at his reflection, but no answer came—only the echo of his own voice in the still room. He could feel it, though. Deep inside, something was changing, and he was terrified of what it might mean.


    …


    Meanwhile, Sena was struggling just as much. The moment he entered his room, an overwhelming sense of fatigue had washed over him. His muscles felt heavy, as though each step required tremendous effort. A dull ache pulsed through his body, and every breath felt labored. He collapsed onto his bed, his head swimming with dizziness. His hands trembled as he reached for the edge of the bed, trying to steady himself, but it was useless. He felt... off. Wrong.


    His skin, usually warm, was cold to the touch, yet he felt an unbearable heat coursing through his veins, as though an ember had been ignited deep within him. His vision blurred, and in the dim light of his room, he thought he saw smoke—just a wisp—rising from his hands.


    "Am I... burning?" Sena rasped, his voice hoarse.


    He pulled up his sleeve, and to his horror, he saw it—his skin was changing. It was faint, but beneath the surface, his flesh had begun to take on the texture of thick, tough hide. For a split second, he thought he saw the faint outline of dark, ember-like veins crisscrossing his arms, glowing faintly beneath the skin, as if his blood had been replaced with molten fire.


    He kept losing consciousness and having strange dreams involving a Devilish Bull. The memory of the horror surged back into his mind—its fiery eyes, the massive horns wreathed in black flames, and the way it seemed to breathe destruction. He had been infused with its essence, and now, that power was settling in within himself.


    "Dammit..." Sena mumbled weakly, collapsing back onto the bed. "Something’s... happening to me."


    …


    Abel knew something was wrong, and his instincts told him that Sena was likely going through the same thing. Without wasting a moment, he rushed to Sena’s room, the cold, gnawing sensation in his own body growing stronger with each step. When he opened the door, the sight that greeted him was far worse than he expected.


    Sena lay slumped on his bed, his skin slick with sweat, his breath shallow and uneven. His arms were tightly crossed over his chest, trembling as though he was in the grip of some unseen force. Abel noticed the faint shimmer on Sena’s skin—the same dark, ember-like veins that pulsed beneath the surface, glowing faintly like dying embers in a forge.


    “Sena!” Abel rushed to his side, shaking him gently. “Sena, can you hear me?”


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    Sena’s eyes fluttered open, his pupils dilating before narrowing into slits. He looked up at Abel, but there was a strange gleam in his gaze—something wild and primal. Abel could feel the heat radiating off his friend’s body, the air around him heavy with the scent of smoke and charred earth.


    “It’s... it’s inside me,” Sena gasped. “The Devilish Bull... I feel it... burning...”


    Abel recoiled slightly. It was the same for him—the Star Eater. He could still feel that insatiable hunger, gnawing at him, whispering in the back of his mind. It wanted to consume, to devour everything. He clenched his fists, trying to suppress the rising panic. He couldn’t let it take control.


    “I’m going through it too,” Abel said quietly, his voice trembling. “The Star Eater. I don’t know what it did to me, but... we need to figure this out. Ever since the experiment and my dreams… This name has been embedded into my mind.”


    Just as they were trying to make sense of their shared transformation, a soft knock sounded on the door, startling them both. Before either could respond, the door creaked open, revealing Nando, his face drawn with concern as he stepped into the dimly lit room.


    "Are you two okay?" Nando asked, his voice steady but low. His eyes scanned over Abel and Sena, taking in their disheveled appearances and the faint, unnatural glow in their eyes.


    Abel hesitated, glancing at Sena before speaking. "We... we''re having strange dreams," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Ever since the experiment... Something feels wrong. It’s like there’s this... presence inside of me. It’s not just the dreams, it’s... physical. I feel it changing me."


    Sena nodded, still lying back on his bed, his breath shallow but more controlled now. "The Devilish Bull... it''s in me too. I can feel the power, but I can’t control it. I don’t know what’s happening."


    Nando''s expression darkened as he shut the door behind him, his footsteps quiet as he approached them. "It’s part of the experiment," he said grimly. "FiendFinger didn’t just plan on fusing those horror characteristics with you—he was trying to extract them into himself. That’s what the ritual was for. He wanted to harness the power of those horrors, but... when I interrupted him, it seemed like the process backfired. The characteristics stayed with you instead."


    Abel and Sena stared at him, wide-eyed. "What does that mean for us?" Abel asked, his voice barely a whisper.


    Nando crossed his arms, his face thoughtful. "It means you''re going to be dealing with this for a while. The dreams, the symptoms—they''re part of the process. The characteristics are trying to settle within you, but you’re not just passive vessels. You have to understand these dreams, understand the power that’s trying to manifest. If you can tame it, control it... you''ll be stronger than ever before."


    Sena groaned, sitting up on the edge of the bed, still holding his head in his hands. "You make it sound so easy," he muttered. "But what if we can’t control it? What if... it takes over?"


    Nando shook his head, his voice firm. "It’s dangerous, yes. But this is also an opportunity. The power you’ve been given is far beyond what most could dream of. If you can survive this... you’ll be on a whole new level. The horrors are ancient, primal forces—if you can harness their power, you’ll be unstoppable."


    Abel’s heart raced at the thought, the gnawing hunger inside him still whispering in the back of his mind. The Star Eater. It wanted to consume everything, to devour all in its path. Could he control that? Could he truly tame something so vast and terrifying?


    Nando’s gaze softened slightly. "But you have to be careful. These characteristics... they’re not just power. They have a will of their own. If you let them, they’ll take control. That’s why the dreams are important. They’re your key to understanding what you’re dealing with."


    Abel and Sena exchanged a glance, their fear still palpable but now laced with something else—determination.


    Abel clenched his fists. "So, we have to fight back, learn from these dreams, and take control."


    Nando nodded. "Exactly. If you don’t, the characteristics will overwhelm you, and you’ll lose yourself in the process." He glanced toward the door, his expression tense. "For now, rest. Gather your strength. I’ll help you with what I can, but the hard part... that’s on you."


    With that, he left the room, leaving Abel and Sena alone once again. The unsettling silence crept back in, but this time, it felt different. It wasn’t just fear anymore. There was a flicker of hope.


    Abel sighed, lying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling. "We have to figure this out," he murmured, his thoughts still on the Star Eater.


    Sena grunted in agreement, staring at his hands, the ember-like veins still faintly glowing beneath his skin. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Before it’s too late."


    And so, they sat there, knowing that the real battle had just begun—the battle to tame the horrors inside them