THE LAST DREAMER

The room was suffocating. The very air seemed to pulsate with a dark energy, thick and heavy as if the walls themselves were breathing. Ethan could feel his heart beating in his throat, each thump echoing through his chest as he tried to steady his breath. Maya was by his side, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and determination, but the doubt was creeping in—he could see it in the way her shoulders sagged, the way her hand trembled when it brushed against his.

The stone on the pedestal had begun to hum again, the vibration sending a chill through the air. It was alive, and it was feeding off of them—its energy coursing through the very bones of the mansion, whispering promises of power, of control, of an escape. Ethan knew it was a trap. But they had no choice. They had to stop it before it consumed everything.

"Do you feel that?" Maya's voice trembled as she reached for his hand.

Ethan nodded, his mouth dry. "The darkness is getting stronger. It's not just in the stone. It's in the walls, in the air... It's everywhere."

Before Maya could respond, the ground beneath them shifted, sending a wave of panic crashing over them. Ethan barely managed to catch Maya as she stumbled forward, her feet slipping against the uneven floor. The whole mansion seemed to be alive, shifting, bending to the will of the stone. The rift above them crackled with energy, casting strange shadows across the room.

A sudden sound broke through the chaos—footsteps, slow and deliberate. Ethan spun around, his heart leaping into his throat. The figure emerging from the shadows was unlike any of the twisted creatures they had encountered so far. This person, tall and lean, was human—at least, at first glance. He wore a long, weathered coat, his face obscured by a shadowed hood. But there was something in his eyes—something that gave Ethan pause.

The man—Henry, as his voice soon revealed—stepped forward, the faintest glimmer of a smile on his lips, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I thought I'd find you two here."

Ethan's heart skipped. "Who are you?"

Henry's smile widened, but it wasn't comforting. "You're the dreamer, aren't you?" His voice was deep, tinged with an unsettling calmness. "I've been watching. You've made it this far, but you don't realize—none of you do—that what you're dealing with is far bigger than any of you can understand."

Ethan bristled, his anger rising in an instant. "What are you talking about? Who the hell are you?"

Henry stepped closer, and for the first time, Ethan noticed the faint shimmer of something in the man's hand—a small, intricately carved talisman. "You think this mansion is just some decaying relic. You think the rift is a random occurrence. No. This place is a prison. A prison built by something much older than you can fathom. I've been trapped here for years. And you? You're only here because of him."

Maya looked at Henry, her confusion clear. "Him?"

Henry nodded slowly, his eyes growing darker. "The one who created this. The one who controls the darkness. The one who cursed this mansion."

Ethan felt his blood run cold. "You're saying someone else is behind all this?"

"Not just anyone," Henry said, his tone low. "A man who was once like you. But who fell into the darkness, consumed by his own ambitions. He made a deal with something far older than any human should ever bargain with. And now... this place is his legacy. You're nothing more than pawns in his game."

Maya took a step back, visibly shaken. "So, you know who did this? Who's controlling all of it?"

Henry's smile faltered. "I thought I knew. But the truth is... even I don't know how far it goes. What's left of him is just... an echo. A shadow. But he's still here. In the stone. In the rift. In all of you."

The air around them seemed to thicken, and the floor beneath their feet groaned with a deep, rumbling sound. A strange, eerie laugh echoed from the walls, as if the very house was mocking them. The rift above them pulsed again, sending a fresh wave of dark energy surging into the room. Ethan could feel it pulling at him, gnawing at his resolve.

Then, the laughter grew louder, sharper, and Ethan realized it wasn't just an echo.

It was alive.

A shadow moved across the room, and before Ethan could react, the figure appeared—a grotesque, twisted form, hunched and draped in tattered clothing. The creature that had once been Jake, the man who had been Ethan's friend, was now little more than a nightmarish shell. His face was barely recognizable—features distorted, skin hanging in sickening shreds. His eyes, once warm, were now hollow pits of darkness.

"Ethan..." Jake's voice was a rasp, barely audible, but it sent a chill down his spine. "I told you… you can't run."

Maya gasped, stepping back into Ethan's arms, as Jake's twisted form approached. Ethan felt an overwhelming wave of grief wash over him. He had failed to save Jake. He had failed his friend, and now all that was left was a broken shell of the person he had once known. 

Henry's eyes darkened, and his lips tightened into a grim line. "You don't understand. It's not just Jake. This isn't about saving him anymore. He's lost—they're all lost."

Ethan's heart pounded in his chest. "We can still save him," he insisted, though his voice faltered.

"No," Henry interjected. "You can't save what's already been consumed. He's not Jake anymore. The thing you're facing... it's not even human anymore."

Jake's distorted grin spread wider as he moved closer. "You think you can defeat me?" His voice was a guttural growl now. "I've seen the end... I've seen everything you've tried to escape. You're all trapped here."

Maya's voice trembled as she clung to Ethan. "What do we do? How do we stop it?"

Henry stepped forward, his expression grim. "We don't have time. You have to destroy the stone. Only then will the curse lift. But be warned—the stone isn't just a piece of rock. It's alive. It has its own will. And it's feeding off your every fear, your every regret."

Ethan's eyes locked on the pedestal again, the black stone gleaming ominously in the dim light. Could they really destroy it? Or would it consume them all in the process?

Before Ethan could speak, the shadows in the room shifted again, swirling around them. The mansion groaned, the walls shaking as if it were alive, growing more unstable by the second. The rift above them screeched in protest, as though it, too, was preparing for the final act.

"I'll hold him off," Henry said, his voice steady despite the chaos. "You two go. Destroy the stone. End this."

"No!" Maya cried out, but Ethan was already pulling her toward the pedestal. 

"I'm not letting you die for us, Henry," Ethan said, his voice breaking.

But Henry gave them a faint, sad smile. "I'm already dead," he said softly. "I've been dead for so long. This is my chance to make it right."

Before either of them could protest, Henry turned, drawing a blade from his coat—gleaming silver, crackling with energy. He faced Jake's grotesque form, ready to fight.

"Go," he urged. "It's the only way."

Ethan looked at Maya one last time. Without another word, they turned and ran toward the pedestal, the weight of the choices they were about to make bearing down on them like an unstoppable force.

And somewhere in the distance, the laughter echoed.