Episode 7: Phase 1
"The Shadow's Whisper"
Rylen woke up to the steady hum of the facility, his thoughts still tangled in the chaos of the archives. He flexed his fingers, half-expecting the strange glow to return, but his hands remained ordinary. For now.
"Another day of being a walking mystery," he muttered, rolling out of bed.
As he shuffled into the training room, Lyra was already there, running drills with her usual precision. Her weapon moved like an extension of herself, each strike fluid and purposeful.
"You're late," she said without looking up.
Rylen yawned. "You're early. Or are you just always here?"
She smirked faintly but didn't reply.
Aris entered moments later, carrying a tablet filled with data from the archives. "Good, you're both here," they said. "We need to talk about last night."
Rylen groaned, sinking into a chair. "Can we skip the part where you tell me how much trouble we're in and get to the part where we fix it?"
"Fixing it," Aris said, setting the tablet down, "starts with understanding it. I've been analyzing the energy readings from the Shadow Zone encounter. The results are... concerning."
"Of course they are," Rylen muttered. "Wouldn't want anything in my life to be normal."
"Concerning how?" Lyra asked, her tone sharp.
"The energy Rylen emitted matches the signatures of the Shadow Zone rift," Aris explained. "It's not just connected to him—it's reacting to him. That means every time he uses his power, it's like sending a beacon out to... whatever's on the other side."
"Fantastic," Rylen said, slumping further into his chair. "So I'm basically a cosmic flare gun. Any other good news?"
Aris ignored the sarcasm. "The good news is that you're still here, and the rift hasn't reopened. Yet."
"'Yet' doesn't sound very good," Lyra pointed out.
"It's not," Aris admitted. "But it's also not hopeless. If we can figure out how to control the energy, we might be able to sever the connection—or at least weaken it."
"And how do we do that?" Rylen asked, sitting up straighter.
"Training," Aris said simply.
Lyra grinned, spinning her weapon in her hand. "Finally, something I can help with."
"Great," Rylen said, standing reluctantly. "But go easy on me, okay? I'm not exactly a combat expert."
"That's putting it mildly," Lyra said, smirking.
The next hour was a blur of drills, instructions, and the occasional sarcastic comment from Lyra. Rylen quickly discovered that his newfound power wasn't as cooperative as he'd hoped. Sometimes, he could summon the energy with ease, but other times, it fizzled out, leaving him frustrated and exhausted.
"Focus, Rylen," Lyra said, dodging his poorly aimed energy wave. "You're thinking too much. Just feel it."
"That's easy for you to say," he grumbled. "Your skills don't come with a side of existential dread."
"Neither will yours, once you stop whining," she shot back.
Aris, meanwhile, monitored the energy fluctuations on their tablet, their expression unreadable. "The energy output is erratic," they noted. "It's like it's fighting against you."
"Tell it to get in line," Rylen said, wiping sweat from his brow. "I'm the one stuck with it."
As they continued training, the facility's lights flickered briefly, and a faint chill filled the air. Lyra and Aris exchanged wary glances, but Rylen didn't notice, too focused on trying to summon his power again.
"Something's not right," Aris said, their voice low.
"You think?" Lyra replied, gripping her weapon tightly.
The air grew heavier, and a faint whisper seemed to echo through the room. Rylen froze, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.
"Did you hear that?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Hear what?" Lyra said, her eyes scanning the room.
"It's like..." Rylen hesitated, his heart racing. "Like someone's calling my name."
Before anyone could respond, a sudden pulse of energy erupted from Rylen, throwing him to the ground. The lights flickered wildly, and a dark shape began to materialize in the center of the room.
"Aris," Lyra said sharply, raising her weapon. "What is that?"
"I don't know," Aris said, their voice tense. "But it's not good."
The shape solidified into a swirling vortex of shadow, and a deep, resonant voice filled the room. "You cannot run, Rylen. You belong to us."
Rylen scrambled back, his heart pounding. "Yeah, I'm gonna pass on that, thanks!"
The vortex surged forward, tendrils of shadow reaching out toward him. Lyra fired her weapon, the blasts dissipating harmlessly against the dark mass.
"Aris, do something!" she shouted.
"I'm trying!" Aris snapped, typing furiously into their tablet.
Rylen felt the warmth in his chest flare again, stronger this time. He clenched his fists, his mind racing. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't going to stop.
"Rylen, focus!" Lyra yelled. "Use it!"
Taking a deep breath, Rylen closed his eyes and reached for the energy inside him. When he opened them again, his hands were glowing, brighter than ever before.
