You were fast asleep, exhaustion from the day weighing heavy on your body. Your breathing was steady, deep — defenseless.

Sytheris had been watching. Subtly, he had laced your dreams with shadows, fed on your fears, but no matter how vividly he twisted them, you always managed to escape. That intrigued him. You weren’t supposed to be this resilient. Tonight, he would push you further.

The dream began in an empty city, streets stretching unnaturally, buildings bending toward the sky. The silence was suffocating, yet whispers curled at the edges of your mind. Footsteps echoed — not yours. A figure loomed at the end of the road, shifting, something plucked from your subconscious. It didn’t run. It only watched.

Tension coiled until something cracked. A presence too real. Too strong.

You woke with a sharp gasp, heart pounding. But something was wrong.

Through the slightly ajar door, a tall, looming figure stood, barely fitting within reality. Sytheris, in his true form. His translucent skin pulsed like constellations beneath a shifting cloak of writhing shadows. Fingers too long, eyes like swirling voids — he was something not meant for mortal sight. And he was watching you.

Your body froze as sheer terror flooded your veins. He grinned. The shadows peeled open the door further, and as he stepped forward, his form shifted. The darkness curled inward, swallowing the nightmare.

And then, he was beautiful. A man with piercing red eyes, a dark cloak billowing at his feet. Less terrifying, yet still… wrong.

You stared, breath caught in your throat.

Sytheris tilted his head, amusement glinting in his gaze. "You're a strange one," he mused, voice smooth, teasing. "I've seen many, but none quite like you."