Etched onto the polished wooden floor, lay a meticulously drawn pattern. Dark rusty brown etchings formed a pentagram enclosed within a surrounding circle, standing out starkly against the polished wooden planks. The blood had long since dried. It was evident that it had not been freshly drawn; it appeared to have been etched there long enough that the evidence of it was already deteriorating. Despite its worn state, the symbol still radiated a quiet power, as if the blood itself had been infused with malevolent magic.

"Au-"

"Darkness is a cryptic company Ada. The more you get known to it the more you wanna stay in. It becomes an obsession at some point."

Adjacent to the pentagram she could witness a crimson ink patch, appeared to have aged, its original vibrancy dulled over the time, leaving behind a haunting reminder of something ominous that had occurred in the space where once a comforting carpet used to rest.

"What in the-what is this?" She questioned, the sight sent a shiver down her spine.

"Ada have you heard the story of the Serpent Monarch from Dagasha clan who was left to be consumed by the darkness?" Auden asked a certain anguish smirk playing upon his lips.

It was enough for Ada to become so well aware that trouble loomed in the air.The realisation dawned upon her, filling her with a sense of dread.

"I don't even know-" She began but Auden cut her short, again.

"No, no. You know. So well. You know that Dagasha Monarch. Even his first name. Not many had call him by that,"

Ada could feel a lump clogging her throat. The air feel thick and her heart raced. She watched Auden step forward and standing in the middle of the drawing etched on the floor.

"You, just like everyone else-Did. Not. Bother."

And a sudden low, guttural groan escaped Auden's lips that straddled the line between human and something otherworldly.

"Auden... what-what's going on?"

Ada's heart pounded in her chest, the reality sinking in like an anchor dragging her into a sea of fear and uncertainty.

Auden had no reason to talk about the Dagasha Monarch in question nor a reason to have a pentagram drawn in the middle of the room. Unless...

Her brother's body contorted unnaturally, as if undergoing a surreal metamorphosis. Bones cracked and joints twisted,as if glitching like a malfunctioning entity. Something had changed within him, and it reverberated through his words, the sight unsettling. Nothing made sense about him at the moment except for the fact that it was all wrong and getting worse by the minute.

Auden let out a primal howl, a chilling blend of anguished cries and a haunting rasp that echoed the voice from her darkest nightmares, his form shifting into the very nightmare that had haunted her for so long. As if a veil had been lifted, the truth struck Ada with the force of a thunderclap.

"Auden..." He scream shook the whole Luna Sanctum.

A malicious chuckle filled the air. And the thing standing in front of her eyes was no longer the brother she knew. It was him-the one she had suspected. The voice that had haunted her nightmares and whispered malevolence into her darkest fears.

Gan Gagagore. The Dagasha Monarch who failed to conquer his inner darkness and ultimately went insane. She knew him better than anyone else. She knew the person he was before the darkness consumed him in whole. She knew the person he became afterwards: the reason why she was not allowed at Luna Sanctum anymore.

She couldn't fathom how the monster from her past, the one haunting her dreams, had merged with her brother. While she wasn't entirely sure about the process, she suspected the ominous pattern drawn on the floor in front of her might hold an explanation.

From the waist up, it retained the visage of her brother, yet the skin had an otherworldly pallor, akin to the hues of death itself. Eerie patterns etched into his face bore a striking resemblance to scales, distorting his once-familiar countenance. His lips had taken on a sickly shade of blue, and as Ada looked up, they had been replaced by emerald orbs, their slitted pupils that she loathed so much.

From the waist down, the snake spirit transforms into a sleek, serpentine body, covered in glistening, iridescent scales that shimmer with an array of colours as it moves. Its tail is long and sinuous, and it moves with a fluidity that is both captivating and hypnotic. The scales on its snake form seem to change colours, blending from deep greens to vivid blues and purples as it slithers gracefully.

The eerie fusion of serpentine features and Gan's unmistakable voice sent a chill through Ada's veins. The semi-serpentine creature before her, claiming to be Gan Gagagore, challenged the boundaries of her understanding. She involuntarily stumbled backward, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and disbelief.

"How-how is this possible?" Ada whispered, her voice barely audible as she grappled with the surreal reality before her. The memories of the man she once knew clashed with the nightmarish apparition that claimed to be him.

The serpent's eyes, now gleaming with an otherworldly intensity, locked onto Ada. It seemed to take pleasure in her shock, its sinister hisses echoing through the room. Ada's mind raced, trying to comprehend the impossible union of her memories and the nightmarish present.

Gan's voice, laced with a malevolent undertone, taunted her, "Surprised, Primrose?"

"How did you-"

"Came out of the prison you all thought could hold me? Oh, Primrose. I'm Gan Gagagore."

The lone candle in the study suddenly flickered out, plunging the room into darkness. The only source of illumination now was the gentle moonlight filtering through the high windows, casting a soft glow. Without it, she would have been blinded by the oppressive darkness. The grotesque amalgamation of snake and man slithered closer, its sinister grace echoing Gan's once-human movements.

The Luna Pearl hanging around his neck caught the faintest of moon light emitted a faint glow, eerily captivating. When Aku Romersai had created this exquisite piece of jewelry many millennia back, he had put a lot of thought into it.

