With his body humming with dark energy and his breath breathless, Grayson fell to his knees. His body was encircled by shadows that were attracted to him like living night tendrils. His hands shook on the chilly stone floor, fingers spread wide as dark veins slithered beneath his flesh. He realised there was no going back once he had absorbed his shadow self.
A whispered fear descended upon the room. The Forgotten warriors stood motionless, their dark cloaks shifting like echoes of the emptiness. This had never been done by Blackwell. Not a single Blackwell had ventured.
"This is not the end of it." He talked in a scratchy, broken voice, like if someone else was speaking with him. His own shadow twisted and stretched in ways that were incorrect and unnatural. The weight of something ancient rising awake in his bones was palpable.
Unsure of whether to fight or run, the Forgotten walked with caution, their hands hovering above their weapons.
Gritting his teeth, Grayson pushed himself to his feet. His eyesight darkened at the edges as the world slanted. Unchecked, the energy within him surged, blazing through his veins like an unquenchable fire.
His eyes gleamed like obsidian as he met their gazes. "You desired authority," he snarled. "Now you'll see what occurs when it's taken."
The ensuing quiet was more deafening than any rallying scream.
The agony stung his spirit like a brand.
As the deep, relentless voice entered Grayson's consciousness, he gasped and his body froze.
"No one has ever been closer to the truth than you are. However, power has a cost.
Even as he gripped his arm, the burning continued. Spiralling down to his wrist, darkness scorched his flesh. He saw it—a black symbol, throbbing, moving, alive—when he tore aside his sleeve. The Shadowbound King's mark.
Grayson's heart pounded. It was not just a symbol. It was a statement.
"You cannot escape me." Large and oppressive, the voice growled, its force piercing his very bones. "You are mine."
He was knocked backward by a surge of energy that smashed over him. At his feet, his shadow coiled and flickered strangely. No longer his own. Not totally.
Taking a deep breath, Grayson resisted the pressure in his head. "No one owns me."
The low, knowing rumble of the King's laughter filled the air.
"You will."
As its tendrils sank beneath his flesh, the mark grew darker. And something changed—waiting—deep in the emptiness. observing.
With the last of the dark energy still pulsing through his veins, Grayson stood in the middle of the room. The eyes of the Forgotten soldiers were a mix of fascination and dread as they circled him like cautious predators. At first, nobody said anything, as though everyone were waiting to see if he would fall apart, or worse, turn into something completely else.
Then at last one of them came forward. A woman with her face hidden behind a veil of shadow and shrouded in shifting darkness. Her voice sounded solemn when she spoke. "You are more than just Blackwell now."
The mark throbbing on his arm, Grayson balled his hands. "So what am I?"
The warrior from Forgotten cocked her head. Shadowborn.
He felt a chill at the term. It sounded like an old thing that shouldn't be said out loud.
A voice whispered from the shadows, "You may be the first to really control it." "Or the last to fall prey to it."
A wave of uneasiness swept across the soldiers. Ignoring the way his shadow twisted at his feet, Grayson forced himself to stand more erect. "Then explain how to put an end to it."
There was a long pause before the first woman spoke once more. "The Shadow Realm can only be left in one way." After a pause, she went on, "A gate." It is located inside the Forsaken Ruins.
Grayson let out a loud sigh. "Where is it?"
"No one who has looked for it has come back alive."
He didn't back down, even though the comments hit him harder than he had anticipated. "I'll be the first then."
The room's shadows appeared to grow darker as the warriors exchanged doubtful looks.
At last, one of them gave a nod. "So you have to get out before it's too late."
Grayson didn't enquire about the meaning of that. He suspected he already knew.
The atmosphere changed. A pressure, a tension—like an impending storm.
Before he heard it, Grayson sensed it. The energy ripple, the silent warping of the surrounding shadows. The Forgotten soldiers tensed, their eyes darting to the chamber's opening.
There was an impending event.
The doors then flew open.
Forms half-swallowed by the whirling abyss of the Shadow Realm, figures in dark armour moved in. In the faint light, their insignias shone—the Shadow Order.
Grayson's heart froze.
And Sarah appeared in front of them, confidently taking back her throne like a queen.
alive. Inhaling. directing them.
