Dark Shadow of Iblis

Theo and Catallina stared at the injured Lord Elias, and curiosity filled their minds. Lord Elias, feeling defeated and his strength waning, finally decided to speak.

"You guys... you must want to know, right?" sighed Lord Elias.

Theo and Catallina looked at each other, expectantly.

"Yes," Theo replied carefully, "we want to know why you're doing all this."

Catallina joined in, a curious expression gracing her face, "And why did you create this plague?"

Lord Elias paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "I did this... to revive my two children... and my wife."

Theo was shocked. "Your children and your wife?"

Catallina also expressed her confusion, "But why in such a cruel way?"

Lord Elias felt very remorseful. "Iblis... Iblis gave me a chance. He said that he could bring them back to life, but on one condition... a sacrifice of 100 lives. He... he wanted human lives as sacrifices."

Lord Elias felt very sorry. "Iblis... Iblis gave me a chance. It said that it could bring them back to life, but on one condition... a sacrifice of 100 lives. He... he wanted human lives as sacrifices."

Theo was surprised to hear that, "100 lives?"

Catallina looked at Lord Elias with a pained expression, "That's so terrible."

Lord Elias, with a deep sense of guilt, replied, "I miss them... they were everything to me."

Theo realized the difficult decision Lord Elias had faced, "But, that cannot justify your actions."

Catallina, with sympathy, said, "You have caused the suffering of many people."

Lord Elias felt very guilty, "I know... I know... but what else could I do? I'm trapped in my promise with Iblis."

Theo reminded, "It's over, Lord."

Catallina, in a serious tone, added, "We will bring you to justice."

Lord Elias accepted his fate with resignation, "Do what you will."

Theo and Catallina had mixed feelings. They realized that Lord Elias was, after all, a victim of a powerful demonic trick. But they also knew that they had a responsibility to save the town of Blanchill from the terrible plague he had created.

No sooner had the door suddenly opened than Theo and Catallina were shocked when the temple priest suddenly appeared among them.

The priest in a calm voice said, "It's time to settle this."

Theo and Catallina were taken aback by the priest's sudden arrival. They looked at each other, not knowing what would happen next.

The priest faced Theo sternly and said, "Young man, leave the rest to me."

Theo, confused, asked, "The rest? What do you mean?"

The reverend then cast his gaze towards Lord Elias who was already on the verge of death, giving a wordless hint.

With a serious face, the Priest took out a vial filled with black liquid and held it up. "I will cancel this ritual," said the priest.

However, before they could speak further, Lord Elias, who was lying weakly on the floor, spoke with dark eyes and a hoarse voice, "Please, priest... you must fulfill your promise... the sacrifice has already been paid..."

Theo was surprised to hear Lord Elias' request. Catallina tried to understand the meaning of Lord Elias' mysterious words.

The priest said in a firm voice, "Your promise is a grave sin, Lord Elias. You have allowed yourself to be ensnared by the darkness."

Suddenly, the priest took out a small knife hidden under his robe. He approached quickly towards the weakly lying Lord Elias.

Theo, who was surprised by the priest's sudden action, asked in a shocked tone, "What are you going to do?!"

Before Theo and Catallina could react, the priest attacked Lord Elias with the small knife, thrusting the knife twice into Lorad Elias' heart. The pain was excruciating, and blood began to flow profusely from the wound.

Lord Elias, with a weak and breathless voice, spoke, "Priest... grant... promise..."

Theo and Catallina could only watch this gruesome scene without being able to do anything. Lord Elias, the evil ruler, now lay dying on the floor, and the priest looked cold and merciless.

The priest, with his sharp gaze now directed at Theo and Catallina, said, "This is the end of this darkness. Now, the city of Blanchill has been freed from this curse."

They saw Lord Elias breathe his last, and the room that had been filled with tension was now silent. Finally, the battle that had raged for days was over, and the town of Blanchill could breathe a sigh of relief.

But Catallina who stood behind Theo, with her keen observation, saw something unnatural move in the priest's eyes.

Catallina, who was quick to respond, warned loudly, "Theo, stay away from that priest!" Theo immediately turned his body to look at Catallina, and the girl continued seriously, "He's a member of a demon cult too!"

Theo quickly followed Catallina's words, moving away from the priest who had suddenly become very suspicious.

In tense silence, they waited for an answer or reaction from the priest who seemed to be the mastermind behind all this mess. The priest stood in the center of the room, and his gaze was full of deep darkness.

Theo, with a stern and determined expression, asked, "You're the mastermind behind all this, aren't you?"

The priest, with a cold and expressionless voice, replied, "You're right, heir."

Catallina, with an unstoppable sense of anger, continued, "You deceived us!"

