The Third Shadow(Trial of the shadows)

Chapter 45: The Third Shadow

Kael-X exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he took a step forward. His coat was tattered, dust clinging to his skin, but his grin never faded.

Before him, the second shadow beast lowered its head, eyes glowing with submission. It had acknowledged him. That was two now.

But something still felt... off.

The cavern trembled slightly. Not from an attack. Not from movement. But from a presence.

Kael-X turned his gaze to the farthest corner of the chamber, where the darkness was thickest. It wasn't just shadow—it was alive.

Then, it moved.

A figure began to emerge, its form shifting between solid and intangible. Unlike the previous two, this one didn't have a beastly shape. Instead, it stood.

Humanoid.

Kael-X tensed, his fingers twitching in anticipation. This was different.

The figure took another step, and with it, the pressure in the air thickened. It was tall, draped in swirling darkness, but its features remained hidden beneath a hood-like veil. Two piercing white eyes stared at Kael-X.

The presence it gave off was ancient.

The first two shadow beasts had been wild, instinct-driven, but this one... it was intelligent. It was watching him. Studying him. Testing him.

Kael-X smirked. "So... you gonna bow too, or are we doing this the hard way?"

The figure didn't answer. Instead, it raised a hand—a single, slow movement.

And the cavern walls shifted.

The shadows around Kael-X stretched unnaturally, twisting like tendrils, trying to drag him down. The floor beneath his feet warped, pulling him into the abyss.

For the first time in a long while... Kael-X felt something close to uncertainty.

This wasn't a mindless beast. This was something else.

And it was about to test his worth.

Chapter 45 (Continued): The Trial of Shadows

The cavern twisted, shadows stretching unnaturally as if the entire space was shifting into another dimension. Kael-X gritted his teeth, his instincts flaring with danger.

This wasn't a normal fight. It wasn't just about brute force or speed.

It was something deeper.

The humanoid shadow raised its hand again, and Kael-X felt an unnatural pull on his body—like gravity itself was betraying him. His feet left the ground. The shadows were swallowing him whole.

Then—

Darkness.

An overwhelming black void consumed everything. No sound. No light. No air.

Kael-X clenched his fists. His enhanced senses—his speed, his reflexes—none of them mattered here. It was like he had been erased from existence itself.

But then... a voice.

Deep. Ancient.

"Who are you?"

Kael-X's eyes narrowed. His voice was steady. "You already know."

Silence.

Then, a whisper from every direction at once:

"You are not complete."

Kael-X smirked. "Complete? I don't need to be complete. I just need to win."

The darkness trembled.

Suddenly, something rushed toward him—an unseen force. Kael-X twisted, trying to dodge, but there was nothing to run on. His body was weightless, floating in the void.

Then—

Pain.

A deep, slicing wound tore across his chest. Not physical. Something deeper.

Memories flashed—fragments of a past he had long abandoned.

A planet. A people. The experiments. The escape.

Zypheron-5.

Kael-X's body tensed. His breathing grew heavy. He wasn't just fighting a shadow beast anymore.

He was fighting himself.

The void pulsed. The whispers grew louder.

"You run. You fight. But what are you?"

Kael-X closed his eyes. His thoughts sharpened. He didn't need to answer. He just needed to break through.

His fingers curled into a fist. Power surged through his body—his own power. The speed, the force, the will to never stop moving.

Then—

Boom!

A massive shockwave erupted from him, shattering the void. The darkness cracked like glass, and suddenly—

He was back.

The cavern returned. The humanoid shadow stood before him, motionless. Then, slowly, it knelt.

It had acknowledged him.

Kael-X wiped the blood from his lip, his breath steady.

Three.

Now, he had three shadow beasts.

And this one... this one was different.

Not just a beast.

Something more.

Kael-X smirked. "Looks like you're mine now."

The figure remained silent, but Kael-X could feel it. A connection.

And something told him... this was just the beginning.

—

To be continued...

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