Chapter 7:Eternals

  Night continued to drape the world like a shroud cast over infinity. The stars flickered like dim pebbles scattered across the darkness that enveloped V, while the echo of solitary footsteps among the ruined walls of the temple pyed the silent march of a newly born destiny.

  V moved forward with heavy steps. Each strike of his cane against the ground resonated with both his pain and the reshaping of his very existence. The wounds on his body had begun to seal under the crust spun by darkness. These scars were no longer signs of weakness, but marks of transformation. Veins stretching from his left shoulder to his chest wove beneath his skin like a dark purple spiderweb. His eyes still bore the color of the night—but within them now burned something fierce: a wrath with purpose, a solitude with direction.

  The darkness was healing him. But it was also weaving itself into his soul, transforming him into something entirely new. No longer fully Asgardian, nor entirely of Midgard… V now wore a new identity forged in shadows—beyond both worlds.

  With each step, the shadows around him grew more tangible. Nature itself trembled at his presence; the birds fell silent, the wind changed its course. But V paid them no heed. He gripped his cane tighter. The darkness within it stirred—Shadow and Griffon were still inside… resting, but not silent.

  As he advanced, he felt a wave of energy ripple through the forest just outside the temple. This energy was unfamiliar—but ancient. There was a primordial vibration in the air. V stopped. He narrowed his eyes. The tremor grew more intense, drawing closer.

  Then they arrived.

  The sky burst into sudden light. A blue explosion tore through the heavens with a brilliance even the stars seemed to fear, and from within it descended ten figures. Each one different—their colors, silhouettes, and energies distinct—but all bound by the same purpose. One among them stepped forward.

  Cd in armor etched with gold, her eyes bore the wisdom of centuries. This was Ajak.

  V didn’t take long to recognize them. The ancient warriors spoken of in legends, their names etched even in the oldest texts of Asgard… the Eternals.

  They encircled him. Not quite as if confronting a threat—though their hands hadn’t yet reached for their weapons. V leaned on his cane, locking eyes with Ajak.

  “So, you went through the trouble of coming all the way here,” he said, his voice cold.

  Ajak tilted her head slightly. Her tone was neutral, yet something fragile hid beneath it. “We’ve been watching you…”

  “You had time to watch a soul in exile?” V asked with a hint of mockery.

  Ajak stepped forward, closing the distance between them. “You are no longer just a soul. Not anymore. That thing inside you… it could be a threat to this world.”

  V’s eyes narrowed. He tapped his cane lightly against the ground. “A threat… or a key?”

  One of the Eternals—Ikaris—stepped forward. His words were sharp, like his gaze. “The darkness inside you is attracting Deviants. You feel it, don’t you? This war… it’s no longer just ours. You’re part of it now.”

  V paused for a moment. Then let out a coarse, amused ugh. “The darkness within me is older than anything you can imagine. These creatures you call ‘Deviants’… they’re nothing more than children afraid of shadows. And yet here you are, still trying to tell me what I am.”

  Ajak interrupted. “No. Not what you are… what you could become.”

  V’s face darkened even further within the veil of shadows. “I believed once. And that belief condemned me to solitude. And now… now you offer me a future?”

  “No,” Ajak replied softly. “A choice.”

  Sersi spoke then. Her voice was gentle, but ced with concern. “You’re drawing their attention—the Deviants. They feed on energy. And the dark energy inside you… it stokes their hunger. More of them will come. And we… we will keep coming after them.”

  A flicker sparked in V’s eyes. “So I’m a magnet. Drawing them in. Good. Let them come. Let them allcome—I’ll burn them down right here.”

  Druig cut in. “This war won’t be won through destruction alone. You need to control it. If you don’t… it won’t just be them who fall. You’ll fall too.”

  V raised his cane. Darkness swirled above, and even the stars seemed to shudder. “Control? Darkness doesn’t bargain. It is either yours—or it devours you.”

  Ajak’s voice turned firm. “That’s why we’re warning you. You are alone now. But that loneliness… it can be both your weakness and your strength. Come with us… fight alongside us. But if you lose yourself…”

  She paused.

  “…then we will become your first enemy.”

  Her words hung in the air. Silence collided with the cold wind descending from the sky. V closed his eyes. The whispers inside rose for a moment. The snarl of Shadow… the screech of Griffon… the echoes of his final battle in the temple. Pain. Rage. Solitude…

  And that thing within.

  The Darkness.

  It was calling to him.

  Slowly, he opened his eyes. His pupils were swallowed completely in bck. His lips moved, his voice barely above a whisper—but it carried the weight of a veiled threat:

  “I stand with no one. Not the Deviants. Not the Eternals. But remember this…”

  He smmed his cane into the ground. The earth cracked. The Eternals stepped back.

