Erebus waited for death to embrace him but found only torment waiting for him. The walls entombed him, cursing him with mind-numbing darkness and crushing every bone in his body. He tried to cry out, but the pain was near unbearable, and no noise would escape his lips. He clenched his teeth until they cracked and broke. He now longed for death, but the world was cruel. Deep inside the earth was healing magic, and every time he wanted to pass out from the pain, his body would heal, and he would regain clarity, just to have his body crushed again. He was forever conscious and forever breaking.
When his body finally became accustomed to the pain, he would feel his body sink lower into the earth, creating a new sense of agony, more intense than the last. The pressure started attacking his soul. The cycle would repeat -his body and soul would be destroyed and then regenerate through the cursed healing powers. He heard nothing but his internal screams, the tearing of his flesh, the cracking of his bones, and the ripping of his soul.
The only sound present was a symphony of his torment.
The small things that kept him sane, like Kore and Jericho, no longer entered his mind. He couldn't focus his mind anymore. There was only darkness and suffering.
Time no longer mattered or existed. He measured the passing by how many times he suffered and healed, but soon that became blurred as well.
He stayed in the earth, unable to move his limbs under the unbearable pressure. He suffered every second, and his mouth contorted because of his silent screams.
He experienced only new darkness and agony until he stopped struggling. He glared into the darkness until he felt his mind was on the verge of breaking.
Then he heard the voice-raspy and hoarse, like metal scraping.
[So tenacious. I lost hope because those Shadowbane children couldn't withstand our legacy. But who would have believed that you would show up before me? The fates have not abandoned us yet.
Erebus did not know how to answer that voice. He felt hope laced in the voice but feared that his mind was tricking him. How could he hear anything when he was trapped inside of the earth? Were the dark deities playing with him?
[You have a choice: accept our legacy and have the chance to escape your earthen prison or remain here.)
Erebus had to laugh internally. Stay here? Never. Every time he fell further into the earth, the soul-shredding pain intensified. It was never-ending, and he felt he must be close to the earth's core now. But how much longer did he have until he lost his mind completely?
He didn't know who was calling out to him. If he agreed, he may sell his soul to the dark deities or even curse himself to the deepest hells. But he yearned for a chance. Deep inside his soul, he cried out, "I accept!"
The disembodied voice chuckled at his struggles.
[A warning before you accept... You can escape this place, and you can live, But before you can, you will experience more pain than you can imagine. What you have felt this decade in the earth is considered child's play compared to accepting this legacy. You could die.]
The thought of more suffering caused a chill to run up his spine, but there was still hope. A light at the end of the perpetually dark tunnel. But should he be wary because of the possibility of death? He should have died many times as a child running on the streets. He should have been killed in his desperate battles for the sect. He should have died when saving Jericho. Death was not something he feared because he had faced it countless times before.
Erebus' choice was the same. His mouth never opened, but his soul screamed, "I accept!"
He suddenly felt a new pain that filled every fiber of his being, from his muscles to his bones, blood, and soul. He felt like he was being ripped to shreds bit by bit and then slowly rebuilt. The voice didn't lie; this pain was more intense than anything he felt before. This torment made the earthen prison feel like a small cut.
The great Dragon Commander seemed to have found his voice again and let out a heart-wrenching roar that seemed to last for eternity.
He felt like he had disintegrated, and his ashes were being put back together as if he were an impossible puzzle. The familiar heat from his fire mana seemed to have left his body entirely, leaving only a cold and dark feeling in his veins and mana core.
His body was still reacting to the torture, so when the reconstruction of his body subsided, he fell heavily to the ground. He could not lift his head to see his surroundings and could only tremble in a limp ball. Each breath was agonizing, and he let out a small cry before finally closing his eyes and finding a restless sleep. It was the first sleep he experienced since he fell.
The disembodied voice broke his long sleep. (Wake up.]
Erebus opened his eyes and found himself on a cold stone floor, still covered in darkness. However, he rejoiced, knowing that the crushing pain was gone.
[Your holy books state when the realms were created, light emerged. And with the light came the shadows... But your mythology is false. In truth, this space was already blessed with darkness before the Primordials arrived. The darkness had always been here and will always remain. The power derived from the ancient darkness allowed the Primordials to create the Realms that make up your universe. While the Primordials fed the Realms their energy and created elemental mana, the darkness blessed the lands with its power and developed the lifeforce known as Aether. The Primordials take credit, but it was truly the darkness that became the cradle of all life here.J
[Disappointingly, the creatures of the realms could only perceive the forcibly created mana: fire, water, air, and so forth. Although Elemental Mana is powerful, it is not limitless. It does not compare the most ancient of magic, the entity that encompasses all the realms... darkness.]