She tilted her head and grinned. "Grayson, did you really believe you could avoid fate?"
Despite his heart hammering against his ribs, he made an effort to maintain a neutral expression. "You should be dead by now."
Sarah let out a harsh, piercing chuckle. I could say the same about you, which is funny.
With their palms hanging over their weapons, the Forgotten warriors swore. Grayson, however, was wiser. Negotiation was not the purpose of the Shadow Order.
Sarah's eyes strayed to the Shadowbound King's mark on his wrist. Her eyes darkened, but her smile grew.
She whispered, "You're just another piece on the board." "The game isn't finished yet."
With a stride forward, Grayson's shadow flared behind him. "What are you looking for?"
Her face grew stern. "To ensure your submission to the King of Shadows."
Like a death sentence, the words hovered between them.
"Or?" Grayson enquired.
Sarah curled her fingers at her sides. "Or you pass away before you gain too much power."
There was a long pause. As they prepared for battle, the Forgotten warriors drew nearer to him. Beneath his skin, Grayson's own power rumbled like a storm in a prison.
He refused to give in.
Furthermore, he had no intention of dying.
It was the Shadow Order's turn.
It was his turn now.
The air exploded with chaos as soon as the first blade struck armour.
In a whirlwind of steel and darkness, the Forgotten warriors charged forward and confronted the darkness Order. War cries pierced the strange calm of the Shadow Realm as the clash of weapons reverberated through the ruins.
Grayson left to observe. He had only one objective.
Reach the gate.
Between broken pillars and collapsing walls, he dashed across the rubble. Shadows screamed and hissed behind him as the fight continued.
Then—a glimmer of motion.
Sarah was on Grayson before he could even react.
A void-forged energy-wrapped dagger slashed at his throat. The sword cut his shoulder as he spun, barely escaping the blow. A terrible agony pierced his body.
His hand flew to the cut as he stumbled back. He had black blood.
Sarah grinned. "I pondered whether you would no longer bleed like us."
Grayson's hold became more firm. Behind him, his shadow twisted and blazed in the gloomy light. "If you get in my way once more, you'll be discovered."
Sarah lunged at him once again while laughing.
Each blow was followed by another in their vicious battle. Sarah's weapons seared into his skin, and she was faster than ever. He could feel the weight of something strange crushing down on him each time their blades touched.
She wasn't merely attempting to murder him.
He was being broken by her.
He went for the kill when there was a quick opening.
But Sarah ducked too easily before he could hit.
A ruse. A trap.
He was pulled down by a dark tendril that encircled his leg. The wind knocked out of his lungs when he hit the ground hard.
A gunshot rang out as Sarah stood over him, bringing her sword up for the last blow.
Sarah recoiled.
Grayson's head jerked sideways.
Emery.
Her rifle was still burning when she stood at the edge of the debris.
Stumbling, Sarah gripped her side. Anger flashed in her eyes.
Breathing heavily, Grayson forced himself to stand. This was his opportunity. He could put a stop to this.
He moved forward, shadow encircling his fist, poised to attack.
Sarah looked up at him. steadfast. Not scared.
He paused for the first time.
Was she killed by him? Stop this now?
Or did he release her?
His hand shook.
Sarah disappeared in that instant of doubt.
vanishing into the shadows, engulfed by them.
She left nothing except quiet behind.
Grayson fell into the centre of the rubble. Even though his wounds burned and his body hurt, he had survived.
Before him loomed the Forsaken Gate.
old. monolithic. engraved with spooky light-pulsing symbols. Something ancient and incomprehensible vibrated in the air surrounding it, causing it to hum.
Behind him, the Forgotten warriors silently observed.
"Beyond this, you will either regain your world… or lose yourself forever," one of them whispered.
Wiping blood from his mouth, Grayson took a step forward. His heart thumped.
The gate responded.
With a deep, guttural groan rumbling from within, the symbols grew brighter. The air was heavy with force and crackled.
It was getting started.
Beyond it, a dazzling emptiness twisted like a crack in reality.
Grayson let out a breath. This was it; he sensed it.
One path's finish. The start of another.
He took one final glance back.
Then he moved forward, turning towards the gate.
"Let's get this done."