  “If you stand in my way… the darkness will reckon with you too.”

  With those words, V turned away. The Eternals watched in silence. Ajak’s eyes held sorrow—but also a quiet hope.

  They had not come to stop V, but to guide him. Yet whether they would succeed… that was still uncertain.

  V disappeared into the shadows.

  But the Deviants would find him.

  And war was coming…

  The forest had taken on a new form under the cover of night. Trees stretched like silhouettes, and the silence echoing through the branches wove yers of unease within V. Everything was still—but it was the kind of stillness that mirrored the breathless tension before a storm.

  V walked on. Every metallic tap of his cane against the earth seemed to rouse something beneath the soil. His once-divine body, now forged in darkness, gave him a sensation he was unaccustomed to: bance and imbance at once. Power—and the discomfort of standing at the edge of a cliff.

  Suddenly, the darkness within the cane trembled. Shadow’s presence seeped out like mist—but this wasn’t a summons. It was a warning.

  “I see it,” V muttered, scanning his surroundings without closing his eyes. “Creeping. Silent. It doesn’t breathe—but it’s hungry.”

  The air grew heavier. Then came the scent—like decaying flesh ced with iron. A sharp wave of energy. From between the trees emerged something—a Deviant. But different. It appeared weaker… yet radiated a peculiar resonance. One that sought not to hunt—but to understand.

  V’s eyes lit up. “You found me. But why?”

  The Deviant said nothing. It couldn’t speak. But its presence spoke volumes. Step by step, it drew closer to the darkness within V. Like a mirror, it gazed upon him, trying to replicate the energy inside him. V could feel it: the creature was feeding off his darkness. Like droplets slowly seeping into an empty vessel—cautious, but determined.

  “So it’s true…” V sighed. “My energy is calling to you. It feeds your hunger. But there’s something you’ve forgotten…”

  He raised his cane. The sky darkened momentarily, and a bck-blue shimmer, like lightning, gathered at its tip. Griffon’s eyes opened within V’s chest—but he wasn’t summoned. Only watchful.

  “I’m hungry too,” V said. “For battle. For understanding. And most of all… to discover myself.”

  The Deviant lunged. V didn’t retaliate—not at first. He needed more than a victory. He needed to understand the creature. To learn what his inner darkness had become… what it attracted.

  The first blow struck, sending him staggering. The wound on his chest sealed quickly, but the pain lingered. “Still uncontrolled…” he whispered. “But this pain… keeps me alive.”

  Shadow burst from within with a snarl. The dark panther descended beside V, massive and gleaming with crimson eyes. It bared its fangs—waiting silently for a command.

  “No,” V said, locking eyes with the beast. “Not now. This fight is mine.”

  The Deviant prepared for a second strike. V, meanwhile, prepared to release his energy. But then… he noticed something.

  The Deviant had grown. Its form had shifted. The once weak, slithering presence was gone—repced by a mutated beast, bloated on V’s darkness. Its eyes had bckened. Its body rippled with shifting textures.

  “So you evolve this fast…” V said, surprised, with a rising anger. “You try to become me—without even understanding me. But I don’t even know what I am yet!”

  This was no longer just a creature—it was the embodiment of V’s inner conflict. A reflection mimicking his darkness. And reflections… are always more insane.

  This time, V unleashed his darkness. Energy surged from his cane, merging with the bck veins across his chest. Trees twisted. The earth cracked. Shadow’s growl echoed through the forest, yet the panther remained still. This was not a battle for summons. This was darkness unleashed—raw and unfiltered.

  V lunged forward. He struck with his cane—but it was no longer a mere staff. It had become a bde forged from shadow. When it pierced the Deviant’s body, its energy spilled outward—only to be drawn back into V’s veins. And in that instant, V touched the creature’s mind.

  Darkness recognized darkness.

  For a fleeting second, their thoughts merged: hunger, loneliness, fear… and a strange pull toward him. It revered him—as something sacred.

  V pulled away. With a swift motion, he tore the cane from its body. The creature colpsed, still alive but severely weakened. V, on the other hand, had to cling tightly to his cane to remain standing. His knees buckled.

  “So this is why the Eternals want me…” he murmured. “I’m not just a warrior. I’m bait. A magnet.”

  Shadow approached in silence. Even in the panther’s eyes, there was concern.

  “I won’t be their weapon,” V said. “But maybe… I can make this war mine.”

  In the distance, the sky began to redden. Dawn was approaching. But V couldn’t reach the peace of morning.

  Because the shadows of night… were now within him.

  And they were speaking.