Chapter 19: The Orb

The chamber was silent save for the faint hum of dark energy lingering in the air. The creature lay motionless, bound by the very shadows Dante now commanded, its once-threatening form reduced to a symbol of the immense power he wielded. But beneath the surface, the weight of that power pressed on him, a constant reminder of the cost he had yet to fully understand.

Selene stood a few steps behind, her eyes narrowed, watching him with a mix of awe and apprehension. She had seen him brush against this darkness before, but now he was immersed in it—swallowed whole. And despite his insistence that he was in control, she wasn't so sure.

"Dante," she called softly, her voice cutting through the lingering haze of shadow. "We need to leave this place. Now."

Dante blinked, as if pulling himself out of a trance, and turned towards her. The glow in his eyes had dimmed, but it was still there, a faint reminder of the shadows swirling within him. He nodded, but his movements were slow, almost mechanical.

Selene's heart tightened. She had always trusted him—his instincts, his strength, his ability to rise above whatever challenge they faced. But this… this was different. The power he had claimed from the orb wasn't just another weapon to wield. It was something alive, something with its own will. And she feared it would break him.

"We can't stay here," she pressed, stepping closer to him, her voice urgent but steady. "The longer you hold onto that power, the more it'll take from you. You said you'd control it, but what if it's already controlling you?"

Dante's eyes flickered with a moment of frustration, but he didn't lash out. Instead, he glanced at the orb in his hand. It was small, deceptively so, but the weight of it in his palm was immense. The shadows continued to pulse around it, alive and eager, waiting for his command.

"I can feel it," Dante muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's… connected to everything. The shadows… the creature…" His gaze drifted to the fallen beast, still wrapped in chains of darkness. "And to me."

Selene's hand hovered over the hilt of her blade, ready to act if she needed to. "Dante, you need to let it go."

He shook his head, more sharply this time. "I can't. If I let go now, the shadows will run wild. It's like they've been waiting for someone to claim them, to harness them. And if I just leave them behind—"

"They'll find someone else," Selene finished, her voice hard. "I know. But that doesn't mean you should be the one carrying this burden. You don't even know what this power really is, or what it'll do to you."

Dante clenched his jaw, his grip tightening around the orb. A part of him wanted to argue, to tell her she didn't understand. But another part—one that was growing louder with each passing moment—knew she was right. The power he had tapped into was dangerous, not just to their enemies, but to him. It was already seeping into his thoughts, his emotions, blurring the line between what he wanted and what the shadows demanded of him.

But he couldn't just let go. Not yet.

"I don't have a choice, Selene," he said, his voice strained. "We've come too far. The creatures, the ruins, everything we've faced—it's all connected to this. If I leave it behind now, we'll be back to square one, fighting in the dark, with no idea what we're up against."

Selene frowned, her frustration evident. "Then what's the plan? Are you just going to keep using it until it consumes you? Because that's where this is heading, Dante. You know it is."

Dante didn't respond immediately. Instead, he turned and began walking towards the chamber's exit, the orb still clutched tightly in his hand. The shadows shifted around him, following his movements like a living cloak. Selene hesitated for a moment, watching him go, before sheathing her blade and following after him.

They walked in silence for a time, the only sound the soft echo of their footsteps on the stone floor. The ruins around them were ancient, their walls etched with symbols neither of them could fully understand. But the energy in the air, the oppressive weight of the shadows, told them everything they needed to know—this place was a tomb for powers long forgotten, and now those powers had been awakened.

As they approached the exit, Selene broke the silence. "There has to be another way. You can't keep relying on the shadows like this."

Dante glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "You saw what that thing did to us. Without the shadows, we wouldn't have survived."

"I know," she admitted, her tone softening. "But that doesn't mean you should keep using them. There's a difference between surviving and giving yourself over to something that could destroy you."

Dante stopped at the entrance to the ruins, the cold night air hitting them as they stepped outside. He looked up at the sky, the stars barely visible through the thick canopy of trees overhead. The silence of the forest was almost suffocating.

"I don't want to rely on them," Dante said quietly. "But right now, I don't see any other option. We're in over our heads, Selene. The creatures we've been fighting, the forces that are hunting us—they're all tied to this. If we don't understand it, if we don't find a way to use it…"

"We'll lose," Selene finished for him, her voice heavy with the weight of their situation.

