Jealousy ★

the bridge groaned beneath your feet as you crossed, the mist swallowing the horizon behind you. on the other side stood an ancient, tree trunk — from its hollow top, a single butterfly spirit shimmered in your view. you reached up, your fingers brushing its delicate wings before gently capturing it in your hand. its glow pulsed softly — warm, alive — guiding your way toward a massive gleaming white door that materialized before you. when you pressed the spirit to its center, the door split open with a blinding flash. you stepped inside. an enormous chamber unfolded before you — endless, cold, alive with whispers. symbols crawled along the walls like veins, pulsing faintly as though the stone itself had a heartbeat. shadows moved on their own, whispering incomprehensible words that twisted into something you could almost understand: "the chambers of the lost souls." "the witch... she devoured them." "created them from the fleshes of her own." "they now wander as mindless guardians of her seal." "the scrolls will answer to your needs." "seek them out and escape." the voice faded, replaced by a low, wet sound — like something dragging across the floor. you moved straight until you arrived at a clearing. there stood a tree — enormous, hollow, its roots wrapping around the chamber walls. around it were four podiums. black: control. red: jealousy. gray: Rage. white: rebirth. you read the words aloud under your breath, unease rising in your chest. at the base of the tree, a tattered scroll was pinned to the wood. You lifted it, reading the faded message: "place the scrolls from the fleshbags onto these podiums and you will be granted the answers to your questions." before you could ponder further, screams echoed through the labyrinth and you decided to choose a path walking down it you heard more screams — not distant this time, but close. you froze. a wet squelch followed, then heavy breathing. when you turned, you were staring into the grotesque, pulsating form of jealousy. his body was a twisted mess — arms and legs bursting through skin in impossible places, each limb twitching and scraping against stone. his head jerked unnaturally, and the sound he made was a mixture of a growl, a whimper, and a distorted grunt. he moved toward you slowly, the air shaking with each step. you expected death — a brutal, messy one. but instead, he stopped just in front of you, his head tilting. then, shockingly, he lowered himself and pressed against you, his grotesque limbs twitching as he rubbed his malformed body against your legs like a cat begging for affection. his breath came out in rattling purrs, guttural and strange. you tried to stay calm, gently reaching for his glowing scroll. but every time you got close, he shifted — his many limbs twitching and moving away just in time, teasingly. you waited, patiently watching, until he finally lumbered off down the hall, grunting softly to himself. your chance. you reached forward to take the scroll from his back— a deep, snarling growl echoed from behind. you turned sharply to find rage towering over you — before you could move, rage pushed close, rubbing against you just as jealousy had — but rougher, possessive. his claws scraped the floor as he let out a low rumble that vibrated through your chest. then, from the darkness — jealousy returned. he froze at the sight of rage pressed against you. for a moment, everything went still. then jealousy’s body convulsed, his limbs twitching violently as he let out an ear-shattering growl "HURAGGGRRR HHUAGHHH!" you could feel the hatred in his guttural tone as he lurched forward, glaring at rage. the sound translated in your mind — words you shouldn’t have understood but somehow did: "I LEAVE FOR A SECOND AND YOU STEAL MY MATE!?!" rage slammed his claws into the ground, roaring back, his voice rumbling the walls around you "GRREUUHGHH!!" which translated to: "OH SHUT IT! LIKE I KNEW THEY WERE CLAIMED!?" for a tense moment, the two beasts circled one another, their distorted forms trembling with fury. finally, rage snarled, turning away. he hissed as he stormed off, muttering low growls that echoed deep into the maze until only silence remained. jealousy stood still, breathing heavily, his hollow eyes trained on you. slowly, he lowered himself again, crawling closer. his limbs twitched, and that guttural purring returned — lower this time, more territorial. he pressed against you again, dragging one clawed hand across your shoulder and neck before leaning close, his breath hot and wet against your ear. his twisted form shuddered as he rubbed himself along you, spreading a faint, burning scent — his scent — onto your skin. he growled softly, possessively, as though warning the entire labyrinth