Chapter 13: Shadow Beasts, Shadow Decisions

I stood holding Milliscent’s hand, watching the cross of chaos blaze with a red glow, as if the earth beneath it had split open to swallow everything alive. Rad’s blood, flowing from his neck, mingled with the soil, and the air filled with a heavy, metallic stench that made my stomach churn. The Rangers, who moments ago had tried to help Rad, were consumed by the darkness that erupted from the center of the cross. Their screams cut off so abruptly that I couldn’t even process what had happened. Only Milliscent and I remained outside this cursed circle.

“What was that?!” Milliscent shouted, wrenching her hand from mine. Her eyes gleamed with fear and anger, but she held her sword at the ready.

“I don’t know!” I replied, my heart pounding as if it wanted to burst from my chest. “But that was definitely not just a ritual! They’re all… they’re dead, Milliscent!”

“It can’t be…” She took a step toward the cross, but I grabbed her shoulder.

“Don’t go there! Can’t you see it’s a trap?!”

She spun around, her gaze sharp as the blade of her sword.

“Did you know? Did you know this would happen?!”

“No, damn it! I just saw Rad lying in the center of that blasted cross and realized the blood activated something! I only managed to pull you out!”

Her expression shifted. Anger gave way to something else — perhaps gratitude, or maybe just shock. But there was no time for words. The ground beneath us trembled, and something horrific began to rise from the center of the cross. At first, it was just a writhing mass of darkness, but it quickly took form. A massive creature, like a serpent but adorned with dozens of bony spikes protruding from its body like blades. Its head resembled a dragon’s skull, but instead of eyes, it had two blazing red orbs. Its body, covered in black scales that gleamed like obsidian, writhed as if the very air convulsed in its presence.

“What the hell is that?!” I exclaimed, stepping back.

“It’s a Shadow Beast!” Milliscent gripped her sword tighter. “An ancient creature summoned by blood and sacrifice. Someone set up this ritual on purpose! It was a trap from the start!”

“That doesn’t matter now… We have to do something about it.”

“Shadow Beasts…” Milliscent was more terrified than I’d ever seen her. “I’ve read about them… Normal weapons can’t harm them, and they’re highly resistant to magic. They’re made of the primal energy of the world’s monoliths. Everyone thought they were gone for good, but as we can see…”

“We have to… We have to run…” Milliscent’s voice trembled, and the sword she gripped so tightly betrayed the tension in her body.

“We can’t…”

“What?! Have you lost your mind? If it kills you too… You promised!” Her fear had spiraled into full-blown panic.

“We can’t! At the very least, we need to learn more about it! Do some reconnaissance through combat! If it goes deeper into the forest, it’ll only grow stronger…”

“Damn it…”

I’d read about this too… Shadow Beasts draw energy as their strength from all living things — trees, animals, humans, elves… They’re a terrifying weapon honed against life itself. But they can be stopped… We have to do something, doesn’t she understand?!

“If it moves deeper into the forest! You realize what could happen?! By the time it reaches the city, it’ll be much bigger, and it’ll endanger everyone!”

“I… I don’t know what to do…” Milliscent was in despair.

“I do… In the first moments after its birth, it’s incredibly weak because it hasn’t absorbed enough energy. The kids I trained with gave me this.”

I pulled out a small pouch of powder. It was a dust that could imbue weapons with various elemental energies.

“But it’ll absorb everything!”

“Everything except shadow-tempered energy… Quick, give me your sword!”

I sprinkled the powder onto Milliscent’s weapon… And then, purely on instinct, for some reason I couldn’t explain, it felt…

“What are you doing?! Why did you cut your hand?”

“I don’t know… Maybe there’s something in my left hand… It won’t hurt to try.”

“That’s nonsense!”

“You know what…” Milliscent flushed. “Let’s talk after we win! I’ll definitely survive! And so will you! But now, we need to attack.”

