8: The Lord of Shadows

  Time flowed like an ancient prayer forgotten by the gods—a heavy, echo-less current. Days had passed—perhaps even weeks—but within the darkness that now enveloped V, the meaning of time had altered. He was no longer a being bound to the cycle of the sun. He had been reshaped by shadow, sealed by darkness.

  His wounds had healed.

  But this was no ordinary recovery; the dark shell that cloaked his flesh had moved with a will of its own, restoring him piece by piece. His muscles were tighter, his reflexes sharper, and his mind had awakened to a deeper consciousness. Shadow and Griffon, too, had been reborn in silence. The gashes on their forms had vanished, reshaped by the essence of darkness itself.

  As V walked among the shadows, he no longer thought of his steps. The shadow had become his new home, his armor, and his path.

  He could now move from one pce to another with a single thought. He dove into the shadows and emerged elsewhere, as if tearing through the veil of the universe. This teleportation was no longer a means of escape—it had become a method of attack.

  He still remembered how he had emerged from the darkness to rip apart a Deviant’s skull in a single motion. Blood had sprayed skyward, yet not a single drop touched him. The darkness and he were now one.

  ?

  He moved through a forest draped in shadows. The upper branches of the trees had intertwined, sealing off the sky completely. But this darkness pleased V. Every tree’s shadow was a new path, a new window for him.

  In the distance, he sensed movement.

  He melded into the darkness instantly and, just a heartbeat ter, reappeared atop a broken altar. He looked down. Three Deviants were rummaging through the remains of a dead beast. But it wasn’t the flesh they sought—it was the energy.

  “Their instincts are still primitive,” he whispered to himself. “But their hunger… it’s reacting to something familiar.”

  And indeed it was. When the Deviants noticed V, they didn’t retreat. On the contrary, they lunged at him like starved wolves. In their eyes, V saw a hunger mixed with longing. But it wasn’t a desire to consume him—it was as though they were being drawn to him. As if the dark energy within him was a beacon.

  A spark ignited within.

  “So that’s it…” he muttered. “The darkness inside me feeds their evolution. But as I kill them… the darkness feeds me.”

  He raised his hand. Shadow emerged behind him from the gloom, as if it had never vanished. Griffon appeared in the sky like a ghost—silent but brimming with power.

  The battle began.

  Shadow dove into the midst of the Deviants like a wraith, ripping one open with its cws. Griffon unleashed bolts of lightning from the sky, while V conjured spears from the shadows with his cane, shredding his enemies apart.

  But this was no longer just a battle. It was a ritual. With every kill, V grew stronger. With each strike, the darkness within sank deeper.

  Even his breathing had changed—deep, rhythmic, and focused. The dark veins that once bulged beneath his skin were now subdued. His body had made peace with this new power. He was no longer fighting the darkness—he was wielding it.

  When the st Deviant fell to the ground, V’s eyes turned pitch bck for a moment. A warmth rose from his chest. It wasn’t pain. It was… fulfillment.

  ?

  Later that day, he reached one of the Eternals’ observation towers—a ruined structure hidden high above the trees, constructed from stone interced with metallic elements. There were no Deviants in sight. The silence was that of an approaching storm.

  Then, the air shifted. The sky seemed to split open.

  Ikaris appeared, floating above, his eyes gleaming with light.

  “Stop,” he commanded, his voice stern. “Don’t take another step.”

  The others soon followed—Sersi, Druig, Thena, Kingo, Gilgamesh, Sprite, Phastos, Makkari, and their leader, Ajak.

  All ten of them stood together, like a wall before him. This time, they were not merely observing. They had come to judge.

  V stopped. He closed his eyes and drew a long breath. When he opened them again, there was more than darkness behind them—there was a faint, knowing smile.

  “You’ve started to see me as a threat, haven’t you?”

  Ajak stepped forward. Her stance was upright, her voice soft, but a steely resolve y beneath.

  “No. We see you as a force of bance. But we are unsure… of which side that bance now leans toward.”

  Thena took a step forward, a sharp glimmer in her eyes.

  “The darkness inside you… it’s attracting the Deviants. They sense you as a source.”

  V tilted his head. “And you see that as a weakness.”

  Druig smirked. “Or as a weapon.”

  Kingo spoke up. “The real question is: whose hands will that weapon explode in?”

  Ajak watched them silently, then turned to V. “We have a proposition. Work with us. We can help you keep your darkness in check. And maybe—together—we can eradicate the Deviants for good.”

  V studied them. A heavy silence fell. Shadow stirred behind him. Griffon hovered above, waiting.

  He closed his eyes and murmured slowly:

  “I know my enemies. You are not among them. But you are not my allies, either. Still… our interests may align. For now.”

  Ajak took another step. “Is that a pact?”

  V smiled. Cold, menacing, yet regal.

  “This… is the first step of a pn.”

