The path ahead pulsed faintly, an eerie invitation. Shi Yan's steps echoed in the oppressive silence, each sound swallowed quickly by the omnipresent darkness. He gripped his dagger tightly, the blade now faintly etched with a glow that mirrored the sigil on his arm.
The air was heavy, laden with the scent of decay and damp stone. His legs burned from exertion, but he pressed forward. To stop was to surrender, and Shi Yan knew the labyrinth thrived on weakness. It was alive, watching, waiting.
The narrow path widened into a circular chamber, faint light from the stones revealing intricate carvings along the walls. They depicted towering figures with hollow eyes, arms outstretched toward a sky that wasn't there. At the chamber's center stood a pedestal, upon which a single flame hovered, flickering unnaturally.
Shi Yan approached cautiously, the cold light of the flame casting jagged shadows that twisted with every movement. There was no warmth to it, only an unrelenting chill.
The voice returned, resonant and unyielding, vibrating through Shi Yan's very bones.
"Prove your worth, seeker of the Path. Take the Flame of Dominion, or be consumed by the Abyss."
---
The words had scarcely faded before the carvings began to stir. The hollow-eyed figures stepped free from the stone, their movements jerky and inhuman. Shadows clung to their forms, swirling and shifting like living smoke.
Shi Yan's breath quickened. He backed away instinctively, his grip tightening on the dagger.
One of the figures lunged, its outstretched hand reshaping midair into jagged claws. Shi Yan ducked, the claws whistling past his ear and striking the ground with a bone-chilling shriek.
Another figure flanked him, its movements almost serpentine. Shi Yan spun and slashed, the blade tearing through its shadowy form. For a moment, it dispersed—but only a moment. The shadows reassembled, as if mocking his attempt.
"They can't be killed," he muttered through clenched teeth. "Not like this."
The sigil on his arm pulsed faintly, a whisper of something beyond instinct.
The flame.
---
Shi Yan darted toward the pedestal, his focus sharp despite the chaos around him. The figures moved faster, their attacks more coordinated. One struck low, forcing him to leap. Another descended from above, and he rolled aside, the icy chill of its claws brushing against his back.
The flame drew closer, its light cold but alluring. As Shi Yan reached out to grasp it, the air around him seemed to warp. His breath misted, and the edges of his vision blurred.
The instant his fingers touched the flame, pain exploded through his body. Fire and ice coursed through his veins, searing and freezing him simultaneously. The sigil burned white-hot, and his vision swam with abstract shapes and colors.
The chamber erupted into chaos.
---
The shadowy figures howled, their forms convulsing and distorting as the flame's light seared through the darkness. Shi Yan fell to his knees, clutching his arm as the sigil's glow spread across his body, forming intricate patterns along his skin.
The pain was unbearable, but within it was something else—raw, unbridled power.
The flame merged with the sigil, and Shi Yan felt the dagger respond in kind. Its glow intensified, its edge sharper than steel and humming with latent energy.
The first figure lunged at him again, but this time, his body moved faster than thought. The blade sliced clean through its form, dispersing it into nothingness.
The remaining figures hesitated, their hollow gazes locking onto him as though sensing the shift in his presence.
---
Shi Yan rose, steady despite the tremors in his limbs. The dagger in his hand was no longer just a weapon; it was an extension of his will.
The figures attacked in unison, a blur of claws and shadow. But Shi Yan was faster. His blade cut through the darkness with precision, each strike erasing the shadowy forms as if they had never existed.
Moments later, the chamber was silent once more. The shadows were gone, dispelled by the flame's relentless light.
The voice returned, softer now but no less commanding.
"You have claimed the Flame of Dominion, a fragment of the Path. Your will strengthens, but beware—the Abyss watches closely."
---
The pedestal sank into the ground, and the chamber shifted. The walls rippled like liquid, and a new path revealed itself—a spiraling descent into deeper darkness.
Shi Yan stood for a moment, catching his breath. The dagger in his hand was now a steady source of light, its glow unwavering. He could feel the flame within him, a flickering presence that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
But beneath that flicker was something far more ominous: the weight of an unseen gaze. The Abyss wasn't just watching—it was waiting.
With a deep breath, Shi Yan stepped forward, the flame's light cutting through the shadows as he ventured deeper into the labyrinth.