The Forgotten Ruins loomed over us, some kind of decaying giant, thick with some strange, near-palpable energy. Every step heavier, as if I moved through some invisible barrier, worsening with proximity. Dark stone structures towered above me, their surfaces inscribed with runes and symbols, pulsing so faintly it was like a show of life.
Ember moved in beside me, her eyes darting restlessly to meet and pass on from everything for more than a few seconds at a time. She was wired, and that was enough in itself to peg my instincts to high.
"This place…," I muttered-my voice little more than a whisper-"it feels… wrong."
Ember nodded, twitching her ears. "Strong influence of the system here. More than ruins of a forgotten civ-these are part of the design against which those seeking power will be tested. But it comes with a price.
It was as if an answer to her words. A low hum came across the air, reverberations of which thrummed along the very earth beneath my paws. I froze, and my heart went rioting. The hum wasn't just a noise but rather a feeling, a deep grating feeling that rattled my bones.
"Be careful," Ember warned in a hush, "We are not alone."
I initiated this with Shadow Domination, pulling the shadows closer to my person. The darkness in these ruins was alive, sentient even-far, far more than the mere absence of light. Somethings watched from just beyond perception, coiling with the shadows that wrapped around me.
We pushed on through the maze of crumbled pillars and half-collapsed walls. The deeper in, the stronger the presence got, until I could no longer even try to make believe that it wasn't there. Every fiber in my body shrieked to turn back, but I pressed on. I'd come too far now.
[New Objective: The Whispering Shadows]
Investigate the source of the strange energy in the Forgotten Ruins
Uncover the secrets hidden within the runes
Beware of the lurking presence
The voice that came from that system's speakers did little to help steady my nerves. Every shadow sounded like it was whispering voices, softly spoken but loud enough to send chills down my spine. I looked to Ember for some sort of reassurance-she looked grim.
The shadows here differ from those which you control; in hushed, low tones she asserted, her gaze flipping from one corner of the room to the other. They're corrupted, tainted with whatever force the system's experimenting with. Really, you have to be really careful with your powers-the shadows don't always listen to you.
I swallowed hard-her words went deep. This should have been daunting, to think that this very power I had come to bank on might just turn against me. Yet, here, I wasn't given the time for vacillation.
We emerged into a large courtyard: the ground was cracked and unequal, with weird glyphs scratched into the stone. In the very center stood a great obelisk, its face covered in glowing runes that pulsed with an uncanny light. It appeared to ripple the air about it, like heat rising from the ground, but it was very cold.
"This is it," Ember said in a low voice. "The heart of the ruins."
The whispering grew loud with each step that brought us closer and coalesced into disjointed words, phrases that didn't make any sense. I strained to listen, and the more I listened, the more the words slipped further and further away, like sand between my fingers.
I touched tentatively, my paw reaching the surface of the obelisk. It was then that a needle of pain seemed to run through my body. I recoiled with a gasp. Suddenly, the whispers surged louder now - no longer faint, a cacophony of voices speaking all at once, trying to tell something louder, so that the words were indistinguishable.
[System Warning: Corrupted Energy Detected]
The obelisk contains corrupted system data
Interacting with it may cause unstable effects.
"What is this?" I huffed, catching my head as voices beat in endless circles against my skull.
Embers' face frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. "The taint in the system. This is no artefact, but a key, conducting the power of the system. Something is amiss. The energy residing herein has been corrupted.
I retreated and tried to clear my head, but the whispers would not stop. It was as though they swirled around me, loud, ever more insistent. Then, out of the chaos, one voice managed to break through-clear, unmistakable.
"You want power, little rabbit?"
I froze, my breath catching in my throat, and the voice wasn't part of the system, was ancient-more ancient than the ruins themselves-yet spoke with a chilling familiarity.
"The system cannot give you what you really want. It only takes… and distorts. But I… I am in a position to offer more."
"Who's there?" I managed to exclaim breathlessly, my head aside towards the direction of the voice.