The priest, with a horrifying laugh, replied, "You're so naive, I'm not Iblis worshipper you think I am!"

Theo looked towards Catallina, his face filled with confusion.

Catallina, in an attempt to reassure Theo, spoke firmly, "Don't believe a word he says, Theo. I saw black liquid moving in his eyes!"

The priest, with an alarming sense of haughtiness, declared, "I told you, I'm not a cultist. I am Iblis himself!"

As that terrifying statement echoed through the room, Theo and Catallina felt transfixed by an aura of darkness that suddenly enveloped them. The room seemed to constrict, and they found it difficult to breathe, their chests seemingly suffocated by the invisible coils of rope strangling them.

The priest, with a look full of satisfaction, continued, "For thousands of years I have waited for this moment, and in thousands of ways I have taken their souls as sacrifices. I will soon become whole! I will influence many humans and absorb their filthy souls. If you don't come to interfere, I will succeed in sucking out all the souls of the residents here. Then..." The priest picked up the bottle containing the constantly moving and disgusting black liquid and greedily gulped it down. "I'll be whole again!!!"

Catallina, eyes flashing determination, threatened, "We will stop you!"

But before they could move to capture the priest, suddenly, black mist began to appear around the priest's body quickly.

The mist suddenly became thicker and thicker, and when it completely enveloped the priest's body, Theo and Catallina's bodies began to tremble violently, as if overpowered by a force they didn't understand.

Theo, with difficulty, tried to ask, "What... what happened...?"

Catallina, who looked shocked, replied, "I... I can't move!"

Both of them felt trapped in a force they could not control. They both seemed to be sucked into a terrifying trap, and their bodies were completely no longer subject to their will.

The black mist enveloped them completely, making them unable to move, speak, or do anything.

In the eerie darkness, a horrifyingly flat voice began to echo from behind the fog wrapped around them.

A mysterious voice with a tone filled with horror, "You are my heir."

Theo and Catallina tried hard to scream or struggle, but they were transfixed in the deepening darkness as if their bodies and minds had been ripped away by an uncontrollable force.

The Mysterious Voice trembled in the dark silence of the night, a terrifying laugh haunting Theo's inner space. "You cannot escape your destiny," it said in a deep voice that pierced the heart.

In an instant, in the dim light that played with his shadow, a mysterious figure leaped before Theo. The shadow carried a dark and eerie presence. His voice belied the cacophony of the storm. "You are my heir," it snarled in a raspy voice that shook the soul.

Theo was transfixed in his confusion, his eyes radiating confusion and fear. He pondered, trying to make sense of the mysterious words. Before he could respond, the shadow surrounded him swiftly. In an instant, a cold dark hand grabbed Theo's face.

Theo screamed. "What are you doing?!" Theo's scream echoed in the night, breaking the silence.

He struggled to break free from the shadow's grip. The mysterious power flowing from the shadow rendered him almost helpless, making every fiber of his muscles struggle in his desperate attempt.

In his soul-crushing panic, he grabbed his sword and glinted in the dim light of the night. With a determined motion, he swung his sharp blade toward the shadow that seemed so close.

However, like a ghost of darkness, the shadow evaded his attack with astonishing agility. They spun in an invisible dance of death, like the wind passing through the night, and soon the shadows were all around Theo, threatening him from every angle.

The shadows echoed with an eerie voice, a voice that sounded like a cry of chaos from the abyss of hell. "You won't be able to escape your destiny," it whispered in a tone that shook his soul, filling the air with infinite tension.

Theo felt a deep shock wash over him. Anxiety engulfed him as the shadows squeezed him tighter. In the faint light, his eyes searched for a way out, but the shadow was invincible, and its assault was inevitable.

The shadow let out a terrible, heavy laugh, a sound that was like the boom of lightning during an approaching storm. Its laughter filled the air, echoing throughout the room and penetrating Theo's heart. Goosebumps ran down his spine, and fear grew even greater within him.

With a voice that filled the entire room, the shadow said, "You are my heir, remember that!" its voice split the silence of the night, igniting a deepening fear within Theo.

However, before Theo could respond further or seek answers to the questions that haunted him, the shadow like a bolt of lightning shot through the window of the room, leaving Theo transfixed in confusion and deadlock.

Theo whispered. "What... What is it?" he whispered, trying to grasp the thread of the mysterious events that had just transpired.

The room fell back into a tense silence. However, with the mysterious shadowy presence that had appeared so suddenly, Theo felt that there was a much bigger and darker force than he had ever imagined in their rescue mission.

As well as the battle that awaited them, which was filled with unsolved puzzles and dangers that lurked in the deep darkness of the night.

Theo turned to Catallina, he saw the girl lying unconscious.

*****