Duskbound Shadow
One week after coming to Veyrith City they have settled down and manage to get a inn.
Zoren trying to train his powers in a ruin in the last part of the city
The ruined Titan Forge was a graveyard of broken steel and shattered legacies. Rusted chains swayed from the ceiling, creaking like specters in the cold air. Shattered anvil stones lay scattered across the floor, remnants of a time when this place had forged weapons of legend.
Zoren stood at its center, drenched in sweat, muscles screaming in protest. His Core pulsed erratically within him, unstable, unfocused. Across from him, Nyssa leaned against a fractured pillar, arms crossed, a smirk playing on her lips.
"You're slow," she said. "Clumsy. And reckless."
Zoren exhaled sharply. "Thanks for the encouragement."
Nyssa's smirk widened. "Oh, don't mention it."
Then—without warning—she hurled a dagger at his face.
Zoren barely twisted in time. The blade grazed his cheek before embedding itself into the stone wall behind him.
"What the hell, Nyssa?!" he snapped.
Nyssa shrugged. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. But if you don't learn to control that Core, someone else will do the job for me."
Zoren wiped the blood from his cheek. "Can't we fix it without you trying to kill me?"
Nyssa grinned. "Where's the fun in that?"
Training Focus:
Understanding Titan Energy Flow: Zoren had to circulate his energy without losing control.
Sensing Core Instability: He would fight blindfolded, relying solely on his Core's pulse.
Suppressing Instinctive Overuse: Every time his power flared wildly, Nyssa punished him with precise counterattacks.
The first strike came without warning.
Nyssa's foot slammed into Zoren's ribs, sending him skidding across the forge floor. He barely had time to suck in a breath before she was on him again.
Instinct screamed at him.
Darkness flared in his Core—power surged outward.
A pulse of shadow energy erupted from his palm. But Nyssa was faster. She twisted mid-air, flipping over him, her elbow smashing into his shoulder.
Pain burst through Zoren's arm.
Nyssa stepped back, shaking her head. "Every time you let your Core control you, I'll make sure you regret it."
Zoren gritted his teeth, pushing himself upright. His Dark Core pulsed hungrily—his Light Core resisted, straining against the imbalance.
Nyssa watched him for a moment, her smirk fading. "Your energy isn't just unstable," she murmured. "It's at war with itself."
Zoren clenched his fists. At war with itself...
Nyssa exhaled, gaze distant. "I know what that feels like."
He looked at her, frowning. "You?"
She scoffed. "What, you think I was born like this?" She tapped her chest. "Control isn't something you inherit. It's something you bleed for."
Zoren hesitated. "…What happened?"
Nyssa's expression darkened. "When I was ten, I had a Core that wouldn't stop flaring. It burned too hot, too fast. I nearly killed my own mentor in a training session."
Zoren stiffened.
"I thought she'd punish me. Instead, she dragged me into the abyss—literally. Locked me underground for seven days. No food, no light, just my own power clawing at me." She exhaled. "By the time I crawled out, I learned something."
"What?"
Nyssa's eyes glinted. "You don't control power. You make it fear you."
Silence hung between them.
Then she smirked. "Now shut up and fight."
Zoren took a deep breath, focusing inward. He let his breathing match the rhythm of his Core flow. For a moment, the storm inside him quieted.
Then—
"Zoren!"
Talis burst into the forge, breathless, face pale.
"They're looking for you," Talis gasped. "The Duskbound."
The name sent a chill through Nyssa.
Zoren wiped sweat from his brow. "Who?"
"The Duskbound," Talis repeated. "A bounty was posted by the Federation.
He slammed a crumpled piece of parchment onto the table. "We're officially famous."
Zoren picked up the paper. His face stared back at him.
---
WANTED
Zoren Arthur
"Possession of an Unstable Core"
"Association with Duskbound Terrorists"
5,000 Veil Shards
---
He stared at it. Then at Talis. Then at Nyssa.
Nyssa whistled, snatching the bounty from his hands. "Damn. They really made you sound like a menace, huh?"
Talis pointed at the paper, grinning like an idiot. "Five thousand Prime Shards! That's more than a seasoned Titan or Titan user bounty!"
