Chapter 134: The Sound of His Voice

The void engulfed them whole.

Vincent wrapped his arms tightly around Camela as they fell, his claws gripping her waist like he could use sheer strength to keep her safe from the darkness that wanted to swallow her whole. Her breath was shallow and shaky, and her scar glimmered faintly white in the endless darkness.

“Vincent…” She barely managed to say his name just above a breath.

“I’m here,” he growled, pulling her even closer. His golden eyes glowed in the emptiness. “I won’t let him take you.”

But then—

The ghost's laughter slithered through the darkness—low, smooth, and unending. It was a voice without a mouth or face, yet it seemed to echo all around them:

“You can’t even stop her from falling, fox. You never could.”

The air itself seemed to shiver with each word. Camela whimpered against Vincent’s chest and covered her ears.

“Don’t listen,” Vincent whispered, pressing his forehead against hers. “He just wants to tear us apart.”

The ghost's tone sharpened. “No. I want her to hear the truth. My voice is the only sound that has ever reached her.”

Suddenly, the darkness shifted around them, and from nowhere—walls appeared. Cold stone walls enclosed them in a damp chamber. Red flames flickered from candles, casting shadows that swayed like chains.

Camela gasped as she recognized the place instantly. “This…this is my room,” she whispered.

Vincent turned around quickly, scanning the chamber surroundings with flexing claws.

“No. This is a trick! You’re trying to make her believe she’s still trapped,” he said.

The ghost softly whispered, “She never left.”

Camela’s scar pulsed white-hot on her chest, and she pressed her hands against it while crying out, “Stop…please stop!”

Vincent growled, slamming his claws into the stone floor, sending sparks flying.

“Come out and face me! Stop hiding behind her pain!” he roared.

But the ghost didn’t show itself. Only its voice echoed in the chamber, oozing with control. “Every time she cried out for help, I was the one who answered. Not you. Every time she screamed, I was the one who listened. Not you. She recognizes my voice, fox. It’s in her every breath.”

Camela’s legs gave way, but Vincent caught her before she hit the floor. Tears filled her eyes as she trembled.

“Vincent…” she whispered. “What if he’s telling the truth? What if I can never escape?”

He gently cupped her face, forcing her to meet his gaze, and said, “Look at me. You’re here with me, breathing alongside me…not with him. That’s the only truth.”

Yet the ghost's voice still hung in the air. The candles flared, and suddenly the tone of the ghost changed, becoming softer and more alluring.

“Camela,” the voice said—mimicking Vincent's exact tone, his growl, and his rough tenderness perfectly.

Her eyes widened in shock as she muttered, “Vincent…?”

But the real Vincent remained silent, his heart aching inside him.

The false voice continued, perfectly imitating him. “You belong to me, Camela. You have always been mine. No one can take you away from me. You said you wanted me to say it…so here it is: I love you.”

Her body froze in Vincent's embrace as she gasped for breath, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Vincent…” she whispered weakly. “Did you…Did you say that?”

Vincent’s chest erupted with fury. His claws shook with rage in response.

“No. That’s not my voice. Can't you hear it? It’s him. It’s the ghost twisting my voice,” he said firmly.

The false Vincent spoke again, his voice softer and more intimate. "Don't listen to the fox. He doesn't care about you. He never has. All he wants is the thrill of the fight, the blood, and the chaos. But I…" his tone became gentle, “…I desire your soul."

Camela cried, covering her ears. "Stop it!… Please, stop!"

Vincent roared at the shadows, "You'll die for this!"

The ghost let out a dark chuckle.”Die? You can't kill a voice, fox. You can only listen to it."

Vincent realized that if the ghost's weapon was its voice, then silence could destroy him.

He placed his hand over Camela's ears and pulled her close as he spoke. "Don’t listen to him. Listen to me only."

Her voice trembled as she replied, “I can’t block him out. He’s inside my head.”

Vincent clenched his jaw, he knew that silence wouldn’t save her; the ghost thrived in silence. He had to use his own voice to fight back.

He leaned closer and lowered his mouth to her ear, he spoke in a low, steady growl. “Camela, hear me. The only sound that belongs to you…is me. My heart. My breath. My voice.”

The ghost hissed back, “Lies.”

Vincent ignored the comment and pressed Camela’s trembling hand against his chest so she could feel his strong heartbeat.

He whispered, “Do you feel that? That’s real…that's mine! I'm not just a shadow; I’m flesh and blood and pain. I will never let go of you.”

Her eyes blinked rapidly as she focused on him, and for a moment, the ghost’s voice faltered.

But then—

The chamber shook violently as the ghost laughed, and when he spoke again—it didn’t mimic Vincent’s voice at all; it used hers instead.

“Vincent…” the ghost whispered, sounding exactly like Camela's voice. “Why didn’t you end my life when you had the chance?”

Vincent stood still, the question echoed deep within his bones—the same words she had once written in blood before.

The real Camela gasped, her body jolting in shock as she spoke. “No…no, that wasn’t me…”

The ghost version of Camela spoke again, cruel yet gentle. “You held me when I begged you not to. You kissed me against my will. You let me stay when you should have let me die. Tell me, fox…is that love?”

Vincent’s claws shook against the floor as he struggled to respond.

Camela looked at him with horror in her eyes. “Vincent…did you…?” she asked.

He growled through clenched teeth. “Don’t listen to him…don't believe him. He wants you to hate me.”

The false Camela leaned closer, whispering right into Vincent's ear. “She already does.”

Suddenly, the chains burst from the floor again, wrapping tightly around Camela’s arms. She screamed as they yanked her back against the stone wall. “Vincent!”

He lunged forward, trying to break the chains, but for every one he tore apart, two more tightened around her.

Her scar flared with light as her body trembled; the ghost’s voice came out of her lips this time when she spoke—it was not her own.

“Fox,” her mouth softly whispered while her eyes desperately tried to convey that it wasn’t really her speaking. “You can’t save me. You never could. You need me. Without me, you are nothing. You know it’s true. Just say it…say you need me.”

Vincent’s chest heaved as he watched her struggle inside, her real self desperately trying to break free. But the ghost control had a tight grip on her.

Camela’s lips moved continuously, her voice laced with venom. “Say it, fox. Beg for me. Show that you belong to me.”

For a brief moment, her real voice broke through, sounding hoarse and pleading. “Don’t…don’t say it!”

Vincent’s eyes blazed with a gold glow. He pressed his forehead against hers, even as the chains pulled her farther away.

“I don’t need you,” he growled, not at Camela herself, but at the ghost possessing her. “I need her. Only her. The real Camela…and I’ll set this entire void ablaze to reach her.”

The ghost shrieked in fury, causing the walls to crack and the candles to explode into sparks. The chamber shook violently and began to collapse around them.

The voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere at once. “Do you really think your voice is stronger than mine? Then listen closely, fox. Listen to her scream!”

Camela’s body arched in pain as the chains yanked her tighter, the scar on her chest glowing white-hot. A scream tore from her throat—so raw and broken that it pierced Vincent’s very soul.

He lunged forward, desperately clawing at the chains while roaring out for her name. “Camela!”

Her hand stretched out weakly toward him, trembling and stained with blood as she muttered, “Vincent…”

The ghost whispered ominously close to him, right into his ear:

“Next time she calls your name…it will be the last sound you'll ever hear.”

Suddenly, the floor split open once more.

Vincent and Camela plunged into darkness—screams and whispers colliding around them.

And then everything ended in silence.