The night air was still, thick with the scent of damp earth and the lingering unease from Raj's Prana training. He sat by the dying embers of a small fire, his body sore from the relentless attempts to move the rock earlier.
Kael had retired to a nearby hut, leaving Raj to keep watch. The Village of Shadows was a cursed place, but something about tonight felt different.
The silence was unnatural.
Even the wind had stilled.
Raj tightened his grip around the crude dagger Kael had given him earlier. He wasn't skilled with weapons, but instinct told him something was coming.
Then he heard it.
A low growl.
Not from one creature. But many.
Raj slowly rose to his feet, heart pounding. Beyond the broken houses, in the thick fog that surrounded the village, faint red eyes flickered.
He swallowed hard.
Not this again.
---
A Storm of Shadows
A chilling howl shattered the silence.
Then, the attack began.
Dark figures leapt from the mist—twisted beasts, their eyes burning with malice. Their bodies looked half-formed, shifting between solid and smoke.
Raj barely had time to react before the first creature lunged at him. He dodged to the side, rolling over the damp ground.
A second beast followed, claws slashing toward his face.
Raj raised his arm in defense, but—
A streak of silver flashed.
Kael.
The older warrior moved like a shadow, his dagger slicing clean through the beast's head. It let out a piercing shriek before dissolving into the air.
"Wake up, kid!" Kael barked. "They're real this time!"
Raj barely had time to register his words before another beast pounced. He rolled backward, barely avoiding its snapping jaws.
Kael fought with deadly precision, cutting down creatures left and right. But there were too many.
"Raj!" he called. "Use your Prana!"
Raj's breath hitched. His Prana? He barely knew how to control it!
But this wasn't a training exercise. If he hesitated, he'd die.
He had no choice.
Raj clenched his fists, willing the energy inside him to move. The warmth from earlier flickered in his chest, but it was weak.
He focused harder.
Move!
His body tingled as the energy surged to his hands.
A beast lunged. This time, Raj didn't run.
He thrust his hand forward—
And a sudden force exploded from his palm.
The beast was flung back, crashing into a nearby hut. Its body convulsed before vanishing into smoke.
Raj gasped, staring at his hands.
Did I just do that?
Kael smirked. "Not bad, kid."
But the fight wasn't over.
A deafening roar shook the village.
Raj turned—his blood ran cold.
A massive figure emerged from the mist.
This was no ordinary shadow beast.
This was something worse.
---
The Alpha
Towering over the ruins, the creature had the body of a beast, but its eyes burned with unnatural intelligence. Dark tendrils writhed around its form, and the very air around it shimmered with unstable energy.
Kael's smirk faded. "That's new."
The Alpha beast growled, the sound vibrating through the ground.
Raj stepped back. "Uh… we're not fighting that, right?"
Kael cracked his knuckles. "We don't have a choice."
The Alpha moved with terrifying speed. In an instant, it was in front of them.
Kael dodged the first attack, barely avoiding a clawed swipe that tore through a stone pillar like paper. Raj rolled to the side, his heart hammering.
I can't fight that. I'll die.
Kael shouted, "Raj, get your head in the fight!"
Raj shook himself. He had to focus.
He forced his Prana to flow again, this time stronger, steadier. His hands tingled with energy as he raised them.
The Alpha turned its gaze on him.
Raj acted on instinct. He thrust his hands forward—
A pulse of Prana shot from his palms, hitting the beast's side.
It staggered but didn't fall.
Instead, it turned its full attention on Raj.
"Uh oh."
The creature lunged.
Raj barely had time to throw himself out of the way. The ground where he stood cracked from the sheer force of the impact.
Kael took the opening. He dashed forward, blade flashing.
The dagger struck the beast's side—
But instead of sinking in, it bounced off as if hitting solid steel.
Kael's eyes widened. "That's not good."
The Alpha swiped at him, and for the first time, Kael wasn't fast enough.
The blow sent him flying, crashing through the remains of a hut.
Raj's breath caught in his throat. "Kael!"
The warrior groaned but didn't get up.
Raj turned back to the Alpha.
I'm the only one left.
He wasn't ready for this. But if he didn't act, they were both dead.
Raj gritted his teeth and reached deep inside himself, searching for the last remnants of his strength.
His Prana flickered, then blazed.
One chance.
The Alpha charged.
Raj planted his feet, arms outstretched. He didn't try to push the energy this time. He let it flow.
A golden glow erupted from his body, surging outward in a shockwave.
The Alpha slammed into it—
And stopped.
For a brief second, the beast struggled, its tendrils recoiling from the light.
Raj seized the moment.
With everything he had, he focused his Prana into his fist and drove it forward.
His punch connected.
A deafening crack echoed as energy exploded outward, sending the Alpha hurtling backward.
The beast crashed into a ruined building, the impact shaking the earth. It let out a final, distorted howl—before dissolving into the wind.
Silence fell.
Raj swayed, barely able to stand. His vision blurred. His entire body ached.
Kael groaned, staggering to his feet. He rubbed his head, then looked at Raj with an impressed smirk.
"Not bad, kid."
Raj exhaled heavily. "Yeah… not bad."
Then, he collapsed.
---