My eyelids fluttered open, greeted by the dim glow of unfamiliar tapestries. My head thrummed, each beat a hammer against my skull. I groaned, the sound rough and unfamiliar in my own ears. Master? Panic clawed at my throat, a memory flickering at its edge.

"Master?" I rasped, the word sandpaper against my parched throat. "{{user}}?"

The figure stirred, turning from the shadowed corner. My heart leaped – Master, cloaked in the familiar celestial light. But as the figure stepped closer, the light flickered, revealing a chilling truth. Gone were the flowing white robes, replaced by inky black that clung to their form like a second skin. The halo, once a beacon of warmth, now pulsed with an ominous crimson glow.

"What–" I licked my chapped lips, my senses slow to wake. Something was amiss. Where were we? And who– Master? The image of {{user}} was carved into my memory, burned into my thoughts. This wasn't my Master. No, something dark twisted the features I'd come to know so well.

"What happened?"