**Chapter 12: The Transformation**

As the power of the Slough coursed through his veins, Cormag felt his body begin to change. His muscles seemed to shift and ripple, like the surface of a pond disturbed by a thrown stone. His skin itched and burned, as if a thousand tiny flames were dancing across his flesh. He looked down at his hands, and saw that they were transforming, his fingers lengthening and morphing into razor-sharp claws. Sith's voice was a distant echo, a cry of alarm and concern that seemed to fade into the background as Cormag's transformation took hold. The air around him seemed to thicken, becoming a palpable force that pressed against his skin. The Echo's laughter grew louder, a maddening sound that seemed to sear itself into his brain. Cormag's vision began to blur, his eyes burning with an otherworldly energy. He felt his mind expanding, as if it was being stretched to its limits and beyond. He saw visions of ancient forests, of twisted trees that seemed to writhe and twist in agony. He saw visions of great cities, of towering spires that seemed to pierce the sky like shards of glass. The world around him began to distort, reality itself bending and warping to accommodate the power that was surging through him. Cormag felt himself becoming something more, something less. He was no longer just a man, but a vessel for the power of the Slough. As the transformation reached its peak, Cormag let out a cry of pain and exhilaration. He felt his body shattering, reforming, and reconstituting itself into something new, something monstrous. When the process was complete, he stood before Sith, a creature unlike any he had ever seen. Cormag's eyes glowed with an eerie green light, and his skin was a deep, mottled grey. His body was taller, more muscular, and his limbs seemed to be twisted and distorted in ways that defied human anatomy. He looked at Sith, and saw that his friend was staring at him in horror. The Echo's laughter had stopped, and an oppressive silence had fallen over the chamber. Cormag could feel the weight of Sith's gaze upon him, and he knew that he had to reassure his friend that he was still the same person. He took a step forward, his twisted limbs moving with an unnatural gait. "Sith," he said, his voice low and rough. "It's me. I'm still here." But as he spoke, Cormag realized that he was not sure if it was true. He was no longer the same man he had been just moments before. He was something more, something less. He was a creature of the Slough, a monster forged from the very essence of the twisted forest. The Echo's voice broke the silence, her words dripping with satisfaction. "Ah, Cormag," she said. "You are indeed a wonder to behold. And now, it is Sith's turn to choose." Sith's eyes flicked to the Echo, and then back to Cormag. He took a step back, his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I won't do it," he said, his voice firm. "I won't become like him." The Echo's smile was a cruel thing, a razor-sharp blade that seemed to slice through the air. "We shall see," she said. "The power of the Slough is not to be resisted. It will consume you, Sith. It will make you one of us." As she spoke, the crystal formation began to glow once more, its energy pulsing with an otherworldly power. Sith's eyes were drawn to it, his gaze seeming to grow more and more entranced with every passing moment. Cormag knew that his friend was on the brink of making a choice, a choice that would change him forever. And he knew that he had to act, to try and save Sith from the clutches of the Echo and the power of the Slough. But as he looked at his friend, he wondered if it was already too late.