Dante nodded, though it was clear the decision weighed heavily on him. "I don't plan on letting the shadows control me. I won't let them. But until we figure out what's really going on here, I need this power. We need it."

Selene's gaze softened, but the concern in her eyes didn't fade. "Just promise me you won't lose yourself in it. I can't… I can't watch you go down that path."

Dante met her gaze, the tension between them easing for the first time since they had left the chamber. "I promise."

The words felt hollow, even to him. But he would do everything he could to keep that promise. For Selene. For himself.

As they made their way through the dense forest, the night seemed to stretch on endlessly. Every shadow, every flicker of movement among the trees, put them on edge. The creatures that had once inhabited the ruins were still out there, watching, waiting.

Dante could feel them, their presence tugging at the edges of his mind. The orb in his hand pulsed faintly, as if in response to the unseen threat. He knew they weren't safe. Not yet.

"We need to keep moving," Dante said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We're not alone out here."

Selene nodded, her hand instinctively resting on the hilt of her blade as they quickened their pace. The shadows around them shifted, unnatural and alive, as if the darkness itself was watching their every move.

They didn't get far before the ground beneath their feet trembled, a low rumble vibrating through the earth. Selene froze, her eyes widening in alarm as she reached for her weapon. "What the hell was that?"

Dante's grip on the orb tightened as he scanned the area. The tremor wasn't natural—that much was clear. And it wasn't random. Something had been triggered.

The forest around them grew deathly quiet, the once soft rustling of leaves silenced. The shadows deepened, thickening like ink, and Dante could feel the familiar pull of dark energy in the air.

"It's coming," he muttered, his voice low but steady. "Another one."

Selene's expression hardened. "How many of these things are there?"

Dante didn't have an answer. He wasn't sure anyone did.

Without warning, the ground cracked, splitting open just a few feet away from them. A monstrous figure began to rise from the darkness, its form even larger and more grotesque than the creature they had faced in the chamber. Its eyes burned with the same unnatural glow, and the shadows coiled around it like living armor.

Selene's blade was out in an instant, her stance low and ready. "Dante…"

But Dante didn't move. He could feel the connection between the creature and the orb, the same bond he had sensed with the last one. This wasn't just a mindless beast—it was tied to the power of the shadows, just as he was.

The creature let out a deafening roar, its massive claws digging into the ground as it lunged toward them. But Dante didn't flinch.

Instead, he raised his hand, the shadows swirling around him like a protective shroud. The creature hesitated, its glowing eyes locking onto Dante, recognizing the power that now coursed through him.

For a moment, the forest was still, the tension thick enough to cut with a blade.

And then, with a single command, Dante unleashed the shadows.

They erupted from him in a torrent, swirling through the air like a black storm, wrapping around the creature and binding it in place. The beast struggled, snarling and thrashing, but it couldn't break free. The shadows held firm, just as they had in the chamber.

Selene watched in awe as Dante controlled the darkness with precision and power, the same force that had nearly

consumed him now bending to his will.

But even as the creature was subdued, Selene couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The oppressive atmosphere in the chamber hadn't lifted, and the shadows that clung to Dante seemed more alive than ever, writhing like serpents around his body. She felt a chill run down her spine, her instincts screaming at her that this wasn't over yet.

"Dante," she began cautiously, "are you sure you're in control?"

Dante's gaze remained fixed on the orb in his hands, the dark energy flowing through him like a rushing current. His jaw was clenched, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead as he struggled to maintain his grip on the shadows. "I… I'm fine," he muttered, though his voice was strained.

Selene took a hesitant step closer, her eyes narrowing. "You don't look fine."

Before Dante could respond, the chamber trembled. A low rumble echoed from the walls, and the stone beneath their feet began to crack. The creature on the ground let out a low, guttural growl, its eyes flickering back to life. Despite being bound by Dante's shadows, it wasn't defeated—it was only biding its time.

Selene's hand tightened around the hilt of her sword as she glanced around the chamber. The cracks in the stone were spreading, and the temperature was plummeting. It was as if the very air around them was freezing, turning brittle with the weight of some unseen force.

