As he knelt beside her, the weight of the situation pressed down on him. The room was filled with an oppressive silence, broken only by Ray’s ragged breathing and the faint, painful gasps of Es. His face was a mask of anguish and resolve, the fear of losing her mingling with his determination to do whatever it took to save her.
Ray’s hands hovered over Es, his mind already calculating the next steps. The urgency was palpable, and he knew that ti was of the essence. The task ahead was daunting, but his determination burned brightly. He had to act quickly—every second counted.
Ray’s heart raced as he entered the room, driven by a desperate urgency. The faint, trembling voice he’d heard in his mind had been Es’s, repeating "3-0-1" before the connection was lost. Panic surged through him as he searched for any sign of her.
As he entered, the sight that greeted him was horrifying. Es lay on the floor, her hand drenched in red blood. The blood soaked through her fingers, staining the floor beneath her. The crimson streaks were stark against her pale skin.
A short distance away, a r was sprawled on the ground, blood pooling around him. The blood around the r was unmistakably his own, not Es’s. The scene was a grim tableau of violence, with the r’s unconscious form and the blood painting a harrowing picture.
Ray’s face went pale as he processed the scene. His eyes darted between Es and the r, struggling to make sense of the chaos. He hurried to Es’s side, his hands trembling. "Es, what happened?" His voice was laced with fear and concern as he reached out to her.
As soon as Ray tried to rush towards Es, just inches away from reaching her, a sudden, invisible force slamd into him, sending him flying backward. He crashed into the corner table with a sickening thud, groaning in pain as he grabbed his shoulder. The impact reverberated through his bones, and for a mont, everything blurred. The force was too strong—if not for the eagle beast’s protective energy around him, he knew the blow could have easily been fatal.
Breathing heavily, Ray struggled to his feet, using the edge of the table for support as his legs trembled beneath him. He winced but forced himself to stand, his gaze darting to Es. Her once-soft, familiar eyes were now a deep, ominous red, glowing with a feral intensity. It was as though she had lost all sense of herself, overtaken by sothing dark and uncontrollable.
**Damn it.** Ray cursed silently, his heart sinking. This wasn’t going to be easy—Es was far from herself, and whatever had taken hold of her wasn’t letting go.
But then, sothing else caught his attention. A scent, sharp and overpowering, filled the air. It was floral—sweet but heavy—and it triggered sothing in his mory. His eyes scanned the room frantically until they landed on a single flower on the table nearby. The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning: **the flower.** He knew that scent all too well.
It wasn’t just any flower; it was **wolfsbane**, a rare and deadly plant that could induce madness in those sensitive to its power. Its fragrance was subtle but lethal, and in this confined space, it was affecting Es.
Ray’s gaze hardened. He had no ti to waste. Pushing through the pain in his shoulder, he rushed toward the flower, every second feeling like an eternity. He could feel Es’s raw, volatile energy pulsing in the room behind him, but he forced himself to focus. He had to stop this, now.
Reaching the table, Ray’s hand shot out, grabbing the vase that held the cursed flower. Without hesitation, he hurled it across the room with all his strength. The vase shattered against the glass window, and the sound of breaking glass echoed through the room like thunder. Shards scattered everywhere, and the strong gust of air from the broken window began to sweep the toxic floral scent away.
But as the glass rained down and the echo of the shattering faded, Ray’s eyes snapped back to Es, praying that it had been enough to break the flower’s hold on her. His heart pounded in his chest, every muscle tense as he watched for any sign of change.
Es’s eyes remained unchanged, still burning with an unnatural, terrifying red. The gusts of fresh air from the broken window did little to clear the madness that had overtaken her. She had inhaled too much of that flower’s essence, far beyond what a normal mind could withstand. Ray’s heart sank as he realized the gravity of the situation.
Without warning, Es lunged at him, her movents unnervingly fast, her arms outstretched in a predatory fashion. Ray’s instincts kicked in. He dropped low and slid out of her path just in ti, but his montum carried him onto the bed. The mattress groaned under his weight as he struggled to regain his balance.
Es, having missed him by inches, spun around with unnatural grace. Her eyes locked onto Ray’s, their crimson hue now more beast than human. Ray’s breath hitched. He knew his own power; he had enough strength to fight back and subdue her if needed. But the risk... it was too high. If they clashed, everything would unravel—the carefully built facade, the secrets they had kept hidden. And worse, the injuries they’d inflict on each other would be devastating. Neither of them would walk away unscathed.
He began to retreat, his body tense, knowing he couldn’t attack her, not like this. "Es," he whispered, hoping that so part of her might still hear him, might still recognize him. But there was no response, only the hollow glow in her eyes.
With a chilling calmness, Es tilted her head, eyes never leaving him. Then, like a predator closing in on its prey, she moved towards him, her movents slow and deliberate. Before Ray could react, she was on top of him. Her hands, once gentle and familiar, now gripped his throat with an iron-like force.
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