Two months had passed since the night Renji should've died in the alley.
On a sunny plain the big wolf let out a final, guttural snarl before Renji's blade of shadow carved through its neck. The creature's body toppled into the grass, dissolving into mist as its elemental essence scattered into the wind. Renji staggered back, panting. His right arm, still wrapped in jagged darkness, flickered and broke apart into smoke, leaving his skin pale and trembling. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand
Renji staggered to a lake, scooped water into his palms, and drank. When the ripples stilled, his reflection stared back — clean-shaven, sharper jaw, eyes no longer dull but alive with a faint purple gleam.
Not bad, Nyx's voice rumbled in his chest, velvet and cruel. At least you managed not to stab yourself this time.
Renji scoffed under his breath. "Keep talking. One day I'll shut you up for good."
Nyx chuckled, low and sharp. "If you could, boy… I wouldn't be here."
********************
The bell over the healer's shop chimed as he pushed the door open. The warm air inside smelled of herbs and dried roots.
Sophie, the little mink girl he'd saved, was perched on a stool. She leaned over a workbench, ears twitching as she traced glowing runes on a parchment. "Renji! Look—I kept it glowing for three whole seconds this time!"
He ruffled her hair. "Better than I can hold my blade some days." She laughed, clutching her parchment like a trophy.
At the counter, Dorian, the vampire bartender who had dragged Renji out of the gutter two months ago. His crimson eyes flicked up, sharp and amused.
"Look at you," he said smoothly. "Two months ago, you were a husk. Now? You almost look like someone worth talking to. Almost."
He sees it, Nyx whispered. He smells me on you.
Renji's jaw tightened. "Don't start."
From the back room came Eryndor, the old elf healer who had pieced Renji back together. She set two small vials of glowing liquid on the counter. "For the road. They'll ease the strain when you push too far."
Renji slid his pack over his shoulder. "I'm leaving. I'll go through the vampire lands, then to the borders of the dwarf and beast territory. Nyx says something I have to find in there."
Dorian's smirk turned into something sharper, more knowing. "Then tread carefully. My kin won't welcome you. And if they sense what you carry, the night itself might turn against you."
Sophie tugged Renji's sleeve, her bright eyes shimmering. "Promise you'll come back and tell me what it's like out there?"
Renji paused, then smiled faintly. "Only if you can keep that circle glowing longer than I can keep my sword steady."
She grinned, ears flicking with pride.
As he stepped out into the pale sunlight, Nyx's voice coiled around him like smoke.
Onward, boy. The world doesn't know it yet, but the Primordials stir. And when they all wake… war follows.
Renji pulled his cloak tight, his shadow stretching long and violet at the edges as he set off toward vampire country.
********************
Renji had walked for days, crossing rivers and cutting through low hills. He left behind the green plains and stepped into denser, darker woods. The air itself seemed colder here, shadows stretching long even at noon. He'd fought beasts on the road, shadow-blade cleaving through snarling boars and winged carrion. Each fight left him stronger, steadier, though his arms still ached after every kill.
He knew the border was behind him now. He was in vampire territory.
Renji adjusted his pack and muttered under his breath, "Alright. I made it this far. Now what?"
Now, Nyx answered, voice rolling like distant thunder, you stop asking stupid questions. I said we must go to the ruins of the old Darkness Kingdom. There, someone waits.
Renji frowned. "You keep saying that. Who exactly is waiting?"
I never said who. Only that the Guardian of Darkness answers when the time is right. If you live long enough to reach the ruins, perhaps you'll find out.
Renji scowled. "So basically, you're dragging me across the world blind."
Nyx chuckled, cruel and amused. Better than waiting to rot in a tavern, yes?
Renji sighed, brushing a branch aside. He was about to take another step when the sharp sound of steel clashing split the quiet. His hand went to the hilt of his shadow-blade instinctively.
Through the trees, he glimpsed movement: two figures in full-body armor, faceless behind their helms. Sparks of elemental light crackled between them—one wielded jagged spears of stone, the other hurling blasts of condensed wind.
Their enemy wasn't human.
A small figure darted between their attacks—a doll, no taller than Renji's waist, stitched from pale cloth and spattered crimson. It moved unnaturally, limbs snapping like a puppet's, eyes glowing faint red. With each lunge, its cloth arms swelled, veins of blood pulsing through them.
The armored men fought hard, but the doll was relentless. A spear of stone shattered against its body—blood soaked into the cloth, hardening it like steel. A gust of wind blew it back, but it twisted mid-air, landing on all fours before darting forward with an inhuman screech.
One swipe tore through the first knight's chestplate. He crumpled, choking on blood. The second raised his hand, wind roaring into a cyclone—too slow. The doll leapt, its arms bursting into crimson spikes that punched straight through the armor. The man toppled, lifeless, as the doll landed atop him, twitching once before going still.
Renji stood frozen in the shadows of the trees, eyes wide. "What… the hell?"
The doll turned, its head twitching unnaturally, crimson eyes glowing faintly. For a heartbeat, it seemed to look straight at him. Then, as quickly as it had come alive, the glow faded. The doll collapsed into stillness, and in the next blink, it was gone—vanished into the forest like a shadow.
Renji gritted his teeth and darted forward, pushing through the undergrowth after it. Branches whipped against his face, but when he burst into a clearing, there was nothing. No doll. No footprints. Only silence.
Interesting, Nyx purred in his chest. Blood and shadow don't mix often. I wonder what kind of creature commands such force.
Renji clenched his fists, staring into the empty trees. Whoever it was, their not good news. Better to stay out of it.