Xander stared at the lifeless body of the shadowbeast, its essence still swirling inside him like a storm. He could feel the raw power coursing through his veins—the beast's strength, its savagery, now his. But with it came something else. A darkness, deeper than before, like a hungry shadow creeping at the edges of his mind.
His hands trembled as he looked down at them, stained with the remnants of the shadowbeast's essence. He had crossed a line he didn't even know existed. The power he had taken felt foreign, monstrous, but it had been necessary. He'd had no choice.
But that didn't change the fact that it terrified him.
"Xander…" Lyra's voice was soft, hesitant, as she took a cautious step toward him. Her bow was still in her hand, but she held it loosely, her eyes locked on him with a mixture of fear and uncertainty.
Kael's expression was harder to read. He stood a few paces behind Lyra, his dagger still in hand, but he hadn't moved since Xander had devoured the shadowbeast. His gaze flickered between Xander and Zara, who lay motionless on the ground.
Xander turned to look at Zara, his heart twisting with guilt. He knelt beside her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She looked so peaceful, so fragile. The light that had once radiated from her was gone, replaced by a strange stillness. He could still feel her breathing, but it was faint—too faint.
"We need to get her help," Xander said, his voice strained. "She's still alive, but I don't know for how long."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "What did you just do, Xander?" His voice was low, tense. "That… that wasn't just some trick. You took something from that beast, didn't you?"
Xander swallowed hard, his throat dry. "I didn't have a choice. It was coming for Zara. I had to stop it."
"That's not what I'm asking." Kael stepped closer, his voice growing more insistent. "I saw what happened. You didn't just kill it—you devoured it. You took its power."
Xander's jaw tightened. "I did what I had to do."
Lyra shook her head, her eyes filled with worry. "But at what cost, Xander? You've always been careful with your power. This… this feels different."
"I know." Xander's voice was barely above a whisper. "It feels different to me too. But if I hadn't done it, Zara would be—"
A groan interrupted him, and all three of them froze. Zara stirred, her face contorting in pain as her eyelids fluttered open. Xander's heart leapt into his throat as he watched her slowly regain consciousness.
"Zara!" he exclaimed, relief flooding through him. He helped her sit up, his hands trembling as he gently held her shoulders. "You're okay. You're alive."
Zara blinked, her eyes unfocused as she looked around, confusion etched on her face. "What… happened?" Her voice was weak, barely a whisper.
"You unleashed some kind of power," Xander said, his voice soft. "You saved us. But after that, you collapsed. I thought… I thought I lost you."
Zara winced, her hand going to her head as if trying to piece together what had happened. "I don't remember… everything. Just flashes." She looked up at Xander, her eyes filled with concern. "I felt something—something dark. And then… it was gone."
Xander swallowed the lump in his throat, unsure how much to tell her. "You were incredible, Zara. But whatever power you tapped into, it took a toll on you."
Zara's gaze flickered to the lifeless body of the shadowbeast, and her eyes widened. "That… that thing. I remember it coming for me."
Xander nodded. "It was. But I stopped it."
Her eyes lingered on the beast's corpse for a moment before shifting back to Xander. "How?"
Xander hesitated. He could feel the weight of Kael's and Lyra's stares on him, the unspoken questions hanging in the air. Zara deserved the truth, but how could he explain what he had done? How could he tell her that he had devoured the essence of the creature, that he had crossed a line he could never come back from?
"I used my power," Xander said finally, his voice low. "I… I took its strength. It was the only way to stop it."
Zara's eyes widened in shock, her hand reaching for his. "You… consumed it? Xander, that's dangerous. You don't know what that kind of power can do to you."
"I know," Xander admitted, his voice strained. "But I couldn't let it kill you."
A tense silence fell over them, broken only by the rustling of the wind through the trees. Zara's hand tightened around his, her expression conflicted. She understood the gravity of what he had done, but she didn't push him away. Not yet.
Lyra cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "We can figure this out later. Right now, we need to get out of here before more of those things show up."
Kael nodded in agreement. "She's right. The cabal won't give up that easily. They'll come for us again."
Xander helped Zara to her feet, though she swayed slightly as she stood. Her body was still weak, but there was a fire in her eyes that told him she wasn't going to give up easily.
As they began to move, a soft voice echoed through the trees, sending a chill down Xander's spine. It was familiar, haunting—like a whisper from the depths of his mind.
"You think you can run from this, Xander? You think you can hide?"
Xander froze, his blood turning to ice. He knew that voice. It was the voice of the woman from his dreams, the one who had spoken to him in the void.
Zara's eyes darted around, searching for the source of the voice. "Did you hear that?"
Kael and Lyra exchanged confused looks. "Hear what?" Kael asked.
Xander's heart pounded in his chest. He could hear the voice, but it was clear that the others couldn't. It was speaking directly to him.
"You've only just begun to scratch the surface of your power," the voice continued, dripping with malevolence. "But if you're not careful, it will consume you."
Xander clenched his fists, fighting the urge to respond aloud. He couldn't let the others see how shaken he was. He couldn't let them know that the darkness inside him was growing, whispering to him, pulling him deeper into its grip.
"Xander?" Zara's voice was soft, filled with concern.
He forced a smile, though it felt hollow. "I'm fine. Let's keep moving."
But even as they pressed on, the voice lingered in his mind, a constant reminder of the shadow lurking within him.
This is just the beginning.