Caelum's heart raced as the figure emerged from the darkness. Cloaked in shadows, the tall form of the Shadow King stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger.
"You thought you could escape the web of deceit, Caelum?" the Shadow King's voice was a low, resonant growl. "I have long watched you. You think you hold the shards, but the truth is... they hold you."
Caelum reached for his sword but found it gone. His hands trembled. "What have you done with my friends?"
"They are safe... for now," the Shadow King said, his smile unsettling. "But you are alone, and you will learn the cost of your bargains."
"You don't control me," Caelum retorted, trying to steady his breath. The cursed sword within him thrummed, but this time, it wasn't temptation he felt—it was rage.
"Oh, but I do," the Shadow King whispered. "I've seen the cracks in your soul, Caelum. You've always been so eager to prove yourself, but you have never understood the true price of power. You will understand."
The figure stepped closer, and the ground beneath Caelum's feet began to shift. Shadows stretched like tendrils, creeping toward him, threatening to swallow him whole.
"Your journey has only begun," the Shadow King continued. "You may hold the shards for now, but soon they will be nothing more than chains. Your chains."
With a sudden movement, the shadows converged, and Caelum was pulled into darkness, his body trapped in an ethereal web.