The city's skyline was a jagged silhouette against a blood-red dusk, smoke curling from distant fires like dark veins across the horizon. Mohamed stood atop a crumbling building, the wind tearing at his coat, his eyes scanning the streets below. Something was wrong. Far too wrong.
Selene appeared beside him, silent and still as a shadow. "They've mobilized," she said softly. "The Eclipse Order has advanced units out, and Faromet… he's guiding them. His presence is everywhere, subtle but lethal. Tonight, you face his design in full."
Mohamed clenched his fists. The memory fragments thrummed beneath his skin, alive, vibrating with tension. This is it… this is the real test.
Suddenly, the streets exploded with movement. Agents of the Eclipse Order—humans and shadows—emerged from alleys, rooftops, and crumbling overpasses. But this time, something was different: their attacks were coordinated beyond human skill. They seemed to anticipate Mohamed's every move, shadows bending unnaturally, forming shapes and spikes that struck before he could react.
It's him… Faromet… he's inside their minds, controlling them…
Mohamed leapt, summoning fragments of memory energy like never before. Spectral streets rose beneath his feet, barriers of childhood alleys shimmered, and glowing swords formed from battle memories struck out at approaching enemies. The clash sent shockwaves through the ruined cityscape.
But the Order adapted faster than he could react. Shadows split, merged, and attacked from multiple directions at once, forcing Mohamed to retreat, weaving between fragments of reality he created.
Selene's voice cut through the chaos: "Don't just defend! Force them into disarray! Use your memory energy unpredictably!"
Mohamed took a deep breath. He drew from deeper, darker fragments—memories he had sealed away, fragments not his own, tinged with fear, chaos, and pain. Streets warped and twisted violently, walls rising like jagged teeth, spectral fires igniting across the alleyways. The agents faltered, screams echoing as their movements faltered in the distorted reality.
I… I can control it… I can shape this…
And then, a sound—a low, resonant hum—vibrated through the city. Mohamed froze.
From the top of a skyscraper, a shadow emerged, immense, horns curving into the night sky. His black and red armor shimmered with power, pulsing like molten veins. Faromet.
Mohamed's heart pounded. The ultimate predator…
Faromet's voice echoed across the streets, omnipresent yet impossible to locate. "You have grown stronger, child of memories. But control is fleeting. Chaos is patient… and it obeys only me."
The battle escalated beyond the city streets. Faromet's presence distorted reality itself: agents flickered between past and present, hallucinations of allies attacked Mohamed, and memories he had anchored twisted into frightening new forms. He swung spectral swords, formed barriers, and launched fragments of reality, but the pull of Faromet's corruption tugged at his mind, whispering temptations of ultimate power, fear, and vengeance.
Take it… all of it… rule everything…
Mohamed shook his head. "No! I will not be your puppet!" He slammed his hands together, releasing a shockwave of memory energy. Streets, alleys, and spectral constructs fused, forming a massive, pulsating dome of light and memory. Shadows screamed as they struck the dome, dissolving into fragments of pure energy.
But Faromet only tilted his head, amused. "Impressive. But the real test… begins when memory fails you."
The corrupted figure from Mohamed's past appeared amidst the chaos, human and monstrous simultaneously. "You think control is enough?" they hissed. "Even now, he tests you! Every fragment, every choice, every breath—he bends reality through your mind. You are his puppet, Mohamed, whether you like it or not!"
Mohamed's chest burned with exertion. Memory fragments flickered, some breaking under the weight of Faromet's mental assault. He struggled to anchor them. I… must… control…
He reached deeper, pulling from the memory of his mother's warmth, the laughter of his childhood, and even the pain of his past failures. Each fragment became a tether, a lifeline, weaving a lattice of control through the chaos. He unleashed a pulse of energy so intense it shattered the corrupted figure's projection, sending echoes of screams across the city.
I am not your puppet… not yet…
Faromet's laughter rang in Mohamed's mind. "You have potential, child of memory. But potential is not mastery. The day you falter, the day chaos finds a crack… I will step in, and all will be lost."
Mohamed's vision flickered violently. In a flash, he saw himself in the future again: standing atop a ruined world, shadows crawling at his feet, eyes glowing red, a sword of memory energy in hand—destroyer or savior, the line blurred beyond recognition.
He gritted his teeth, fury and determination igniting inside him. "I will master it… I will survive… and I will choose my own path!"
The corrupted figure dissolved into shadows, the agents retreated, and Faromet's massive form vanished into the night sky. But the city remained shaken, scarred, and alive with residual memory energy. Mohamed fell to his knees, exhausted but unbroken, the weight of Faromet's influence pressing at his mind.
Selene crouched beside him. "Tonight, you survived Faromet's first direct test. But remember: he is not gone. He observes, waits, and shapes the world from the shadows. You have faced only the beginning."
Mohamed rose, hands shaking but resolve hardening. He stared at the night sky, at the shadows that flickered and writhed like living things.
Faromet is real… and he will come for me. But I am ready. I will rise. I will not fall.