Only I Can Weild A Forgotten Shadow Magic

The moment I took the figure's hand, the world shifted.

It wasn't gradual, like falling asleep or sinking underwater. One second I was standing in the crumbling industrial complex, and the next, I was somewhere… else.

The air was thicker, colder. Shadows swirled around us like living smoke, stretching and twisting in impossible ways. There was no sky, no ground—just an endless expanse of darkness.

"Tell me this isn't the Void," Sparky muttered, stepping closer to me. His electricity crackled faintly, but even that seemed dimmed here.

"It's not," the figure said, its voice a low rumble. "Not yet. This is the boundary—the fracture where your world and the Void overlap. From here, you can access the wards… or fall into the depths."

"Comforting," Sparky said, his sarcasm doing little to mask the fear in his voice.

The figure released my hand and pointed into the distance, where faint lights flickered like distant stars. "The wards lie ahead. They were built to contain the Void's influence, but their power has weakened. You must restore them before the fracture collapses entirely."

"How?" I asked, already bracing myself for the answer.

The figure didn't reply. Instead, it raised its other hand, and the darkness around us began to shift. Slowly, shapes emerged from the shadows—twisted, jagged forms that pulsed with an eerie, unnatural light.

"The Void will not let you pass without resistance," it said. "You must fight. And you must endure."

Sparky took a step back. "Oh, great. More shadow monsters. Because the first hundred weren't enough."

I tightened my grip on my dagger, the shadows around me coiling like serpents. "We don't have a choice," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "We need to get to those wards."

The figure faded into the darkness, its parting words echoing in my mind: Remember, the Void feeds on what is within you. Do not let it consume you.

I didn't have time to dwell on the warning. The shadow creatures were already moving, their shapes shifting and twisting as they surged toward us.

"Here we go," Sparky muttered, electricity crackling to life in his hands.

The first creature lunged, its jagged limbs slicing through the air. I ducked, the shadows around me snapping out like whips to intercept it. The impact sent a shiver through my body, but I held my ground, focusing on keeping the shadows under control.

Sparky blasted another creature with a bolt of electricity, the light briefly illuminating the darkness. "This is insane," he said, his voice strained. "How many of these things are there?"

"Too many," I said, slashing at a creature that got too close. The shadows seemed to respond instinctively, wrapping around the blade and amplifying its strike.

But for every creature we took down, more seemed to appear. They emerged from the darkness like they were part of it, their forms shifting and reforming as if the rules of reality didn't apply to them.

"This isn't working," Sparky said, his back against mine. "We're going to get swarmed at this rate."

He wasn't wrong. The creatures were relentless, and the strain of keeping the shadows in check was starting to take its toll. My head throbbed, and I could feel the edges of my thoughts blurring, like the darkness was creeping into my mind.

Focus, I told myself. You can control this.

I reached out with the shadows, not just to attack but to push them back. The darkness around me surged outward like a wave, slamming into the creatures and scattering them.

For a moment, the space around us was clear.

"Nice move," Sparky said, though his voice was tense. "But I don't think that's going to keep them off us for long."

He was right. The creatures were already regrouping, their shapes twisting into something even more menacing.

"Then we keep moving," I said, glancing toward the flickering lights in the distance. "The wards are close—I can feel it."

Sparky groaned but didn't argue.

"Fine. But if we die, I'm blaming you."

"Deal."

We pushed forward, the creatures swarming around us like a living tide. The shadows responded to my every thought, forming barriers and striking out at anything that got too close. But the more I used them, the heavier they felt, like they were draining something from me.

My vision blurred, and for a moment, I wasn't sure if I was still in the fracture or somewhere deeper. The creatures' shapes twisted into faces I recognized—my mother, my friends, even Sparky.

"Kai!" Sparky's voice snapped me out of it. He grabbed my arm, his eyes wide. "Don't zone out on me now. We're almost there."

I blinked, shaking off the hallucinations. The lights were closer now, their glow cutting through the darkness. I could feel the wards' energy, faint but steady, like a heartbeat.

We stumbled into a clearing, where the shadows parted to reveal a massive structure—a glowing pillar surrounded by runes that pulsed with faint light.

"That's it."

The wards.

But before we could reach them, the ground beneath us shifted. A deep, guttural roar echoed through the darkness, and a new shape emerged—a massive, towering creature made of pure shadow. Its eyes burned with a cold, white light, and its presence was suffocating.

"Oh, come on," Sparky groaned. "Can't we catch a break for five seconds?"

The creature roared again, its voice shaking the air.

"Stay behind me," I said, stepping forward.

"Kai, you can't be serious—"

"I've got this," I said, though I wasn't sure if I believed it.

The shadows around me surged, sharper and more powerful than ever. The creature lunged, and I met it head-on, the shadows wrapping around me like armor.

The impact was like a thunderclap, the force sending shockwaves through the air. But I didn't back down. I couldn't.

The creature's attacks were relentless, each strike testing the limits of my control. But with every blow, I felt the shadows responding, adapting, growing stronger.

"Kai!" Sparky shouted, his voice barely audible over the chaos.

"I'm fine!"

I shouted back, though my vision was starting to blur again. The shadows were pulling me deeper, their whispers growing louder.

You are stronger than this, I told myself, pushing back against the voices. You have to be.

With a final surge of energy, I lashed out, the shadows forming a massive blade that sliced through the creature. It let out a deafening roar before collapsing into a cloud of smoke.

I staggered, the shadows around me flickering.

"Kai!" Sparky was at my side in an instant, grabbing my arm to steady me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, though my legs felt like jelly. "The wards," I said, gesturing toward the glowing pillar. "We need to restore them."

Sparky helped me to my feet, and we approached the pillar together. The runes flickered weakly, their light dim and fading.

"System. What do we do?"

[To restore the wards, the user must infuse them with their energy. Warning: process will require significant shadow manipulation and may carry risks of further corruption.]

"Of course it does," Sparky muttered.

I took a deep breath, placing my hands on the pillar. The shadows around me surged, flowing into the runes like water. The light grew brighter, steadier, but with every second, I could feel the strain increasing.

The whispers returned, louder this time, clawing at the edges of my mind.

"Kai!" Sparky's voice was distant, like he was shouting from the other side of a tunnel.

I clenched my teeth, focusing on the runes. The shadows pushed back, trying to overwhelm me, but I didn't let them.

You are in control, I told myself. Not them.

With a final burst of energy, the runes flared to life, their light cutting through the darkness. The creatures around us shrieked, their forms dissolving into nothingness.

The fracture trembled, then stilled.

"It's done."

Sparky caught me as I collapsed, his face pale but relieved.

"You're insane, you know that?"

I managed a weak smile.

"Takes one to know one."