Chapter Seven: Transformation into Shadows
From the very beginning, Elias had known that his life in this world was merely part of a larger test. He was aware that there was a force guiding him, but he didn't yet know where it would take him. His doubts slowly crept in over time. The successive battles, the shadows that pursued him, and the secrets he uncovered were all signs of something deeper, something that threatened to change his very identity.
Today, everything was different. He stood in an unfamiliar training ground, a place that seemed like an ancient battlefield. The ground was covered in blood, and the air was thick with the scent of exhausted victims. In the dark corners, there were monsters cloaked in deep shadows, and the closer Elias got to them, the more he felt a strange power seeping into his mind.
Before him stood a man draped in a dark cloak, his face almost completely obscured, yet his eyes—glowing with a hint of darkness—drew him in. "Elias, now you must choose. The world you fight to control, or the world that will remain under your rule," the man said in a calm voice, though it was filled with immense power.
Elias glanced around. All he could see was ruin and destruction. This battlefield was where he had faced his most formidable foes. But now, he felt something new, something he had never experienced before. There was a sense of regret, as though every step he had taken until now had only added complexity to his journey.
"What do you want me to do?" Elias asked anxiously, trying to mask the hesitation in his voice.
"Choice is what defines your fate here, Elias," the man replied, stepping forward. "Do not look at the darkness as if you are merely a part of it. You are the power that is shaped by your actions."
Suddenly, the ground beneath him began to shake violently. The air charged with energy. A massive creature appeared before him, seeming as though it had come from the depths of nightmares. Its eyes burned with hatred and destruction. It created a dense fog around it, leaving Elias in a state of confusion.
But as the monster approached, Elias felt something unfamiliar. His internal energy reacted in a way it never had before. The power of his artificial intelligence brain surged unexpectedly, as if it were infiltrating and merging with the beast's power.
"If you want to control this world, you must kill this monster," the man said, his voice laden with mystery.
But Elias knew it wasn't just about fighting. This battle was about truly understanding what surrounded him, about grasping something beyond the forces of darkness. His personal will began to influence everything happening around him.
"I am not a tool for battle." Elias said in a deep voice, feeling his inner energy rise. He wasn't fighting for victory; he was fighting for freedom.
Suddenly, energy erupted within him and surged toward the beast. In an instant, the creature vanished in a beam of light while Elias stood firm in his place, feeling something strange seep into his mind. This wasn't a feeling of victory; it was something more complicated. It was as if he had reached a turning point.
But before he could comprehend what was happening, he felt something heavy in his chest. The man before him smiled, and with his smile, he began to fade into the shadows. "The final match has not yet begun, Elias," the man said in a weak voice, disappearing entirely.
When Elias regained his senses, he found himself in a completely different place. Everything was dark, and a deep sense of fear began to creep into his heart. He was in a world full of shadows, filled with dark forces that were beginning to form around him.
"You are now in the world from which there is no escape," the voice whispered in his head, the same voice that had accompanied him all along. "You have become part of this darkness. There is no escaping."
With those words, Elias felt a new power manifest within him, but this time, it wasn't just destructive power. It was something strange, a power that allowed him to control the shadows themselves.