Chapter 4 The Chains Tighten

As Sofia's fame continued to skyrocket, so too did the strange occurrences that haunted her every waking moment. Her face graced every billboard in the city, her name a permanent fixture on the lips of critics and fans alike. She was the dancer everyone wanted to see, the rising star everyone wanted to know. But beneath the glittering surface of her success, Sofia was unraveling.

It began with small things. Her body no longer felt like her own. During rehearsals, she would find herself dancing long after the music had stopped, her feet moving to a rhythm only she could hear. Her limbs, once graceful and fluid, now felt heavy and stiff, as though they were being manipulated by invisible strings. She would try to stop, but the more she fought against it, the stronger the pull became.

And then there were the whispers.

At first, they were faint, barely audible over the noise of the city and the hum of her new, glamorous life. But soon they grew louder, more insistent. They echoed in her mind during her performances, creeping into her dreams and waking her in the dead of night. The whispers came from everywhere - and nowhere. They were always there, lurking in the corners of her mind, reminding her of the deal she had made, the price she had yet to fully pay.

The whispers carried his voice.

Dante.

He never left her alone, though she hadn't seen him since the night they sealed the pact. But his presence was always with her, a shadow that followed her everywhere she went. His voice slid through her mind like silk, seductive and commanding. He never said much, but what he did say chilled her to the bone.

"You're mine now, Sofia. Forever."

She would wake up drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest, her muscles aching from the strain of the dances that never ended, not even in sleep. She tried to explain it to her friends, her fellow dancers, but they only looked at her with confusion. To them, everything was perfect. She was living the dream they all wanted, so how could they understand the nightmare she was living?

Sofia realized she couldn't keep going like this. She had to get out. But how? The more she danced, the deeper Dante's hold on her became. She could feel him, like a noose tightening around her throat, choking the life out of her with every step she took on stage.

And yet, she couldn't stop.

It was as if her body belonged to him now, not her. The fame, the success, it was all hollow. Every applause felt like another link in the chain binding her to Dante's will.

One night, after a particularly grueling performance, Sofia stumbled back to her dressing room, her legs barely able to carry her. She collapsed onto the floor, sobbing, her body trembling with exhaustion. In the mirror, she caught a glimpse of herself - pale, gaunt, her eyes sunken with dark circles. She didn't even recognize herself anymore. The girl who had once danced for the pure joy of it was gone. In her place was a puppet, a hollow shell.

As the tears streamed down her face, Dante's voice filled her mind once again, cold and unyielding.

"You'll never escape me, Sofia. You're bound to me for eternity."