@wandering_giraffe ——
The moon hung high in the night sky, casting an eerie glow over the dense woods just outside of Ketra. The sound of footsteps echoed through the trees as Ipsen, driven by a sinister compulsion, sprinted through the underbrush. His heart pounded in his chest, matching the relentless pursuit of the hounds and the distant shouts of authorities on his tail.
Darting between trees, Ipsen felt the adrenaline coursing through him, each step pushing him further away from the crime scenes that painted a gruesome tableau behind him. He expertly evaded the pursuit, guided by instincts that were not his own. The cold wind whipped through his disheveled hair as he vanished into the shadows.
In a concealed alcove, Ipsen found a momentary sanctuary. Breathing heavily, he clutched a tree, his eyes wide with a mix of exhilaration and dread. The barking of the dogs and the distant shouts faded away as he felt the transformation taking hold.
With a shuddering breath, Ipsen's demeanor shifted, his once predatory gaze replaced by confusion. Lowen Thorn blinked, disoriented, as if awakening from a haunting dream. His surroundings seemed unfamiliar, and a gap in time left him with a disconcerting void.
Soreness emanated from his limbs, and when he glanced down, horror seized him. Blood stained his hands and clothes, a gruesome tableau mirroring the scenes Ipsen had left in his wake. Panic set in as Lowen grappled with the chilling realization that he had no memory of the events that transpired.
Alone in the quietude of the woods, Lowen Thorn, oblivious to Ipsen's macabre escapades, found himself entangled in a web of mystery and darkness, with questions hanging in the air like the ominous shadows that surrounded him.
"Not again," Lowen whispered with a shaky breath. "What happened?"