Omrum's POV
I stumbled backward, my heart slamming violently against my ribs like a trapped bird.
My eyes remained wide, locked onto the snow where my silhouette had just detached itself from the earth. The independent grin of the darkness had melted back into a standard, flat shadow the moment my panic spiked, but the memory of it was burned into my retinas. It was an absolute, undeniable reality. The entity wasn't just a voice anymore. It wasn't just a parasite lurking behind my eyes. It was a living, breathing force that was rapidly bleeding through the fabric of my physical reality.
"No," I whispered, my voice shaking as I clutched my head. "No, get back. Leave me alone."
The stolen vitality of the stag was still churning inside my veins, a heavy, suffocating warmth that felt enti
