Rael gasped awake, the taste of ash and metal thick on his tongue. His entire body ached as though he had been crushed under the weight of a mountain. He blinked, his vision swimming, and realized he was lying on a hard, jagged surface—black stone that shimmered faintly with veins of glowing silver.
Where am I?
The last thing he remembered was the explosion of light from the Soul Anchor. Now he was somewhere else entirely. The air was cold and heavy, laced with an unnatural stillness. Above him stretched a dark sky streaked with rivers of liquid light, flowing like molten silver.
A low growl broke the silence.
Rael sat up sharply, his heart pounding. At the edge of the platform he was lying on, a figure emerged from the shadows—a massive, four-legged beast with a body of shifting smoke and glowing eyes of molten amber. Its form was unstable, tendrils of darkness rising and falling as though it could barely hold itself together.
It wasn't an Umbral. No, this was something different.
The beast stepped forward, each movement deliberate, and the stone beneath its paws cracked and splintered. Rael instinctively backed away, his hand brushing against the glowing Anchor still clutched in his palm.
"What… what is this place?" he muttered, his voice barely a whisper.
The beast's growl deepened, reverberating through the space. Its eyes locked onto Rael, and then, to his surprise, it spoke.
"You are unworthy."
The words echoed in Rael's mind, spoken in a voice that was both deep and guttural, like the grinding of ancient stone.
Rael froze, his pulse racing. "What are you?" he demanded, forcing himself to his feet.
"I am the Eclipse Fiend," the beast growled. "The one you have bound yourself to."
The Anchor in Rael's hand flared with light, and he felt a surge of heat run through his veins. He clenched his teeth, barely suppressing a scream as the pain lanced through him. The rune etched onto the Anchor began to glow brighter, and with it came a flood of knowledge—fragments of an ancient bond, rules he couldn't fully understand, and a single, undeniable truth.
The Anchor wasn't just a tool. It was a link.
"This power…" Rael gasped, gripping his hand. "It's yours?"
The Eclipse Fiend let out a low, rumbling laugh. "It is mine, yet it is yours now. But power comes with a price."
Rael narrowed his eyes, forcing himself to stand tall despite the pain. "What kind of price?"
The Fiend's eyes gleamed. "Obedience. Survival. Domination. To wield me, you must prove yourself worthy, human."
Before Rael could respond, the ground beneath him shifted. The black stone began to crack, and glowing chains erupted from the fissures, snaking toward him with alarming speed. Rael leapt back, but the chains moved faster, wrapping around his arms and legs, dragging him to his knees.
"Do you think power is given freely?" the Fiend snarled. "It is taken, fought for, earned. If you cannot overcome me, you will die here, and I will devour what remains of your soul."
Rael gritted his teeth, struggling against the chains. The rune on his hand pulsed in response, and he felt a faint spark of energy flicker through him. The chains binding him were not ordinary—they were made of the same light that had erupted from the Anchor.
"You think I'm just going to roll over and die?" Rael hissed through clenched teeth.
The Fiend's laughter filled the space once more. "Show me, then. Show me that you are worthy of my power."
Rael closed his eyes, focusing on the burning sensation coursing through his veins. The rune on his hand flared brighter, and he felt something shift within him—an instinct, a connection. He could sense the chains, not just as restraints, but as an extension of the power within the Anchor.
With a roar, Rael pulled against the chains, and this time, they responded. The light flared brighter, and the chains shattered into fragments of silver energy, dissolving into the air.
The Fiend's laughter stopped abruptly. Its eyes narrowed, and for the first time, there was a flicker of something else—curiosity.
"You broke the binding?" it growled.
Rael stepped forward, the glow of the rune spreading up his arm. He didn't know how he had done it, but he could feel the power surging within him, wild and unstable but undeniably his.
"You said I had to prove myself," Rael said, his voice steady despite the fear bubbling beneath the surface. "Well, here I am."
The Eclipse Fiend let out a low rumble, its massive form lowering as if preparing to pounce. "Very well, human. Let us see if you can survive the trial."
Before Rael could react, the Fiend lunged, its shadowy form engulfing him in an instant.