Only I Can Weild A Forgotten Shadow Magic

The shadows felt alive. Not in the vague, atmospheric way they usually did, but alive. As I stood in my apartment, letting the sensations settle, I could feel them ripple across the room like an invisible current. Every corner, every dimly lit space—it all seemed connected to me now.

Sparky hadn't stopped glaring at me since I stood up. "You look… different," he said finally.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, glancing down at myself.

"It's not, like, obvious different," he said, his voice uncertain. "But there's something. I don't know. You've got this… vibe. A creepy one."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I muttered, but I could see it too—in the corner of my eye, the shadows moved when I moved, almost instinctively.

"System," I said, focusing inward. "Status report. What just happened to me?"

[User has successfully absorbed residual shadow energy. Current shadow manipulation proficiency increased by 37%. Warning: signs of minor corruption detected. Emotional stability may be temporarily affected.]

"Temporarily," I repeated, trying to keep my voice steady. "What does that mean?"

[Minor corruption is reversible with proper stabilization techniques. Prolonged exposure without stabilization may lead to progression.]

I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "So, I've got a ticking clock on my sanity. Great."

"I told you this was a bad idea," Sparky said, throwing up his hands. "Why don't you ever listen to me?"

"Because you're usually wrong," I said, though the words came out harsher than I intended. "Look, I didn't have a choice, okay? This was the only way to keep up."

"Yeah, well, don't come crying to me when you sprout claws or start hissing at sunlight."

I didn't respond. I couldn't. There was too much going on in my head—thoughts that didn't feel like mine, memories that flickered like candle flames before vanishing.

I needed to focus.

"Sparky," I said, turning to him, "we need to move. I've got a feeling things are going to escalate fast, and we can't just sit here waiting for the next attack."

"Move where?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because, last I checked, we don't exactly have a base of operations or a magical hideout."

He wasn't wrong. We'd been operating on pure instinct so far, reacting to attacks instead of planning ahead. But now, with the shadows responding to me like never before, I could feel… something. A pull.

"There's a place. I don't know where exactly, but the shadows—they're guiding me. It's like they're showing me a path."

Sparky blinked. "Okay, that's not ominous at all. You're seriously going to follow a hunch from your spooky shadow powers?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"Fine. Lead the way, Shadow Boy. But if we end up in a pit of doom, I'm blaming you."

I grabbed my jacket, the shadows curling around my feet like they were eager to move. "Let's go."

---

The shadows led us to the outskirts of the city, where the buildings thinned out and the streets grew quieter. It was late—too late for most people to be out—but the silence felt unnatural, like the world was holding its breath.

"Are you sure about this?" Sparky asked as we approached an abandoned industrial complex.

"No. But we're here now."

The complex was a maze of rusted metal and crumbling concrete, its windows shattered and its walls covered in graffiti. The shadows seemed to thicken as we stepped inside, coiling around my ankles like living things.

"System. What's this place?"

[Location unknown. Significant traces of shadow energy detected.]

"Great," Sparky muttered. "Another place full of shadow monsters. Just what I wanted."

We moved cautiously through the complex, the shadows guiding me toward the heart of the building. Every step felt heavier, like the air itself was pushing back against us.

Then we heard it—a low, echoing whisper that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"Do you hear that?" Sparky whispered, his voice tight.

I nodded, my hand instinctively reaching for the dagger at my side. The shadows around me pulsed in response, sharpening like a blade.

The whispers grew louder as we approached a large, open room at the center of the complex. The space was empty except for a single figure standing in the middle, its back to us.

It was humanoid but taller than any person should be, its body wrapped in shifting shadows.

"You shouldn't have come here," it said, its voice echoing like a thousand whispers overlapping.

Sparky took a step back. "Oh, great. Another creepy shadow thing. Because the first one wasn't enough."

I stepped forward, the shadows around me bristling.

"Who are you?"

The figure turned slowly, its face—or what passed for it—impossible to make out. "I am the guardian. The last tether holding this place together."

"Tether to what?"

I asked, gripping my dagger tighter.

"The Void. This place is a fracture—a place where the boundaries between worlds have worn thin. The wards you seek to repair were meant to seal it, but now…"

"Now they're failing."

The figure nodded. "And when they break completely, this world will be consumed."

Sparky stepped forward.

"Okay, so what do we do about it? Can we fix the wards or what?"

The figure tilted its head. "Perhaps. But it will require more than power. It will require sacrifice."

"Sacrifice? What kind of sacrifice?"

The figure didn't answer directly. Instead, it raised a hand, and the shadows in the room began to shift, forming shapes—images of people, places, battles.

"You will need to face the Void directly," it said. "To enter its depths and sever its connection to this world. But be warned: few who enter the Void return unchanged."

"Unchanged how?" Sparky asked.

The figure's gaze—or what I assumed was its gaze—shifted to me.

"The Void amplifies what is already within you. Your strength, your fears, your darkness. It will test you, and if you are not strong enough, it will claim you."

I swallowed hard, my mind racing. The stakes had been high before, but this… this was something else entirely.

"System. Is this true? Can we sever the Void's connection?"

[Direct confrontation with the Void is a viable strategy. Success probability: 18%.]

"Eighteen percent." Sparky repeated. "Fantastic odds."

"It's better than nothing."

The figure stepped closer, its form towering over us.

"The choice is yours. But know this: time is running out. The Void's influence grows stronger with every passing moment. If you wait too long, there will be nothing left to save."

I glanced at Sparky, his face pale but determined. He gave me a reluctant nod.

"Alright. We'll do it. Tell us what we need to do."

The figure extended a hand, its shadows swirling like a storm.

"Then prepare yourselves. The path to the Void begins here."