Chapter 1: The Unforeseen Walk
Chapter 1: The Unforeseen Walk
Alex Fredrick, a university student in the quiet countryside city of Qwent, was no adventurer. His weekends were typically spent indoors, in the small apartment he shared with his dog, Verwel. But one Saturday, Verwel's unusual restlessness spurred Alex into an out-of-character decision: a walk in the nearby forest. He stepped out at 8:41 PM, unconcerned about the time and without his phone, expecting nothing more than a brief stroll.
Barely fifteen minutes into their walk, Verwel, brimming with an unexpected burst of energy, slipped his leash and bolted deep into the trees. Concern quickly overriding his usual caution, Alex plunged into the darkening forest after his canine companion. He eventually found Verwel near an old oak tree, engrossed in the rather mundane act of burying a rather large... deposit. Relief washed over Alex, but it was short-lived. He soon realized, with a growing sense of unease, that they were lost. The familiar glow of Qwent's city lights, which should have been a comforting beacon, was nowhere to be seen.
Stress and anxiety gnawed at him with every passing minute. Alex found himself obsessively checking his analog watch – 10:00 PM, 10:13 PM, 10:26 PM… After what he estimated to be twenty-five kilometers of walking in the wrong direction, he finally, reluctantly, decided to turn back.
It was precisely 11:00 PM when the world seemed to shatter. The night sky above them violently transformed, shifting into a blindingly clear, light blue. It was as if the midday sun had abruptly materialized, and the cold night air became oppressively hot. A moment later, a deafening, explosive sound ripped through the air, originating from the direction he had just come – from where Qwent lay. The sheer force of the blast slammed into his ears, sending him collapsing to the ground in agonizing pain.
Verwel's persistent licking eventually brought Alex back to consciousness. He pushed himself up, brushing off dirt and debris. Looking around, he saw that it was morning. His watch, its glass now cracked but somehow still ticking, read 10:56 AM. The forest around him was eerily changed; the trees were strangely lifeless, all leaning away from the direction where the city should have been. A chilling realization dawned: Qwent had been bombed. Despite his lack of strong ties to the city – having grown up in foster care after his parents abandoned him – the thought was horrifying.
Denial warred with the horrifying certainty as he ran towards where Qwent should have stood. Who could have attacked the city, and for what reason? Lost in these desperate thoughts, he suddenly saw a shadowy figure seated on the ground ahead, enveloped in a dark, unsettling aura. Verwel stopped dead in his tracks, barking furiously, but Alex froze when the shadowy figure turned its gaze towards his dog. The moment Verwel's eyes met the shadow's, the dog cowered behind Alex, whimpering in terror.
The shadow rose, impossibly tall and dark. Despite its terrifying appearance, it emanated an aura of profound weakness. Paralyzed by fear, Alex could only watch as the shadow approached. As it drew nearer, its aura seemed to drain the very energy from his legs, causing him to collapse. Nearby, he saw the life draining from Verwel and understood with cold dread – he was encountering Death itself.
The shadow leaned down, its voice a low murmur that Alex, to his astonishment, instantly understood. "Here," it said, its words surprisingly clear, "you can have it. Take my power, for I am slowly dying." It touched his forehead with a chilling finger, and Alex felt a warm, tingling energy enter him before everything faded to black.
He awoke again in the forest, but it was vibrant and green, pulsating with life, as if the explosion had never happened. Yet, he found himself held fast by tree roots that seemed to be feeding on him. Tearing himself free, some of the roots piercing his skin, he felt a profound weakness from blood loss.
Then, the devastating memory of Verwel's fate crashed down upon him. He found his dog's body nearby, already half-rotted – an impossible state after what should have been only hours. Crying over his lost friend, Alex noticed something strange: his tears burned his clothes and instantly killed the grass they touched. A horrifying thought struck him – had he gained the shadow's power, the ability to take life?
A desperate idea formed. He decided to try and revive Verwel with his own blood. His pocket knife, however, snapped uselessly when he tried to cut his skin; it was unnaturally tough. Realizing his skin was now as resilient as metal, he made a grim decision and targeted his eye. Willing to sacrifice his sight for his beloved companion, he tore it out. His blood, where it fell, made the grass grow with unnatural vigor. He placed his severed eye on Verwel's head and dripped his blood onto the dog's lifeless form. The body healed, flesh knitting back together, but Verwel's heart remained still. In a final, desperate act, he fed his eye to Verwel. Still, no sign of life.
Bandaging his grievous eye wound as best he could, Alex lifted Verwel's lifeless body and began the sorrowful walk towards where the city used to be. He found not a city, but a deserted wasteland. Bizarrely, only the living things seemed to have been wiped out; buildings and objects remained, eerily untouched. Taking shelter from a sudden rain in the hollow shell of a former library, he wondered if the shadowy figure was responsible for this devastation. As he gently laid Verwel down, he heard a sound – Verwel was alive! The dog thrashed, as if caught in a terrible nightmare. When Verwel finally awoke, his eyes seemed to hold the wisdom of the universe. Alex hugged him tightly, but his clothes began to smolder and burn on contact with Verwel's fur. He realized with a sinking heart that the "curse," the shadow's power, had affected his dog too.
Later, Alex found himself back in the forest. The shadowy figure was nearby, but it appeared smaller now, less intimidating. This time, Alex understood its language perfectly. The shadow introduced himself as Xerark. He was, he explained, the realm's protector. He had used his fading life energy to create a powerful shield, an act that had wiped out all life within its radius but had ultimately saved the realm from a greater threat. Surprised to find Alex alive within the shield's perimeter, Xerark had transferred some of his remaining power to him, a contingency in case the barrier failed. Alex woke the next morning, not knowing what to believe, if this was just a dream, or was it the actual truth behind his new powers. so now he has to live with the knowledge of the weight of Qwent's sacrifice and his new, terrifying power that keft a heavy burden on his soul.