"May?" Jack echoed, raising an eyebrow.
"I said it was dangerous," she snapped, not looking up from her work. "Do you have a better idea?"
He didn't. Instead, he grabbed a lantern and began filling it with oil. "Whatever happens, we'll need light," he said.
The Alchemist gave him a small nod of approval. "Good thinking."
Moments later, the two of them were standing at the edge of the shadow once more, the banishment supplies packed into a satchel on the Alchemist's back. The crowd had retreated to a safe distance, watching with a mix of fear and hope.
"Ready?" the Alchemist asked, her voice steady despite the tension in the air.
"Not even a little," Jack admitted, "but let's do this anyway."
Together, they stepped into the swirling darkness, the shadows seeming to recoil and slither toward them all at once. Jack held the lantern high, its warm glow cutting through the gloom. The Alchemist began chanting in a language Jack didn't recognize, her voice strong and unwavering.
The shadows hissed and writhed, their movements becoming more erratic. Jack felt the same cold grip creeping up his legs, but he gritted his teeth and held his ground.
"Almost there," the Alchemist said, her voice strained. "Keep the light steady!"
Suddenly, the shadows surged upward, forming a massive, twisting shape that loomed over them like a living storm. It let out a sound that was neither a growl nor a scream, but something far worse—a sound that chilled them to their very souls.
Jack's hands trembled, but he forced himself to keep the lantern raised. "Do your thing, Alchemist!" he shouted.
With a final, triumphant cry, the Alchemist threw a handful of glowing powder into the air. The particles burst into radiant light, scattering through the shadow like shards of sunlight.
The creature let out a deafening roar as it began to dissolve, its form collapsing into thin tendrils of smoke that faded into the wind.
Silence fell over the forest. The shadows were gone.
Jack lowered the lantern, his arms aching. "Is it over?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
The Alchemist nodded slowly, her face pale but determined. "For now."
The villagers began to approach cautiously, their faces filled with awe and gratitude. Jack and the Alchemist exchanged a weary glance.
"Let's hope it doesn't come back," Jack muttered.
The Alchemist sighed. "If it does, we'll be ready."
The villagers surrounded them, chattering anxiously and showering them with questions.
"What was that thing?" one asked.
"Are we safe now?" another added.
The Alchemist raised her hands to quiet the crowd. "Whatever it was, it's gone—for now," she said. "But we need to stay vigilant. This could have been a one-time event… or the start of something worse."
The murmurs of the crowd quieted, replaced by nervous nods and uneasy glances at the forest's edge.
Jack Ryder turned to the Alchemist. "What now?"
"We regroup," she replied. "There's still so much we don't know. I need time to study what just happened—and what we're up against."
The village elder, a wiry woman with sharp eyes and a heavy staff, stepped forward. "You saved us today, but if this thing comes back, we need to be ready," she said. "Whatever resources you need, you'll have them. Just make sure this place doesn't fall into chaos."
"We'll do our best," Jack said, though his voice carried a thread of uncertainty.
As the villagers dispersed to their homes, the Alchemist and Jack returned to the apothecary. The walk back was silent, the weight of what they'd faced sinking in.
Inside, the Alchemist began setting up her workspace, pulling out books, charts, and magical tools. Jack watched her for a moment before speaking.
"That thing—it wasn't just some random shadow, was it?"
"No," the Alchemist admitted without looking up. "Shadows like that don't move, don't think, and definitely don't attack. This was something… alive."
Jack's brow furrowed. "Alive? You mean, like a creature?"
"Maybe," she said, flipping through a thick, leather-bound book. "Or maybe a manifestation of dark energy. Either way, it doesn't belong in this world. Something brought it here, and we need to figure out what."
Jack crossed his arms. "So where do we start?"
The Alchemist stopped flipping pages and looked up at him. "We start by retracing our steps. That shadow first appeared in the apothecary, remember? Something here may have triggered it. Have you touched or moved anything unusual lately?"
Jack thought back to the days leading up to the event. "Nothing out of the ordinary," he said. Then, he hesitated. "Wait. There was… one thing."
The Alchemist raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
Jack walked to a cabinet and pulled out a small, black box. It was made of a strange, polished material that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. "I found this behind some old crates in the storeroom a few days ago," he said. "Didn't think much of it, but it gave me the creeps."
The Alchemist took the box carefully, her expression turning grim. "Jack," she said slowly, "where exactly did you find this?"
"Behind the herb crates, near the back wall," he replied. "Why? What is it?"
The Alchemist didn't answer immediately. Instead, she opened the box with deliberate caution. Inside was a shard of what looked like obsidian, etched with strange, glowing runes.
"This," the Alchemist said, her voice low, "is a fragment of a Shadowstone."
Jack blinked. "A what now?"
"A Shadowstone," she repeated. "An artifact tied to dark magic. It's a rare and dangerous object, capable of creating portals to… places we're better off not talking about."
Jack's eyes widened. "You're saying this thing brought that shadow here?"
"Most likely," the Alchemist said, snapping the box shut. "And if it's active, that means someone—or something—has been meddling with forces they don't understand."
Jack groaned. "Why can't we ever deal with something simple, like a broken wagon wheel?"
The Alchemist almost smiled. "Because you decided to hang around an apothecary run by a mage," she said. Then her tone grew serious again. "We need to destroy this fragment before it causes any more damage."
Jack eyed the box warily. "And how do we do that?"