Jin had spent years in the Dark Forest, but the past few days felt different. It wasn't just the deep blue and silver energy crackling around him when he focused—it was the hunger that had started to claw at the back of his mind. It wasn't a hunger for food, nor a desire for power. No, it was something darker, something ancient. The very essence of the souls he had absorbed over the years had begun to shape him, pulling him toward something far greater than he had ever imagined.
He stopped by a creek, staring at the still water that reflected the dim light filtering through the canopy. His reflection seemed off. The boy staring back was no longer the scared 13-year-old who had stumbled into this cursed forest. No, he had changed. His once-innocent features had hardened. His eyes—those once wide and searching—now glowed with an unsettling hue. The deep blue energy that emanated from his skin now swirled around his body, like an aura of raw power, while silver streaks sparkled through it.
It's happening. I can feel it. He couldn't explain it, but Jin could sense that he was close to a threshold, a point where his control over his powers would either break him or elevate him.
"Time to find out…" he muttered, his voice barely a whisper against the breeze.
Jin had fought countless creatures in the Dark Forest, mostly shadow beasts. They had been the first souls he had absorbed. The abilities he had gained were simple—shadow tendrils, cloaking, and soul binding. At first, they had been enough to keep him alive, but now, they weren't. They weren't enough to face the new creatures deeper in the forest, the ones that had evolved over the years. Those were the ones he had come for.
Taking a deep breath, Jin pressed forward, the deep blue energy intensifying as he crossed deeper into the woods. The air grew colder. The trees began to grow twisted, their branches stretching out like gnarled fingers, blocking out the sunlight.
What awaits me now? he thought, his senses sharpening.
Soon, he felt it. The presence. The heavy weight of something stronger—not just shadow, but something more.
Jin stopped in his tracks as a figure emerged from the shadows. It was like nothing he had encountered before: a massive creature, its body a mix of shadow and silver, the same hue as his own powers, though much more chaotic. The creature's red eyes glowed ominously, and it seemed to ripple in and out of existence, flickering like a dying flame.
This… this is different.
The shadow beast stalked toward him, its movements predatory but graceful. It had been waiting for him. Jin could sense it—this creature had once been a guardian of the deeper forest, now corrupted by the souls it had absorbed over the centuries. It had taken the essence of many beasts, many creatures, twisting its form into something unnatural.
"You are not of this world," the creature's voice echoed, not from its mouth, but from everywhere, as if the shadows themselves were speaking. Jin felt his heart race, the deep blue energy pulsing in his veins. The silver streaks in his aura seemed to react, crackling with electricity.
He gripped his bone knife tighter, stepping forward.
"I'm not afraid of you." His voice was steady, though his mind screamed to run. There was no way back now.
The creature lunged, its claws slashing at him with impossible speed. Jin barely dodged, feeling the air shift as the creature blurred through the shadows.
It's faster than anything I've fought before. Jin's instincts flared, and in the split second before the beast could strike again, he made his move. He flicked his wrist, and shadow tendrils erupted from his body, wrapping around the creature's arms, pulling it off balance.
The creature snarled, its red eyes narrowing, and it began to melt into the shadows themselves, vanishing from view. Jin's eyes darted around, scanning every corner.
It's adapting. I need to do more.
His mind raced. He knew he had learned new abilities from the souls he had absorbed, but he hadn't tested them properly, hadn't fully understood their potential.
I've learned from them, and I'll use everything. He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing. The deep blue energy surged in his chest, and with it, he called forth the silver streaks that intertwined with it, a crackling arc of energy that sparked in his hands. He had absorbed enough to realize that his powers weren't just from shadow—they were elemental in their own right, and with the right focus, he could command them.
As the creature reappeared from the shadows, its claws slashing down, Jin was ready. He extended his hand toward it, and the deep blue energy shot out, twisting into a bolt of lightning, crackling and snapping as it struck the creature square in the chest.
The beast roared in pain, but Jin wasn't done. His shadow tendrils surged forward, binding the creature's limbs. With a growl of exertion, Jin pulled the tendrils taut, squeezing the creature's body into a painful position. The creature struggled, but it was already weakened from the lightning strike.
Jin stood still, watching it, his breathing steady, his heart pounding as he felt the energy crackle in his veins. The beast writhed in his hold, but it was no use. It couldn't escape the power he had absorbed. The deep blue energy and the silver streaks converged around his fist, and with a final burst of power, Jin slammed his fist into the beast's chest.
The creature let out a screech that echoed through the forest before it collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
For a moment, everything was still.
Jin's heart was still racing, but his body felt alive in a way he hadn't experienced before. The energy inside him was stronger, more focused. The creature's soul pulsed, reaching out to him, ready to be absorbed. As he reached out, the deep blue and silver energy surged around him, coiling through the air.
In an instant, the creature's soul was drawn into him, merging with his own. Jin felt a rush of power, a sense of completion he had never known. It wasn't just the beast's essence he had absorbed. No, it was something deeper. The creature had been connected to the ancient forces of the forest, and now, part of that power was inside him.
Jin staggered slightly, his body adjusting to the flood of energy.
So this is what it feels like… he thought, staring at the beast's broken form. I've grown stronger… but at what cost?
He had crossed a threshold. His powers were no longer just those of shadow—they were something more. The souls he had absorbed had changed him, and the deep blue and silver energy inside him was a manifestation of that change.
His journey was just beginning. He had many more souls to absorb, many more powers to gain, and many more battles to face. But for the first time in years, Jin felt the weight of his transformation, the burden of the power he was beginning to wield.
And he was ready.