[center][url=https://open.spotify.com/track/5gWtkdgdyt5bZt9i6n3Kqd?si=37957e6e11974ccb][img]https://i.postimg.cc/05m61xNT/Elena-Castellano-removebg-preview-1.png[/img][/url][/center][right][sub]Interactions: Luciana [@FernStone][/sub][/right][hr]
[indent][color=#ffffff]Elena felt her entire body tense, every nerve alight with an electric jolt of fear as her heart pounded loudly in her ears, drowning out the rest of the world. The grotesque thing—no longer a man but something wearing his skin like a costume—began to transform before her, each movement defying reason, twisting into something far from human. Its smile stretched in a way that shouldn't have been possible, the corners of its mouth curling back like the rusted hinges of an ancient door, revealing sharp teeth that caught the flickering emergency lights in a wicked gleam. A sickening crack echoed through the room as its fingers shifted and warped, grotesque, knife-like claws emerging in a macabre dance of bone and sinew. Elena's stomach lurched violently at the sight, her eyes widening as darkness pooled in the creature's sockets—a viscous blackness that seemed to twist and churn, devouring all traces of light. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]It was an abyss, a void that promised nothing but oblivion, and it threatened to pull her under with its sheer wrongness.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Elena swallowed hard, her throat dry and tight, as her eyes flitted from the now-darkened windows to the counter where the creature had melted into the shadows. The emergency lights flickered uncertainly above, casting a feeble glow that barely seemed to penetrate the heavy darkness clinging to every corner. Her gaze darted back toward the counter just as the doppelganger reappeared, rising from the dark like a nightmare given form, its elongated claws raised high—as if savouring the anticipation of the strike to come against another, weapon now in hand to defend himself.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Elena barely had time to process the chilling horror unfolding before her when Loni’s wide eyes met hers, her voice shaking slightly as she implored the young woman to hold Luciana. The raw terror etched into Loni’s features sent a jolt to Elena’s gut, twisting and coiling like a fist around her insides. [/color]

[color=#ffffff]But Elena had been raised to move when the world tried to freeze her in place.[/color]

[color=#f9c2bf]“It’s okay, Luciana,” [/color][color=#ffffff]she whispered, her voice trembling yet laced with a soothing cadence. [/color][color=#f9c2bf]“Mamá’s going to come back. I’ve got you for now.” [/color]

[color=#ffffff]With her mother gone, the child nestled against her neck, the heat of Luciana's small body seeping into her skin and mingling with the icy grip of fear clenching at her insides. The softness of the girl’s hair brushed against her cheek, fragrant with the sweet scent of shampoo and something like innocence. But beneath that sweetness was the unmistakable saltiness of tears—wet and warm—as they soaked through the fabric of her collar, dampening the jacket and marking Elena with the full weight of the little girl’s sorrow.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]All she could think to do was tighten her grip around Luciana, feeling the tremors coursing through the girl’s small frame as they huddled together. She couldn’t conjure a shield, but that didn’t mean she was powerless. Luciana needed protection, and Elena would find a way, even without magic. Her gaze swept around the bakery, and she realized that she needed to create distance, something that would give them a moment, an opportunity to move toward a safer spot. [/color][/indent]