Chapter 10: "Whispers of the Eclipse"
The battlefield was eerily silent, save for the faint crackling of embers from Aeronix's flames. The corrupted forest around Aditya stood still as if even nature held its breath after the departure of Nyx'Zir. His body ached, his mind replaying the entity's final words—"You are not ready… but you will be."
Aditya clenched his fists. Was that a warning or a promise?
Aeronix landed beside him, his golden eyes scanning the darkness beyond. "That thing will return," he muttered. "And next time, it won't be alone."
Aditya exhaled, trying to steady his racing heart. He had won… or at least survived. But deep down, he knew Nyx'Zir wasn't the real threat—it was only a fragment of something much worse. The Eclipse was watching. Waiting. Testing him.
A sudden shift in the wind made him tense. A presence. Not Nyx'Zir… something else. He turned sharply, eyes narrowing. In the distance, beyond the dying embers, a figure stood in the shadows. Cloaked, unmoving. Observing.
Aditya's pulse quickened. "Who's there?" he demanded.
No answer.
Then, in an instant, the figure vanished—leaving behind only a whisper carried by the wind.
"The real battle begins now."
A shiver ran down Aditya's spine as the whisper faded into the night. The forest, once alive with the echoes of battle, now lay eerily silent. Aeronix tensed beside him, his golden eyes scanning the darkness.
"That wasn't just a warning," Aeronix muttered. "Someone—or something—wants you to know they're watching."
Aditya took a slow breath, forcing himself to focus. The Eclipse's minions worked in shadows, but this was different. This figure wasn't attacking. It was observing. Testing.
A sudden gust of wind stirred the charred leaves, carrying a scent—faint, but unmistakable. Blood. Not his. Not Aeronix's.
Aditya turned sharply, following the trail. His boots crunched against the scorched earth as he moved deeper into the ruined forest. Aeronix hesitated but followed.
As they walked, the trees twisted unnaturally, their bark cracked as if infected by something unseen. Then, amid the burnt debris, Aditya spotted it—a body slumped against a blackened tree.
His breath caught. A young man, barely older than himself, lay motionless, his dark robes torn and stained with blood. Symbols were carved into his skin, glowing faintly with an eerie blue light.
Aditya stepped closer, his pulse quickening. This wasn't an ordinary corpse. Something pulsed beneath the surface, like a lingering presence.
Then, the body twitched.
Aeronix grabbed Aditya's arm. "Step back!"
But it was too late. The corpse's eyes snapped open—pure black, endless voids of darkness. And then it spoke.
"You were warned."
The air grew heavier, charged with an unnatural stillness. Aditya's breath hitched as the corpse's glowing symbols pulsed faster, the whispers around them turning into an eerie hum. The world around him trembled. Something was wrong.
Aeronix growled lowly, flames licking the edges of his wings, prepared to strike. "Aditya, we need to—"
Snap!
The ground beneath them fractured like glass. A dark force lashed out from the corpse, tendrils of black energy spiralling into the sky. The forest around them seemed to bend, the air crackling with a force that defied reality itself.
Aditya's instincts screamed at him to move. He leapt back just as the corpse lurched forward—no, it wasn't just moving; it was shifting. Its body convulsed, twisting unnaturally as if something else was trying to crawl through it.
Then, it spoke again—this time in a voice that wasn't human.
"The Eclipse watches. The tides have shifted. The storm is coming."
A bone-chilling wind swept through the ruins, carrying the weight of something ancient. Aditya felt his vision blur for a moment—images flashed in his mind. A city drowning in shadows. A sky split open. And himself, standing in the eye of the storm.
Aeronix's voice snapped him back. "Aditya, look out!"
The corpse's body exploded into a vortex of darkness, consuming everything in its path.
(End of chapter 10 )
Continue in Chapter 11