Betrayal's Embrace: The Unraveling of Friendship

Stefan opened his eyes, and the first thing he did was to see if he was injured. But, he couldn't touch himself as he realized he was in his soul form. He was confused, but before he could think more deeply, he heard the same strange noises he heard before his death.

A shadow, specifically a strange man, was standing near his dead body and murmuring something. After coming close to the strange man, he realized that this strange man was wearing a cloak and he had a ferocious face. His face was so vicious that he still took three steps back, even if Stefan knew this man couldn't see him.

The man's face looked like many faces were glued together to create a face or particularly a being that he knew nothing of. Instead of his hands, claws were present there, and he held a strange-looking staff. Currently, he was performing something on the array. Only after observing did Stefan realize why he lost blood at an abnormal speed.

Upon closer inspection, Stefan discerned that the staff bore a chilling resemblance to a human head, its disjointed pieces fused together with fingers of varying lengths. Meanwhile, his own shadow danced and shifted incessantly, suggesting the presence of myriad unseen entities within it.

As Stefan observed intently, he began to distinguish numerous faces amidst the shadows, accompanied by the haunting cries of lingering resentment. Despite the overwhelming fear that gripped him, he found himself unable to vocalize his horror, for he was already beyond the realm of the living.

After some time, he calmed down. He decided to observe this strange man, he saw the claws had a strange mark of a creature wearing a crown and this same mark was drawn on the ground where his dead body was present.

Maybe this mark which gave off a dangerous feeling had something to do with his death. He was speaking in a strange rhythm, but each word gave off an ancient feeling with a special charm.

Stefan realized that there was another person present. For a moment he did not relate this person with Lucas, but after this person spoke he found something amiss.

Stefan only learned of the array's unique purpose when the young man next to the menacing figure posed the same inquiry, revealing its ability to absorb blood and amplify the lingering resentment within the shadows.

Something was wrong, his friend would never have this dark aura. He always gave a calm and peaceful feeling, and that was one of the reasons he became friends with Lucas.

Lucas spoke, '' I have already dealt with him, Master! It is a full moon today, now you just have to search if the remnants of his soul have disappeared, and then we can begin the ceremony.

After that, this body will be mine and I will snatch everything from him. His parents, friends, and even his special talent or should I say 'The Sword Physique'.''

''Hm,'' the strange man replied.

Stefan couldn't believe that the person he trusted the most would do something like this with him. In the state of extreme depression, he did not realize that his soul form was becoming more and more transparent.

In the fleeting moments before his consciousness slipped away, Stefan's eyes burned with a potent mixture of rage and profound sorrow. The betrayal cut deep, leaving him grappling with a torrent of emotions he struggled to comprehend. How could Lucas, someone he trusted implicitly, forsake him over something as enigmatic as his sword physique, a mystery Stefan himself had yet to fully grasp?

Upon opening his eyes, Stefan found himself surprisingly serene. "Perhaps I'll face punishment in hell," he mused, "but without my physical form, is this truly the end for me?"

As time passed, Stefan noticed tiny specks of white light converging towards him, though a portion of them were consumed by a singular spot that steadily expanded in size.

A mechanical voice interrupted his thoughts, commanding, "LET'S GO, HOST." Before he could inquire about his destination, he slipped into unconsciousness.