"Addie?"

The voice is distorted through the video's audio, but there is a clear hint of an old English sort of accent. Visible is a hard to see but definitely present green form near the door of the room, pale eyes concerned as he phases through the closed door. The one he spoke to, Addie, was on the other side of the room. She looked distraught, pacing back and forth with a panicked, distant expression. Her fatigue was evident, dark shadows under her eyes and a sort of drunken sway to her movements. One of her fingernails bled, bitten to the skin - she was chewing on another anxiously. Probably not the best decision, judging by the abnormally sharp teeth she had.

At the newcomer's voice she didn't respond. Or she didn't at first. It took a moment for her to process the action before one of her ears perked, and she looked up at the distorted figure.

"O-oh, hey, Praxus," There was a drag to Addie's voice, kind of raspy and slurred.

The green form, apparently Praxus, frowned. "You've been locked in here a full twenty-four hours, Addie, you need a break."

Addie tilted her head. "I-is that how long it's been?" Her face turned to dread. "What time is it?!"

"It's 11:50 P.M."

"September 30?"

"Yes."

Addie bit her lip, a bit of blood dripping down her chin from where her teeth punctured skin. Quietly she said something profane. "No. Not yet, I can't stop now..."

Praxus sighed. "Addie..."

Addie snapped back, her ears flattening against her head. Her teeth were bared in a wolflike snarl. "I can't stop, Praxus! Precious seconds are going down the drain as we speak, seconds he may be using against us. We're not safe. No one's safe. At least we were somewhat safe when Xcan was around, but I have no idea what happened to her and neither does Imor."

Praxus stepped back a little, recomposed himself in a quick inhale and exhale, and spoke again. "I understand your worries, Addie-"

"Then you would know why I have to do this," The words were a growl. "You would know how important this ritual is."

"This ritual is taking over your life, your soul, even. I know you're using it for good, but demonic magic is demonic magic!" Praxus pointed out. "It's affecting you, and I'm not the only one who notices!"

Addie was about to speak, but quickly one of her scleras turned pitch black, the pupil narrowing to a red slit. "Addie, listen to him, he's kind of right. No, more than kind of." Quickly her tone changed, an argumentative comeback leaking from Addie's point of control. "Stay out of this, Inferno. Why don't either of you understand?!"

"We understand, Addie," Inferno snapped. Her tail lashed. "And we're concerned just the same. I possess you easier than I ever could have with you still fighting for me not to. That's not a good thing, he's a ghost and he's not afraid to possess you."

"I don't care, let me work!" Addie growled. We're almost out of time!"

"Addie-"

"Don't try to stop me, visehj!" Addie's voice echoed with a more masculine tone, a voice that made the room grow frigidly silent. Immediately she covered her mouth in surprise, visibly confused at the words that had slipped past her tongue. Praxus stared in shock, taking in a sharp inhale.

He blinked, and after a few moments, found the words to speak. "A-Addie, did you just use ritualect?"

Addie sat there without a word before stuttering. "I-I-I- I've just... b-been playing with the rituals too much. Yeah. The words kind of stick."

"And when do those rituals involve swearing...?"

Addie didn't speak.

"Addie?"

"Praxus..."

"What?"

"P̷̢̡͔̪̖͓̺͉̘̲̟͕̺̺̰̦̩̟̗̣̟̟̞͎͉̩̋͂̅̍̏͋̍̈́̕͜͝͝r̴̝͕̗̫̮̘̭̮̳͚̖͎͖̭͕̟͇̪̫̠̦͍̤͚̤̼̪̫̗̲̥̭͕̗͚̃́̂͗͊̒͊̀́͗̒̓̀̑̅̽̀͌̎́̆̇͂̽̈́͑̉̑͛̒̈́̊̒̈́͋̀̾̿̈́͂͆͜͝͠ͅà̶̢̢̢͍̣̙̤̣̳̭͇͙̝̘̱̞̖̺͈̰̬͉̘̤͙̝̮̖̲̠͍̍̀̀͋̅̂̂͒́́̀͂̌̿̆́͂̔̀͐̽͐͆̍̚ͅx̵̺̌̏́́̏̔͒̄̇̅̂̀̒̓̄̎͐̆̈́̋̎̏͌̋̐̅͘͘͝͝ừ̷̛̱̱̱̺̟͓͛̈́̀̈́͛́̈̇̀͌͆̏͑̈́́͊̀̓̓͗̐̌̇͗̀̌̍̊̅̂͛̇̈̂̕s̵̢̡̢̠̻͍͇̰̲͚̠̬̮̫̊̓̿̈́͛̽̾̊̚͝ͅ,̸̨̨̨̛̣̰̝̱̰̝̠͕̜̟͍͚̣̥̤̼͍͂͗̊̉̔͒̈́͋̓̀̇̀̓̽̌̃̒͂̑̔̀͋͜͝ ̶̨̧̧̖̩͚̮̣͉̲̬̪̮̼̽̈́̽͂̉̒̿̅̌̌̆̓̚͝ͅŗ̴̧̧̛̠͕̝̲̫̖͖̩̯̙̻͙̮̩͈̱͔̱̖̦̝̖͔̗̱̲̺̗̟̘̭̫̱̝̤͇̤̤̥̄̌͋̒̽̽̓̔͐̍̀͆̊̉͌̆͘̚̕̚̕͝͠͝ͅͅͅȗ̴̫̙͖͋͗̂̾̄̅̎͐̅̈̒̒͆̉̕͠n̷̛̛̳̠̟͎̫̩̮͕̘̖̄̋̀́́̔̇͊̂̊͛̏̾̀̾̈́͐͗̐̂̏̃͛̂̍͒̽̾̇͛̽͆̋͘͝͠͝͝.̴̧̡̦̜̤͓͔̰̘̥̦͍̣̳̹̦͚̜̣̠͇̥̟̯̘̃̽͋̽̏́̀̔͛͛̾̇͜͠͝͠ͅ"

"ADDIE-"

Screaming, laughing, pain, joy, pleading, wanting, helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless, helpless, all of them, helpless.

Static can be heard over the audio. Addie is in the center of the room. It's dark. A dark red light is washed over the room. It's not a light. There's something covering the camera lens.

She's curled up in a ball, arms hugging herself and her knees drawn to her chest. Her ears are pinned. Praxus is nowhere to be seen.

You hear a noise through the blankness. Crying. Sobbing. Addie's shoulders occasionally twitch to the sound. It's from her. Mixed in is delirious giggles, the once in a while wag of her tail before it lays still and she shudders in fear, disgust, confusion.

Finally you can make out a word.

"No..."

She mutters something to herself. Then she says something else louder. "Yza off, Inferno. I don't wanna talk to you right now."

She speaks again, that same backtone echoing in her voice. "You heard the girl. Back the yza off."

"But-"

"Do you want to end up like him? No? Then shut up."

She doesn't respond to herself again. Only cries.

*there is a piece of paper taped to the recording, a yellow-tinted page looking to be from a moleskine. It reads the following:*

12:03 A.M. October 1, 2023.

Hello, reader.

Say goodbye to all that you love.

Because one day soon it will.

all.

be.

gone.

With worst regards and all the joy in my heart,
Gradient.

Now, Faust. You know what to do.