Chapter 7: The Price of Shadows

The next morning broke with a dim, overcast sky. Kaldora's winds howled through the crooked streets, carrying with them the smell of damp earth and decay. Revan sat on a low wooden stool outside his hovel, staring at the distant treeline of the Wraithwood. His body was still weary from the trial two days prior, but his mind was sharp, buzzing with the words of the cloaked figure in his vision.

The Abyss was watching.

He clenched his fists, feeling the faint pulse of the Shadow Seal on his chest. That power—the darkness he had wielded in the trial—was undeniably his now. But it came with a price, one he didn't yet fully understand. He didn't trust the Abyss or its whispers, but he also couldn't deny the allure of the strength it offered.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

Kael stood in the doorway, his leather armor dusted with dirt from his morning foraging. His expression was its usual mix of sarcasm and nonchalance, but there was an edge to it today.

"Dreams keep you up, Shadowborne?" Kael asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Revan frowned. "You knew that would happen, didn't you?"

Kael shrugged. "Everyone with a mark gets their introduction sooner or later. The Abyss likes to welcome its chosen with theatrics. So, what did it say to you?"

Revan hesitated. He wasn't sure he trusted Kael enough to share everything he had seen. The prophecy, the figure's warnings about the cycle, and the cost of wielding the Abyss all felt too heavy to lay bare.

"Nothing that made sense," Revan said finally.

Kael raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Well, whatever it said, you'd better learn to listen. The Abyss doesn't waste time with chatter. If it's whispering to you, there's a reason."

He tossed a small pouch onto the table inside the hovel. "Eat something. You'll need your strength. We're heading back to the ruins today."

Revan blinked. "The ruins? I thought the trial was over."

"The trial's just the start," Kael said, crossing his arms. "You've passed the basic test of survival, sure. But if you want to keep using that Seal of yours without it eating you alive, you need to learn control. And there's no better teacher than the Abyss itself."

---

The Wraithwood was no less foreboding the second time around. Its gnarled trees stretched skyward like skeletal hands, their bark blackened as though scorched by fire. The undergrowth rustled with unseen movements, and the air was thick with the smell of damp rot.

Revan followed Kael along a narrow, winding path, his hand resting on the hilt of the dagger Kael had given him. The memory of the shadowspawn's glowing eyes still haunted him, and he didn't want to be caught unprepared again.

"Why do we have to go back to the ruins?" Revan asked, breaking the silence.

Kael glanced over his shoulder. "Because the ruins are a gateway. The Abyss doesn't just exist in your dreams, kid. It's everywhere, bleeding into the cracks of our world. The ruins are one of those cracks. If you're serious about controlling your Seal, you'll need to confront it head-on."

The explanation did little to ease Revan's apprehension, but he nodded. He didn't have much choice in the matter. If the Abyss was going to haunt him, he needed to learn how to face it.

---

The ruins loomed ahead like the remnants of a forgotten age. Jagged stone pillars jutted from the earth, their surfaces etched with strange, spiraling symbols that seemed to writhe when viewed from the corner of the eye. The air was colder here, heavy with an unnatural stillness.

Kael stopped at the edge of the clearing and turned to Revan. "This is where I leave you."

Revan's eyes widened. "What? You're not coming with me?"

Kael smirked. "I've already passed my trials, kid. This part's on you. The ruins respond to the marked. They'll test you, push you to your limits. Think of it as a conversation with the Abyss, one where it decides if you're worth keeping around."

Revan swallowed hard, his pulse quickening. "And if it decides I'm not?"

Kael's smirk faded. "Then you won't make it back."

Without another word, Kael turned and disappeared into the treeline, leaving Revan alone with the ruins.

---

The first step into the ruins felt like crossing a threshold into another world. The air grew heavier, pressing against Revan's chest like an invisible weight. Shadows danced along the edges of his vision, moving without any discernible source of light.

He gripped the hilt of his dagger tightly and moved forward, his footsteps echoing on the cracked stone floor. The strange symbols on the pillars seemed to glow faintly as he passed, their patterns shifting in response to his presence.

The whispers began softly at first, a low murmur that seemed to come from every direction.

"Shadowborne…"

Revan froze, his heart pounding. The voice was different from the one in his dream—harsher, more fragmented.

"Who's there?" he called, his voice echoing through the ruins.

The air grew colder, and the shadows coalesced in front of him, forming into a vaguely humanoid shape. Its eyes glowed with an eerie violet light, and its voice cut through the silence like a blade.

"You walk the path of the Abyss, yet you are unworthy."

Revan tightened his grip on the dagger, his instincts screaming at him to run. But he forced himself to stand his ground. "I didn't ask for this," he said, his voice steady despite the fear clawing at him. "But if I'm stuck with it, I'll make it my own."

The shadow entity tilted its head, as though considering his words. "The Abyss does not yield to the weak. Prove your worth, Shadowborne, or be consumed."

Without warning, the shadows surged toward him, tendrils lashing out like serpents. Revan leapt back, narrowly avoiding the first strike. He raised his dagger, channeling the energy of the Shadow Seal as Kael had taught him.

The dagger's blade darkened, wreathed in an aura of shadow. Revan slashed at the tendrils, the Abyssal energy slicing through them like a blade through smoke. But the entity was relentless, reforming its attacks faster than he could fend them off.

The whispers grew louder, filling his mind with a chaotic torrent of voices.

"Embrace the darkness…"

"Let it consume you…"

"Become one with the Abyss…"

Revan gritted his teeth, fighting to keep his focus. He couldn't let the whispers distract him. Drawing on the memory of his dream, he steadied his breathing and channeled his energy into the Shadow Seal.

The mark on his chest flared to life, its glow illuminating the ruins. The tendrils hesitated, recoiling as though burned by the light. Revan seized the opportunity, unleashing a surge of shadow energy that tore through the entity's form.

The shadows dissipated, and the ruins fell silent once more. Revan dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. His body ached, and the mark on his chest throbbed painfully, but he had survived.

As the echoes of his battle faded, a voice—softer this time—whispered in his ear.

"You are not yet whole, Shadowborne. Seek the fragments, and you may find the truth."

Revan looked up, his gaze falling on a small, glowing shard embedded in one of the pillars. He reached out and grasped it, feeling a surge of energy course through him. The shard's light dimmed, and the symbols on the pillar stopped shifting.

He didn't fully understand what had just happened, but one thing was clear: this was only the beginning.

With the shard in hand and the whispers lingering in his mind, Revan turned and made his way back toward the village. The Abyss had tested him, and though he had passed, the price of his power was becoming increasingly clear.