Jude swallowed hard. He wasn’t ready for this. He didn’t think he could be ready for this. But ready or not, the choice had already been made.
He turned to face the entity fully. It remained still, waiting for his next move.
He was its guide. Its anchor.
And for better or worse, it was his responsibility now.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and expectant. Jude could still feel the entity’s presence lingering at the edges of his mind, a weightless pressure that neither pushed nor retreated. It was waiting. Waiting for him to act, to decide. The realization settled deep in his bones, uncomfortable and irrevocable. He had taken the first step, but what ca next? What did guiding sothing like this even an? He had no reference for this, no rulebook to follow. Only instinct and the gnawing weight of responsibility.
The man beside him remained still, observing without interfering. It was clear now that he had known this would happen, that this mont had always been inevitable. Jude didn’t bother to ask for advice ,he wouldn’t get any. This was his burden to bear. He turned back to the entity, watching its dark, shifting form as it hovered in place. There was sothing unsettling about the way it moved, sothing unnatural. It wasn’t like smoke, wasn’t like liquid. It was sothing else entirely, sothing that didn’t belong in this world. Yet here it was, and it was his.
Jude took a slow breath, steadying himself. He had to test this bond, see how deep it went. "Follow ," he said, voice firm.
The entity pulsed in response, then moved. It didn’t walk, didn’t glide ,it simply shifted, appearing beside him without crossing the space in between. The sight of it sent an involuntary shiver down Jude’s spine, but he didn’t let himself flinch. It had obeyed. That was what mattered. He took another step back. "Stop."
The entity halted imdiately. No hesitation. No resistance. It was listening.
Jude’s mind raced with the possibilities, the dangers. He had control now, but for how long? Could it learn to resist him? Could it grow beyond his command? The thought sent a chill through him. He needed to set boundaries, establish rules before it beca sothing he couldn’t handle.
He took another breath. "You don’t move unless I tell you to."
The entity pulsed again, acknowledging the command.
"You don’t act on your own."
Another pulse.
Jude hesitated, then added, "And you don’t harm anything unless I allow it."
For the first ti, there was a pause before the pulse of agreent. A hesitation. A mont of sothing that felt like resistance, but then it was gone, and the entity accepted his words. Jude didn’t know whether to be relieved or concerned. Had it hesitated because it didn’t want to agree, or because it hadn’t understood?
He shook the thought away. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that it had agreed. For now.
The man beside him finally spoke. "You’re learning quickly."
Jude shot him a sharp glance. "Do I have a choice?"
The man’s lips curled slightly, almost amused. "No. But that doesn’t an most in your position would be handling it this well."
Jude didn’t feel like he was handling anything well. He felt like he was standing at the edge of an abyss, staring into sothing he could never fully comprehend. But there was no turning back. He looked at the entity again, studying it. It remained where it was, still and waiting. Despite its unnatural form, there was sothing almost... neutral about it. It didn’t feel malicious, didn’t feel violent. Not yet, anyway. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that it could be.
He needed to test it further. See what it could do. "Co here."
The entity obeyed instantly, shifting to stand directly in front of him.
Jude exhaled. "Change your shape."
The entity pulsed, then began to shift. It wasn’t smooth, wasn’t fluid. Its form twisted, stretched, folding in on itself as it tried to obey. Jude watched, fascinated and horrified, as it struggled to take on a new shape. It wasn’t like watching sothing transform ,it was like watching sothing learn how to transform. Like a child attempting a new skill for the first ti.
Finally, it settled. The darkness condensed, solidified. And before him stood... sothing humanoid. It wasn’t perfect. The proportions were slightly off, the edges too smooth, too uniform. There were no facial features, no distinct details. But it had arms, legs, a torso, a head. It was trying.
Jude felt sothing cold settle in his stomach. This thing wasn’t just listening. It was adapting.
The man beside him observed silently, but Jude could sense his interest.
Jude swallowed hard. "Turn back."
The entity obeyed instantly, lting back into its original formless state.
Jude exhaled, pressing his fingers against his temples. This was too much. He had no idea what he was dealing with, no idea how far this thing could go. But one thing was clear ,it wasn’t just so mindless shadow. It was thinking, learning. And that made it dangerous.
He turned to the man. "You knew this would happen."
The man inclined his head slightly. "I suspected."
Jude clenched his fists. "And you didn’t think to warn ?"
The man’s expression remained unreadable. "Would it have changed your decision?"
Jude opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. But it didn’t matter now. What mattered was figuring out what to do next.
He looked back at the entity, still hovering silently. It was waiting for him to act, waiting for his command. That realization sent a fresh wave of unease through him. This wasn’t just a tool, wasn’t just so summoned creature. It was his .
And that ant every choice he made would shape it.
He had to be careful.
He exhaled slowly. "We’re leaving."
The entity pulsed in response.
Jude turned and started walking. The entity followed without question.
The man didn’t stop him, didn’t say another word. But as Jude left the chamber, he could feel the weight of his gaze lingering on him, as though he was already watching the future unfold.
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