The First Possession 2

The tension in the air was palpable, the silence broken only by the low growl of the shadow beast, still pacing near Morvane. Crimson stood poised with his katanas, his sharp gaze locked on his student.

"What do we do, Medas?" Crimson asked without looking back, his voice steady but tense.

Medas hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he studied Morvane, or rather, the thing that had taken over him. "We have no choice. We attack him."

Crimson didn't wait for further instructions. With a burst of speed, he charged at Morvane, his twin katanas gleaming as they sliced through the air.

Morvane didn't flinch. With a flick of his hand, an invisible force slammed into Crimson like a tidal wave, sending him flying back.

Crimson twisted mid-air, landing on his feet with practiced ease, but the shock was evident on his face. "What—how is this possible? He doesn't have any powers!"

Medas, standing a few paces behind, clenched his fists. "Maybe that's the power of the man who possessed him," he said grimly.

"That's possible?" Crimson shot back, his voice laced with disbelief.

Medas nodded. "If the man had magic in life, it's likely he can channel it through Morvane now."

Crimson growled under his breath, gripping his katanas tighter. Without another word, the two of them charged at Morvane together.

Medas raised his hand, his telekinetic power taking hold of the twigs and branches scattered across the forest floor.

They hovered for a moment before shooting toward Morvane like a volley of arrows.

Morvane raised his hand again, the same air magic swirling around him. The force stopped most of the projectiles mid-flight, splintering them into harmless pieces. But Medas's power wasn't so easily thwarted. The remaining twigs surged forward, piercing through the air magic like it wasn't even there.

"Impossible," the man inside Morvane hissed, his voice edged with frustration.

The twigs struck their mark, throwing Morvane off balance for a moment. Crimson seized the opportunity, dashing forward and raising his katanas.

But as he got closer, his movements slowed. His arms trembled as he stared into Morvane's eyes—eyes that, despite their pitch-black hue, still seemed to carry a flicker of his student within them.

"Should we kill him?" Crimson asked, his voice shaking. "That's Morvane!"

"No," Medas said firmly. "We can't. We need to knock him unconscious. That might break the possession."

Crimson hesitated, lowering his blades slightly. In that moment, Medas acted. He raised his hands, vines snaking out from the trees and wrapping around Morvane. The vines coiled tighter and tighter, pinning his arms and legs before finally snaking around his neck.

Morvane struggled, his body convulsing as he tried to break free. His face twisted in pain, and the man's voice erupted from within him, raw and filled with rage.

"No! You will not take this from me!"

The vines tightened further, and for the first time, a faint glow of Morvane's original eyes flickered through the black.

The vines tightened around Morvane, his body convulsing as the man inside him let out a guttural scream. For a moment, the forest seemed to hold its breath. And then, with a sudden burst of energy, the man's spirit was wrenched free from Morvane's body.

Morvane's eyes, once pitch black, flickered back to their normal hue. He gasped weakly, his body going limp as his consciousness faded. His head lolled forward, his breath shallow but steady.

Medas and Crimson watched as Morvane fell to his knees, his eyes closing. They sighed in relief, assuming the fight was over.

But it wasn't.

Unseen by Medas and Crimson, the spirit of the man hovered above Morvane, a twisted form of translucent rage and despair. Its face was distorted, its ghostly mouth open in a silent scream as it writhed in the air.

However, it wasn't invisible to everyone.

The shadow beast, standing nearby, growled low in its throat. Its glowing eyes locked onto the spirit, its massive frame tensing as it prepared to strike.

The spirit flailed as it floated higher, as if trying to escape. But the shadow beast lunged, its jaws snapping around the spectral form.

The man's spirit let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed through the clearing, a sound so haunting it sent shivers down Crimson's and Medas's spines.

"What... what's it doing?" Crimson asked, his voice shaken as he watched the shadow beast gnaw at seemingly nothing.

Medas frowned, his brow furrowing. "I don't know... it's like it's—eating something. But there's nothing there."

The shadow beast growled, its powerful jaws tearing at the invisible spirit. To it, the man's form was tangible, a feast of fear and resentment. With each bite, the man's screams grew weaker, until finally, there was nothing left.

The beast let out a satisfied snarl, licking its jaws as it turned back to Morvane, who lay unconscious on the forest floor.

