The first thing Aric noticed when he awoke was the weight of the cavern pressing down on him. His body ached as if the battle had torn him from bone to sinew and stitched him back incorrectly. A dull violet glow still lingered in his veins, pulsing in rhythm with his shallow breaths.
"Aric…?" Lyra's voice trembled, soft but insistent, carrying him out of the fog in his mind.
He turned his head, the dim torchlight catching her features. Relief and fear warred on her face. She was kneeling beside him, hands trembling as she examined his wounds.
"You… you're alive," she whispered. "We weren't sure."
Aric's lips barely moved. "I… survived." The words were hollow, almost a lie even to him.
The battle with the Soulreavers had left a residue in his chest, a gnawing hunger that felt like it could devour him from within. The System stirred faintly, urging, whispering, feed, become…
He forced himself to breathe, to silence the whispers for now. "How… many were lost?"
Lyra's lips pressed into a thin line. "Two scouts… badly wounded. Kael says it could've been worse."
That name alone made Aric's stomach tighten. Kael… The tension between them had been building for weeks, a constant undercurrent beneath the fragile cooperation of the resistance.
Darius's voice called from the far end of the cavern, sharp and commanding. "He's awake. Gather around."
Aric struggled to sit, the shadows in his veins twitching like snakes at his attempt to rise. He felt the eyes of every resistance member on him — a mixture of relief, fear, and suspicion. Kael's gaze was sharp, calculating, unreadable.
"You're alive," Darius said, his voice a mixture of relief and authority. "But the aftermath of that fight…" He gestured at the cavern around them. "We lost men we cannot replace so easily."
Aric nodded, though the truth was that he had almost become as much of a threat as the Soulreavers themselves. He could feel the System thrumming, aching for release.
Kael stepped forward, his boots scraping against stone. "Almost?" His tone was more accusation than question. "You did let it control you. I saw it. The pulse, the glow… we could have all died because you can't manage your own power."
A murmur ran through the resistance members. Some glanced at Aric with renewed caution, others with awe. The air was thick with unspoken fear.
"I didn't lose control," Aric said slowly, his voice steadier than he felt. "I managed it."
Kael's sneer was faint but sharp. "Managed it? By nearly destroying yourself? By nearly killing us?"
Lyra's hand on Aric's arm was firm. "Enough, Kael. We survived. That's what matters."
The tension didn't fully dissipate. Aric felt the System stirring beneath the surface, sensing the fear, the doubt, and Kael's hidden malice. He knew he couldn't expose the System again. Not now, not here.
[Sorrow Stored: 178 units][Instability Critical]
The warning flickered faintly in his mind, unnoticed by anyone else.
For the next several hours, the resistance debated their next move. Scouts had reported unusual activity deeper in the tunnels — stronger demons, remnants of a corrupted army, perhaps even agents of the Demon King.
Kael argued for caution. "We can't risk marching blindly. Aric's strength is unpredictable. We've seen it. We need to gather information, scout carefully, or we could lose everyone."
Lyra countered, her voice firm but gentle. "We cannot hesitate. Every moment we delay, the enemy grows bolder. Aric's power saved us before — it will save us again if we use it wisely."
Darius's decision came swift and heavy. "We move at dusk. We take what is left and strike, but we proceed with caution. Aric, you will lead the vanguard. But you will not… let it control you."
Aric's jaw tightened. The words were reasonable, but he knew Kael's eyes never left him, calculating, waiting.
As the day stretched on, Aric tested himself in secret. Leaning against the cavern wall, he let his senses reach out, touching the lingering sorrow in the tunnels, the traces of death left by the Soulreavers. He could feel the pulse of despair, not just from his enemies but from the land itself — scarred, broken, haunted.
Feed. Become.
He ignored the whispers, forcing his control. Then, carefully, he extended his hand. Shadows rose from the ground like smoke, coiling into thin blades of sorrow energy, sharper than any steel he had ever wielded.
Sorrow Blades: First Successful Manifestation
He flexed his fingers, the blades stretching and twisting, responding instantly to his will. No pulse, no uncontrolled surge — a small triumph, but a monumental one.
Yes… you are learning…
The System's voice was faint, almost approving.
Dusk fell, casting long shadows across the cavern floor. The resistance readied themselves, weapons in hand. Aric led the vanguard, the first Sorrow Blades sheathing silently at his sides.
Kael rode alongside, silent, eyes sharp. Aric could feel the tension, a knife between them. He had to survive not just the demons ahead but the growing fracture within the resistance itself.
As they emerged into the tunnels, the shadows moved differently. Faster. Smarter. They had learned from the Soulreavers.
The first demon lunged from above, a monstrous form larger and more grotesque than any Aric had faced. Its eyes burned with a hatred so pure that even the System trembled at its presence.
Aric moved instinctively. Shadows erupted from his blades, slicing the creature before it could strike. A scream echoed, and the demon dissolved into a mist of sorrow, feeding the System just enough to make him shiver.
[Sorrow Stored: 188 units][Instability Critical – Control Tested]
Kael's eyes widened, admiration and fear tangled together. "Impressive… but reckless."
Before Aric could respond, a second shadow rose from the darkness — larger, smarter, and faster. And behind it… faint glowing eyes, watching, calculating.
The Watcher is closer than you know…
Aric's grip tightened on his blades, his heart pounding. Every nerve in his body screamed that he had only just survived Chapter 15. This next battle could break him, or it could teach him mastery.
The whispers rose, a thousand voices overlapping, urgent and demanding. Yet for the first time, Aric did not falter.
He stepped forward, blades ready, shadows coiling around him like obedient wolves.
And in that instant, the cavern seemed to hold its breath.