Only I Can Weild A Forgotten Shadow Magic

The orb didn't stop pulsing the entire way back to my apartment. Every time it glowed, I could feel the shadows around me shift, like they were reacting to its presence. It wasn't a comforting feeling.

Sparky walked beside me, muttering under his breath.

"This thing better be worth it," he said, glancing nervously at the orb in my hands. "Because if it blows up and kills us, I'm haunting you."

"Relax," I said, even though I wasn't exactly calm myself. "The System would've warned me if this thing was about to explode. Right, System?"

[Magical backlash remains a possibility. Caution advised.]

"Great," Sparky said, throwing his hands up. "So, we're carrying around a magical grenade. Awesome."

I ignored him, focusing on the shadows swirling around the orb. The more I looked at it, the more I could feel something inside it—a presence, maybe even a mind.

"System," I said. "What exactly is inside this thing?"

[Containment cores are designed to hold unstable magical entities. Core in possession appears to contain a high-level shadow construct.]

"A shadow construct," I repeated. "Like the ones we fought?"

[Similar, but more powerful. Core entity may exhibit higher intelligence and autonomy.]

"So, it's smart," I muttered. "And it's trapped in here?"

[Correct.]

"Fantastic," Sparky said. "Let's just add 'sentient shadow monster' to the list of things trying to kill us."

We reached my building without incident, which honestly felt like a small miracle. As soon as we stepped inside, I set the orb on the table and took a step back.

"So," Sparky said, crossing his arms. "What's the plan? Because I'm not loving the idea of just sitting here with that thing."

I stared at the orb, my mind racing. The System said it was a containment core, which meant it was connected to the containment wards—and whoever was messing with them. If we could figure out how to use it, we might finally get some answers.

"We need to figure out what it knows."

Sparky blinked. "What it knows? You're talking like it's a person."

"Not a person. But it's intelligent, right? Maybe it can tell us something."

"And how exactly are you planning to talk to it?"

I hesitated. That was the tricky part. The shadows had always been a part of me, something I could control without really thinking about it. But this… this was different.

"I'll figure it out."

"Sure," Sparky said, throwing himself onto the couch. "Because winging it has worked so well for us so far."

Ignoring him, I sat down in front of the orb and closed my eyes.

"System. Is there a way to communicate with the entity inside this core?"

[Direct contact with the entity is possible through shadow-linking. Warning: process may expose host to destabilizing magical influence.]

"Destabilizing," I muttered. "That doesn't sound great."

[Risk can be mitigated through controlled shadow manipulation. Proceed with caution.]

I opened my eyes and stared at the orb. The glow pulsed rhythmically, almost like it was breathing.

"Sparky," I said. "Stay close. If this thing tries to kill me, zap it or something."

"Zap it," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Right. I'll just casually electrocute the magical construct and hope for the best."

"Exactly," I said, placing my hands on the orb.

The moment my fingers touched it, a wave of cold shot through me. The shadows around the room surged, coiling and twisting like a living thing. My vision blurred, and for a moment, I wasn't in my apartment anymore.

I was standing in a void, surrounded by darkness.

"Hello?"

At first, there was no response. Then, slowly, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was humanoid, but its body was made entirely of shifting black smoke, with glowing yellow eyes that felt like they were boring into my soul.

"You're not supposed to be here," it said, its voice a low, guttural growl.

"Neither are you," I shot back, trying to sound braver than I felt. "What are you?"

The figure tilted its head, studying me. "I could ask you the same thing. You're… different. Not like the others."

"Yeah, well, I get that a lot," I said. "What's your deal? Why were you in that containment core?"

The figure laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "I was imprisoned, just like all the others. The wards—they were meant to hold us, to keep us from spreading. But someone broke them."

"Who?"

The figure's eyes narrowed. "Why should I tell you? What are you going to do about it, little shadow-wielder?"

I clenched my fists, the shadows around me flaring in response. "Because I'm the one holding your prison now. So either you talk, or I figure out a way to destroy you."

The figure laughed again. "You think you can destroy me? You don't even understand what I am."

"Then explain it to me," I said. "Help me understand."

The figure was silent for a long moment, its eyes glowing brighter.

"The wards were a mistake," it said finally. "They tried to contain what couldn't be contained. They tore pieces of the Void and bound us to them. But now… now the bindings are breaking."

"The Void?"

"The place where shadows are born," it said. "Where I was born. And soon, I will return."

"Not if I stop you," I said.

The figure tilted its head again. "You think you can stop what's coming? You're just a forgotten shadow wielder. But perhaps… perhaps you could be more."

"More? What's that supposed to mean?"

The figure didn't answer. Instead, the void around me began to dissolve, and I felt myself being pulled back into the real world.

When I opened my eyes, Sparky was standing over me, looking worried.

"You okay?"

I nodded, though my hands were still shaking. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"What happened?"

I looked at the orb, its glow now faint and unsteady. "I think we're in deeper trouble than we thought."

Sparky groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Of course we are. Because why wouldn't we be?"

I didn't respond. My mind was replaying everything the shadow had said.

The Void. The bindings breaking. And the part I couldn't shake—the suggestion that I could be "more."

Now, I wasn't just a bystander anymore.

I was a player in this game. And it was time to start playing to win.