Shadow slave:The Forgotten Spawn

Chapter: The Price of Power

The battlefield was silent in the aftermath of the mysterious man's departure. Eryth stood motionless, staring at his hands as the last tendrils of shadow dissipated into the air around him. The rush of energy he'd felt moments ago left a lingering buzz in his veins, but it also left something else—a question, one he wasn't sure he was ready to answer.

Tessa approached cautiously, her blade still drawn. "What the hell was that?" she demanded, her voice sharp but tinged with worry. "Eryth, what did you just do?"

"I…" Eryth hesitated, clenching his fists. He could still feel the warmth of the rift's power within him, but he didn't know how to explain it. "I don't know. It just… happened."

Nyx moved to his side, its piercing gaze scanning him as if assessing his condition. The creature's usually sharp, predatory demeanor had softened slightly, its body language almost protective.

Tessa's grip on her weapon tightened. "That wasn't normal, Eryth. You tapped into something—something dangerous. And that man… whoever he was, he knew it."

"He said I carry the rift's power," Eryth muttered, his voice low. "That it's a part of me now."

Tessa scoffed, gesturing to the destruction around them. "Yeah? And what happens when it consumes you? You saw what he could do. What if you turn into something like that?"

Before Eryth could respond, another voice cut through the tension. "We don't have time for this," one of the surviving members of their group said, his face pale and his eyes darting nervously to the shadows around them. "That fight wasn't quiet. More of those things could show up any second."

The reminder snapped everyone back to reality. The rift was still active, its ominous glow pulsing in the distance like a heartbeat. They were far from safe.

"Let's move," Tessa said, her tone firm as she sheathed her weapon. "We'll deal with whatever just happened later. For now, we need to find shelter and regroup."

Eryth nodded, though his mind was far from settled. As the group began their march away from the battlefield, he couldn't shake the weight of the man's words—or the feeling that something inside him had changed irreversibly.

The journey through the rift's twisted landscape was grueling. The air itself seemed to sap their strength, and the oppressive silence was broken only by the occasional distant roar of unseen creatures. Every step felt heavier, the weight of exhaustion and tension pressing down on them.

Eryth stayed at the back of the group, his thoughts swirling. He replayed the battle over and over in his mind, the way the shadows had responded to him, the way the man had spoken as if he already knew Eryth's fate. What did he mean by "the beginning"? And why did it feel like the man had been waiting for him?

"Eryth," Tessa called, snapping him out of his thoughts. She was standing at the top of a ridge, her silhouette outlined by the faint glow of the rift in the distance. "You need to see this."

Eryth climbed to join her, Nyx following close behind. When he reached the top, his breath caught in his throat.

Below them stretched a sprawling valley, its floor covered in jagged, crystalline formations that pulsed with an eerie light. At the center of the valley was a massive structure—a tower of black stone that seemed to defy logic, its shape twisting and warping as if it were alive. Tendrils of shadow coiled around its base, spreading out like roots into the surrounding landscape.

"It's a nexus," Tessa said, her voice barely above a whisper. "One of the rift's focal points."

Eryth stared at the tower, a chill running down his spine. The pull in his chest grew stronger, almost painful, as if the tower was calling to him. He could feel the rift's energy radiating from it, more intense than anything he'd encountered before.

"We can't go down there," one of the others said, his voice trembling. "That place… it's suicide."

"We don't have a choice," Tessa replied, her jaw tight. "The rift's energy is concentrated there. If we want answers—or a way out—that's where we'll find it."

Eryth nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving the tower. Deep down, he knew she was right. But he also knew that whatever awaited them in that nexus would test them in ways they weren't prepared for.

As the group began their descent into the valley, Eryth felt Nyx brush against his side. The creature's presence was a small comfort, a reminder that he wasn't facing this alone. But even Nyx seemed uneasy, its glowing eyes fixed on the tower with a wary intensity.

The path ahead was clear, but the shadows around them seemed to grow darker with each step. And in the back of his mind, Eryth couldn't shake the feeling that the man from the battlefield was still watching, waiting to see what he would do next.