Hysteria

The nightmare's corruption was not a sudden event. It seeped in slowly, like poison, through the deep wounds he received while protecting the forest. First, his horns twisted into demonic shapes, even though they once marked him as a forest guardian. Then came his nails. From hands that once nurtured life, black claws grew, ready to tear everything apart. The warmth and mischievous playfulness in his eyes disappeared, replaced by the red light of a starving beast. It was as if his original purpose was being both denied and mocked. As his reason faded and pure pain and fury took hold of his body, he let out one final, broken breath. "Nachia... I'm sorry..." But those words reached no one, fading away at the very moment the last spark of the being called "Belphomet" was extinguished. This was both his last cry and the first howl of the nightmare that took over his body.