Chapter 25 – The Black Curtain and the Invisible Claw

Night in Blackwood was a living thing. The rumble of hammers and the roar of furnaces never truly died, only diminished into a constant hum that seeped into sleep. Alex, after a long, exhausting discussion in the meeting room, finally drifted off to sleep in his soft bed, hoping to find much-needed rest. His mind was still filled with the shadow of the invisible web he had witnessed, and the ancient whispers about 'Essence Extractors.' The weight of this mission felt heavy on his shoulders, heavier than any sword or magic. He needed sleep, to sharpen his overworked brain.

However, that rest never truly came. At some point in the middle of the night, Alex suddenly jolted awake. Not by a sound, but by a sensation. A deadly, cold, and utterly unexpected sensation. He couldn't move. Not at all. His body was stiff, as if bound by a thousand invisible ropes tightening around every muscle. His chest was constricted, his breath held, as if a giant hand was clutching his lungs. This wasn't ordinary sleep paralysis; this was something far stronger, more malicious.

'What is this?' Alex monologued in his mind, panic beginning to creep into his newly awakened consciousness. He tried to move a finger, shake his head, even just blink. Nothing. His entire body was a prison. He felt an immense pressure throughout his body, as if an invisible weight was pressing him into the mattress. A grip so strong it made him feel like a frozen statue. Even though his eyes were tightly shut, a red light began to dance behind his eyelids—not the light of a bonfire, but the same color as the web of death he had seen in Randal's house. A whisper, or rather, a hum, began to sound in his ears. Monotonous, cold, and lulling, precisely as Pastor Borin had described. It was not a physical sound, but a resonance that vibrated directly into his soul, trying to pull him deeper into the darkness.

'No! I can't be like this!' Alex's struggle began. He exerted every ounce of his strength, trying to fight the invisible grip. His muscles tensed, the veins in his neck bulged, his face flushed from the futile effort. Cold sweat began to flood his forehead. He could feel tears pushing against his rigid eyelids, but he couldn't let them fall. Every fiber of his being screamed to move, to fight, yet his body remained motionless. He was like an insect trapped in resin, slowly suffocating, yet fully aware.

The hum grew louder, more lulling, trying to pull him into an eternal sleep. Alex felt his consciousness beginning to fade, the edges of his mind blurring. A powerful aura of death began to envelop him, feeling cold, piercing to the bone marrow. It was the same aura as the web he had seen. 'This is it... the Essence Extractor.' True fear finally gripped him. He was in a hopeless situation, utterly helpless before this invisible force. 'Is this the end? I haven't even started my mission!' A wave of despair threatened to swallow him. His consciousness wavered, on the brink of total darkness, just seconds away before he would completely surrender to this overwhelming pressure.

*SMACK!

A sharp slap landed on his left cheek. Not a physically painful slap, but enough to send a sharp shockwave through his entire body, breaking the lulling hum in his ears. Alex's eyes snapped open. His vision was blurry for a moment, then slowly cleared. Beside his bed, with a pale face and wide eyes full of worry, was Lena, one of his servants. The girl stood there, her hand still raised in the air, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Finn and Mira stood behind her, also with terrified faces.

"Young Master! Young Master! What's wrong with you? You... you weren't breathing!" Lena exclaimed, her voice filled with panic. "Your face... was so red. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't move, I... I was so scared!"

The paralysis slowly vanished, as if Lena's slap had broken the grip that bound him. Alex took a deep breath, his lungs feeling as if they had just been filled with air after being submerged for a long time. He coughed, trying to normalize his breath that felt caught. "Lena... thank you," Alex said, his voice hoarse.

He rubbed his cheek, which felt hot and sore. "You... you saved my life." Lena wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks. "But... what happened, Young Master? You... were like a statue."

Alex tried to get up, sitting on the bed. The cold sensation and pressure still lingered slightly around him, like the remnants of a nightmare. He looked at his three servants—Lena, Mira, and Finn—who stared at him full of worry. He knew he had to be honest. "I... I was attacked," Alex explained, his voice low. "Not by bandits or physical monsters. I couldn't see it. But it... clutched me, bound me, tried to... pull my soul out. I almost couldn't breathe."

He glanced around the room. "It was the 'Essence Extractor' Pastor Borin talked about." Lena's, Mira's, and Finn's faces paled. They clearly knew about the legend. "But... but how can it be?" Lena stammered. "Isn't that just a fairy tale?" "Not anymore," Alex replied seriously. "It's real. And it tried to take me."