She lunged forward, her sword glowing with a faint blue light as she struck the beast. The blade hit its scales but bounced off as if it had struck stone. The creature hissed, and its spiked tail lashed toward Milliscent. I didn’t have time to think — I threw myself at her, pushing her to the ground. The tail swept over us, slicing through a tree like it was a straw.

“Are you trying to get us both killed?!” she shouted, scrambling to her feet.

“I’m trying to keep us alive!” I replied, feeling my left hand throb again. The curse Milliscent had mentioned seemed to come alive, sending waves of pain through my body.

“Then stay back!” She charged into battle again, this time casting a spell. Blue light from her hands wove into a net that briefly restrained the beast, but it broke free, tearing through the magic like paper.

I stood there like an idiot, not knowing what to do. I had no sword, no magic, just this damned shirt and the curse in my hand that seemed determined to finish me off. Milliscent’s binding spell was a good idea, but the beast absorbed it too…

She attacked again with her charged sword, but the scales were impenetrable. She couldn’t reach its body.

“It’s not working! The scales are too tough!” Milliscent was exhausted after so many attempts.

“Watch out!”

Distracted, she didn’t notice the beast complete its reformation and begin to move. This time, it didn’t take her attack head-on. It leaped back with ease and raised its deadly tail for what seemed like a final strike.

Milliscent didn’t see it. I had no time to think — I had to act. I couldn’t come up with anything better than shielding her. Maybe my strange shirt would save me… Or maybe its tail would absorb its power too… Either way, I couldn’t let this sweet elf, who in such a short time had become at least a friend, die.

“What are you doing?! Nooooo!”

The impact was immense… I managed to push Milliscent back, but I collided with the beast’s tail. I don’t know how long my body flew or how many trees it crashed through… I never imagined I was capable of such a thing. On the edge of my fading consciousness, I heard Milliscent’s screams…

“Are you scared?” The voice was low, almost mocking. “You know… This monster was summoned for her… She’s the key…”

“Shut up! Damn it, you again,” I muttered, clenching my fists. “How many more times are you going to show up?”

“Then watch her die. It’ll be interesting to see her body snap in two, her bones crunching, mmm. There’s enough strength in you to witness it before you die.”

“She’ll escape… Nothing like that will happen…”

“I don’t think so… Maybe it’s time…”

“Time for what?”

“To use what I gave you! I chose you. I want… No… It’s not time to reveal all the cards yet… Just enjoy the power I’ve given you!”

“What power?! You said yourself I have no magic!”

“Magic is the foolish tricks of local plankton… Your power… Oh, just try it. Just say the word, and I’ll give you as much as you can handle! This beast is strong, but for you… It’s just a toy.”

“But… What do you want from me?”

“I like your businesslike approach!” the voice hissed. “Nothing for now!”

“Nothing?”

“If I chose correctly, I won’t need to set conditions for you…”

“And if not?”

“We’ll see… That’s still a long way off.”

“You realize this all sounds very unconvincing. Agreeing to a deal with a not-so-friendly voice in my head?”

“If you don’t like it, you can just ignore me later!”

“Hah! Nice option, you think that’ll work?!”

“Give it a try! So, what’s it gonna be?! Let it out! Come on! I’ve felt that hunger inside you for a while!”

I didn’t want to accept the offer… I didn’t even know from whom… Maybe it was all in my head, and I was already dead. But he was right… I never liked losing, being weak, falling behind, coming in last. You’re either first, the winner, or you die! And Milliscent… I don’t want… I don’t want her to get hurt.

Meanwhile, Milliscent fought with all her strength. Her sword sparked against the beast’s scales, but she was clearly weakening. The creature suddenly struck with its tail, and Milliscent flew back, crashing into a tree. She fell, and I saw blood trickle from her temple.

“Milliscent!” I shouted, but she didn’t hear me. I couldn’t break through the weakness of my body. But the beast… It stopped and turned toward where my body had landed. Its blazing eyes seemed to peer into my soul, and I felt the curse in my hand burn even hotter.

