The night was draped in obsidian, a fitting shroud for Zachs turbulent thoughts. At the age of twenty three, he stood at the precipice of adulthood, a bitter soul harboring a simmering resentment for the world that had, in his eyes, dealt him an unfair hand.
The air was thick with anticipation as Zach's gaze fixated on the horizon. His ivory hair seemed to shimmer, an ethereal crown atop his head, catching the moonlight's pallid glow. In this moment of somber reflection, something stirred within him, a shift in the very fabric of his being.
As if pulled by an unseen force, Kaelen's attention was drawn to his own outstretched hand. There, tendrils of inky darkness began to coil and writhe, snaking their way around his fingers like a living entity. He watched in a mixture of awe and trepidation as the shadows seemed to pulse and respond to his unspoken command.
His breath hitched in his throat, his pulse quickening. This was no mere trick of the light, no fanciful illusion. It was a manifestation of something primal and potent, a force that coursed through his veins and resonated with every fiber of his being.
In that moment, Kaelen Song became acutely aware of the power that now dwelled within him. It was a gift, or perhaps a curse, that set him apart from the world he had grown to despise. His resentment, once a smoldering ember, now blazed with newfound intensity, fueled by the potential that pulsed through his very veins.
He closed his fingers around the shadowy tendrils, feeling their cool embrace against his skin. It was a revelation, a moment of awakening that held the promise of retribution, of a reckoning with a world that had turned its back on him.
As he stood there, bathed in the moon's spectral light, Kaelen's violet eyes gleamed with a steely determination. He would forge his own path, heedless of the expectations and judgments of others. With the power of the shadows at his command, he would become a force to be reckoned with, a harbinger of change in a world blinded by its own complacency.
The wind seemed to echo his resolve, whispering through the night with a haunting melody. It carried the promise of transformation, of a destiny carved by his own hand. With each passing moment, Kaelen embraced his newfound identity, a 20-year-old with a heart consumed by resentment, and a soul ablaze with the power of shadow. This was his awakening.
---
In the wake of this revelation, Kaelen's world seemed to tilt on its axis. The once familiar surroundings now held an otherworldly aura, as if reality itself had bent to accommodate his newfound power.
With deliberate focus, Kaelen extended his hand once more, willing the shadows to respond. They obeyed, swirling around him in a dance of inky tendrils. It was a mesmerizing sight, a symphony of darkness choreographed by his thoughts.
As the minutes stretched into hours, Kaelen immersed himself in this newfound connection, testing the limits of his abilities. He discovered that the shadows could be shaped, molded into forms that defied the natural order. They became an extension of himself, a manifestation of his inner turmoil and the reservoir of his resentment.
He could focus Shadow Energy around his palms to create a solid but soft tendril of darkness, which had the same strength as himself though it could be used more carelessly as it had no health, meaning he could use it to attack without worry of being injured like he would be if he had to fight with his bare fists, risking breaking a knuckle or being injured by the enemy.
He discovered in this time he could also move the energy anywhere on his body, by moving it to his eyes the inky substance began to seep into his irisis and it opened up a world he had never seen before.
Ding!
[Shadow Vision] Activated.
The system had popped up at the moment he discovered his new talent, prompting a smile on Kaelans face.
He had long fought with his fists for a chance at this 'shitty' life, but the governments system was made to keep him down, keep him desperate. But no longer did he have to accept this cursed reality. Now he had power, now he had a chance at change.
With each passing moment, Kaelen's resentment morphed into something more potent. It became a driving force, a source of strength that fueled his determination. No longer burdened by the weight of his past grievances, he felt a sense of liberation, a realization that he held the power to shape his own destiny.
They will bow. They will... hurt, as I have hurt.
His thoughts had a undiscerned clarity to them that had never been there before, for so long he had felt confused and bitter, but now, he felt no need to grimace in hatred, but felt an urge to smile. He felt liberated.
The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery sheen over the world below. In that ethereal glow, Kaelen's transformation was complete. He was no longer the embittered youth, shackled by the expectations of a world he despised. He was a force belonging to nature, a being forged in the crucible of his own resentment. An entity, an instrument of revenge and malice.
As the first light of dawn began to paint the horizon, Kaelen knew that he could no longer remain in the shadows. It was time to step into the world, to confront the humanity he had come to resent. With newfound purpose, he strode forward, each step resonating with a quiet confidence.
The world would not be ready for what was to come, this was fact, and that was because Kaelan would see to it himself that they were not ready. And so Kaelan, a 20-year-old harbinger of shadows, a force to be reckoned with, would leave an indelible mark on the world, a testament to the power that resided within each individual, waiting to be unearthed.
And so, with the dawn of a new day, Kaelen's journey began. It was a path of self-discovery, of empowerment, and ultimately, of retribution. The shadows danced around him, a testament to the untapped potential that lay within us all. And in that moment, Kaelen knew that he was no longer defined by his resentment, but by the power he held, a power that would shape the destiny of a world on the cusp of change.