I walked forward, my footsteps heavy, the echo of each one reverberating in the silent abyss. My mind was still reeling from the trial, from confronting the twisted versions of my past, from facing the shadows that had long haunted me. But beneath it all, there was a flicker of something new—something darker.
Power.
The word felt foreign on my lips, but it was becoming a part of me, an addiction that I could no longer deny. The Shadow Sovereign's voice, the trials, the pain—it was all leading me toward something. What, exactly, I wasn't sure, but I knew it would change everything.
The path ahead stretched out endlessly before me, the blackened ground like an infinite void that threatened to consume me whole. But as I continued, I noticed something—there were markings on the ground. Symbols, etched into the stone beneath my feet, faint and barely visible, glowing with a dark energy.
The air shifted, heavy with the scent of decay and something else—a hunger, a thirst that wasn't mine.
Suddenly, the shadows around me began to writhe and twist, pulling away from the edges of the path. I stopped, narrowing my eyes, sensing the change in the atmosphere. Something was coming.
And then I heard it—a low, guttural growl, one that vibrated through the ground like an earthquake.
I spun around, instinctively raising my shadow blade, but there was nothing in sight. The growl echoed again, louder this time, followed by the unmistakable sound of claws scraping against stone.
A massive form emerged from the darkness, a hulking silhouette that was almost impossible to make out at first. But then it stepped forward, and I could see it clearly.
A creature. Bigger than anything I had fought before. Its body was a twisted mockery of a wolf, but far more monstrous—its fur was matted with dark, viscous blood, its eyes glowing with an insatiable hunger. Its jaws dripped with saliva, the air thick with its stench.
And its aura… it was suffocating. Like the weight of the entire abyss was wrapped around it, pressing in from all sides. This was not just a beast. It was a creature born of pure malice.
"Face your next trial, Shadow Initiate," the Warden's voice echoed in the distance, distant but still clear. "You cannot escape your fate."
I gritted my teeth, feeling the power of the Shadow Sovereign surge within me. But something else lingered, something darker that wasn't entirely my own. It was the beast's presence—a palpable, consuming hunger that threatened to drown me.
This was no simple fight.
The beast lunged.
I didn't hesitate. I swung the shadow blade, aiming for its throat, but the creature was faster than I anticipated. It dodged with an unnatural grace and swiped at me with its claws, the force of the blow sending me crashing into the ground.
Pain exploded in my ribs, and I gasped for air, struggling to regain my bearings. The beast circled me, its eyes glowing with predatory glee as it savored my weakness.
Is this it? I thought bitterly. Am I going to die here, in this godforsaken place?
The voice of the Shadow Sovereign rang in my ears, cold and indifferent. "Survival is your only option. Strength is the only way forward."
With a growl of frustration, I pushed myself to my feet. I couldn't die here. Not like this.
I forced my mind to focus, ignoring the searing pain in my side, the dizziness clouding my vision. The shadows swirled around me, responding to my command, forming into tendrils that whipped through the air, aiming for the creature. But the beast countered with an eerie speed, slicing through the tendrils with a swipe of its claws.
I cursed under my breath, realizing that brute force alone wouldn't be enough. This creature wasn't just a physical opponent—it was a manifestation of the darkness, the very power that I had come to crave. It could match me, and in many ways, it was even stronger.
I needed to outsmart it.
The creature lunged again, its jaws wide, ready to tear into me. I waited for the perfect moment. As it came down on me, I ducked, narrowly avoiding its snapping teeth. With a swift motion, I drove my shadow blade into its side, striking at the soft flesh beneath the beast's thick fur.
The creature howled in pain, but it didn't retreat. Instead, it twisted, throwing me to the ground with bone-crushing force.
I gasped, the air knocked from my lungs as I struggled to regain control of the fight. My vision blurred, but I refused to give up. I will not lose.
With a final surge of energy, I called upon the full force of the Shadow Sovereign's power. The blade in my hand pulsed with dark energy, and I could feel the beast's essence—the hunger, the rage—pouring into me, feeding my own growing power.
I focused all of it into one final strike.
The beast charged, but this time, I was ready. I shifted, letting the shadows guide me, and I drove the blade deep into the creature's heart, twisting it with all my strength.
The creature let out a bone-chilling scream, its body convulsing as it tried to break free. But it was too late.
With one final, guttural roar, the beast dissolved into a mass of swirling shadows, its form breaking apart like mist in the wind.
I stood over the dissipating mass, breathing heavily, my body trembling with exhaustion and the aftermath of the battle. My hands were slick with the beast's blood, my mind still reeling from the fight.
I had won.
But the cost was becoming clearer.
Every victory in this trial, every drop of blood shed, seemed to fuel the hunger within me, a darkness that I couldn't control. The more I fought, the stronger it became. The price of power was steep, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could pay it.
"You have passed the trial of the Abyssal Beast," the Warden's voice echoed, cold and distant. "But be warned—this power comes with a price. You must decide if you are willing to pay it, Shadow Initiate."
The shadows parted before me, revealing the next path. I didn't hesitate.
I was no longer the person I had been. The trials had changed me, and I wasn't sure who—or what—I had become. But one thing was certain: there was no turning back now.