A sharp conclusion pierced Alex's mind. 'It targets those with strong souls. Tonight, it targeted me. And I felt the same aura of death as the web I saw.' That web. That distortion. It was its tool. And it came directly to Alex's room, heedless of Baron Iyusha's defenses. This meant it was very daring, or very confident. 'If it attacked me here, inside the Baron's heavily guarded residence, it means it's not afraid of physical defenses. It might not even be afraid of magic. It operates on another plane.'

Alex glanced at the tightly closed window, feeling the creeping cold. He had to act. This was an opportunity. If he was attacked, it meant he was a target. And a living target was the best bait. "Quick, Lena," Alex commanded, his voice firm. "Listen carefully. I'm going out. I'm going to chase whatever attacked me." He grabbed his steel sword leaning beside the bed. The coldness of the steel felt reassuring in his palm. "It's still out there. I can feel it."

Lena, Mira, and Finn gasped. "Young Master! No!" Lena cried. "That's dangerous! We'll call the guards!" "Listen first," Alex cut her off, looking at Lena with serious eyes. "I can feel it. I saw its web. I'm the only one who might be able to track it. If I wait for it, it will disappear. I won't let it escape again. Go and call Captain Garel, Magistra Lyra, and Pastor Borin. Tell them what happened to me. Tell them to follow my trail. Don't fall behind!"

Alex didn't wait for an answer. He jumped from the bed, quickly donning his robe. His mind was filled with adrenaline. This was a risky move, very risky. But he had to do it. He felt the thin thread of that aura of death, like a faint line in the dark night, leading somewhere. He opened his room door carefully, peeking into the corridor. Silent. Only the magic torches flickered faintly. Alex stepped out, steel sword in hand, ready for every possibility. He could feel the pull—the same aura of death, like an invisible thread, leading downwards, into the depths of the residence.

'This is my first mission alone', His monologue echoed in his head. 'You don't have Aurelia behind you, no Lugen guiding. This is you. Alone. Fighting something invisible. But this is a chance to test you. To test every lesson. Every decision. I have to stop this. For this city. For the victims. And for myself.'

He began to walk, stepping silently, along the dark corridors filled with statues of ancient blacksmiths. The aura of death grew thicker, stronger, drawing him deeper. Alex knew he was following a dangerous trail, a trail he might not leave alive. He arrived at a winding stone staircase, descending underground. The air became increasingly hot and stuffy, smelling of sulfur and burning metal. This was the underground workshop area, the heart of all forging activities in Blackwood. But amidst that heat, Alex still felt the piercing cold. The coldness of the soul-extracting entity.

He continued descending, passing several empty workshops, leaving only faintly smoking furnaces. Far ahead, at the end of a dark corridor, there was a pulsating reddish-orange light, and there, the aura of death felt strongest. It was like a magnet pulling him. Alex gripped his sword tighter. His steps slowed, every muscle tensed. He felt the whispers growing clearer in his ears, a monotonous melody that now sounded like an endless wail of sorrow, calling him, trying to pull his soul.

He arrived at the threshold of a narrower, pitch-black passage. There was only a faint light coming from a crack in the wall, revealing a hidden furnace in the distance. The air in this passage was so hot, so thick, as if he had just stepped into the core of the earth. And there, at the end of the burning darkness, Alex saw it.

The black thread. The web of death. Now no longer fading. It stretched across the narrow passage, like a curtain of nothingness, shimmering faintly amidst the darkness and piercing heat. The web pulsed, inviting, like a door to another realm. And from within the web, the whispers grew louder, no longer a hum, but sounds he couldn't comprehend, yet radiating indescribable suffering.

Alex raised his sword, sweat beading on his forehead. He had arrived at its lair. He didn't know what awaited him behind that black curtain, but he knew he couldn't turn back. This was a battle for Blackwood's soul. From behind, he heard frantic footsteps approaching. Lena and the others must have called for help. But would they arrive in time? Alex couldn't wait. He stepped forward, towards the black curtain, his sword raised high. At the end of the passage, behind the web of death, a long, curved shadow suddenly moved, as if answering his arrival. Blood-red eyes gleamed in the darkness. And Alex knew, he had entered the lair of the Essence Extractor. Alone.