“No…” Milliscent rasped, struggling to stand. “We’re supposed to go home together…”

The beast roared, and the ground shook. I didn’t know what to do, but I felt my left hand burn as if lava flowed through it. I looked at it — dark veins, like a spiderweb, were spreading across my skin.

“Do it!!! Let go of yourself!!!” the voice whispered. “Or lose everything! Come in last and die!”

I didn’t want to listen, but I had no choice. I reached out toward the beast, and suddenly, darkness erupted from my palm like a stream of black smoke. It slammed into the creature, and it howled. A massive beast the size of a tour ferry, with impossibly tough scales, whimpered like a puppy. Retreating, it bared its teeth, preparing to attack. It had no intention of backing down. Neither did I.

“What are you doing?!” Milliscent had finally stood, her eyes filled with horror.

“Making sure we go home together,” I muttered, feeling the darkness in my hand grow stronger.

The beast lunged at us again, but I unleashed the power once more. This time, the darkness formed something like a spear that pierced the beast’s scales. It roared, its body cracking, and red light burst from the fissures, along with the screams of an entire crowd of people. It was a terrifying sight. But I could barely stand. The power pulsing in my hand was incredible, but my body had its limits.

“Bogdan, stop! You’ll kill yourself!” Milliscent grabbed my arm, but my touch burned her.

“Ow!”

“Milliscent, be careful!”

But it didn’t stop her. She grabbed me again, whispering something under her breath as she began to cast a spell.

“Let go!”

“No! It’ll tear you apart from the inside!!!”

The beast crumbled into pieces, its body dissolving into the air, leaving only the stench of rot and ash. The cross of chaos faded, but in its place was scorched earth, as if life itself had been drained from the soil.

“Let’s destroy something else?!?” the voice whispered again.

“Enough! The beast is dead!”

“But that’s not enough!! My appetite’s just getting started, come on!!”

“No!”

But the sensation in my left hand only grew, spreading through my entire body.

“I said enough!”

“Come on, just one more… Please! Let’s at least slaughter some rabbits! Or better yet, let’s go home and wreck everything!!!”

“What?! Stop talking nonsense! I agreed to your offer, now ENOUGH!”

“Hahaha, your peacefulness inspires me! It only fuels me more. But fine… Fine… That’s enough for today. But… But… Soon you’ll come to me yourself. Not bad for a first try!”

The power receded… The power did, but the pain in my body only grew. Unable to withstand the sudden wave of pain, I fell to my knees.

“You… You did it?” Milliscent looked at me, her eyes glistening with tears.

“I don’t know…” I could barely move my tongue. “But I promised we’d go home. And you were panicking…”

She helped me stand, but her hands trembled.

“You’re an idiot, Bogdan. You almost died!”

“Better me than you,” I tried to smile, but it came out crooked.

“Don’t ever say that again!” She hit my shoulder, but it was more gentle than painful.

Milliscent fell silent, her gaze full of doubt.

“We need to get back to the city,” she finally said. “And tell the elders. They need to know about the power inside you that you don’t even understand.”

“You think they won’t lock me back in a cage?” I tried to joke, but my voice was weak.

“If they do, I’ll drag you out myself,” she smiled, but her eyes held worry. “You saved me…”

“But not everyone else…”

We walked back slowly, leaning on each other. The forest, which an hour ago seemed magical, now felt ominous. I felt the curse in my hand hadn’t gone — it was merely lying in wait. And that voice… It didn’t stop. It whispered that this was only the beginning.

“Bogdan,” Milliscent stopped, looking into my eyes. “Thank you. You saved my life. Again.”

“Come on,” I shrugged. “You’d do the same.”

“I’m not sure,” she looked away. “But I want you to know… you’re not just a guest from another world to me.”

“Oh, are you flirting now?” I tried to lighten the mood, but my heart pounded harder.

“Idiot,” she gave me a gentle shove. “But maybe a little.”

We continued on, but I felt something in me had changed. The power I used wasn’t just a fluke. And the voice in my head… It knew more than I did. Whoever was behind this wanted Milliscent. And I was the only one standing between her and the darkness.