Chapter 13: THE FORGOTTEN DAWN
The world around Kaito shifted once more. His legs were still unsteady, the raw energy of the Shard of Eternity still humming through his veins like an electric current.
The aftermath of the battle had left him feeling hollow, the void in his chest a reminder of how close he had come to being consumed by his own darkness.
His breath was uneven, and for a moment, he wondered if the creature, that twisted version of himself, was only a warning. A glimpse into what he could become if he lost control of the power within him.
The air here was strange. The sky, no longer a swirling abyss of shadow, now held a soft light—almost a dawn of sorts. But it wasn't the gentle warmth of the sun Kaito expected. No, this light was cold and sterile, its warmth absent, like the faint glow of stars seen through a haze of thick fog.
The world around him was fractured, the ground cracked and shattered, like a place that had been forgotten for eons, left to decay in isolation.
Kaito's hand still gripped the Shard, its glow now dimmed, its power settled like a slumbering beast within him.
He felt it stir occasionally, a whisper at the edge of his consciousness, reminding him of the responsibility it demanded, and the dangers it could unleash. But for now, it remained quiet, dormant, as though waiting for him to make his next move.
The creature—the twisted version of himself—was gone, reduced to nothing but ash and shadow. But the words it had spoken continued to linger in Kaito's mind.
The darkness within you will consume you.
You will become nothing but a reflection.
The Shard will devour you.