Zoren rubbed his temples. "You're too excited about this."
Talis snatched another paper from his satchel and slapped it on the table. "Oh, it gets better."
---
WANTED
Nyssa
"Federation Fugitive"
"Armed and Extremely Dangerous"
4,000 Prime Shards
---
Nyssa raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Only four? That's insulting."
Zoren frowned. "You wanted it to be higher?"
"Of course." She leaned back, twirling her dagger. "You're worth five, I'm worth four, which means they think you're more dangerous than me. That's unacceptable."
Talis let out a mock gasp. "Wait, wait, does that mean you think Zoren is stronger than you?"
Nyssa's smirk vanished. She threw the dagger so fast it barely missed Talis's ear, embedding itself into the wall behind him.
Talis slowly turned, looking at the knife, then at her.
"…Fair point."
Zoren shook his head, tossing the paper back onto the table. "What about you?"
Talis grinned again, pulling out one last parchment.
---
WANTED
Talis
"Accomplice to Federation Fugitives"
500 Prime Shards
---
Silence.
Nyssa stared at the bounty. Then at him. Then back at the bounty.
Then she burst out laughing.
Zoren smirked, barely holding back a chuckle.
Talis slammed the paper down. "What the hell is this?! Five HUNDRED?! I'm worth a tenth of you guys?!"
Nyssa wiped a tear from her eye. "Maybe because you're the least dangerous?"
Talis threw his arms up. "I helped break Zoren out of the chains! I fought Federation Hunters! I—"
Nyssa patted his head. "There, there. Maybe if you commit some war crimes, they'll raise it."
Zoren sighed, folding his arms. "This is bad."
Talis blinked. "Uh, yeah? Because my bounty is a joke?"
"No," Zoren muttered, staring at his own name on the paper. "This means everyone in Veryin knows we're worth something. We won't be able to walk outside without someone trying to collect."
The weight of it sank in. The hunters, the mercenaries, the desperate.
They weren't just running anymore.
They were prey.
Talis hesitated, then slid one last bounty onto the table. "There's one more."
---
WANTED
Linda Voss
"Federation Defector"
"Knowledge of Classified Intel"
"Direct Interference with Federation Operations"
2,500 Prime Shards
---
Zoren's eyes darkened. "They're going after her too."
Nyssa's smirk faded, replaced by something more calculating. "Classified intel? They think she knows something important."
Talis crossed his arms. "I don't get it. She barely fought back when they captured her. Why would they put 2,500 on her head?"
Zoren exhaled, gripping the edge of the table. "It means she's dangerous in a different way."
Nyssa nodded. "Not by strength. By what she knows."
A silence stretched between them.
Then Nyssa smirked again, leaning forward. "Well, boys. Looks like we're officially worth hunting."
Zoren looked at his bounty again. His own face, staring back at him.
He clenched his fists.
Let them come.
---
Meanwhile, in the Veilspire District, Lina moved like a ghost.
She had waited long enough.
She met with a rogue informant—a former Titan Hunter. His face was weathered, his voice hoarse.
"Zoren isn't just some fugitive," he murmured. "He's part of something much bigger."
Lina narrowed her eyes. "Explain."
The man hesitated. "The prophecy of the Veilborn—"
A dagger flew through the air, striking him in the throat.
Linda blood ran cold.
Assassins stepped from the shadows, blades gleaming.
Someone didn't want the truth uncovered.
She barely escaped with her life.
But she knew one thing—Zoren was at the heart of something far bigger than he realized.
---
Night fell.
Zoren and his group moved through the abandoned alleys of Veyrith.
They never had a chance.
The Duskbound attacked.
Figures emerged from the darkness, weapons flashing.
Zoren barely dodged the first strike. Nyssa tore through the attackers with brutal efficiency. Talis fought with surprising resolve.
Then—
Erasmus.
His Core pulsed.
A dark force surged from beneath the ground.
Tendrils of shadow coiled around Zoren's limbs.
His Core reacted violently.
The voices in his mind roared—
One whispered destruction.
One whispered resistance.
Then—
Darkness erupted.
---
To Be Continued…