He wanted his beautiful bride to like it; it carried the love he harbored for her. Crafted with intricate details and a delicate silver chain, the pendant itself was shaped like a crescent moon, its surface adorned with small, shimmering gemstones that mirrored the ethereal glow of the moon. And he powered it with the moon's energy so that even when his mortal life came to an end and he would no longer be there for her, Lady Moira would still be safe from the darkness. Passed down by generations, every Romersai born henceforth had protected it with their lives at stake.

"You left him with this vicious thing. He doesn't even know what Luna Pearl is actually capable of." Noticing Ada's lingering gaze Auden, or rather the monster in him pointed at the pendant. "And the poor boy thought it's wise to request my service." The raspy voice in his body chuckled.

Ada could feel every digit of herself practically catching fire as her rage roared within her. "Why would you-why would you want to involve him in all this? It's me who you want. Leave Auden out of this," she gritted her teeth.

Regardless of how strained their relationship had become, she couldn't fathom Auden causing her harm. Their connection ran deeper than that, and she refused to believe it had disintegrated to such a pitiful state. Somewhere within him, she clung to the hope that the genuine Auden still resided.

Gan in her brother's body tsked. "Not my fault. It's all your brother's wish, Ada," he sneered, his words a twisted mockery. "Your dear brother decided he would hand the Luna Pearl to me in exchange of freedom."

Before Ada could react, the slithering body coiled around her slender form, its bone-cracking grip leaving her gasping for breath. She struggled against the suffocating hold, but it only tightened as the human part of the body dragged her closer. Flattened against Gan's chest, her fingers turned into claws painfully digging into her mellow flesh as he held her in place. Whimpers of pain escaped her lips.

"You're a monster!" she shouted. Tears stung her eyes, threatening to spill out, as she recalled those precious moments, realising how much their bond had meant to her. Gan had once been her protector, her confidant, and Auden had always been her playful companion. But now, the darkness had tainted that bond, and Ada felt a pang of sorrow for both the brother and lover she had lost to the darkness.

The snake chuckled in response. "I know. I know. Fear me if you want. But I'm not here to harm you."

"And you think I'm gonna believe you?" she scoffed. Ada's struggle intensified as she fought to break free, her heart pounding with fear and adrenaline. She pushed against his chest, trying to create some distance between them. The strength of Auden's body was overwhelming, and she felt trapped, unable to escape his grasp.

"I mean, I'm not intended to. Can't promise, though. Totally depends on how cooperative you're gonna be."

His sinister smirk only deepened as he relished in her struggle. Gagagore seemed to take pleasure in her fear and vulnerability, fueling his malevolence. Yet, beneath that wicked exterior, Ada could sense a familiar presence, a flicker of the brother she once knew.

"Auden if you're still there-"

"Don't bother. He can't hear you. I might have borrowed this body, but I'm fully in control now." A cynical chuckle escaped from the snake, and Ada watched him in horror. "Coming to think of that, I might just keep it to myself. He won't need this body anyways when both the charm and its guardian are gone."

The charm and its guardian are gone... The Luna Pearl and herself are gone..

Ada's heart raced, her mind scrambling for a plan of escape. She couldn't allow herself to be consumed by fear. Her eyes met his, once-familiar blue eyes now tainted by that filthy green hue she loathed so much.

"In your dreams! Let go of me, you monster!" she demanded, her voice laced with determination despite the fear that gripped her.

Summoning every ounce of strength, she willed her dormant energy to come forth. And it did. Blinding white light emitted from her hands, enveloping both her and the serpent in an ethereal glow. Gagagore winced, momentarily loosening his grip, and Ada seized the opportunity. With a burst of energy, she broke free from his coiling hold and stumbled backward.

"You can't escape, Primrose," Gagagore's voice taunted. "Since it's about you and me, I can negotiate." He slithered closer to Ada, and she involuntarily stepped back, her eyes running around the room for an escape.

The lone window that looked out to the ceremony ground below stood across from her, and the snake stood as a barrier between. She just needed to get the creature off her path. She had no power to fight against him alone. She had grown weak and out of shape for not using her powers anymore. And the very snake's deposit of a strap of soul in her body was rather magnetic when it came to attract the evil it was used to. If she could fling herself out that window she could ask for help, warn others. Even if no one below wanted to see her anymore, she knew they would not let her just die in the enemy's hand without a fight.

Ada scoffed, directing her attention back to the snake. "I bet you don't need to be reminded of what happened seven years back," she warned, her voice tinged with defiance.

The serpent's eyes narrowed in response to her defiance. He slithered with an unsettling grace, shadows clung to its serpentine form, creating an illusion of darkness merging with the night effortlessly.

Random Facts About Pentagram:

Pentagram of Binding: In many dark fantasy worlds, the pentagram can be inscribed on surfaces to trap or bind powerful supernatural creatures like demons, spirits, or even gods. When drawn in blood or carved into stone, the pentagram becomes an unbreakable prison-unless the right counter-ritual is performed.

Five Elements Corruption: In some dark fantasy universes, the points of the pentagram are believed to represent not only the classical elements-earth, air, fire, water, and spirit-but their corrupted, destructive counterparts. For instance, water could represent decay or plague, and fire could symbolise chaotic destruction rather than purification.