chapter 4:-The Weight of Shadows

The warehouse felt colder than it should have, the silence pressing in like a physical force. Thaddeus stood rooted to the spot, his reflection flickering faintly in the cracked screen that had just shown him his own damnation. His hands shook—not from the chill, but from the sickening churn in his gut. Captain Graves watched him, his stern face unyielding, though a flicker of something—pity, maybe?—softened his eyes for just a moment."That's not me," Thaddeus rasped, his voice barely audible. "It can't be me."Graves didn't flinch. "The footage is from Johan's body cam. Timestamped. Verified. You're the only one who walked out of that portal alive, Thaddeus. Explain that."Thaddeus's knees buckled, and he caught himself against a rusted metal crate, the edge biting into his palm. His mind raced, clawing at the fragments of memory he'd buried—or been forced to forget. The Centauris's glowing eyes, the blade in his chest, the suffocating darkness… and that voice. Can I defeat that lowly being? It hadn't been a question—it had been a promise, a taunt, spoken in a tone that wasn't human."I don't remember," he said, louder this time, desperation creeping in. "I was dying. I felt it. How could I—" He stopped, the words choking him as the footage replayed in his head: that black-aura figure, moving like a storm of death, tearing through his team. Sara's analytical calm, Johan's trembling fear, Michael's steady resolve—all gone, erased by him.Graves stepped closer, his boots echoing on the concrete floor. "You're not denying it's your face on that screen. You're not denying the readings we pulled from the portal aftermath—energy signatures that match you, not the Centauris. So tell me, Thaddeus: what happened in there? What are you hiding?""I'm not hiding anything!" Thaddeus snapped, slamming his fist against the crate. The metal dented under the blow, a faint ripple of heat surging through his arm—uncontrolled, erratic, just like always. He stared at his hand, the familiar thrum of his power buzzing beneath his skin, but it felt… different now. Heavier. Darker.Graves raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "That temper of yours isn't helping your case. Sit down, soldier. We're not done."Thaddeus glared but obeyed, sinking onto a nearby crate. His chest ached where the Centauris's sword had pierced him, a phantom pain that hadn't faded in the month since he'd left the hospital. He rubbed at it absently, trying to anchor himself. "If I killed them, why don't I remember? Why would I—" His voice broke. "They were my family."Graves's expression softened, just a fraction. "I don't think you meant to. But intent doesn't change the body count. We've lost eighteen members of Battle Group 530—everyone but you and Jimmy Parker, who was unconscious outside the portal when the S-ranks arrived. He's in a coma now, critical condition. You're the only one who can tell us what went down."Thaddeus's breath hitched. Jimmy was alive? Relief warred with dread, twisting his insides. "Then why isn't he here? Why drag me to this dump instead of asking him?""Because Jimmy's not waking up anytime soon," Graves said grimly. "And because HQ isn't safe for this conversation. Too many eyes, too many questions. General Alden's orders were clear: we handle this off the grid until we know what we're dealing with.""What you're dealing with?" Thaddeus laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. "You mean me. You think I'm a threat."Graves didn't deny it. He pulled a small device from his pocket—a scanner, sleek and military-grade—and aimed it at Thaddeus. The screen lit up, numbers and graphs flickering across it. "Your energy readings are off the charts. Not divine, not Centauris—just… something else. The docs couldn't find a divine core in you, but you're not baseline human either. Care to explain that?"Thaddeus clenched his jaw. "I don't know. I've been asking myself the same thing since I woke up. If I'm not a vessel, then what? What happened to me in that portal?"Graves pocketed the scanner, his gaze piercing. "That's what we're going to find out. But first, you need to see something else."He pressed another button on the remote, and the screen flickered back to life. This time, the footage was different—grainier, shot from a distance. It showed the portal's exterior, moments after the S-rank vessels arrived. The rift was sealed, its edges pulsing with a strange, dark energy. Then, a figure stumbled out—Thaddeus, bloodied and staggering, his eyes pitch black, no whites visible. He collapsed almost immediately, and the footage cut off as the S-ranks rushed in.Thaddeus stared, his heart pounding. "That's… that's not possible.""It's real," Graves said. "And it's why we're here. Whatever took you over in that portal—it's still in you. We need to know what it is, and whether it's going to happen again."Before Thaddeus could respond, a low hum filled the warehouse, vibrating through the floor. The air thickened, a familiar pressure settling over him—the same oppressive weight he'd felt inside Gate 5845. He shot to his feet, instinctively reaching for a weapon he didn't have.Graves tensed, drawing his sidearm. "What the hell—"A rift tore open in the center of the warehouse, smaller than the gate but no less menacing. Dark energy crackled around it, and a single figure stepped through—not a Centauris, but humanoid, cloaked in shadow. Its eyes glowed faintly, not with the alien malice of the Centauris, but with something colder, more deliberate."Thaddeus Veynir," it said, its voice a low rumble that echoed unnaturally. "You've kept me waiting."Graves aimed his gun, but the figure raised a hand, and the weapon flew from his grip, clattering across the floor. Thaddeus stepped forward, his pulse racing, that dark power stirring in his chest again—wild, untamed, and alive."Who are you?" he demanded, his voice steadier than he felt. "What do you want?"The figure tilted its head, a faint smirk visible beneath the shadows. "I am what you became. And I want what's mine."The rift pulsed, and Thaddeus felt a pull—not physical, but deeper, like something was trying to claw its way out of him. His vision blurred, the warehouse fading as that same guttural voice from the portal whispered in his mind: You can't fight me forever.Graves shouted something, but it was lost in the roar of energy. Thaddeus stumbled, clutching his chest, and the last thing he saw before darkness swallowed him again was the figure stepping closer, its glowing eyes boring into his soul.