Beautiful night

The sinister voice, once again, echoed, this time with a disturbing laughter: "I am hungry!" The laughter reverberated in the minds of everyone, sending shivers down their spines.

As the living darkness advanced, several black hands began to emerge from the shadows, with long, thin fingers that moved like sinister tentacles toward those present. The atmosphere was filled with terror as everyone found themselves at the mercy of an unknown force emerging from the depths of darkness.

Johnny was paralyzed, watching the scene with wide eyes, while his own arms and legs were grabbed by those black and eerie appendages. They appeared to be arms, but something about them was disturbingly strange. They were not normal.

As the black hands held their limbs, Johnny found himself unable to use his Midas touch ability against them. Something in those living apparitions prevented him from utilizing his talent. Uneasiness grew within him as he wondered if those appendages were indeed "alive."

Slowly, from the darkness, a grotesque figure emerged, taking on the shape of a woman. Her body was shrouded in a cloak of shadows, and only the inky darkness of her long hair was visible beneath a pointed hat. The sinister gaze that emanated from her red eyes pierced the souls of everyone present.

That shadowy creature seemed to have emerged straight from a nightmare, an entity that defied the boundaries of reality. No one could blink, all eyes fixed on the mysterious figure that carried with it an aura of impenetrable darkness.

The creature looked at the couple with her sinister eyes and, with a twisted smile, uttered words that echoed throughout the forest.

"A happy couple?" She laughed sarcastically, the sound of her laughter echoing through the darkness, awakening various dormant creatures in the trees. As she approached the pair, her red eyes gleamed in the nighttime darkness, and her macabre smile made it clear that she would take pleasure in the misfortune of the young couple.

"Well, well! The classic tale of the noble girl who falls in love with a merchant, runs away with her love, and they all live happily ever after... Well, at least it usually ends that way! HAHAHA." The creature laughed, extending a dark and cold hand towards Monica, almost as if about to caress her face. However, instead, it gave the poor girl a little flick on the forehead.

Ruan, in turn, tried to turn his body to embrace his beloved; however, he felt a chilly touch on his shoulder. In the blink of an eye, he realized that the sinister creature was in front of him, wagging its index finger in a gesture of denial, as if admonishing him for being a mischievous child.

The couple felt like pawns in a macabre game, where each move of the creature only heightened their sense of helplessness. It was a nightmare that defied logic and reason, a terrifying experience that made them doubt their own reality.

The witch lowered her long, dark hand and began to play with Monica's hair, twirling it around her long fingers as if it were a child's game. Her red eyes burned with excitement as she spoke with a melodic and menacing voice.

"Let's play a game!" She murmured, her voice echoing like a sinister song through the forest. Monica swallowed hard, feeling a sense of terror run down her spine. What did this creature of darkness have in mind?

Meanwhile, Johnny watched the scene with caution. He was on the verge of throwing his dagger toward the witch's head but knew he was facing an unknown horror. More information was needed before he acted. He studied every move of the creature, evaluating her appearance, body language, and any signs of weakness.

The witch, with a magical and dark gesture, conjured two gleaming blades in her hands, one for each of the couple. The blades were sharp and glowed ominously in the dim light of the night. She then extended the blades through her dark hands toward Monica and Ruan, offering them as if conducting a macabre ritual.

The couple looked at the gleaming blades with reluctance and fear. They hesitated to reach out and take them, but the witch, with a sadistic laugh, played with the girl's hair and pronounced threatening words.

"If you don't play my game, you both die!" the witch said with a sinister tone.

The couple locked eyes, exchanging glances filled with hesitation and uncertainty. In the midst of a tense atmosphere, Ruan broke the silence, addressing his partner with a trembling voice: "Grab the knife, my love!"

With heavy hearts and the sensation that they were being pulled into a nightmare, the couple reluctantly took the blades offered by the witch.

They knew they had no choice but to participate in this ominous game.

As both held the blades, the witch was about to begin explaining the rules of the game, her sinister voice echoing in the air, when she was abruptly interrupted.

Ruan, overcome by despair and impulse, attempted to stab the witch who was playing with his beloved.

However, to everyone's surprise, the blade passed through the witch as if she were a mere illusion.

Johnny, who watched with wide eyes, saw Ruan's strike pass through the witch's figure. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he had considered launching an early attack on the creature, but now he realized it would have been in vain.

The witch mockingly laughed at Ruan's attempt and, with a ruthless voice, scolded him, "Do not interrupt me, you fool! I am giving you a chance to escape with your lives!"

Ruan went pale and horrified in the presence of the creature of darkness, understanding just how powerless he was against her.