Shadow slave:The Forgotten Spawn

Echoes of the Past

The dust from the collapsed nexus still lingered in the air as Eryth and the others moved through the ruined landscape. The silence that followed was unnerving, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Each step felt heavier, burdened by the weight of what had just transpired.

Eryth could still feel the energy coursing through him—foreign yet familiar. The connection to the shadows had deepened, but there was something else now, something he didn't understand. Every heartbeat echoed with a distant hum, as if the orb's power had woven itself into his very being.

Tessa glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "So… are you gonna explain what the hell just happened back there?"

He hesitated. How could he explain something he didn't fully understand himself?

Before he could answer, Nyx let out a low growl. The creature's fur bristled, its glowing eyes fixed on something beyond the horizon.

A moment later, they felt it too—a pulse, faint but undeniable, rippling through the air.

Tessa tensed. "That's… not normal."

Eryth narrowed his eyes. It wasn't just energy. It was a presence. Something—or someone—had felt what happened in the nexus. And now, they were coming.

"We need to move," he said, his voice firm.

No one argued.

Elsewhere…

The ruins stretched endlessly, swallowed by time and decay. Amidst the wreckage, a lone figure stood atop a shattered pillar, gazing into the distance where the nexus had collapsed.

He was clad in dark armor, his face partially obscured by the tattered hood he wore. His presence radiated a quiet intensity, the kind that only came with experience—countless battles fought in the shadows of an unforgiving world.

Another figure approached, a woman with platinum hair that gleamed even in the dim light. She moved with a confidence that was almost unnatural, her pale eyes unreadable.

"He's awakened," she said simply.

The hooded man didn't respond immediately. He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to something beyond the realm of normal senses.

After a long pause, he exhaled. "It was only a matter of time."

The woman crossed her arms. "Do you think he's a threat?"

The man's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Not yet."

She studied him for a moment before nodding. "Then what do we do?"

The man turned away from the ruins, his gaze now fixed in the direction of the group.

"We watch."

Back to Eryth's Group

The journey away from the ruins was tense. Every sound, every shift in the wind felt like a warning. The world had changed after what happened in the nexus, and they all knew it.

As they pressed forward, Eryth felt an unsettling sense of familiarity. The land felt different, yet there was something about it—something buried in the echoes of the past.

Then it hit him.

The vision. The one he'd seen when he touched the orb.

This place had been in it.

His footsteps slowed, his breath catching in his throat.

Tessa noticed. "Eryth? What is it?"

He swallowed hard. "I've seen this before."

The others exchanged wary glances.

"In the vision," he continued, his voice quiet. "This place was—"

Before he could finish, the ground beneath them trembled. A deep, guttural sound reverberated through the air.

Nyx tensed, lowering its body in a defensive stance.

Then, from the shadows of the ruins ahead, something moved.

A figure stepped forward, their form shrouded in the dim light. Their presence sent a chill through the air, an unspoken authority radiating from them.

They weren't alone.

More figures emerged, their silhouettes sharp against the ruined landscape.

Eryth's breath caught in his throat.

This wasn't a coincidence.

They had been waiting.

And now, the past was coming for him.