It erged silently from the darkness, thick and solid, its surface cold and tallic, casting a suffocating shadow over the entire pit.
And then... it started to close. Slowly. Relentlessly.
Isla’s heartbeat spiked. "No... no!" she shouted, panic creeping into her voice.
She imdiately tried to use her power, forcing her body upward, attempting to leap toward the closing gap, but it was useless.
She had no wings. No ans to fly. The height was too much.
The pit was far deeper than she had initially realized. Even with all her strength, she could barely reach halfway before gravity dragged her back down.
Her boots slamd against the ground again. ’Too high... I can’t reach it...!’
Her breathing turned uneven as fear tightened around her chest. ’Who did this...? Why...?’
Then... A strange drizzle began. At first, it was light.
Droplets of an unfamiliar liquid fell from above, splashing softly onto the ground and onto their bodies.
Isla frowned, confused. "What is this...?" she muttered.
She quickly raised her voice. "Cover yourselves!"
The zombies obeyed instinctively, shielding themselves as best as they could.
But the rain didn’t stop. It grew heavier.
The liquid began to accumulate, pooling around their feet... then their legs... then rising steadily.
A faint, unfamiliar sll filled the air, sothing sterile, almost chemical, yet oddly clean.
’This is wrong... sothing is very wrong...’
The liquid kept rising. Waist level. Chest level. Neck level.
Soon, it reached their faces.
Many zombies struggled, their heads barely above the surface before even that disappeared.
They were subrged. Completely.
Isla’s eyes widened as the liquid reached her chin.
Fear gripped her. ’I don’t understand... what is this...?’
Just as she was about to figure it out... The rain stopped.
As suddenly as it had begun. And just as strangely, the liquid began to drain away.
Isla gasped slightly as the level dropped. "Shake it off!" she commanded imdiately.
But sothing was wrong. The zombies didn’t respond.
They stood still. Completely blank. Their eyes were dull. Lifeless.
And then... One by one, they collapsed.
Bodies hit the ground with heavy thuds, echoing through the enclosed pit.
Isla froze. ’What... is happening...?’
She opened her mouth to issue another command... But a sudden dizziness struck her.
The world spun violently. Her vision blurred.
"No... this... can’t..." she muttered weakly.
Her knees buckled. And in the next second... She collapsed.
When Isla opened her eyes again, everything felt... different.
The world looked brighter. Sharper. Colors seed more vivid, almost overwhelming to her senses.
She blinked repeatedly, trying to adjust. "...What...?" she murmured, her voice hoarse.
She slowly pushed herself up, her hand brushing against the ground. It felt different. Softer. Warr.
Her brows furrowed as she looked around... And froze.
All around her... Were humans. Not zombies. Humans.
Their bodies were intact, no signs of decay or corruption. Their skin looked normal, their breathing steady, as if they were rely asleep.
Isla’s heart skipped a beat. ’This... this isn’t possible...’
Her gaze darted across the crowd. ’They were zombies... I saw them... I commanded them...’
But now... They looked completely human.
Just as confusion overwheld her, sothing else caught her attention.
Her own hand. She raised it slowly. Clean. Alive. Human. Her pupils shrank.
"No... no..." she whispered. She imdiately tried to activate her abilities.
Speed. Strength. Teleportation. Control. Nothing. Not even a trace.
It was as if everything had been ripped away from her.
"All of it... gone...?" she muttered, her voice trembling.
She shook her head violently. "No... this can’t be happening...!"
Her chest tightened painfully. Just monts ago, she had been at the peak of power.
And now... She had been thrown into nothingness.
’Is this... hell...?’
A bitter laugh almost escaped her lips. ’Am I destined to lose... every single ti against Ivy...?’
Before she could spiral further, movent began around her.
One by one, the others started waking up.
They groaned softly, rubbing their heads, their expressions groggy and confused.
"...Where... am I...?"
"What happened...?"
As they looked around, realization slowly dawned.
Their last mories... Were of being zombies.
So rembered the mont they lost control. Others rembered nothing at all.
And now... They were human again. A wave of disbelief spread. So pinched themselves. Others stared at their hands in shock.
"...This... this is real...?"
Murmurs grew louder. Confusion turned into noise. Isla’s frustration snapped.
"Stop! Stop talking!" she shouted sharply, her voice cutting through the chaos.
Everyone turned toward her. Their expressions shifted instantly.
Confusion. Irritation. Disdain.
"Why is he yelling?" soone muttered.
"Did he lose his mind?" another scoffed.
"Maybe he was stupid even before," a third added with a snort.
Isla’s face darkened. "I am your leader!" she shouted. "You should listen to !"
But no one reacted. They simply looked at her for a second... Then turned away.
Ignoring her completely. That indifference stung far deeper than any insult.
’They... don’t recognize ...’
Before she could react further...
A voice echoed. Soft. Gentle. Yet clear enough to reach everyone. A speaker embedded in the slab above crackled to life.
"You were all previously zombies," the voice said calmly. "You have been administered an antidote."
The entire pit fell silent.
"For the next week, you will remain in quarantine. There is no need to worry about food or shelter. Everything will be provided."
A brief pause followed. "All we require... is your cooperation."
The words lingered in the air. And then... Soone broke down.
A woman. Her na was Rachel. Tears stread down her face as her body trembled uncontrollably.
"I... I thought..." she sobbed, her voice breaking. "I thought I’d never be human again..."
Her cries echoed painfully.
"If I can live normally again... I’ll be grateful... forever..." she whispered, collapsing to her knees.
Others followed. Relief. Gratitude. Hope.
They began expressing their loyalty openly, their voices filled with emotion.
Isla stood frozen. A strange soreness spread through her chest. ’They were loyal to ...’
Her fists clenched. ’And now... they’re bowing to soone else...’
Her anger burned quietly, growing with each passing second.
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