The undead spiders' legs sliced at the cart, their screeches ringing through the starry night. Jax's Lightweave wall cracked under the disciple's dark energy wave, searing the dusty Wastes beneath its red glow. Jane's rune-disruptor buzzed, freezing half the swarm, while Lila's crossbow bolts whizzed through the air, bursting a spider's eye. The cloaked disciple loomed ahead, their red eyes glowing beneath the hood, staff radiating power. "Thorne!" they bellowed, voice gravelly. "Your light dies here!"
Jax's heart raced, Kael's bloodied hologram flashing in his thoughts. The Shadowed Vale loomed nearby, its dark peaks clawing at the night sky, but this fight stood in their way. "Energy reserves: 47%," the Construct droned, urgency in its tone. "Hostile forces detected. Neutralize to advance." The journal in his pocket burned with the sister's words: "The Vale's shadows hide the truth. Stay strong, marked one."
Jane fired her stun gauntlet, zapping a spider into a twitching mess. "Jax, take out the big guy!" she yelled, grit in her voice, narrowly dodging a spider's lunge. Her sleeve was shredded, blood seeping, but her eyes blazed with determination.
Jax nodded, her spirit igniting his own. He transformed his Lightweave wall into a glowing whip, slicing off a spider's legs as it collapsed, ash scattering in the air. "Reserves: 42%." "Keep them off the cart!" he shouted, sniffing blood. Kael was counting on him—failure wasn't an option.
Lila reloaded her crossbow, a wild grin on her face. "Nice glow, kid!" she called, shooting at another spider. "But that disciple's gonna roast us!"
The disciple swung their staff, sending a wave of dark energy crashing into the cart, splintering a wheel. Jax stumbled, his whip flickering, but Jane's disruptor pulsed again, stalling the spiders' advance. "Move!" she commanded, grabbing Lila's arm. They jumped off the tipping cart, dust choking the air.
Jax faced the disciple, whip snapping in his hand. "Where's Kael?" he demanded, voice harsh. "Talk, or burn!"
The disciple chuckled, a low, icy sound. "The Vale's shadows devour your kind, boy. Your blood won't save you." Their staff flared, and the ground writhed, shadows rising like smoke. The edge of the Vale warped, the air shimmering with a forbidding heat.
Jax felt an itching in his chest—his blood mark, four glowing circles pulsing beneath his shirt, brighter than ever. The journal grew warm, the sister's voice faint but clear. "The shadows test your heart. Face them, or fall." Doubt churned in his gut. Test how?
The spiders regrouped, runes glowing despite Jane's disruptor. Lila fired, her bolt bouncing off a spider's tough hide. "These things don't quit!" she shouted, diving for cover behind a rock.
Jane looked at Jax, fierce but concerned. "Jax, you okay? You're bleeding badly."
"I'm fine," he lied, wiping his nose. His vision blurred, but Kael's grin—his cocky wink—held him steady. He cracked his whip, slicing through another spider. "Reserves: 38%." "Jane, go for the disciple! I'll handle the bugs!"
Jane nodded, grabbing a smoke bomb from her pack. She tossed it, gray clouds erupting around her as she sprinted toward the disciple. Her gauntlet sparked as she aimed for their staff. The disciple swung, dark energy grazing her shoulder. She grunted but pushed on, a force of will.
Jax concentrated, morphing his whip into a glowing blade. He cleaved through two spiders, ash stinging his eyes. But the Vale's shadows thickened, wrapping around him. His mark burned, and reality twisted. Suddenly, the spiders vanished, and he stood alone in a dark void, the disciple's laughter echoing.
"Face your truth, Thorne," their voice hissed, resounding from all directions.
Jax felt a lump in his throat. An illusion—must be. The Vale's warped magic was messing with him. A figure appeared, cloaked, red-eyed, but it wasn't the disciple. It was his older self—eyes black, a dark Construct pulsing in his chest. "You'll become me," shadow-Jax said coldly. "Power is all."
"No!" Jax shouted, his Lightweave blade blazing with renewed vigor. He swung, but the shadow dodged, laughing. His mark burned with intensity. "Reserves: 35%." Was any of this real? Was he destined for ruin?
Jane's voice cut through the haze, sharp and urgent. "Jax! Snap out of it!" The void cracked open, and he was back, spiders lunging, the disciple's staff ablaze. Jane tackled the disciple, her gauntlet singeing their arm. They screamed, the staff dimming, but the shadows continued to swirl.
Jax shook his head, heart racing. The illusion had felt too real—him as the Master, tainted by darkness. He buried the fear deep, his blade slashing off another spider's head. "I'm here!" he shouted, voice shaky but determined. Jane's battle was tangible—she needed him.
Lila pinned a spider's leg with her crossbow. "Kid, you zoned out!" she called, her tone rough but supportive. "Stay with us!"
Jax nodded, his mark still glowing through his torn shirt. Jane caught sight of it, her eyes widening, but she pressed on, smashing her disruptor into the disciple's chest. Their runes flickered, and the spiders slowed, their magic weakening.
"Together!" Jax called, wielding his blade as a spiked whip. He lashed at the disciple's legs, tripping them. Jane's gauntlet fired, and Lila's bolt struck home. The disciple toppled, their staff shattering, shadows dissipating. "Kael's at the outpost," they gasped, blood bubbling from their lips. "You'll… never win." They dissolved into ash, leaving behind a faint red rune.
Jax panted, blood dripping from his nose. "Reserves: 30%." The spiders fell apart, the Vale's edge quiet once more. The cart lay wrecked, but their supplies remained intact. Jane seized his arm, concern lacing her voice. "What's happening with that mark?"
"Not sure," Jax replied, throat tight. The illusion's warning—you'll become me—gnawed at him. He covered the mark, its glow fading. "Let's keep moving."
Lila kicked at a spider's ash, a grin returning to her face. "You two are crazy, but I like it. The Vale's just over that ridge. Ready?"
Jane hesitated, hand resting on Jax's shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright? That wasn't just a battle. You saw something."
Jax met her gaze, feeling her worry strike deep. She'd stood by him through every challenge, every doubt. "Yeah," he said, forcing a reassuring smile. "Just the Vale messing with my head. We're getting Kael back, Jane. I promise."
She nodded, but her frown persisted, as if sensing the fear he concealed. "Alright, hero. But no more zoning out."
Lila snorted, slinging her crossbow over her shoulder. "You're both soft. Let's move before the Vale swallows us whole."
They gathered their supplies—Jane's pack, Lila's bolts, the Vale map—and trekked toward the ridge. The Vale's peaks towered ominously, shadows twisting unnaturally in the heavy, metallic air. Jax's mark itched, the journal faintly glowing. Kael's hologram—his battered face, unwavering spirit—urged him on. He couldn't lose him—not to the Master, not to anyone.
But as they topped the ridge, the Construct's cold voice pierced through their focus. "High-level threat detected. Proximity alert." Jane's scanner blared, and Lila froze, crossbow at the ready. From the Vale's shadows emerged a massive figure—a grotesque undead beast, part bear, part bone, its runes burning a fierce red. A new Necromancer stood beside it, cloak tattered, voice a chilling whisper.
"Thorne," they said, eyes obscured but smoldering with malice. "You just refuse to die."
The beast roared, charging forth, claws tearing the earth apart. Jane's disruptor throbbed, Lila's bolts flew, and Jax's Lightweave ignited once more, but the Necromancer's staff glowed bright, summoning a wave of shadowy vines that lashed out toward them.