Chapter 9: The Path of Shadows
The massive doors of the temple groaned as they opened, revealing a dark corridor that stretched endlessly into the unknown. The flickering light of Solinara's embers lingered in Kratos's chest, his scars glowing faintly with their power. The heat of her essence had settled within him, and though he felt stronger, it came with a gnawing discomfort—a voice whispering from the flames, urging him forward.
The corridor was silent except for Kratos's heavy footsteps. Torches lined the walls, their flickering flames casting distorted shadows. As he walked, those shadows began to twist unnaturally, shifting and stretching toward him. He paused, his hand instinctively clenching as if reaching for a weapon long gone.
"You are not alone," a voice whispered, deep and resonant.
From the darkness, the shadows coalesced into a form—a towering figure cloaked in shifting blackness. Eyes like voids bore into Kratos. "I am Malgrin, Lord of Shadows," the figure intoned, his voice an echo of dread. "You defeated Solinara, but fire is nothing without shadow to temper it. You have trespassed too far, Ghost of Sparta. This is where your journey ends."
Kratos stood firm, his body coiled with tension. "Another god, another corpse," he replied coldly.
Malgrin extended a clawed hand, and the shadows around him erupted, forming spectral blades that whirled in the air. "You will find shadows are harder to kill than fire," he said, lunging forward.
The battle erupted, darkness engulfing the corridor. Kratos's fists glowed with Solinara's fire as he fought back, their powers clashing in a storm of flame and shadow. Each strike sent shockwaves through the temple, the very walls groaning under their might.
As Malgrin's laughter echoed through the chaos, Kratos knew this god would be unlike any he had faced before.