i reincarnated in to my Novel

The sky is dimming, its once-azure hue now replaced by a streak of burnt orange as the sun begins to set. Dakota and Henry stand at the center of a blackened battlefield, their flames still flickering in the air like embers, dissipating slowly. The rogue mage's form has been reduced to nothing but ash, but a thick aura of darkness still lingers, clinging to the remnants of the battlefield like a fog.

Henry: (catching his breath, wiping his brow) "Well, that was a hell of a fight. Can't say I expected it to get that heated."

Dakota: (looking around, his voice low) "This wasn't just a fight. It was a message."

Henry: (raising an eyebrow) "A message? What do you mean?"

Dakota: (his tone darker) "His power… it wasn't natural. Someone is orchestrating these attacks. Someone who knows how to manipulate darkness like a weapon. He was too controlled, too organized."

Henry pauses, eyes narrowing as he glances around the desolate battlefield.

Henry: "You think it's just the start?"

Dakota: (gritting his teeth) "No. It's already started. And it's going to get worse."

Dakota turns his gaze toward the distant horizon, where the sun is now dipping below the line of mountains. The faintest ripple in the air—a shimmer of darkness—catches his attention. For a split second, it's as if the shadows themselves are watching him.

Henry: (noticing Dakota's change in posture) "What's wrong?"

Dakota: (quietly) "I'm being watched."

The air around them shifts. A cold breeze stirs, carrying the faintest scent of sulfur and smoke, as if something or someone is waiting just beyond their Perception

Suddenly, the ground trembles. Not from an earthquake, but from the sheer force of an approaching presence. A silhouette emerges from the darkness at the far edge of the battlefield, moving gracefully toward them. The figure is tall, draped in a long cloak that seems to absorb light, casting an eerie shadow on the ground beneath them. There's an aura of unnatural stillness that radiates from the figure, as if time itself slows in their presence.

Dakota: (stepping forward, his tone firm) "Who are you?"

The Figure: (voice smooth and cold, with an unsettling calm) "I am what remains after the darkness consumes all things. The one who whispers in the silence of night, the one who feeds the shadows."

The figure's form flickers as if it's not quite solid, like a mirage in the twilight. The shadows around them grow thicker, moving of their own accord, bending toward the figure as if drawn to them.

Henry: (gripping his sword, his voice wary) "This doesn't feel right, Dakota. What's with the weird vibe?"

Dakota: (his voice calm but serious) "He's not like the rogue mage. This one... this one is different."

The Figure: "You have dealt with one of my emissaries. But there are many more like him—more who will come, more who will be sent."

Dakota: (narrowing his eyes) "Sent by who? Who are you working for?"

The Figure: (smiling darkly, a void-like grin that doesn't quite reach their eyes) "I am no one's servant. I am the harbinger. The herald of the coming dark age. I do not work for someone. I am the beginning of everything you fear."

Henry: (sarcastically) "Oh great. Just what we need, another doomsday preacher."

Dakota raises a hand, signaling Henry to be quiet, his eyes still locked on the figure. He can feel the weight of something ominous pressing in from all sides, like the very air is turning heavier with the presence of the figure.

Dakota: (his voice soft but resolute) "I've had enough of these games."

Without warning, Dakota's flames erupt from his body, spiraling outward in a twisting inferno that sends the shadows recoiling. His domain flares to life, illuminating the area with intense heat and light, pushing back the oppressive darkness. The figure doesn't flinch; instead, they raise a hand, and the shadows seem to thicken around them in response, forming an impenetrable barrier between them and the flames.

The Figure: (without effort) "Your flames are weak against what is already a part of this world. The darkness is not something you can burn away, not this time."

Dakota: (clenching his fists) "We'll see about that."

He steps forward, focusing his power into the flame, pushing it higher and higher until the very air begins to crackle. The heat becomes almost unbearable as his flame domain intensifies, the fire expanding into an ever-growing vortex of heat and light. But the figure doesn't move, standing there as if nothing can touch them.

Henry: (calling out) "Dakota! Something's wrong! Look at the shadows!"

Dakota glances around just as the shadows surge forward, splitting apart like liquid darkness, rushing toward him with terrifying speed. The shadows seem to ignore his flames entirely, weaving through the fire like water slipping between the cracks of a dam.

Dakota: (gritting his teeth) "Damn it!"

He raises both hands, summoning an even larger wave of flame to counter the encroaching darkness. But the shadows move faster than he can react, wrapping around his body, chilling him to the core, like they're trying to pull him into the very earth beneath his feet.

The Figure: (voice echoing, now full of malice) "You cannot escape the inevitable. The end has already begun. You were merely the spark. Now… it's time to watch the world burn."

The darkness intensifies, folding in on itself like an inescapable prison. The flames around Dakota sputter, the light growing dimmer as if the very essence of fire is being consumed by the surrounding void. His vision blurs, the fire in his hands flickering wildly as the shadows tighten their grip.

Henry: (rushing forward, slashing through the darkness with his sword) "Get your hands off him!"

Henry's sword strikes at the shadows, but the darkness simply absorbs the attack, the blade passing through as if the shadows are made of nothing but air. With a swipe of his hand, the figure extends a wave of dark energy, knocking Henry back with a force that sends him crashing to the ground, his sword falling from his grasp.

The Figure: "Foolish. You can't defeat what is already within you."

Dakota grits his teeth, struggling against the creeping darkness that pulls at him. He can feel his strength draining, the suffocating grip of the shadow trying to rob him of his power. But then, in the darkness, something within him stirs. The part of him that isn't afraid, the part that remembers the lessons of his past life, the part of him that refuses to be consumed.

Dakota: (eyes narrowing, his voice steady) "I'm not afraid of you."

With a deep breath, Dakota calls upon the depths of his magic, summoning the flame within his soul, igniting it with everything he has left. The fire erupts around him in a blinding explosion of heat and light, pushing back the shadows with a force that cracks the air itself. The darkness wavers, then retreats, like a tidal wave retreating from the shore.

Dakota: (voice cold and commanding) "I will burn through the void. I will break your endless night."

The figure falters, their form flickering, as if their power is being drained by the intensity of Dakota's flame. The air crackles with energy, the balance tipping toward the light.

The Figure: (snarling, their voice now tinged with frustration) "You… you cannot stop it. The darkness will return. It always does."

Dakota: (fiercely) "Then I'll burn it down every time it rises."

With that, Dakota steps forward, unleashing a final surge of flame that shatters the figure's shadowy form. The ground shakes, but the darkness evaporates into the air, leaving only the faintest residue of its presence behind.

The figure is gone, and the battlefield is once again bathed in the fading light of the setting sun. Dakota and Henry stand, panting heavily, their flames dying down, leaving only embers in the air.

Henry: (wiping sweat from his brow, standing up) "That was... a close call."

Dakota: (looking ahead, his gaze distant) "Too close."

Henry: (seriously) "What was that thing? And who's behind it?"

Dakota: (grimly) "I don't know yet. But I'll find out. And when I do, they'll regret ever coming after me."

*As they walk away from the battlefield, Dakota's mind is filled with one thought: the darkness that they just fought was only a harbinger of something much greater, a greater force that would stop at nothing.