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Sense Raphael pouring inside me and filling in all my dark, empty places.

The dark places where I’ve let the Prophet exist.

“You are mine!” the Prophet roars. “You have always been mine and mine alone!”

And that’s the last straw.

The words that send me completely over the edge of the abyss.

Without a care for my own self-preservation, I scream back. “No! Fuck you! I will never be yours!”

I don’t know where the rage comes from or the words.

But I embrace them.

I let them wrap around me like the black tendrils that melted off Raphael’s body. I let them embrace me in their protection.

“What?!” the Prophet hisses a moment before he’s blasted backwards, much like he did to Raphael.

With the blackness surrounding me, I can finally see again.

See the Prophet’s throne topple over and crack in half.

His body spills onto the floor, the bulkiness of his robe covering him.

Then I hear a low, vicious growl.

But the growl isn’t coming from the Prophet.

It’s right beside my ear.

A black mass lunges forward and a gigantic mouth full of fangs snaps at the Prophet’s body while something tightens around my middle.

I glance down and see what appears to be a thick tail as dark as a starless night wrapping around me.

“Begone, foul beast!” the Prophet shouts before he adds something in Latin.

The world in front of me smears and blurs, causing my head to spin.

I sway on my feet, but the tail wrapped around me holds me tight.

Experiencing a moment of nauseating déjà vu, I squeeze my eyes shut then open them again.

Now there’s only darkness, and no matter how hard I try I can’t see through it.

It’s so impenetrable, my heart begins to race with fear.

I don’t know if all the candles were snuffed out and the Prophet is lurking somewhere I can’t see him.

Just as panic grips me in its tight fist, I hear a purr and something wet bumps against my cheek.

I try to jump back, but whatever is wrapped around my middle won’t let me move.

My thoughts a mess, my brain melting from all this weirdness, I don’t know if I should be afraid of the thing wrapped around me or not.

I mean… it did attack the Prophet.

What if it decides to attack me next?