The sun had not yet broken the horizon when Marcus stood before the mission board in the Citadel's Hall of Judgment, flanked by Tyrese and Geoffrey. The parchment pinned with wax bore a crimson seal—Category B Abyssmorph Outbreak near the collapsed ruins of Elraen Hollow.
"Category B?" Marcus murmured.
"Think of them as second-tier nightmares," Tyrese explained. "Too dangerous for beginners, but not a full-blown catastrophe… unless they multiply."
Geoffrey tapped the edge of his halberd against the floor. "You're with us this time. Training wheels are off."
Tyrese offered a sharp grin. "Time to baptize you in shadows, rookie."
They departed in silence, crossing through silver forests warped by dimensional scars left by Abyssmorph incursions. As they neared Elraen Hollow, Marcus could feel Orenmir pulsing within his soul like a heartbeat out of sync with time.
Suddenly, a thick miasma crawled across the forest floor. Trees bent unnaturally. Shapes danced at the edges of their vision.
Tyrese's Relic flared—Vyrmspire, a twin-bladed boomerang that curved around his back and shimmered with spatial distortion.
Geoffrey's gauntlet crackled. Iron Covenant, a Relic-type gauntlet that could bind Abyssmorphs in chains of pure law.
Then they came. A pack of Shadehowlers, quadrupedal creatures with mouths like torn voids and bodies made of writhing tendrils.
"Marcus!" Tyrese shouted. "Summon Orenmir—will it out!"
Marcus closed his eyes. The sensation was like pulling a sword from his very soul.
> Shhhhhhnk!
The air twisted, and Orenmir appeared in his hands—colossal, heavy, beautiful. Black and white streaks of time shimmered along its edge.
Predator's Instinct surged to life—he felt the movement before the creature even lunged. He twisted and countered.
> SLAASH!
A perfect cut through the Shadehowler's neck—but it didn't bleed. Instead, black mist sprayed from the wound as it convulsed and twisted back into shape.
Geoffrey shouted, "They reform unless you sever the moment they exist in!"
Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Then let's fracture time."
He activated Temporal Fracture.
> TCHZZZZZZ!
A ripple of time carved the air, and the moment of the Shadehowler's survival was cut. It collapsed into ash.
The others attacked in unison, guiding Marcus like a younger brother among veterans. Orenmir devoured magic bursts, strengthening Marcus's speed and stamina. He felt more alive than ever.
When the battle ended, Marcus stood among the black remains of seven slain Abyssmorphs. His body trembled—not with fear, but with power.
"I… I can feel it," he whispered. "Orenmir isn't just a weapon. It's alive."
Geoffrey placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "You're starting to resonate with it."
Tyrese smirked. "Good. Because that was just round one."