ATHERAMOND: Lord of the Cursed Pact.

The village was eerily silent at 11 PM. The villagers, still feeling uneasy from the unusual aura that surrounded it, were all tucked away in their homes.

The houses were lit by a dim and flickering candlelights, casting shadows that danced restlessly on the pale walls. The gentle hum of crickets in the background added an almost eerie melody to the calm night, but the atmosphere remained tense.

The air was filled with an oppressive feeling, as if the very shadows were hiding secrets yet untold. Villagers spoke in hushed voices, exchanging worried glances and whispered tales of the strange occurrences that had befallen their once peaceful community.

Sudenly, the quiet night was shattered by an agonizing scream, its spine-chilling sound echoing through the village. The villagers froze in their tracks, their eyes wide with terror. Panic spread like wildfire among them. They clutched their chests, their hearts pounding loudly against their rib cages. A chilling silence filled the air, punctured only by the sound of their labored breaths. Faces drained of color, they exchanged terrified glances, fear gripping their very souls. Anxiety hung heavily in the air, its oppressive weight almost palpable.

They huddled together, their eyes darting anxiously through the windows, searching for any sign of what had caused the terrifying scream. Their minds raced, their thoughts filled with the possibility of danger lurking in the shadows. The silence was excruciating, their senses heightened, their every muscle tensed, ready to react at a moment's notice. They felt their throats tighten, their breaths coming in short, ragged gasps as their minds wandered through worst-case scenarios.

Although the scream was unmistakably feminine, no one had the courage to step outside into the darkness. They gripped by fear of the unknown, chose to remain rooted to the spot. They clung to the flimsy notion of safety within their homes, unable to overcome the weight of their terror. No one dared to step foot outside, paralyzed by the prospect of confronting whatever dark entity had unleashed that bloodcurdling sound.

They were painfully familiar with these strange nightly occurrences. The supernatural disruptions had woven themselves into the fabric of their existence, casting an ever-present shadow of unease upon their small community. They had witnessed this pattern befor and each time, the fear grew stronger, mingled with a touch of despair.

Haunted by a familiar sense of dread, they braced themselves for another unsettling night. The darkness outside their homes held unknown perils, forcing them to grapple with the continuous specter of danger that seemed to define their existence. Even as they attempted to find solace in the safety of their houses, they knew the outside world held ominous secrets that could strike without warning, forever altering the tranquility they longed for.

The shadows outside their dwellings held secrets they dared not fathom, but it was a constant reminder of the lurking menace that loomed outside, ready to strike when least expected.

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∆ ☆⁠ ATHERAMOND ☆ ∆

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Far from this troubled village, Serene City pulsed with a different rhythm. Its bright streets, lined with bustling cafes and towering buildings, held a charm that whispered of hope and promise, a stark contrast to the despair that plagued the village.

Shanane and Aurora had just returned from college, their laughter cutting through the hum of city life as they stepped off the crowded bus. Aurora, smiled warmly as she invited Shanane to her house for the evening. Grateful for the company, she followed, eager to catch up and leave the weight of her studies behind.

Little did they know that as they strolled through the lively city, an invisible thread connected their world to the ominous events unfolding in the distant, shadowy village, a connection that would inevitably entwine their lives in ways they never anticipated...

After a relaxing bath and a satisfying meal, the two friends settled down on the cozy couch in the living room. The soft glow of the table lamp cast warm shadows on the walls, and the sound of traffic outside was muted and distant.

Shanane took a deep breath and smiled, feeling a weight lifting off her shoulders now that she was with her best friend. "I missed this," she said, her voice soft and content. "College has been pretty hectic."

"I know what you mean," Aurora replied, snuggling into the cushions. "It feels like we're always swamped with assignments and exams."

There was a moment of comfortable silence between them as they each collected their thoughts. Finally, Aurora broke the silence, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "So...how have things been going with you lately?"

Shanane shrugged, a slight frown marring her usually cheerful face. "Not bad, I guess. Just the usual college and internship stuff...

She smiled as she remembered something. "Well, there was this one interesting thing that happened a couple days ago," she began. "Nothing too exciting, really," she said, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "But there was this one thing that happened a couple days ago. I was at a café...and there was this ridiculously charming guy."

Aurora's eyes widened and a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Oh, oh! You have got to spill the details," she said, her voice filled with excitement. "This guy sounds like a total heartthrob. Tell me everything!"

Shanane chuckled "We kind of had this little staring contest, you know? Like when you lock eyes with someone across the room and neither of you can look away." I don't know, there was just something about him that caught my attention."It was pretty silly, actually."

Aurora leaned in, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "And did you talk to him? Did you get his name? Does he have a cute smile?" she asked, the questions tumbling out of her mouth in rapid-fire order.

"Actually, no..." Shanane began, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "He didn't come over to talk to me, and I didn't have the courage to make the first move either."

