Embracing the Abyss
Darkness swirled around Kalen.
It wasn't cold, nor was it suffocating.
It was alive.
For the first time, he wasn't fighting it.
He was one with it.
Darian Velkor stood before him, his smirk barely visible in the swirling abyss. The former warlord tilted his head, silver-black eyes gleaming.
"Interesting. You accepted it far quicker than I anticipated."
Kalen flexed his fingers. The shadows curled around his hands like eager serpents, ready to obey.
"I didn't have a choice."
Darian chuckled.
"No, Shadowborn. You did."
The shadows shifted—and Darian attacked.
The Dance of Shadows
Darian moved like a phantom, his blade a streak of night. Kalen barely had time to react—his instincts screamed, and he lifted his own sword to block.
CLASH!
The impact shook the void.
Kalen gritted his teeth as Darian pressed down, forcing him back. The warlord's strength was inhuman.
"The shadows obey you, but do you command them?" Darian murmured.
Kalen's muscles burned as he pushed back.
He had no time to answer.
Darian vanished.
Kalen spun around just in time to block another strike—then another. Each blow came faster than the last. Blinding speed. Overwhelming force.
He couldn't just defend.
He had to counter.
And then—he felt it.
The darkness wasn't just power.
It was flowing.
A force he could shape.
"Then shape it."
Darian's voice echoed in his mind.
Kalen acted.
With a sharp exhale, he threw himself backward—but left his shadow behind.
Darian's blade sliced through empty air.
Kalen reappeared behind him, twisting the darkness into a solid tendril—lashing forward.
Darian turned just in time—his silver-black eyes widened as the attack struck his shoulder.
For the first time—he stumbled.
Breaking the Chains
Kalen's chest heaved, his heartbeat wild.
He had landed a hit on Darian Velkor.
Darian straightened, rolling his shoulder. A slow, almost proud smile tugged at his lips.
"Not bad."
Kalen didn't respond. He wasn't done.
The shadows coiled around his arms, his control growing stronger. The power felt natural, like it had always been there—waiting.
Darian exhaled, shifting his stance.
"Again."
The battle resumed.
This time, Kalen wasn't just reacting. He was leading.
Each attack flowed into the next—strikes, dodges, shadow-woven weapons appearing at his command. The abyss was his battlefield.
Darian laughed.
Not mockingly.
But like a warrior truly enjoying the fight.
"Yes! That's it! Don't fight the darkness—become it!"
Their blades clashed one final time.
And then—
Darian stepped back.
Kalen lowered his sword, chest rising and falling.
The abyss began to fade.
The fortress returned.
Renna and Varik reappeared beside him, their expressions stunned.
Darian stood before them, his gaze heavy.
"You pass."
Kalen blinked. "What?"
Darian smirked.
"You wanted my help. Now you have it."
The Pact of Shadows
They sat in the fortress chamber, the air still humming with residual power.
Darian leaned back against his throne, eyes unreadable.
"The Forsaken are returning."
Kalen nodded. "We know."
Darian's fingers tapped against the armrest.
"No. You don't."
A pause.
Then, he lifted a hand—and the shadows shifted again.
A vision formed in the air—a ruined world.
Mountains crumbling. Cities devoured.
And at the center of it all—a being of pure void.
Darian's voice was quiet.
"The Forsaken do not simply destroy."
"They consume."
Kalen's breath caught in his throat.
The vision **flickered—**showing armies falling, warriors turning against their own.
And finally—a throne of endless darkness.
"This is what comes next."
Darian's gaze turned sharp.
"Unless we stop it."
Kalen met his eyes, heart pounding.
"Then we fight."
Darian smiled.
And the pact was sealed.
End of Chapter 15