A piece of what once was, before the system claimed this world. I was once like you: after the power, the answers. And I found it. but not in the system. No, I found it in something much greater. And so can you.
Ember's ears twitched, and her eyes slitted. "You're hearing it, aren't you?" she asked, her tone sharp. "Don't listen. Whatever that voice is, it's part of the corruption. It's trying to lure you in.
I shook my head, trying to block him out, but that wouldn't make him quiet.
It is a system, a prison-a cage that clings to one's soul. One can only be free-he can break loose from its chains-by embracing the darkness.
A cold dread began to seep into my stomach. The voice was seductive, even tempting, but something wasn't right about it. Over the years, I had learned to listen to my instincts, and right now, they were screaming at me to stop listening.
The voice wasn't finished yet.
The control you have with them, but that's a fraction of what they're capable of. I can show you how you can be more than what the system made you: master all shadows and transcend this world.
These words hung heavy with weight and promise in the air: transcend this world. Isn't that the point-to rise above, to be free from the bonds of this life, to be in control of the system instead of vice-versa? Yet at what cost?
I looked at Ember. Her gaze locked on mine. She knew exactly what I was thinking.
Don't," she said, undeterred, "that's what the system wants-to bend you to its will, to twist you. The moment you give in, you're lost. It's the shadows that will take over.
And I hesitated, torn between the longing and the fear that I would fall prey to things darker than I could ever imagine.
System's Option-listen to the voice or resistance to corruption?
Option 1: Voice: Accept the offer of the ancient presence: gain incredible powers of shadow, but at the risk of losing yourself to corruption.
Option 2: Defy the Voice - Decline the offer and move along the very same path. Uncover all the secrets of the system without being tainted by it.
Yeah, that came into my head, flashed in courtesy of the system, but this wasn't anything to do with some new ability or title; this was going to be a turn of decision, really.
I took a deep breath as the weight of the decision weighed upon me. The shadows whispered, the voice coaxing me to take it, but Ember's warning was louder.
Not turning into a puppet, I gritted my teeth and pushed all these voices away. "Neither for the system nor for anyone.".
The whispers grew more frantic, angry even, but I resisted the pull.
Fool!" it spat, the voice lost to distance. "You could have had everything. Now. you face the consequence.".
Instantly, with the loss of the voice, the weight that had pressed so crushingly upon me lifted, and the whispered hiss died slowly away. And I breathed a pent-up breath, and my body shook with the effort of resistance.
Ember nodded. "Not a bad choice.
But no sooner would I have replied, an obelisk pulsed most violently with energy; the cracks spider-webbed across its surface as the earth beneath our feet started to shudder, the air crackling with dark energy.
Uh… Ember? I began, taking a step back from the obelisk.
"Run!" Ember shouted, running toward the edge of the courtyard. "We gotta get outta here—now!"
I did, without any doubts in my mind, and ran towards the exit as walls crashed down from all sides. Top of the obelisk blasted with a deafening crash, sending another wave of air shock surging around the place. I barely leaped to safety when chunks of stone crashed down behind me.
Then we ran through the decaying ruins, with the earth giving away beneath our steps, until we reached the protection of a nearby clearing.
I hit the ground, panting, my heart racing in my chest. The ruins were no more-just consumed by the very devastation that had taken them-but it wasn't over yet. I could feel the residue of the voice back there, still poking around in my mind, reminding me of what I had almost become.
Quest Update: The Whispering Shadows]
You resisted the ancient voice and avoided corruption
The ruins have collapsed, but the mystery of the system remains unsolved
New Quest: Journey to the Nexus – Seek out the source of the system's power in the Nexus, the center of all energy in this world.
I turned to Ember still catching her breath beside me. "The Nexus." I said, the word heavy upon my lips.
She nodded grimly. "That's where we go now. If you want answers, that's the only place you'll get them.". And thus our journey continued, while the system played the more fearful shadow in our lives.
The next step: the Nexus.