She shrugged, trying to brush off the feeling of regret that had settled in her chest. "It's alright, though. I mean, it was just a silly little staring contest, after all. Nothing to get too hung up on, right?"

Aurora's smile faltered a bit as she heard the disappointment in Shanane's voice. She knew her friend could be a little shy when it came to making the first move, and the fact that this cute guy hadn't approached her first must've stung a bit.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, resting a reassuring hand on Shanane's shoulder. "But hey, you never know. Maybe he'll come back to the café someday and actually talk to you. And if not...well, there are plenty of other cute guys out there, right?"

Shanane nodded, appreciating Aurora's words of comfort. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said with a small laugh. "I mean, I don't even know anything about him. He could be a total jerk for all I know."

"Exactly!" Aurora said, nodding fervently. "Maybe he's rude or has a terrible sense of humor.

As Shanane was about to reply, she suddenly froze, her heart skipped a beat as she heard a shrill scream. It seemed to cut through the air like a knife, sharp and filled with fear and pain. Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to make sense of the sound, her mind racing with worry and confusion.

A wave of pain washing over her as a high pitched cry pierced her ears. It was like a sharp, stabbing sensation, as if a dagger had suddenly been driven into her skull. The scream was so abrupt and intense that she couldn't help but recoil, her hands instinctively flying to her head in an attempt to block out the horrendous noise.

For a moment, she wasn't sure if she had actually heard it or if it was just her imagination. But then she heard it again, louder and more urgent this time, and her blood ran cold.

The scream echoed in her mind, its pitch and volume far more intense than should have been possible. It was as if she was hearing the scream not just with her ears, but with every nerve in her body. The sound was primal, full of raw, unadulterated terror and pain. The world around her seemed to spin and swim.

For a moment, it was all she could hear, the screech echoing through her mind like a wailing, tortured soul.

The high pitched scream suddenly cut off, leaving a tense silence in its wake. However, as the silence settled, another sound took its place- a low, eerie whisper, carried on a chorus of voices.

As murmurs echoed through the room, a shiver ran down Shanane's spine. It was as if a thousand different conversations were happening all at once, their voices blending together in a disconcerting symphony of soft murmurs.

The words blending and twisting in her mind, forming a dizzying array of sounds that seemed to swirl around her, closing in on them from all sides to encircling her. The voices whispered strange things that she couldn't quite comprehend.

As the whispers continued, Shanane's ears began to ring. She grimaced, lifting her hands to her ears as she felt a warm, sticky fluid trickling down her face. As she brought her hands away, she saw that they were smeared with a dark, red liquid, her ears were bleeding.

The voices continued their eerie whispering, the murmurs getting louder and more intense. As the sounds echoed around her, the young woman vision blurred, everything becoming a hazy, smeared mess. The room was swimming, swirling and spinning before her.

She felt unsteady, as if she might lose her balance any moment. The pain in her ears was now relentless, the blood trickling down her face adding to her disoriented state.

As she struggled to make sense of the dizzying scene around her, she suddenly heard her name being screamed by a familiar, terrified voice. Her head whipped in the direction of the sound, and her eyes widened. It was Aurora, her face pale and panicked.

"Shanane!" Aurora's voice was shrill, filled with desperation.

Shanane tried to say something, to reply, but her vision had darkened, and everything was spinning out of control. Her body gave way under her, and she collapsed to the ground.

As she fell, the voices and the whispers faded into silence, leaving only the sound of her own ragged breathing. Her face hit the ground, and she felt a sharp pain as her nose connected with the hard surface. The last thing she saw was the worried face of her friend above her before everything went black.

Everything faded into darkness, and Shanane's unconscious mind floated in a deep, dreamless sleep. The pain and the strange voices were gone, replaced by a silent stillness that was both peaceful and ominous.

Aurora was in a state of complete shock and fear, her heart was racing. She knelt beside her friend's unconscious form, her hands trembling as she shook her gently. "Shanane!" she called out, her voice a mixture of desperation and panic. "Shanane, can you hear me? Please, wake up!"

She had no idea what had just happened. One moment they were talking, and the next, Shanane had collapsed, her ears bleeding and her face ashen.

Aurora's heart was pounding in her chest, her eyes wide with shock and fear. What was going on?

A million questions raced through her head as she tried to shake Shanane awake, but her friend remained unresponsive. As she looked down, she saw the smears of blood on Shanane's face, and bile rose in her throat.

"No, no, no," she muttered under her breath, her hands still shaking as she continued to try to wake her up. "Please, Shanane, please wake up."

She reached out and felt for her friend's pulse, her fingers trembling as she pressed them against her neck. She was relieved to feel a faint, steady beat. But Shanane didn't stir.

Her hands shook as she reached for her phone and dialed the number for the ambulance. As the dispatcher answered, she quickly explained what had happened, her voice shaky and urgent.

"My friend...she collapsed. She's unconscious and her ears are bleeding. Please, send an ambulance immediately. I don't know what's wrong with her."