The forest was alive with sound. Howls echoed from all directions, the trees creaking ominously under a supernatural wind. The air itself seemed to hum with malevolence, and the ground trembled faintly, as if some colossal force approached.
The girl tightened her grip on her staff, its faint glow illuminating the protagonist's shadowed face. His gaze was fixed ahead, unreadable and cold. The shadows around him writhed subtly, as though they had a mind of their own.
"How many are coming?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Enough to kill us if we're not ready," he replied, his tone flat but his shadow blade gleaming with anticipation.
[System Notice: Shadow's Call Event Activated.]
Survive until dawn to complete the event. Rewards will be distributed based on performance.]
She swallowed hard. "Until dawn? That's hours from now! What kind of monsters are we facing?"
His jaw tightened. "Not just monsters. They're drawn to the shadows… to me. They'll keep coming until either I'm dead or the sun rises."
Her eyes widened. "So, this is your fault?"
He didn't answer, stepping forward instead. The faint glow of his shadow blade stretched long across the ground as the first figures emerged from the tree line.
The creatures were grotesque amalgamations of fur, claws, and jagged bone. Their eyes glowed an eerie crimson, and their movements were erratic, almost glitch-like, as if they didn't belong in this world.
"Corrupted beasts," the girl whispered, her voice trembling. "They shouldn't be this far from a dungeon…"
He raised his blade. "Doesn't matter where they came from. They're here now."
The first beast lunged, its claws slicing through the air with impossible speed. The protagonist dodged effortlessly, his shadow blade carving through its torso in a single, fluid motion. Black ichor sprayed across the ground, and the creature collapsed with a guttural hiss.
But there was no time to breathe. Three more emerged, their movements faster and more coordinated.
The girl muttered an incantation, her staff glowing brighter. "Light Barrier!"
A dome of golden energy surrounded them, halting the creatures' advance. The beasts snarled and clawed at the barrier, but the magic held firm.
"How long can you keep this up?" he asked, his voice calm despite the chaos.
Sweat beaded on her brow. "Not long if you keep asking questions. Just kill them already!"
He smirked faintly, stepping through the barrier as if it wasn't even there. The shadows coiled around him like living armor, his blade glowing with dark energy.
The fight was relentless. For every beast he struck down, two more seemed to take its place. The forest became a battlefield, the once serene environment now a cacophony of roars, snarls, and the clash of magic and steel.
The girl's light magic burned through the corrupted beasts with deadly efficiency, her staff spinning in graceful arcs as she chanted spell after spell. But her movements were growing sluggish, her breathing labored.
"We can't keep this up," she panted. "There's too many!"
He gritted his teeth, his vision narrowing as the shadows whispered in his mind.
"Let us in," they hissed. "Unleash us."
He hesitated for a heartbeat, then gave in. The shadows surged outward, enveloping the clearing in an impenetrable black fog.
The beasts hesitated, their snarls turning to confused whimpers as the fog swallowed them whole. Screeches and guttural howls echoed from within the darkness, but the girl couldn't see what was happening.
When the fog finally receded, the clearing was littered with the dismembered remains of the beasts. The protagonist stood at its center, unscathed but visibly shaken. His blade pulsed with dark energy, and the shadows around him writhed with an almost hungry intensity.
[System Notice: Shadow Overload Activated. Side Effects Unknown.]
The girl stared at him, horrified. "What did you just do?"
He didn't answer, his breathing ragged. The shadows whispered louder now, their voices overlapping and incomprehensible.
"We need to keep moving," he said finally, his voice low and strained.
She grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at her. "You're losing yourself. Whatever that was, it wasn't just power—it was something else. Something wrong."
He shook her off, his eyes dark. "You think I don't know that?"
Before she could respond, the ground trembled violently. From the far end of the clearing, a massive form emerged—a beast unlike any they had faced before. It stood twice as tall as a man, its body covered in jagged, obsidian-like scales that reflected the faint light of the stars. Its glowing red eyes locked onto them, and it let out a roar that shook the very trees.
"Boss-level," she whispered, her face pale.
He gripped his blade tightly, the shadows swirling around him like a tempest. "Stay behind me."
She hesitated but nodded, her staff glowing faintly as she prepared to assist.
The beast charged, the ground shaking with each step. The protagonist met it head-on, the clash of their powers sending shockwaves through the clearing.
The battle was fierce, the creature's strength overwhelming, but the protagonist fought with a reckless determination. Each strike of his blade chipped away at the beast's armor, but the cost was evident—the shadows consumed more of him with every attack, their whispers growing louder and more insistent.
"You can't win like this," the girl shouted. "There's another way!"
He glanced back at her, his eyes flashing with desperation. "Then tell me!"
She hesitated for a moment, then thrust her staff into the ground. "Trust me!"
A blinding light erupted from the staff, enveloping them both. The shadows screamed in protest, but they receded, retreating into his blade. The beast howled, its body cracking and splintering under the combined force of light and shadow.
With one final, devastating blow, the protagonist drove his blade into the beast's core. The creature let out a deafening roar before collapsing into a pile of ash and broken obsidian.
The forest was silent again, the oppressive darkness lifted.
The girl collapsed to her knees, exhausted. "We… we did it."
He stood over the remains of the beast, his blade flickering faintly before fading. "For now."
The notification chimed, breaking the silence.
[System Notice: Shadow's Call Event Completed. Rewards Unlocked.]
As the dawn broke, they both knew this was only the beginning.