The vortex hesitated, as if sensing the shift. Rylen stepped forward, the light from his hands pushing back the shadows.
"This ends now," he said, his voice steady despite the fear clawing at him.
---
Episode 7: Phase 2
"The Shadow's Whisper" (continued)
The light in Rylen's hands flared brighter, casting sharp, dancing shadows across the walls of the training room. The vortex pulsed, its tendrils recoiling slightly, as if the energy emanating from Rylen was an unbearable force.
"Keep going, Rylen!" Lyra shouted, firing another round into the dark mass, even though her shots seemed to have no effect. "Whatever you're doing, it's working!"
Rylen gritted his teeth, stepping forward. His entire body felt like it was on fire, but not in a painful way—more like a reservoir of energy that he'd only just begun to tap into.
The vortex twisted violently, its voice booming through the room. "You cannot defy us, Rylen. You are one of us."
"One of you?" Rylen shot back, his fear giving way to anger. "I don't even know who—or what—you are!"
The shadow mass surged again, this time aiming straight for him. Lyra lunged forward, trying to shield him, but Rylen raised his glowing hands instinctively. A blinding pulse of light erupted from his palms, colliding with the vortex and forcing it to retreat.
The entity let out a distorted roar, its form growing unstable. "You cannot escape your destiny!" it growled before disintegrating into a wisp of smoke that vanished into the air.
The room fell silent, save for the faint hum of the facility's systems coming back online.
Rylen collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. The glow in his hands flickered and disappeared, leaving him feeling drained but strangely exhilarated.
Lyra rushed to his side, grabbing his arm and helping him up. "You okay?"
"Define 'okay,'" Rylen panted. "If it means exhausted and terrified, then yeah, I'm peachy."
Aris approached cautiously, their eyes glued to the tablet. "Whatever that was," they said, "it wasn't just a random anomaly. That thing was sent here—targeting you specifically."
"Yeah, I kind of figured that out when it said my name," Rylen replied, leaning heavily on Lyra.
"Did you notice?" Aris continued, their voice urgent. "The energy it emitted—it was almost identical to yours. That wasn't just a creature from the Shadow Zone. It was connected to you. Part of you."
Rylen froze, his stomach twisting. "Part of me? What does that even mean?"
"It means you're not just linked to the Shadow Zone," Aris said. "You might be... of the Shadow Zone."
Lyra frowned. "Aris, this isn't the time to freak him out more than he already is."
"I'm just stating the facts," Aris said, though their tone softened slightly. "Rylen, whatever this power is, it's more than just a tool. It's part of who you are. And if you don't learn to control it, it will control you."
Rylen sank into a nearby chair, his mind racing. "So, what you're saying is, I'm not just some unlucky guy with weird powers. I'm... what, a Shadow Zone sleeper agent?"
"We don't know that," Lyra said firmly. "But what we do know is that you fought it. You pushed it back. That means you're stronger than whatever it is trying to control you."
"That's... reassuring," Rylen said, though his voice lacked conviction.
Aris's tablet beeped, drawing their attention. "There's more," they said, their brow furrowing as they scanned the data. "The energy signature left behind by that thing—it's spreading."
"Spreading?" Lyra repeated.
Aris nodded grimly. "It's subtle, but it's there. Whatever connection Rylen has to the Shadow Zone, it's growing stronger. And it's not just affecting him—it's affecting this entire facility."
"Great," Rylen muttered. "So now I'm not just a cosmic tuning fork. I'm a walking contagion."
Lyra placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're more than that, Rylen. You're a fighter. And you're not doing this alone."
Rylen looked at her, surprised by the rare softness in her voice. He nodded slowly. "Thanks. I guess."
Aris interrupted, their tone urgent. "We need to act fast. If this energy spreads unchecked, it could destabilize the facility—or worse, open another rift."
"Another rift?" Rylen said, his voice rising. "As in, more shadowy nightmares coming through?"
"Exactly," Aris replied.
Lyra stood, her expression steely. "Then we stop it. Whatever it takes."
Rylen sighed, rubbing his temples. "Why do I feel like I just signed up for a job I'm not qualified for?"
"Welcome to the team," Lyra said, smirking.
As they began planning their next steps, the faint whisper from earlier echoed in Rylen's mind again. "You cannot resist forever."
Rylen shivered, but he didn't say anything. For now, he had to focus on the task at hand. But deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning of something much larger—and much more dangerous.