Centered in his line of vision an eye of extreme size stared back at him. Its shape steadily shifting, looking both chaotic, hypnotic and oddly soothing all at once.

  Shape and color weren't consistent at all. Even the fleshy borders of the eye were constantly changing, thousands of tiny limbs scattered amongst its skin, wildly flailing and reaching out for Isak.

  Even in between the relentless ringing noise in his ears he could hear their movements, their sharp crackling reaching him, reminiscent of bones breaking and dislocating.

  The veins on the border of the “eye” looked like extensive root systems growing and dying in the span of seconds. Others looked like throbbing parasitic worms crawling beneath the surface of the eye, splitting up and disappearing before reaching the center.

  Behind it laid countless pillars of transfigured flesh, rapidly moving, changing size and texture as they soared through the crimson sky. Their appearance varied, but they all looked similar to the borders of the eye, being littered with the same near-infinite amount of violently flailing limbs.

  They were writhing, twisting and turning as they pleased, like the otherworldly body of a divine serpent. A single pillar connected the eye with the rest of the system, leading Isak to think they all belonged to the same being; the one standing before him.

  He could hear them soar through the air, ripping the atmosphere apart, causing fast winds and even the occasional sonic boom.

  Their movements only served to worsen the already crushing presence tenfold, the winds they created hurtling Isak’s limp body back and forth like a ragdoll.

  Sometimes he could even “feel” their presence as they moved too close to Isak.

  The air around them seemed to distort with a constantly suppressive force that mirrored the one gripping Isak so vividly.

  His ringing ears are suddenly dominated by deafening noise, its heavy, crushing nature washing out even the violent ringing in his ears.

  It consisted of mainly low frequencies, making its every vocalization feel like demands.

  …

  Was it trying to communicate with him?

  He wasn’t sure how to react. The noises were difficult to understand, some of them being hard to even comprehend.

  Yet it touched him. He could feel himself changing. His body was fighting it, but submitting more and more after every word.

  It was like the serpent was connecting with the very essence of his soul in a language only it could understand.

  He could feel the pressure gradually fade as a new force entered his body. It seeped through his skin and flew coldly through his blood.

  It felt wonderful.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  And it was almost natural to him. Although he didn't understand anything of what was going on, he knew that it was right.

  The force moved with purpose and goal, every shred of it aiming for his head as it lingered and returned to its point of entry.

  It was almost like a secondary breathing to him, a process so primal and simple yet so mindlessly complicated. To someone like himself, it felt comforting, but also almost incomprehensible, as if he and every other human on the earth lived with an utilized 7th sense.

  His brief moment of reprieve was pierced by the eyes gaze as he felt a sudden cold sensation flow through his bloodstream, the eye’s previously hypnotic iris now raging like an undying storm of fire and ash.

  The pressure returned as he felt his body being bloated and changed.

  It was agonizing; thousands of times worse than before.

  The weird force he felt was now grasping him, changing the foundation of who he was as a human being.

  But it wasn't only his outline that changed, but his organs and flesh too.

  He could see out of new eyes, he could feel out of new limbs.

  He felt his nerves being torn apart and growing anew. He could feel his flesh being rubbed and pulled against itself as it amalgamated into something inhuman.

  He tried resisting, but his body wouldn't listen. He was practically just watching through someone else's eyes.

  His body was entirely out of control, his only remaining sense of self being his mind, but that was changing too.

  I just want it all to stop…

  It was all hopeless. Hopeless!

  He couldn't fight it, he couldn't change it… How could he live with this…

  please-

  If he was just a slave to the force, a puppet to the serpent, how would he be himself?

  MAKE IT STOP!

  The pressure was so bad he even struggled to keep his eyes open. To simply stay awake another second he needed incredible concentrations of willpower and determination.

  Try as he might he just couldn't handle it any longer, the serpent's divine will tearing his mind and body to pieces.

  The world seemed to slow down as his eyes slowly closed, worn out from the everlasting pain felt all over his body.

  And then, darkness.