"Dante, we need to leave," she urged, her voice urgent now. "This place is falling apart."

Dante shook his head, his grip tightening on the orb. "I can't just leave," he said through gritted teeth. "If I do, the shadows will consume everything. I have to contain it."

Selene bit her lip, torn between her instincts to flee and her loyalty to Dante. She could see the toll the orb was taking on him—his skin had grown pale, and the shadows around him seemed to grow denser, darker, with every passing second. But leaving him to face this alone wasn't an option.

Suddenly, the creature let out a bloodcurdling roar. Its massive body convulsed, thrashing against the shadows that held it. Cracks began to form along its hide, glowing with a strange, crimson light that seeped through the fissures. The shadows that bound it began to fray, unraveling like threads under immense strain.

"Dante!" Selene shouted, her voice filled with panic.

"I'm losing it," Dante muttered under his breath, his body trembling from the effort of holding the creature at bay. The orb pulsed violently in his hands, the dark energy within it growing wilder, more chaotic. It was as if the shadows themselves were rebelling against him.

With a final, deafening roar, the creature broke free of its bonds, its massive form towering over them once more. Its glowing eyes locked onto Dante, and for a moment, the two seemed to be locked in a silent struggle, a battle of wills between man and monster.

Selene wasted no time. With a swift motion, she darted forward, her blade gleaming in the dim light as she slashed at the creature's exposed side. The sword struck true, slicing through its thick hide and sending a spray of black ichor across the floor.

The beast howled in pain, its attention shifting from Dante to Selene. It lashed out with a massive claw, but Selene was already moving, her reflexes sharp and honed. She ducked under the blow and countered with a swift stab to its underbelly.

"Dante, now!" she called out, her voice strained from the effort of fighting the towering beast.

Dante's eyes snapped open, the glow of the orb reflecting in his gaze. He could feel the shadows slipping from his grasp, the darkness threatening to overwhelm him. But Selene's voice cut through the chaos, grounding him, reminding him of what was at stake.

With a roar of his own, Dante raised the orb high above his head, channeling every ounce of willpower he had into the swirling mass of shadows. The dark tendrils coiled tighter around the creature, binding it once more, but this time, Dante didn't just seek to control it—he sought to banish it.

The orb's power surged, and the chamber was engulfed in a blinding light. The creature let out one final, agonized scream before it was swallowed by the shadows, its body disintegrating into nothingness.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Dante collapsed to his knees, the orb slipping from his fingers and rolling across the floor. His chest heaved with exhaustion, and the darkness that had clung to him moments before now dissipated, leaving him feeling hollow and drained.

Selene rushed to his side, her sword still in hand but her attention entirely on him. "Dante, are you alright?" she asked, kneeling beside him.

"I… I think so," he murmured, though his voice was weak. He glanced at the orb, now lying inert on the cold stone floor. Its once vibrant energy had dimmed, as though the shadows within had finally been quelled.

Selene followed his gaze, her expression wary. "What happened? Did you defeat it?"

Dante nodded, though there was hesitation in his eyes. "The creature's gone. But the orb… it's still dangerous. I can feel it. There's something inside it, something ancient, and it's waiting for the right moment to strike again."

Selene frowned. "Then what do we do with it?"

Dante's hand trembled as he reached for the orb, but he stopped himself. He couldn't trust the power anymore, not after what it had almost done to him. "We take it with us," he said finally. "But we don't use it. Not unless we have no other choice."

Selene nodded, though she couldn't shake the unease that settled in her chest. The shadows had nearly claimed Dante once, and she feared that next time, they might not be so lucky.

She helped Dante to his feet, and together, they made their way out of the crumbling chamber, the orb securely wrapped in cloth and tucked away in Dante's pack. The cold, oppressive air followed them as they ascended the stone steps, leaving the ruins behind.

But even as they emerged into the daylight, a sliver of doubt gnawed at Selene. The orb's power had been sealed for centuries, but now that it had been unleashed, she couldn't help but wonder—had they truly defeated the darkness, or had they merely delayed the inevitable?

As they walked, the wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it a faint echo of something sinister, something ancient and waiting, hidden in the shadows.

And for the first time, Selene wasn't sure if they would survive what was to come.