Only I Can Weild A Forgotten Shadow Magic

The growl echoed again, louder this time, bouncing off the cracked walls of the abandoned hospital. My heart pounded in my chest like a war drum as I tightened my grip on the knife. Sparky's hands were already crackling with arcs of blue electricity, his jaw clenched.

"System. What are we dealing with here?"

[Two entities detected. Magical constructs exhibiting high levels of aggression. Recommend immediate action to neutralize.]

"Neutralize…? Sure, let me just handle that with my pocket knife."

A shadow moved in the corner of my eye, and I spun toward it. A figure emerged from the darkness, its body shifting and rippling like ink poured into water. Its eyes burned a sickly yellow, locking onto me with a hunger that made my skin crawl.

Sparky took a step back, his sparks flaring brighter. 

"That's… definitely worse than the last one."

"Focus," I said, summoning the shadows around me. "There are two of them. Stay sharp."

As if on cue, the second entity stepped out of the gloom behind us, its claws scraping against the tile floor.

"We're boxed in," Sparky muttered, glancing between the two creatures.

"No kidding," I said, my voice tight. The shadows around me twisted and writhed, responding to my fear.

The first entity lunged, moving faster than I expected. I barely managed to throw up a wall of shadows to block it, the force of its attack sending me stumbling back.

Sparky reacted instantly, throwing a bolt of electricity at the second creature. The bolt struck its chest, but instead of flinching, the thing absorbed the energy, its body glowing faintly for a moment before it charged at him.

"Are you kidding me?!" Sparky shouted, dodging out of the way. "It eats lightning?!"

"Stop whining and fight!" I yelled, lashing out with the shadows. They wrapped around the first creature's legs, pulling it off balance, but it tore through them like they were paper.

The second creature turned its attention toward me, its claws scraping the floor as it stalked forward.

"System! Any tips on how to kill these things?"

[Entities exhibit resistance to elemental magic. Weakness identified: destabilize their cores using shadow manipulation.]

"Great. Just like last time."

I focused on the shadows around me, willing them to respond. They coiled and twisted like snakes, waiting for my command.

"Keep them busy!" I shouted at Sparky.

"Oh, sure," he said, dodging another swipe from the first creature. "I'll just distract the unkillable monsters while you figure out how to save our asses!"

He hurled another bolt of electricity, this time aiming for the floor near the creature's feet. The resulting shockwave sent tiles flying, temporarily staggering it.

I turned my attention to the second entity, the shadows around me surging forward like a tidal wave. They wrapped around its arms and legs, pinning it in place as it thrashed and hissed.

"C'mon. Stay still."

The shadows tightened, digging into the creature's form. For a moment, it flickered, its body destabilizing like a glitching hologram.

"There!" I shouted. "Hit it now!"

Sparky didn't hesitate. He threw a bolt of electricity straight at the creature's chest, and this time, the energy didn't get absorbed. The bolt struck its core, and the thing let out an unearthly screech before exploding into a cloud of black smoke.

"One down!" 

Sparky shouted, spinning toward the second creature.

The first entity wasn't going to give us time to celebrate. It lunged at me, its claws aimed for my throat. I ducked, the air whooshing past as it narrowly missed.

"System, any time now!"

[Host should utilize shadow binding to weaken the entity further.]

I gritted my teeth, summoning more shadows. They lashed out, wrapping around the creature's torso and dragging it to the ground.

"Sparky, finish it!" 

"On it!" he yelled, throwing another bolt of electricity.

The creature roared as the bolt hit its core, its body convulsing before it disintegrated into smoke.

For a moment, the only sound was our heavy breathing. The air felt thicker, like the fight had left an invisible weight behind.

"Please tell me that was the last of them," 

Sparky leaned against the wall.

I glanced around, my senses on high alert. The shadows in the room had settled, no longer twisting and writhing.

"I think we're clear."

Sparky let out a shaky laugh. 

"You think? That's comforting."

I ignored him, wiping sweat from my forehead. My hands were still trembling, the adrenaline refusing to fade.

"System. What the hell were those things doing here?"

[Entities were likely remnants of the containment ward's original purpose. Their presence suggests this site was recently tampered with.]

"Tampered with," I repeated, my stomach sinking. "By who?"

[Unknown. Further investigation required.]

"Of course. Because nothing can ever be simple."

Sparky pushed off the wall, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"So, what now? We just keep going until we're dead, or what?"

I folded the map, shoving it into my pocket. "We keep moving. If someone's messing with these sites, we need to find out who and why."

"And if we run into more of those things?"

I looked at him. 

"Then we do what we just did. And we hope we survive."

---

The walk back to my apartment was quiet, the weight of what had just happened hanging heavy in the air. Sparky didn't complain for once, though I could tell he was as shaken as I was.

When we reached my building, he hesitated at the door.

"You sure this is worth it?" 

I glanced at him, my hand on the doorknob. 

"What do you mean?"

"This whole thing," he said, gesturing vaguely. "The enforcers, the shadow monsters, the map. Is it really worth risking your life for?"

I didn't answer right away. The truth was, I didn't know. But what choice did I have? If I backed out now, more people would die. And maybe… maybe I was tired of running.

"I can't walk away. Not now."

Sparky sighed, shaking his head. 

"You're insane, you know that?"

"Probably," I said, opening the door. "See you tomorrow."

As I stepped inside, the shadows welcomed me like old friends.