The shadows of the Shadowed Grove were familiar to Black Jade by now, yet this part of the forest felt different—darker, more oppressive. The shadows seemed to move of their own accord, twisting and curling like living entities, whispering secrets that only the bravest dared to hear. She was nearing her next ingredient, the Wraith Essence, a rare and powerful material she had heard about in her travels through the Tower. The essence of a wraith was said to be an integral part of summoning beings bound to the shadow, and it pulsed with a divine quality hidden beneath layers of darkness.
No one knew for sure what kind of familiar could be crafted from such an ingredient. But Black Jade felt drawn to it, her own magic resonating with the shadows. What better way to strengthen her familiar than with the essence of a creature born of the darkness itself?
The deeper she went into the Grove, the more she felt the heavy presence of something lurking, watching her. The shadows thickened, clinging to her like mist, and the temperature dropped sharply, making her breath visible in the air. Even the trees, twisted and ancient, seemed to be affected, their gnarled branches drooping as though weighed down by centuries of darkness.
"This place has been untouched for a long time," Black Jade muttered, her voice breaking the eerie silence. "No one's dared to venture here. Perfect."
She moved forward cautiously, her Abyssal Staff glowing faintly in her hand, the pale green and obsidian black light cutting through the gloom. She had been through enough of the Tower to know that the Wraith Essence wouldn't just be lying around waiting to be collected. It would be guarded—ferociously so.
As if responding to her thoughts, the shadows ahead of her began to shift. The mist swirled, coalescing into a dark, humanoid figure that floated just above the ground. Its form was insubstantial, made entirely of shadows, but its glowing white eyes were fixed on her, radiating malice. The air around the wraith was heavy with an unnatural coldness, and Black Jade could feel its presence in her bones, like ice creeping under her skin.
The wraith let out a low, echoing hiss, its voice like the wind whispering through a crypt. It hovered toward her, its movements fluid and silent, and with a wave of its hand, the shadows around her deepened, plunging the forest into an even thicker darkness.
Black Jade smirked, unfazed. "So, you're the one holding the Wraith Essence, huh? Fine. Let's dance."
Without hesitation, the wraith lunged at her, its form rippling as it dissolved into the shadows, reappearing behind her in an instant. Black Jade barely had time to react before its cold, spectral hand lashed out, aiming for her chest. She spun on her heel, her Abyssal Staff already glowing with dark energy as she blocked the attack, sending a blast of magic straight at the wraith.
The creature shrieked as the magic collided with it, but instead of disintegrating, it merely flickered and reformed, its body shifting and twisting as it circled her like a predator hunting its prey. The shadows around them seemed to pulse in response to the wraith's presence, growing thicker and more oppressive with every passing second.
Black Jade narrowed her eyes, calculating her next move. The wraith wasn't like the other creatures she had faced in the Grove. It was faster, more elusive, and far more dangerous. Every time she struck, it seemed to melt back into the shadows, only to reappear moments later, its attacks coming from different angles as though it were everywhere at once.
But Black Jade wasn't easily shaken. She knew the wraith had one weakness—its core, the source of its power. She just had to find it.
As the wraith lunged at her again, she sidestepped the attack and swung her staff, sending a ripple of dark energy through the air. The magic crackled as it collided with the wraith, forcing it to reform in front of her. This time, she didn't give it a chance to recover. With a sharp flick of her wrist, she summoned a blade of shadow, the weapon forming in her hand with a hiss of dark magic.
The wraith screeched, its form flickering violently as it tried to retreat. But Black Jade was faster. She lunged forward, her eyes locked on the faint, pulsing light deep within the wraith's chest—the core.
"Found you," she whispered, her voice cold and steady.
With one swift, decisive strike, she drove the blade into the wraith's core. The creature let out a final, piercing wail as the shadows that made up its body began to unravel, disintegrating into the air around her. The coldness in the air dissipated, and the oppressive weight of the shadows lifted as the wraith dissolved into nothingness.
Breathing heavily, Black Jade stood still for a moment, letting the silence of the Grove settle around her once more. The wraith was gone, and in its place, a faint, ethereal glow hovered in the air—the Wraith Essence.
Black Jade reached out, her fingers closing around the glowing orb of essence. It pulsed faintly in her hand, its energy cold but strangely comforting. The essence of the wraith would be a powerful addition to her familiar, imbuing it with the elusive and dangerous qualities of the shadows. But beyond that, she could feel something more—something divine, hidden beneath the layers of darkness.
"You're going to be something special," she whispered, tucking the Wraith Essence safely into her inventory. "I can feel it."
With the Wraith Essence in hand, Black Jade turned and made her way out of the Grove. She didn't know exactly what kind of familiar would come from these ingredients, but she was certain of one thing: whatever it was, it would be as powerful as it was mysterious.