Chapter 2 – The First Battle

The silence was suffocating.

Adrian's breath was shallow, his fingers locked tightly around the hilt of his sword. His heart pounded like a war drum, a stark contrast to the eerie stillness of the darkness surrounding him.

The creature stood a few feet away, watching. Waiting.

It wasn't human.

A grotesque, unnatural thing, its body was a mess of blackened flesh, with bones jutting out in chaotic patterns. Its hollow eyes burned with a sickly pale glow, and the way it moved—shifting in twitching, unnatural motions—sent a deep, instinctual fear through Adrian's body.

Move.

The command echoed in his mind, but his limbs refused to obey.

He had never fought before. Not like this.

His childhood had been filled with stories of heroes wielding blades, of warriors who stood fearless against the darkness. But now that he was standing in front of something truly monstrous, something that could end his life in an instant—he realized how naive those stories were.

There was no heroism in this moment.

Just fear.

Then the creature lunged.

Adrian barely had time to react. His body jerked backward on instinct, dodging the initial strike—but the beast was relentless.

It lashed out again.

He raised his sword—a panicked, defensive motion.

CLANG!

A tremor ran up his arms as metal met bone. His grip nearly faltered, the sheer impact of the blow sending a violent jolt through his entire body.

Too strong.

He stumbled back, barely keeping his balance. His breath came in ragged gasps.

The creature didn't hesitate. It attacked again, pressing its advantage.

Adrian had no time to think—only react.

He dodged to the side, but it wasn't fast enough. A clawed limb ripped across his shoulder, tearing through fabric and flesh.

Pain.

A sharp, searing pain burned through him, sending a fresh wave of panic crashing over his mind. He bit back a cry, his grip on the sword tightening out of pure desperation.

If I stop moving, I die.

He forced himself to focus.

Through the agony, through the terror—he forced himself to move.

His deep blue eyes locked onto the creature's erratic movements. He could see it now—the pattern.

It was attacking wildly, but there was a rhythm beneath the chaos. A momentary delay between its lunges.

A small opening.

Not much. But enough.

Adrian shifted his stance.

The creature lunged. Again.

But this time—he was ready.

Instead of retreating, he moved forward.

A heartbeat before the attack connected, he ducked low, his sword flashing upward in a desperate, controlled arc.

Steel met flesh.

A sickening tear rang through the air.

The creature howled.

Adrian's blade had connected. Not deep, but enough to slice across its arm, leaving behind a gaping wound of black ichor.

The creature staggered back.

Adrian's chest burned with exertion, but this time—his hands weren't shaking.

For the first time since the battle began, a thought took root in his mind.

I can fight this thing.

Pain throbbed through his shoulder, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He had hurt the creature, but he hadn't killed it.

And now, it was angry.

The air grew heavy, thick with a suffocating presence. The creature let out a guttural snarl, its body shifting, growing darker.

Adrian's breathing hitched.

It was changing.

The pale glow in its hollow eyes intensified, and its wounded arm twitched violently, the flesh knitting itself back together in unnatural, jagged movements.

His stomach twisted.

It can regenerate?

The weight of that realization settled into his bones like lead. This thing—it wasn't just strong. It was relentless.

If he couldn't kill it quickly…

No. I can't think like that.

He tightened his grip on his sword. He had wounded it once—he could do it again.

But this time, he had to make it count.

The creature charged.

Adrian moved, dodging at the last second. He twisted his body, barely avoiding the swipe of razor-sharp claws.

He countered—this time with intent.

He swung his sword in a sharp, calculated arc—aiming for the neck.

CLANG!

The impact jarred his entire arm. The creature had blocked with its bare bones—inhumanly strong.

Adrian gritted his teeth. His arms ached, his body was screaming for rest—but he pushed forward.

He had no choice.

The battle continued—a brutal exchange of blows.

The creature was faster, stronger.

But Adrian was learning.

He was reading its movements, finding gaps between its attacks, slipping through its defenses by instinct alone.

And with every passing second, he adapted.

Then, something changed.

The moment Adrian dodged another strike, his sword—the Eclipse Blade—pulsed.

A whisper.

Faint. Almost imperceptible.

But he heard it.

It wasn't a voice.

It was a feeling.

A command.

Adrian's body moved before his mind could register what was happening.

He spun—his sword following the motion seamlessly, as if it had always been meant to.

The blade sliced through bone and flesh.

A clean, precise cut.

The creature screeched.

Black ichor sprayed into the air, staining the ground beneath them. Its arm—gone.

Adrian landed, panting. His body was screaming, but for the first time since the battle began, he felt something other than fear.

He felt in control.

The Eclipse Blade was responding to him. Guiding him.

This was no ordinary sword.

It was something more.

He could feel it. The power, dormant but waiting—waiting for him to awaken it.

But there was no time to dwell on that.

Because the creature, despite the severed limb, wasn't done yet.

It lurched forward, its rage turning into something monstrous.

Adrian readied himself, his deep blue eyes burning with renewed focus.

The fight wasn't over.

Not yet.