Finally, I could move again.
The spawn turned, sensing the flame.
"Shit," I muttered, sprinting away.
Immediately, I dismissed the flame. The spawn couldn't see me, but it could smell me.
It chased me relentlessly until my legs gave out. Luckily, my shadow was still nearby. I commanded it to wrap around me. I deactivated the Hide enchantments.
Its eyes locked onto mine, and it lunged.
At the last second, I shifted into an intangible state, letting it pass through me. I reverted and grabbed its tail—it was damn heavy.
Grunting, I pulled with all my strength and hurled it aside. It smashed into the ground, hissing with rage.
I had no choice now.
There was no outrunning a spawn. I had to fight.
It attacked blindly, over and over. I calculated every move carefully. Whenever it missed, I struck back, the gauntlets on my hands cutting deep into its hide.
I realized with some relief—it was weaker than the Shroud.
It was already on its last legs.
With a furious howl, it lunged again.
This time, I was ready.
I clenched my fist—and in the other, I summoned forth the nearly broken Forgotten King's Blade, its cracked surface barely holding together. Black Flame coiled around it like a living thing.
The moment the spawn missed its attack, I twisted, driving the battered blade deep into a spot where its scales had already been torn.
A shriek ripped from the beast as crimson blood exploded outward.
The hex immediately echoed in my mind:
> [ You have slain Twilight Beast, Drowned Wailer ]
[ Absorbing residual energy... ]
[ Your shadow grows stronger ]
[ The flame grows stronger ]
I collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.
Beside me, the spawn's corpse steamed faintly, dark mist rising from the wound.
I spotted one of its shattered scales and picked it up. An idea sparked in my mind.
After dismantling the entire corpse, I added thirty unarmed scales, some of its meat, and a soul core into my inventory.
Unlike the blackened souls from the Forgotten Spire, this one glowed faintly. It was heavy but manageable.
I tried absorbing the core, but nothing happened. Crushing it didn't work either—it was like trying to break a mountain.
Then the hex spoke again:
> [ Do you wish to refine? ]
[ ??? will be created upon refinement. ]
[ A certain amount of ??? will be required. ]
I hesitated. Something about this felt... strange.
But in the end, curiosity won out. I agreed.
A sudden force pulled something intangible out of me, and the translucent core began to darken. The hex echoed once more:
> [ You have successfully refined a Twilight Core. ]
[ You have created a ??? Shard. ]
[ Destructive effects will occur upon activation. ]
[ ??? Shard responds to the will of its creator. ]
[ Do you wish to use it? ]
I didn't know what it would do—and that made it dangerous.
But recklessness won.
I threw the shard far into the distance and willed it to activate.
The moment it struck the ground, an earth-shaking explosion erupted.
Black flames devoured everything they touched, freezing and shattering the landscape.
Trees were uprooted and crushed. The air turned heavy, thick with the stench of destruction.
The hex roared in my mind:
> [ You have slain Twilight Beast... ]
[ You have slain Twilight Beast... ]
[ You have slain Twilight Beast... ]
I stood there, stunned by the devastation.
Whatever that shard was... it was something far beyond my understanding.
But there was no time to linger.
The hex continued:
> [ Absorbing residual energy. ]
[ Absorbing residual energy. ]
[ You have obtained a Chronicle. ]
When I looked up, the entire area had transformed into rubble.
A new message appeared before my eyes:
Chronicles:
[ SHADOW KEY ]
[ Forgotten King's Blade ]
[ DARK SHROUD ]
[ Everbloom ]
[ Lamenting Edge ]
I froze.
The "Lamenting Edge" caught my attention immediately.
Its description sent a chill through me:
> [ Lamenting Edge: All who laid eyes upon it were struck with a chill, a haunting sense that something ancient and broken had returned... ]
I wanted to read more—but a strange feeling washed over me.
I wasn't alone anymore.
Something... was watching.
I scanned the trees. Nothing. Only silence.
Then—
A voice, clearer than before, echoed in my mind:
"LEAVE."
I froze.
This wasn't just some beast.
Something ancient and powerful lurked in the shadows.
Without thinking, I withdrew my shadow, heart hammering in my chest.
Whatever it was, I wasn't ready to face it yet.