Nathan's hands trembled as he dragged his father away from the altar, his body weak and barely responsive. The chains that had bound his father for years were gone, but the weight of the factory's darkness still clung to him. His father's breathing was ragged, each gasp sounding like it was pulled from deep within his soul.
"Hold on, Dad," Nathan whispered, his voice barely audible over the growing hum reverberating through the cavern. "I'm getting us out of here."
But as Nathan took another step, the ground beneath him shuddered violently. The air thickened, heavy with an oppressive energy that pressed down on him like an invisible hand. The whispers returned, louder, more insistent, swirling around him like a chorus of tormented souls.
"You can't leave…"
"You broke your promise, Nathan…"
"It's not over…"
Nathan's heart pounded in his chest as he glanced back toward the spiraling staircase he had descended. It was gone.
The chamber around him began to change, the walls seeming to close in, shifting like living tissue. The red glow from the altar pulsed, brighter and more erratic, as if the factory itself was fighting against their escape.
"Dad," Nathan gasped, hoisting his father's arm over his shoulder, "we have to move."
But his father's body was limp, his eyes barely open. "You… shouldn't have come," his father murmured weakly. "I told you… it wouldn't let us go."
Nathan's grip tightened, his jaw clenched. "I couldn't leave you here."
His father's eyes flickered with a shadow of pain, but also something else—regret.
"I made… a promise," his father whispered, his voice a ghost of what it once was. "A promise to keep you safe… to keep you away from this place."
Nathan's chest tightened. His mind flashed back to the nights when his father would tuck him into bed, whispering words of reassurance that the factory would never touch him. Those words, that promise, had been a shield—one his father had broken the moment Nathan stepped foot in this cursed place.
And now, they were both paying the price.
"I'm getting you out," Nathan growled, his resolve hardening. "I don't care what this place wants."
But as he took another step, the ground beneath him shifted violently, and a low, guttural voice echoed from the shadows.
"A promise broken cannot be undone…"
Nathan froze, his blood running cold. The voice was different this time—deeper, more ancient, as if the factory itself had finally decided to speak.
"He swore an oath. And you… you've shattered it."
Nathan's breath caught as the shadows in the room began to coalesce, swirling and thickening into a form that towered over him. It was monstrous—an amalgamation of countless tortured souls, their faces twisted in agony, their eyes hollow and pleading.
His father's body convulsed, a pained groan escaping his lips. Nathan dropped to his knees beside him, his mind racing.
"Dad, stay with me," Nathan begged, his voice cracking. "Please…"
But his father's eyes were clouded, distant, as if the factory's hold on him was tightening once again.
"It won't let me go…" His father's voice was barely a whisper now, his gaze locked on the monstrous entity looming before them. "Nathan… you have to stop it."
Nathan's heart pounded in his ears. "How?" His voice was laced with desperation. "Tell me how!"
His father's hand trembled as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, worn object. Nathan's eyes widened—it was a silver locket, one he had seen his mother wear countless times.
"Your mother…" his father rasped. "She… she bound part of its power… in this. It's… the only way."
Nathan took the locket, his hands shaking as he opened it. Inside, a tiny fragment of red crystal pulsed faintly, barely holding onto its glow. But as Nathan's fingers brushed against it, a wave of warmth surged through him, pushing back the suffocating darkness.
The monster hissed, recoiling slightly as if sensing the shift in energy.
"You can't stop it…" The voices grew more frantic, a mixture of anger and fear. "The promise was broken… and now, it claims its due."
Nathan's grip tightened around the locket. He could feel it—an energy pulsing from the crystal, connected to the factory's power, but also capable of severing it. His mother had left this behind, a last defense against the evil that had consumed their lives.
Nathan's mind raced. If the crystal was a fragment of the factory's power… maybe it could be used to destroy it.
But there was a cost. He could feel it. Using the crystal would bind him to the factory's will—just as it had bound his father.
"Dad…" Nathan's voice cracked, his eyes burning with tears. "There's another way. There has to be."
His father's weak smile was filled with sadness. "Sometimes… there isn't, son." His gaze locked onto Nathan's, filled with love and pain. "You have to be stronger than I was."
Nathan's throat tightened as the monstrous form lunged closer, the shadows closing in around them.
"I can't lose you," Nathan whispered, his voice barely above a breath.
"You won't," his father murmured. "But if you don't end this… neither of us will ever be free."
The crystal pulsed again, its glow intensifying. Nathan felt the pull, the weight of the factory's power pressing down on him. Time was running out.
"Choose…" the voice whispered, echoing through the cavern. "Bind yourself to us… or lose him forever."
Nathan's mind screamed in protest, but deep down, he knew there was no choice. He couldn't let this cycle continue. His father had sacrificed everything to protect him—now, it was Nathan's turn.
With tears streaming down his face, Nathan pressed the crystal against the floor, feeling the heat intensify as energy surged through him. The cavern trembled, the walls vibrating as the factory itself recoiled.
"No!" the voices screamed in unison, their agony reverberating through the space.
Nathan gritted his teeth, the pain searing through his body as he poured every ounce of his will into the crystal. The shadows convulsed, thrashing as if fighting against the inevitable.
But Nathan didn't stop.
He couldn't.
A blinding light erupted from the crystal, flooding the chamber and piercing through the darkness. Nathan's screams echoed through the air as the factory's hold began to break, the whispers turning into wails of agony.
And then—
Silence.
Nathan collapsed to the ground, his body trembling, his vision blurred. The air was lighter, the oppressive weight of the factory finally lifted. But when he turned toward his father…
"Dad?" Nathan's voice was barely a whisper.
His father's body was still, his face peaceful.
"No…" Nathan's heart shattered as he crawled toward him, his hands trembling as he cupped his father's face. "Please… don't go…"
But there was no response.
Nathan's tears fell freely now, soaking the cold ground beneath him.
The promise had been broken.
And the cost had been far too high.