Chapter 10: The Shadow's Gamble
The ruins were alive with danger. Every creak of the stone walls and flicker of shadow seemed like a threat. The creature wrapped in shadows stood motionless, its red eyes glowing like embers, watching us as if calculating our every move.
Aric, as usual, was the first to act. He charged forward, his sword gleaming with light magic, illuminating the dark chamber like a torch. The creature moved faster than any of us anticipated, sidestepping Aric's attack with ease and countering with an inhumanly sharp swipe of its clawed hand. Aric barely managed to block, his shield flaring to life just in time.
"It's faster than the last one!" Lyra shouted, her voice tinged with panic as she summoned a gust of wind to push the creature back.
Kieran flanked the creature, swinging his blade low, but it leapt into the air, avoiding the strike entirely. It landed on a crumbling pillar, staring down at us with a twisted grin.
"That's not creepy at all," I muttered, keeping my distance.
"Focus, Theo!" Aric snapped. "We can't afford any slack right now!"
I rolled my eyes but said nothing. It wasn't like I wasn't paying attention—I just wasn't rushing in blindly like he always did.
The creature made its next move, lunging straight for Lyra. Her wind magic wasn't enough to stop it this time. Kieran tackled her out of the way at the last second, taking a gash across his arm in the process.
"Dammit," he hissed, clutching his arm as blood seeped through his fingers.
"Get it together, everyone!" Aric barked, slamming his sword into the ground. A burst of light magic erupted, forcing the creature to retreat temporarily.
I stepped forward, sparking electricity at my fingertips. "Alright, let's see if this thing likes a little shock therapy."
With a flick of my wrist, a bolt of lightning shot out, striking the creature mid-leap. It screeched in pain, but it didn't go down. Instead, it turned its glowing red eyes on me.
"Fantastic," I muttered.
The creature came at me with blinding speed. I barely had time to react, dodging to the side as its claws raked the air where I'd been standing.
"Theo, move!" Lyra shouted, sending a blast of wind to push it back again.
"Working on it!" I called back, rolling to my feet.
This thing was different. Smarter, faster, and clearly more dangerous than the beasts we'd faced before. My lightning wasn't enough to take it down, and I couldn't risk using my shadow magic. Not in front of them. Not yet.
But if I didn't do something, someone was going to get hurt—or worse.
"Keep it distracted!" Aric ordered, his sword glowing brighter as he prepared another attack.
I gritted my teeth. This wasn't going to end well if we kept fighting like this.
The creature lunged for Lyra again, and this time, I didn't hesitate. I threw myself in its path, electricity crackling around me as I aimed another bolt at its chest. It connected, but the creature barely flinched.
Its claws swiped at me, and I felt a sharp pain across my side. I stumbled back, clutching the wound. Blood seeped through my fingers, but I forced myself to stay on my feet.
"Theo!" Lyra's voice was filled with concern, but I ignored it.
I couldn't let this thing win.
I summoned more lightning, but my mana was running low. Each bolt was weaker than the last, and the creature knew it. It closed in, ready to strike the final blow.
And then, instinct took over.
A shadow moved around me—my shadow. It rose from the ground like a living thing, wrapping around the creature and holding it in place. The red glow of its eyes flickered as it struggled against the shadow's grip.
I froze, panic rising in my chest. I hadn't meant to use my shadow magic. Not here. Not now.
"What the hell is that?" Aric shouted, staring at the shadows as they writhed around the creature.
"Doesn't matter!" Kieran said, stepping forward and driving his blade through the creature's heart. It let out one final screech before dissolving into smoke, leaving nothing behind but the echo of its scream.
The shadows retreated back into the ground as quickly as they'd appeared, leaving me standing there, my hands trembling.
Lyra approached me, her eyes wide. "Theo… what was that?"
"Nothing," I said quickly, forcing a grin. "Must've been the creature's magic messing with us."
She didn't look convinced, but she didn't press the issue.
Aric, however, wasn't so easily distracted. He narrowed his eyes at me, his expression hard. "You're hiding something."
I met his gaze, my grin never faltering. "Aren't we all?"
He didn't respond, but I could tell he wasn't going to let this go.
"Let's move," Kieran said, breaking the tension. He was pale from blood loss but still standing. "We need to find a safe place to rest before something else shows up."
We left the ruins behind, the silence between us heavy with unspoken questions. I kept my head down, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.
I'd slipped up. And now, they were starting to suspect.
I couldn't let that happen again.