Crimson and Medas exchanged uneasy glances.

"What just happened?" Crimson asked, still gripping his katanas.

"I don't know," Medas replied softly, his gaze shifting from the shadow beast to Morvane. "But whatever it was... the shadow beast might've saved him."

Crimson frowned, lowering his blades. "Or it could've made things worse."

Medas didn't respond. His focus was on Morvane, who lay still, his face pale but peaceful.

The shadow beast slowly approached Morvane, its massive frame looming over his unconscious body. It stared down at him, its glowing eyes softening, almost as if it were concerned. The beast lowered its head, its mist-like form curling around Morvane protectively.

Moments later, Morvane stirred. He groaned weakly, his eyes fluttering open. The moment he regained consciousness, the shadow beast dissolved into the air, vanishing as though it had never been there.

Medas and Crimson hurried over to him, their weapons now sheathed.

"Morvane!" Medas called out, kneeling beside him.

Morvane blinked up at them, his expression confused.

"What... happened?" he asked hoarsely.

"You don't remember?" Crimson asked, his brow furrowed.

Morvane shook his head slightly, wincing as he shifted his injured leg. "No... I just remember a man, and then... nothing." His hand instinctively touched the wound on his leg, and he winced again. "It hurts..."

Medas and Crimson exchanged glances but didn't press him further. "We'll explain later," Medas said gently. "For now, we need to get you somewhere safe."

The three of them continued their journey to Morvane's grandmother's house. Despite the pain in his leg, Morvane insisted on walking, though he leaned heavily on Medas for support.

When they arrived, Morvane's grandmother greeted them warmly, her sharp eyes immediately noticing her grandson's injury.

"What happened to you, child?" she asked, her voice a mix of worry and sternness.

"It's... a long story," Medas answered, glancing at Morvane.

Without another word, the grandmother ushered them inside. She had Morvane sit down and examined the wound on his leg. With surprising skill, she began her healing work. Her hands glowed faintly as she chanted in a soft, melodic tone. Warmth spread through Morvane's leg, and the pain began to fade.

When she was finished, there wasn't even a scar left behind.

Morvane stared at his leg in amazement. "Grandma... thank you"

She smiled knowingly. "Anything for you my dear... Also, what happened?"

Before she could ask more, there was a knock at the door. The grandmother opened it to reveal Luna and Esmael, both looking relieved to see the group safe.

"Luna! Esmael!" Morvane greeted, stepping forward. "What are you doing here?"

"We saw the three of you coming towards here so we followed," Luna said, her gaze shifting to Morvane. "Are you okay?"

Morvane nodded, though he still looked pale. "I think so... but I don't remember much."

Crimson frowned, his sharp eyes scanning the room as if searching for answers. "We need to talk. There's more going on here than we realized."

Medas nodded. "Let's all sit down and figure this out."

The group gathered around the grandmother's small table, the tension thick as they prepared to piece together the events and what lay ahead.

Medas was the first to break the silence. His tone was calm but serious. "Do you all remember when Morvane had no mark during the Awakening?"

Luna and Esmael exchanged glances and nodded.

"Yes," Luna said. "We always thought it was strange."

Esmael added, "But we figured there had to be a reason."

Medas leaned forward, his fingers interlaced. "The reason isn't because he's powerless. It's because there's nothing to awaken—his power was already there. It just didn't manifest until recently."

Morvane's grabdmmother's eyes widened, his mouth opening slightly in shock. "What do you mean, already there?"

Medas continued, ignoring the question for the moment. "I gave him a necklace to restrain that power. To keep it under control." His voice lowered, tinged with regret. "But it broke. And now... I can't do anything to contain what's inside him. That power grows stronger every day."

Luna's brows furrowed. "And training him hasn't helped?"

Medas shook his head. "I thought training would make his body more resistant, more grounded, less susceptible to things like possession." He sighed heavily. "But it didn't work. The spirit still possessed him easily, as if his body invited it."

The weight of the revelation settled over the room like a thick fog.

Morvane's voice cut through the tension, trembling and uncertain. "Wait... I—I was possessed?"

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to him.

"Yes," Medas finally said, his gaze meeting Morvane's.

"That man's spirit took control of you. But you fought back. And your shadow beast... it ended the threat."

Morvane's hands trembled, gripping the edge of the table as he tried to process what he had just learned.