Possession apocalypse

The reckoning

The fire crackled softly, its light casting long, flickering shadows on the rocky walls of the cavern. The oppressive stillness of the underground night hung over them like a heavy blanket. Even here, so far beneath the surface, the silence was unnerving—so complete that every crackle of the flames or shuffle of movement seemed amplified.
Blink sat apart from the others, his arms resting on his knees as he stared into the fire. His face was unreadable, but his eyes were distant, lost in thought. The tension in the air was palpable, but neither Seamus nor Marcus pressed him. They sat closer to the fire, exchanging occasional glances as if debating whether to break the silence.
Marcus finally leaned back against a rock and let out a breath. "This place is... something else," he said, his voice low but carrying in the stillness. "I've been through some strange places before, but nothing like this."
Seamus nodded absently, poking at the fire with a stick to keep it burning evenly. "It's a world of its own down here," he said quietly. "You get used to it after a while."
Marcus glanced at him curiously. "You seem pretty comfortable here. I mean... how did you even end up with those ant-like entities? And what are they exactly?"
Seamus paused for a moment, staring into the flames as if weighing how much to say. Finally, he spoke. "They're called the Katsinam," he said, his tone reverent yet matter-of-fact. "It's an old Hopi word that means 'Spirits' or 'Messengers.' They're ancient beings—far older than anything we know on the surface."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Spirits? Messengers? What are they supposed to be messengers of?"
Seamus let out a soft sigh and leaned back against his rock. "Balance," he said simply. "They don't see things like we do—good and evil don't mean much to them. They act when something threatens the natural order of things." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I ended up with them because of... well, because of what happened to my people."
Marcus frowned slightly. "What happened?"
Seamus's expression darkened as he stared into the fire, his voice growing quieter. "A calamity wiped out my tribe when I was just a kid," he said flatly. "I don't even remember all of it—it happened so fast. I survived because one of the Katsinam found me hiding in a cave after everything was destroyed."
Marcus's eyes widened slightly. "So they just... took you in?"
"Yeah," Seamus said with a small nod. "They brought me underground and raised me like one of their own." He poked at the fire again as if trying to keep his hands busy while he spoke. "They taught me how to survive down here, how to understand this world—and how to access the Astral Plane. Eventually, I started teaching others how to access it too and honed my abilities along the way."
Marcus let out a low whistle and shook his head in disbelief. "That's... wild," he said softly.
Seamus shrugged slightly, though there was a hint of sadness in his expression now. "It feels like a distant memory most days," he admitted quietly. "But it's strange not being part of a tribe anymore. I've traveled through Middle-earth before—but always as part of my people." He paused for a moment before adding, almost wistfully, "Now it's different—no tribe, no place to call my own."
Marcus straightened up and gave him an encouraging smile. "Hey," he said firmly, "it's okay. Obviously fate wanted us to meet—and I'm sure Gaia and the others would welcome you as part of our newly formed tribe."
Seamus chuckled softly at that but didn't respond right away, letting Marcus's words hang in the air as they both stared into the flames.
Blink remained silent on the edge of camp, still lost in thought as he stared at the flickering firelight—his mind distant even as their conversation continued around him.

The fire had burned low, its embers glowing faintly in the stillness of the cavern. After some time, the group decided to lay down for the night on makeshift pallets they had fashioned from materials scavenged in the kingdom they'd left behind. The pallets weren't particularly comfortable, but they were better than sleeping on the cold ground.
Blink settled onto his pallet, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared up at the jagged ceiling of the cavern. He felt uneasy, but he couldn't quite place why. His thoughts were still tangled with the cryptic warning from the Katsinam and the weight of everything that had been thrust upon him. As he shifted slightly, he felt a faint warmth radiating from his chest. Blinking in confusion, he pulled at his shirt and glanced down.
His heart skipped a beat.
The mark on his chest—the strange symbol left by the Katsinam—had grown slightly. The intricate lines and shapes that made up the mark were now more pronounced, spreading faintly outward as if it were alive. Panic surged through him like a lightning strike.
His breathing quickened, and he sat up abruptly, clutching his chest. The movement caught Seamus's and Marcus's attention immediately.
"Blink?" Seamus asked, sitting up from his pallet with concern etched on his face. "What's going on? Are you okay?"
Marcus rubbed his eyes groggily and looked over at him. "Yeah, man, you good?"
Blink froze for a moment before quickly pulling his shirt back down and shaking his head. "No—yeah—I mean, everything's fine," he said hastily, avoiding their eyes. "Just... couldn't get comfortable."
Seamus frowned but didn't press further. Marcus exchanged a glance with him before lying back down again.
Blink leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees as his mind raced. What did I do? he thought frantically. What could have caused this to grow? I didn't do anything... did I?
He tried to retrace his steps in his mind, going over everything that had happened since they'd left the previous kingdom. Could it have been me not communicating with them? Not empathizing with Seamus when he told us about his past? He shook his head slightly. Surely that's not it... Surely that's not what's going to cause my destruction or lead me to destruction.
He clenched his fists tightly and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself down. I've got to stop overthinking this, he told himself firmly. I just need to relax...
But relaxing was easier said than done.
Seamus and Marcus both exchanged another glance before looking back at Blink. Marcus opened his mouth as if to say something but seemed to think better of it and laid back down again instead. Seamus followed suit after a moment of hesitation, though it was clear he was still concerned.
Blink remained where he was for a long time before finally lying back down on his pallet. But sleep never came.
The hours passed slowly as Blink stared up at the cavern ceiling, hands behind his head and eyes wide open. His thoughts churned endlessly, refusing to let him rest even as exhaustion tugged at him.
When morning finally came Seamus was the first to stir. He sat up with a groan and began packing up his bag methodically, checking their supplies as he went.
Marcus stretched out on his pallet with a loud yawn before sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Man," he muttered, "I could've used another hour or two."
Seamus smirked faintly but didn't respond as he tightened the straps on his pack.
Blink remained where he was, lying flat on his back with his hands behind his head. His gaze was fixed upward, staring at nothing in particular as dark circles framed his tired eyes.
Marcus glanced over at him and frowned slightly. "You okay over there?" he asked cautiously.
Blink didn't move for a moment before finally sitting up slowly. "Yeah," he said quietly, though there was no conviction in his voice.
Seamus watched him carefully but chose not to press further—for now. The three of them began preparing for another day of travel through this strange underground world, each carrying their own burdens as they moved forward into whatever awaited them next.