The beast lunged, obsidian spikes dragging across the cavern floor like blades.
Hunters screamed, scattering in panic, but they were broken, exhausted, and half of them were already bleeding out.
Aiden stood frozen for a heartbeat, Selene clutching his sleeve. His body was trembling, his mind echoing with that same, unrelenting whisper.
"Manifest it. Use their fear. Let them see what you've become."
He clenched his jaw. His hands shook, but his decision was already made.
He raised his arm, palm out, and thought—no, commanded:
"Manifest."
The world cracked.
A torrent of molten shadow burst forth from his hand, a perfect replica of the beast's breath—only darker, as if the flame had been drowned in ink. The blast cut across the cavern like a tidal wave of destruction.
Hunters dove for cover, shrieking as the shadow-fire ripped into the monster's chest. The creature roared in pain, its molten core flickering wildly, as though it had just been struck by its own power turned against it.
The ground split, obsidian fragments raining down from the cavern ceiling.
When the smoke cleared, the beast staggered, part of its armored chest caved in, ichor spilling.
And every eye turned to Aiden.
Silence.
Only the crackle of the shadow-fire fading into ash remained.
Hunters stared, wide-eyed. Some whispered. Others backed away from him like he was no different than the monster.
Aiden's chest heaved. His veins burned black for a moment before receding, leaving him shivering, cold. The sensation was like poison, but he remained standing.
Selene's grip tightened on his sleeve, her violet eyes locked on him—not with fear, but something else. Awe? Worry? Both.
"…Rael," she whispered, her voice trembling. "What… what are you?"
The monster shrieked again before he could answer. It staggered forward, fury in its molten eyes.
Its claw came down—straight toward them.
Selene raised her hands weakly. "I—I don't have enough mana left to—"
"Stay behind me."
Aiden didn't think. He erased.
The claw froze mid-swing, dissolving into smoke as though someone had cut it from existence. The beast howled, stumbling as its own limb vanished into blackness.
[Fragment of Eclipse Obtained: Obsidian Claw]
Another shard pulsed in his mind. The System's voice was gleeful now, hungry.
"Yes. Take more. Consume it. Break it apart until nothing remains but you."
Aiden nearly staggered from the weight of it, but Selene's light brushed against him again—a faint pulse from her healing aura. It grounded him. Kept him from falling deeper.
He exhaled, gripping his head. "Not yet… not like this."
The surviving hunters rallied at the sight. Their commander—bleeding heavily from a shoulder wound—shouted hoarsely, "Finish it! It's weak!"
They surged forward, blades and spells striking the crippled monster. Aiden stood rooted, Selene at his side, watching as they hacked into the beast's legs and drove it backward.
But even weakened, the obsidian titan was no ordinary foe. It swung its remaining claw, cleaving two hunters in half. Blood sprayed. Screams echoed.
Selene gasped and tried to move, but her knees buckled. Aiden caught her.
"You can't—"
Her voice broke. "They'll die!"
He met her gaze. Her eyes were desperate, pleading.
And something inside him snapped.
He couldn't just stand by anymore.
Aiden stepped forward, shadows curling around his feet. The fragments in his chest pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Absorb," he whispered.
The claw fragment dissolved into his body. Pain seared through him—bones cracking, muscles convulsing. His hand warped for a moment, his shadow stretching unnaturally.
When the agony subsided, he looked down at his arm… and flexed. His fingers had sharpened, black veins crawling up to his wrist. A fragment of the beast's strength now flowed through him.
The System purred.
[Skill Obtained: Abyssal Rend]
Aiden roared, slashing forward. His shadow-tinged claws ripped across the beast's chest, tearing molten ichor in a spray.
The hunters froze.
Selene gasped.
Even the monster recoiled, its molten core sputtering.
The fight turned.
With renewed strength, the hunters struck alongside him. Aiden slashed and tore, his movements inhumanly sharp, each strike driving the beast further into submission. Selene, though drained, cast healing pulses to keep the others on their feet.
It wasn't clean. It wasn't glorious. But slowly—painfully—the monster was brought down.
Finally, with one last ragged scream, Aiden lunged, driving his shadow-claw straight through its core.
The beast convulsed. Then collapsed, its molten light flickering out into darkness.
[Dungeon Boss Erased.]
[Fragment of Eclipse Obtained: Abyssal Core.]
[System Synchronization Level 1 Complete.]
The voice in his head laughed, low and dark.
Aiden dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. His body felt shredded, but he was alive. They were alive.
Silence fell over the cavern.
The surviving hunters collapsed, some weeping, some staring at Aiden like he was the monster they had just killed.
The commander pushed himself up, face pale, voice hoarse. "What… what in the hells was that, Rael?"
Aiden looked up slowly. His mouth opened—but no words came. What could he say? That he had erased reality itself? That a voice in his head was telling him to consume everything?
Selene stepped forward before he could answer, placing herself between him and the commander.
"He saved us," she said firmly. "That's all that matters."
Her violet eyes dared anyone to argue.
The commander swallowed, grimaced, but said nothing.
As the hunters limped toward the dungeon exit, Selene lingered at Aiden's side, supporting him when his legs threatened to give out.
He looked at her. "You should stay away from me."
Her grip tightened. "Don't you dare say that."
"You saw it," he rasped. "I don't even know what I am anymore. That power—"
"Saved us," she interrupted sharply. Then softer, with that stubborn warmth he couldn't look away from: "Saved me."
Her gaze held his, unflinching despite everything she had witnessed.
"You're not alone, Aiden. Whatever that was… we'll figure it out. Together."
For the first time, the System went silent.
The whispers receded, faint and distant, as if her words had burned through the fog of temptation.
Aiden exhaled shakily. His chest still burned with fragments, his veins still pulsed with stolen shadow, but Selene's presence anchored him.
And though he feared what he had become, a thought crept unbidden into his mind:
Maybe I don't have to face this alone.