Contents
Chapter 61
Overview
Cadavros’s influence ensnares Zevander in a violent hallucination that fuses Maevyth with his abuser, General Loyce, stoking trauma and rage. Zevander believes he destroys Maevyth as corruption spreads, but her voice breaks through the compulsion. Maevyth pulls him back to awareness, her eyes glowing silver, disrupting the abyssal hold.
Summary
Zevander, trapped in a compulsion, ravages Maevyth while a foreign hunger drives him past exhaustion. Cadavros whispers promises of possession and eternity, and Zevander’s perception fractures, Maevyth’s features flickering into General Loyce—the woman who abused him as a child—stoking hatred and shame.
Even as Maevyth pleads for him to wake, Cadavros goads Zevander to claim her. The hallucination deepens: Zevander bites her throat, and oily black corruption spiders from the wound. Horror strikes as Maevyth appears limp and infected, and in his arms she disintegrates into ash, leaving only a marked bloodstone in his palm.
Cadavros and the imagined Loyce mock his loss, tightening the spiral of fury and despair. Zevander roars, convinced he has destroyed Maevyth, the stench of rot replacing her scent as the abyssal fire consumes what he believes is her body.
Through the torment, Maevyth’s voice pierces the delusion, urging him to open his eyes. Zevander obeys; the compulsion stills. He finds Maevyth before him, their palms pressed together, her eyes glowing silver—a sign of her power and connection—pulling him back from Cadavros’s control.
Who Appears
- Zevander (Zev)Abyssal-bound and compelled, he hallucinates Maevyth as Loyce, nearly destroying her before Maevyth pulls him back.
- MaevythTarget of Zevander’s possession-fueled assault; pleads for him to wake and breaks the compulsion, eyes glowing silver.
- CadavrosTempts and goads Zevander, amplifying violence and despair, promising eternal possession of Maevyth.
- General LoyceAbusive figure from Zevander’s past; appears in the hallucination, provoking rage and self-loathing.