Shadow slave:The Forgotten Spawn

The Awakening

The golden light from the orb pulsed, expanding outward in a slow, rhythmic wave. Eryth barely had time to react before it engulfed him completely. A rush of energy coursed through his body, seeping into his very essence. It wasn't painful, but it wasn't pleasant either—like something ancient was unraveling inside him, reshaping him from within.

The others watched in stunned silence as the golden glow lifted him from the ground. Shadows curled around his body in defiance, clashing with the light, twisting and writhing like living things.

"Eryth!" Tessa shouted, reaching for him, but a sudden force repelled her.

Nyx tensed, its glowing eyes locked onto Eryth. It didn't move, but its tail flicked in agitation. Something was happening—something none of them understood.

Then, as abruptly as it started, the light snapped inward, slamming into Eryth's chest with an unseen force. His body convulsed, and for a split second, he saw something—visions, memories that weren't his. Cities swallowed by rifts. Beasts emerging from the darkness. An endless war waged in the shadows of existence.

And a name. A single name whispered through the void.

Then it was gone.

Eryth crashed to the ground, gasping for air. His limbs felt heavy, his body foreign. He clenched his hands, flexing his fingers. Something had changed. He could feel it in his core. The energy of the rift, once chaotic and unpredictable, now pulsed in sync with his heartbeat.

The room was silent. The others watched him cautiously, waiting.

Finally, Tessa broke the silence. "What… was that?"

Eryth pushed himself up, still unsteady. "I don't know," he admitted. His voice felt different, as if something inside him had shifted along with his power.

The orb, now dim and lifeless, sat motionless on the pedestal. Whatever energy it contained had transferred into him.

Nyx moved first, stepping closer and lowering its head to inspect him. The creature sniffed the air before letting out a low rumble of acknowledgment. It wasn't alarmed. If anything, it looked… satisfied.

Eryth met its gaze, and for the first time, he felt a deeper connection with Nyx—an unspoken understanding. He wasn't the same person he had been before touching the orb.

But there was no time to dwell on it.

A deep rumbling shook the chamber, followed by a distant roar. The walls trembled, cracks spreading like veins through the crystalline structure.

Tessa cursed. "We need to go. Now."

The group didn't hesitate. Whatever had been holding the structure together was failing. They sprinted toward the exit, dodging falling debris as the chamber collapsed around them.

Eryth felt something pulling at him—a lingering presence from the orb's power. But he ignored it. Right now, survival was the only thing that mattered.

As they burst through the entrance and into the open, a final explosion rocked the nexus, sending shockwaves through the ground.

They turned just in time to see the structure implode, vanishing into a vortex of swirling energy. Then, silence.

Eryth exhaled, his mind still spinning.

The trial was over.

But something told him this was only the beginning.

Elsewhere…

Far from the collapsing nexus, a figure stood atop a ruined tower, gazing at the distant energy spike.

A shadow shifted beside them. "It's started," a voice murmured.

The figure didn't respond. Their piercing eyes remained fixed on the horizon, their expression unreadable.

Then, after a long pause, they turned away.

"Let's move."