Chapter 12 : Echoes in the Dark

The ruins stretched in endless silence.

Adrian sat on a broken slab of stone, his breathing steady but deep. His body still bore the marks of the battle—cuts that stung with every movement, bruises that ached beneath his armor. His arms trembled slightly, the aftershocks of clashing blades with something far beyond human.

He closed his eyes.

The fight with the Sentinel replayed in his mind, every strike, every adjustment, every moment where he had been inches from death.

It was the most disciplined opponent he had ever faced—a warrior bound to duty, even after death. Unlike the mindless creatures of the Nightmare Realm, it did not lash out in fury or desperation. Every strike had purpose. Every movement carried weight.

And yet—he had won.

Not because he was stronger.

But because he had learned.

Adrian exhaled slowly, his fingers tracing over the Eclipse Blade's hilt. It felt different now—lighter, sharper, as if something within it had awakened.

The moment he had struck down the Sentinel, the knowledge had etched itself into his mind.

A technique.

A movement so natural yet profound, as if it had always been part of him, buried deep beneath instinct and memory.

Skybound Edict.

The first sword move of the Heavenly Sword Scripture.

Adrian tightened his grip, recalling the sensation from the fight. The way his body had moved before his mind even processed it—a clean, precise strike that flowed like wind over steel.

It wasn't just instinct.

The Eclipse Blade had given it to him.

Or rather—it had revealed what was already there.

He knew the movement, but he didn't fully understand it yet.

That meant only one thing.

Training.

Adrian stood, rolling his shoulders. His muscles screamed in protest, but he pushed forward.

A shattered pillar stood ahead of him, cracked but sturdy. It would do.

He took position, steadying his stance. The Skybound Edict had been fluid, almost effortless in battle, but that had been in the heat of the moment. Now, without an enemy forcing his body to react, could he replicate it?

He raised the Eclipse Blade.

Breathed in.

Moved.

A single slash. Fast—too fast. His balance was off.

He tried again.

This time, slower, breaking the movement into its parts. The shift of his weight, the angle of his wrist, the way the blade cut through the air.

Faster.

Again.

The wind hummed as his sword sliced through it.

Again.

His heartbeat aligned with each movement.

Again.

Then—clarity.

His body moved without resistance, the Eclipse Blade singing through the air, the strike flowing like an edict passed down from the heavens.

The pillar split cleanly down the center.

Adrian exhaled. This was it.

The first move.

A faint pulse ran through the Eclipse Blade, like a heartbeat beneath steel.

Adrian frowned. This wasn't the first time he had felt it.

Ever since the Nightmare Realm, the sword had reacted at strange moments—not just in battle, but in stillness, as if something within it was watching.

And now, after unlocking Skybound Edict, the sensation was stronger.

The whispers of past wielders? The echoes of the sword's history?

Or something else entirely?

He didn't know.

But he did know this—the Eclipse Blade wasn't just a weapon.

It was alive.

And it was waking up.

Adrian sheathed his sword and sat back down, staring at the broken pillar. His hands curled slightly, feeling the strain of his training.

He let his thoughts wander.

The Sentinel.

He had won. But it wasn't victory that lingered in his mind—it was the way the warrior had fought. Unyielding, honorable, relentless.

It had been more than an obstacle.

It had been a guardian.

Adrian's gaze drifted to the spot where the Sentinel had fallen. The body had long since crumbled to dust, its purpose fulfilled, but something about it remained.

A presence.

A reminder.

Adrian exhaled. Then, with slow, deliberate movements, he lowered his head.

A gesture of respect.

For a warrior who had fought long before him.

For a lesson learned not through words, but through battle.

For a foe that had pushed him forward.

The silence of the ruins stretched endlessly. But this time, it didn't feel empty.

It felt like something was watching.

Not with malice.

But with acknowledgment.

Adrian rose, his body aching but his mind clear.

He wasn't the same as before.

Every fight changed him. Sharpened him.

And this was only the beginning.

He had learned the first move of the Heavenly Sword Scripture, but there were many more yet to uncover.

The Eclipse Blade was changing.

And so was he.

The Nightmare Realm wouldn't wait for him to be ready.

But it didn't matter.

Because he would be.

Adrian turned, stepping forward into the darkness.

And the abyss whispered in return.