  Another silence. Then V stepped into the shadows. His eyes swept over each Eternal, scrutinizing them. But within, a storm raged.

  My darkness could consume their light. But in time… I will hold all control.

  The shadows enveloped him, and for a breath, the Eternals lost sight of him. In that fleeting moment, the darkness cascaded around his body like a curtain. Then, a step away, he reappeared. It wasn’t just a dispy—it was a message.

  I am the shadow now.

  Ajak looked up. “This power… it’s not natural.”

  V’s voice echoed—sharp, untouched even by the wind:

  “Nature is only the beginning. Evolution is born from destruction.”

  Phastos frowned. “And destruction, when left unchecked… only breeds disaster.”

  V’s gaze drifted to Phastos briefly, then turned to Sersi. There was softness in her eyes, but beneath it, a yer of doubt.

  “You’re watching me,” V said. “Most of you don’t trust me. Some of you fear me. And others… wish to use me.”

  Gilgamesh’s voice rumbled with quiet anger. “Someone like you will never just be a companion. You will always be a threat.”

  V’s response was simple, yet razor-sharp:

  “Then why am I still alive, Gilgamesh?”

  Silence. His words sliced the air itself.

  Ajak closed her eyes, then exhaled deeply.

  “Because you haven’t made your choice yet.”

  ?

  That night, the Eternals and V set up camp near an abandoned outpost at the forest’s edge. The sky was bnketed in bck clouds, and time itself seemed to pause within the shadows. Everyone was watching one another. Tension drifted like a ghost that spoke in silence.

  V sat before a stone wall a little away from the camp. Shadow stood behind him, motionless like a statue, while Griffon glided silently above. Everything seemed still, but V’s mind was in turmoil.

  This alliance… must be temporary.

  He could feel the darkness within him growing with each Deviant sin. This power was no longer separate from him—it was a part of his being. Every kill sparked a flicker. Every victory echoed. The shadows had begun to speak to him.

  And they… were answering.

  He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers into the soil.

  He spoke to the shadow.

  “What are you hiding from me within this silence?” he whispered.

  From beneath the earth rose a surge—a deep, primal vibration. As if the shadows were revealing the location of Deviants, their hunger, even their intentions.

  V lifted his head. His eyes gleamed in the dark.

  ?

  By the next morning, the Eternals had gathered to strategize. A rge stone was pced at the center of their map, ancient symbols for energy detection carved around it. Phastos held a glowing device emitting blue light. Makkari had scouted ahead and reported unusual Deviant activity nearby.

  “The energy in this region is three times the norm,” said Phastos. “And we’ve never seen this kind of intensity before.”

  Sersi studied the map. “Maybe… a core is forming. The darkness is creating its own center.”

  Druig let out a mocking chuckle. “Or that darkness… is sitting right here among us.”

  Their eyes slowly turned to V. He was perched on a stone, looking at neither the map nor them. Calm, as if he had known all of this before.

  Ajak approached him quietly and sat down beside him.

  “The darkness in you is growing. But we still don’t know… are you the one controlling it, or is it controlling you?”

  V didn’t turn his head. He simply replied:

  “It’s like fire. The smaller it is, the more dangerous. But as it grows… it becomes something you can direct.”

  Ajak was silent for a while. Then she asked, in a soft yet careful tone:

  “And are you with us to grow that fire… or do you have something else in mind?”

  V smiled. But it wasn’t a warm smile. It held a deep, hidden truth.

  “Perhaps both.”

  ?

  That night, V ventured alone into the region swarming with Deviants. Though the Eternals questioned why he was allowed to go alone, Ajak had remained silent. Because deep down, she felt: tonight, answers would emerge.

  As V moved through the shadows, what he sensed was not only the presence of enemies—but echoes from within himself. The way each Deviant was drawn to him, trying to absorb his energy…

  But as each one died, that energy became part of him. And in that moment, he realized:

  As I kill them… they complete me.

  His eyes turned bck once more. Shadows spread from his fingertips. The energy seeping from his body into the ground looked like dark veins sinking into the earth.

  Shadow let out a howl and vanished into the night. Griffon brought down a bolt of lightning that cleansed the area. This was not a massacre. This was an ascension.

  As V absorbed the Deviants’ energy, even the sky trembled. The darkness was no longer a tool. It was now a part of his very identity.

  ?

  By the next morning, when he returned to the Eternals’ camp, V stood before them with eyes glowing in the dark.

  “The Deviants seek me. They want me. But they belong to me.”

  Kingo stepped forward. “So are we to destroy them through you? Or have you become one of them?”

  V answered, each word heavy as a seal:

  “I am beyond both. But walking with you… gives me a chance to understand them. Fighting beside you… gives me the strategy to defeat them.”

  Ajak bowed her head. “And is that enough for us?”

  V stepped forward. He stood at the center of the Eternals. Shadows rose from beneath his feet, but they danced with him, not against.

  “Not yet. But it will be.”