Shadow slave:The Forgotten Spawn

Chapter: A Meeting in the Ruins

The air was thick with tension as the figures stepped out of the ruins. Their presence was commanding, exuding an aura of strength that set every nerve in Eryth's body on edge. He could tell immediately—these weren't ordinary wanderers. They carried themselves like people who had seen countless battles and survived.

Nyx let out a low growl, its glowing eyes locked onto the approaching strangers. It didn't attack, but its stance was tense, prepared for a fight.

Eryth tightened his grip on his weapon. He exchanged a brief glance with Tessa, who nodded slightly. They were ready, if it came to that.

The leading figure finally stepped into full view. A man clad in dark, weathered armor, his hood pulled back to reveal piercing eyes that gleamed with sharp intelligence. He studied them in silence for a moment before speaking.

"You felt it too, didn't you?"

Eryth hesitated. "Felt what?"

The man's lips curled slightly, as if amused. "The shift. The awakening. Something in this world has changed. And you're at the center of it."

Eryth tensed. He had no idea how this stranger knew about what happened in the nexus, but the certainty in his voice sent a chill through him.

Tessa stepped forward, her expression guarded. "Who are you?"

The man ignored her question, his gaze still fixed on Eryth. "That power inside you… it isn't natural. It wasn't meant to be yours. But now that it is, you'll have to deal with the consequences."

Eryth felt his pulse quicken. "And what consequences would those be?"

The man exhaled slowly, as if weighing his words. "You've marked yourself as something different. There are forces that won't ignore that. Some will come to claim what you've taken. Others will want to destroy you before you become a threat."

Tessa scoffed. "Sounds like the usual."

The man's gaze flicked to her, unreadable. "Not like this."

The woman beside him, the one with pale hair and an unsettling presence, finally spoke. "The past has eyes, and now they're turning toward you."

Eryth clenched his fists. He could still feel the energy inside him, like an ember waiting to ignite. He had no intention of running from whatever was coming.

"If that's the case," he said, meeting the man's gaze, "then let them come."

For a moment, the man simply stared at him. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Elsewhere…

Deep within the shattered remnants of a forgotten city, something stirred. The ruins trembled as an unseen force rippled through the air, responding to the shift in power.

A shadow moved across the broken structures, its form barely distinguishable from the darkness itself. Watching. Waiting.

Then, without a sound, it vanished.

The hunt had begun.

End of Chapter