The forest swallowed them whole.
Ancient trees loomed like sentinels, their gnarled roots clawing at the earth as Lian, Mei, and the stranger plunged deeper into the shadows. Behind them, the shouts of villagers and the clatter of armor echoed—a relentless tide. The Sun Temple's inquisitor was closing in.
"**Faster, little thief,**" the stranger rasped, his staff slicing through thick undergrowth with unnatural ease. "**Holy fire burns swifter than your legs.**"
Lian gritted his teeth, Mei's hand clasped tightly in his. The Eclipse Core thrummed in his chest, its cold pulse syncing with his heartbeat. **[Soul Corruption: 3%]** still glared in his vision, a constant reminder of the shadowflame's cost.
"Who *is* that man?" Mei whispered, eyeing the stranger.
"Someone who knows too much," Lian muttered.
A horn blared in the distance—sharp, sanctified. The forest floor trembled as a column of golden fire erupted ahead, cutting off their path.
"**Halt, abomination!**"
The voice boomed, divine and merciless. Emerging from the flames was a figure clad in burnished steel armor, a sunburst sigil blazing on his breastplate. The inquisitor's face was hidden behind a visor etched with scripture, but his presence alone pressed down on Lian like a physical weight.
"**By the decree of the Sun Temple,**" the inquisitor intoned, raising a flail wreathed in holy fire, "**your corruption ends here.**"
The villagers fanned out behind him, torches and crude weapons in hand. Old Varos sneered from the safety of the crowd. "Burn the demon's heart out, Your Grace!"
The stranger chuckled, leaning casually on his staff. "**Ah, Sun Temple zealots. Always so… flammable.**"
Lian stepped forward, shadowflame coiling around his fists. "Stay behind me, Mei."
"**Foolish child,**" the inquisitor spat. "**You dare wield darkness against the light of the gods?**"
The flail swung. Holy fire surged in a wave, searing the air. Lian reacted instinctively, hurling shadowflame to meet it.
The collision was cataclysmic.
Light and darkness tore at each other, the forest shuddering as the two forces clashed. But the holy fire *pushed back*, its radiance thinning Lian's shadows. The Eclipse Core screeched a warning:
**[Soul Corruption: 4%]**
**[Warning: Divine energy counteracts Shadowflame efficiency!]**
"Lian!" Mei cried as the inferno inched closer.
The stranger sighed. "**Amateurs.**"
With a flick of his staff, the runes along its length ignited. The ground beneath the inquisitor erupted in a geyser of black vines, barbed and pulsating. The holy fire sputtered, and the inquisitor staggered, his armor cracking under the assault.
"**Run, boy!**" the stranger barked. "**Unless you wish to become a martyr!**"
Lian didn't hesitate. He grabbed Mei and sprinted, the stranger's laughter echoing behind them. The forest blurred, the world narrowing to the thunder of footsteps and the Eclipse Core's cold directives:
**[New Ability Unlocked: Shadowstep (Rank E) – Teleport short distances through shadows.]**
**[Soul Corruption: 5%]**
They stumbled into a clearing, moonlight dappling a moss-crowned altar. The stranger materialized beside them, unscathed. "**Adequate effort. But you'll need more than parlor tricks to survive the Temple.**"
"What do you want from us?" Mei demanded, her voice shaking.
The stranger's hood tilted. "**The Eclipse Core is a key. One that unlocks graves even the gods fear.**" He pointed his staff toward the ravine, where the air shimmered with an unnatural haze. "**The First God's Corpse lies there. Its blood birthed your Core. Its power could save you… or end you.**"
**[Quest Updated: Reach the First God's Corpse]**
**[Reward: ???]**
**[Penalty for Failure: Soul Corruption accelerates by 10%]**
Lian's breath hitched. "And if I refuse?"
The stranger's smile was a blade in the dark. "**Then the Core will feast on your sister's soul next.**"
Mei gasped. Lian's shadowflame flared—
But the inquisitor's roar cut through the night. "**HERETICS!**"
Golden fire rained down, incinerating trees. The stranger vanished into smoke, his parting words lingering: "**Choose wisely, thief.**"
Lian seized Mei's hand. "We're going to the ravine."
"What? But that's where—"
"Where I killed the Devourer. Where this *started*." The Eclipse Core's whispers crescendoed, urging him forward. "Trust me."
**[Soul Corruption: 6%]**
As they fled toward the ravine, the ground beneath them began to bleed.
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