Kade's dreams were usually restless, filled with echoes of the grueling battles he endured each day at Ironclad Academy. But tonight, his slumber was different. It wasn't a dream—it was a descent. The darkness around him was heavier, colder, and suffocating, pressing against his chest like an unrelenting weight.
It began with the creak of his door in the dead of night. Barely conscious, Kade stirred at the faint sound of soft footsteps. A cloaked figure slipped into his room, its movements eerily silent, as though the air itself refused to acknowledge its presence. The fabric of the cloak rustled faintly as the figure stopped at his bedside.
The figure hesitated, looming over him like a shadow given form. A whisper, trembling and barely audible, broke the stillness. "Forgive me."
A gloved hand emerged from the cloak, holding a glass vial filled with a swirling, dark liquid that pulsed faintly in the moonlight, as though alive. In the other hand, a syringe gleamed, its polished metal catching the faint light.
Before Kade could wake fully, the needle pierced his arm. His eyes snapped open, a sharp gasp escaping him as the serum burned its way into his veins. He caught a glimpse of the hooded figure before his vision began to blur. "Who... what...?" His words slurred, his voice weak.
The figure didn't answer. Darkness consumed him.
Kade awoke to a world that was not his own. The air was oppressive, thick with an energy that seemed to hum with malice. Shadows stretched infinitely in every direction, swallowing any sense of distance or form. He floated—or perhaps stood—it was impossible to tell in this void. The only sound was his heartbeat, erratic and thunderous in the suffocating silence.
A voice shattered the stillness, deep and resonant, vibrating through the very fabric of the void. "So you've finally come, bearer of the forgotten legacy."
Kade whirled toward the sound, his fists clenched despite the oppressive fear weighing on him. From the darkness, a massive figure emerged, its form shifting constantly—part human, part monstrous. Its glowing eyes pierced through the void, staring into the depths of Kade's soul.
"Who... what are you?" Kade demanded, his voice trembling despite his effort to sound defiant.
The figure's voice boomed, reverberating around him. "I am the Shadow God, ancient and eternal. I have waited for this moment, heir to my power. Your blood calls to me, and now, the choice must be made."
"Choice?" Kade's voice rose, tinged with panic. He took a step back, but the void seemed alive, writhing and shifting to close in around him. "What choice?"
"The serum coursing through your veins was created to awaken my essence within you," the Shadow God said, its tone carrying both authority and menace. "But without my pact, it will destroy you. The shadows will consume your soul, as they have consumed so many before you."
Kade's fists tightened. "I didn't ask for this!"
A deep, rumbling chuckle echoed around him. "Few do. Yet the burden is yours. Make a contract with me, and you will wield power beyond imagination. Refuse, and you will fade into the void, forgotten by all."
The ultimatum struck like a physical blow, stealing the breath from Kade's lungs. His instincts screamed at him to refuse, to fight back, to reject whatever this being was offering. But the cold, gnawing sensation spreading through his body told him he had no time. His vision wavered, and he dropped to his knees, gasping for air.
"Tick-tock, mortal," the Shadow God taunted. "Your time is running out. The serum is irreversible."
Memories flickered in Kade's mind: the fights, the jeering crowds, his struggles to prove himself. He thought of his mother's smile and her cryptic words about his potential. And then, the image of the hooded figure who had invaded his room ignited a spark of anger deep within him.
"Fine," Kade growled, forcing himself upright. "I'll make your damn contract—but on my terms."
The Shadow God's massive form leaned closer, its eyes narrowing with interest. "And what are these terms, mortal?"
"I'll take your power," Kade said, his voice steady despite the chaos inside him. "But I won't be your pawn. I fight for myself—not for you."
For a moment, the Shadow God was silent, and then it laughed—a booming, earth-shaking sound that made the void itself tremble. "Very well, mortal. Our fates are bound. But remember: power always has a price."
Before Kade could respond, the Shadow God surged forward, its form dissolving into a swirling mass of shadows. They enveloped him, sinking into his skin. Agony tore through him, and he screamed as the darkness became a part of him, carving its presence into his very being.
Kade woke with a gasp, his body drenched in sweat. He sat up, clutching his chest, his breaths ragged. Around him, shadows writhed like living entities before retreating into his skin.
The hooded figure was gone, leaving only the faint scent of smoke and the suffocating realization that something irrevocable had changed.
Kade looked down at his trembling hands, watching as faint tendrils of shadow flickered around his fingers, alive with an eerie, unnatural energy.
The Shadow God's final words echoed in his mind, a haunting reminder of what he'd just accepted.
"Power always has a price."