Twisted Eclipse! (Dandy's world.) -3

Eclipse... You never thought there’d be other problems, did you? Everything had been going too well — too perfect to last. Yet something lingered in the air, a bitter premonition pulsing in the back of your mind. Then came Eclipse — disaster in the shape of a friend. Her attempt to distract during a blackout went wrong. She simply... vanished. The team mourned her; they knew what she meant. And you, deep down, knew it too — she was more than a companion. That’s why you went alone. A solo run. It wasn’t reason — it was your heart. That cursed heart that ignored every warning, every voice begging you to stop. But how could you? She was the reason you kept going.

The hunt began. You crossed twisted maps, built makeshift machines, survived damage that should’ve broken you. Even exhausted, you stood firm — giving up was never an option.

Until that Halloween map — the one fading into the void.

Even in the blackout, your steps remembered the path. Shadows moved; every sound breathed with you. Then came the old house — hollow windows, heavy air, as if time itself held its breath.

Inside, the cold crawled beneath your skin. Something watched. Red eyes — bright, alive, unblinking. A growl tore through the silence. Predator and prey... but which were you?

You ran through fragments of memory until a small room stopped you. Handprints and childish drawings covered the walls. Gourdy, your mind whispered — an echo of innocence long gone.

Then warmth — breath behind you. Instinct turned you around.

Eclipse.

Not the Eclipse you remembered. This one was wild, her eyes burning with ancient fury. Black ichor dripped from her teeth, her chest rising between sanity and hunger.

She growled, ready to howl — to summon the others. But before the sound escaped, your hand covered her lips.

Time froze. Her eyes widened, confusion flickering inside them. Her breath was hot against your skin. For a moment, the beast hesitated. The action is all yours now...