The voice ripped through Erebus' mind. He was always taught that light came before the darkness... but that was never true. Darkness had always been the constant. And yet he fell for the doctrines pushed by his leaders and persecuted those who used the Shadow Mana. Was he wrong?
The voice let him consider the soul-shaking words for a while. But then, it spoke again.
[Train your mind to embrace the ancient darkness. Find the shadows.]
"Shadows? It's pitch black here. What shadows?" Erebus was angry and confused. He felt that everything he had learned thus far was wrong and tainted. But instead of clarifying, this voice gave him an impossible task.
[Even the darkest of nights will have a shadow.]
He took deep breaths and tried to calm his heart from the history he heard. He stilled his mind and decided to concentrate on his mana. While examining his mana, he found his entire physical makeup was completely different. His mana used to consist of burning flame energy, but now he just saw darkness. However, the new mana moved inside him more easily than fire mana, as if it was finally home from a long journey.
He moved his concentration to the room and focused on the darkness. Time passed, but his senses started to pick up movement. Shadow figures danced around the room, but the more he watched, the more he realized that it wasn't a dance but a fighting technique.
After watching, he stood up and started to imitate the moves, starting with the easiest until he fully merged with it. Then he would go to the next one. The more he moved, the more he realized this was a knife-wielding technique. He always used a sword before, but suddenly, the knife seemed like a better tool for him.
So he continued training like this. He would train until his body gave out and
then meditate on the shadows hidden in the room. When he wasn't training, the disembodied voice would teach him the languages of the Realms, new and ancient..
He didn't know how long this continued, but he finally merged with the last shadow, completing the 108th technique in the room.
[A gift for your perseverance.]
His sword and dear friend, Gramr, appeared before him. He reached out for the sword, but before he could touch it, the shadows attacked it and broke it apart. Erebus had a soul bond with the sword, so he coughed up blood and fell to his knees when it broke.
But he didn't despair because he watched as the shadows rebuilt his sword and turned to two daggers that seemed to have been baptized in darkness. They cried out in joy, desiring to be held by him. A smile finally appeared on his face when his hands gripped the handles, and the blades sang out with delight.
He went through his 108 moves with his beloved knives without the voice ordering him to do so. When he mastered the moves with the blades, the voice spoke again.
[Find the shadow. Move in the shadows.
Erebus thought about cursing the voice, but this time didn't voice any questions or frustration like before. After moving with the shadows for the 108 moves, he could see any changes within the shadows and fluctuations of darkness. When he started concentrating, he found that the shadow figures from before were moving from one shadow to another.
Once again, he moved to merge with them, following their path, sometimes through the stones and walls. He moved through the darkest of shadows-the utmost stealth.
When he mastered this, the voice sounded again. (Find the shadows when there is none.
Suddenly, the cave lit up, and Erebus shuddered when he saw the brightness. How long had it been since he had seen light? And now that he had become accustomed to the darkness, the light was truly blinding. He quickly disappeared into the shadows, but the light continued to chase him until it was blinding and illuminated the entire room.
Still, Erebus knew how to find the shadows hidden inside the rocks and hid away in the comfort of his darkness.
But to his dismay, he found that the light seemed to move and penetrate his safety zone if he lingered too long, so he was constantly on the move, hiding from shadow to shadow. The light moved faster and more chaotically, like lightning striking the ground, forcing him to move until he left afterimages.
But at the same time, his eyes started to become trained in the light as well as the dark.
The light finally dimmed, and he was granted his blessed darkness.
[My last lesson... Travel through the hidden shadows of the earth and escape this place. However, once you do, find a secluded spot to recuperate. You will be weakened and do not know the darkness in another person's heart.!
Erebus bowed towards his invisible teacher and started his journey back through the ground until he suddenly felt a freedom he hadn't known for countless years. A cool breeze brushed his back, and he looked at the sky filled with stars. It was the most beautiful scene he could imagine. He was finally free.
His body was horribly weakened because of the constant training and arduous journey from the earth's center to the surface. But this didn't stop him from moving through the shadows to a familiar castle and room in a high him from moving through the shadows to a familiar castle and room in a high tower. He traveled up the wall and climbed into the window to see the person he could trust the most.
There, he saw her. She was older, with fine lines around her eyes, accentuating how incomparably beautiful she was. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back like a golden waterfall, and he wanted nothing more but to bury his face in it. He stepped out of the shadows and saw that gorgeous face whiten with shock, and then a tearful smile blossomed. "Eri!"
The adoration when she said his nickname made the tears fall from his eyes. "My Kore." He whispered and then collapsed.
He felt his mind slipping in and out of consciousness but was overwhelmed with joy when he heard the familiar voices.
"I can't believe he is still alive."
"It's been over twenty years."
"I can't even determine his cultivation level."
"But there is darkness to his mana."
One voice seemed almost bitter, which made him confused. It was the voice of his closest friend, Jericho. "I don't understand how he came back."