I staggered, breath ragged, pulse roaring in my ears. For a moment, I simply stared at her, disoriented, as the strange, shifting landscape behind her wavered like a half-remembered dream. The vastness, the endless darkness, the overwhelming sense of insignificance—it all faded away, replaced by the comforting, surreal presence of the woman who now watched me with something bordering on amusement.
How did I get here? Had I failed? Had I even moved? Had anything truly happened? It felt like a lifetime had passed, and yet I had only blinked.
Her violet eyes gleamed, a knowing smile playing on her lips. She seemed almost... eager, waiting for me to say something, anything. What had just occurred?
The chair she had conjured for me was still there, the same intricate design, and the same comforting allure. Had I really sat there before? It felt as though the fabric of reality had slipped through my fingers.
I could still feel the dull ache in my core, the drained mana, and the unsettling hollowness left by the shadow's embrace. The shadows… I had slipped somewhere far away. I had become part of them, hadn't I?
And now, standing before her once again, I felt strangely distant from myself, as if I were no longer completely tethered to reality.
Her voice broke the silence, soft and laced with a subtle danger that sent a shiver up my spine.
"Oh, life so soon?" she repeated, her tone teasing, almost taunting. "You misstepped."
I didn't answer right away, still trying to make sense of the experience—everything. What had happened in that black expanse? My thoughts swirled in a chaotic storm, struggling to pull fragments of understanding together.
"You failed," she said flatly, her gaze sharp. "But not in the way you may think."
Her eyes flickered with something dangerous. "Oh, you think you failed the trial in the traditional sense, don't you?" She took another sip from her cup, letting the silence stretch between us. "But the trial isn't just about mastering Shadow Step. It's about—well, that's for you to find out."
My mind rang like a distant bell.
Her smile twisted, ever so slightly, like a whisper of something sinister. "You seem… troubled." she said, almost too softly. "Tell me, What did you feel in the void—The Eclipsed?"
I felt a cold prickling sensation race down my spine. Her words seemed to slither under my skin, I opened my mouth, but she spoke, answering her very own question.
"Dread. Distress. Confusion. A feeling of hopelessness."
"Everything you just experienced—" she continued, her voice darkening, "—was only a glimpse—a glimpse of what you will eventually face."
"The void—or rather, The Eclipsed will drive you insane. Just being in its very presence will make your skin crawl." The woman continued, gently swirling the cup.
"Each time you misstep, you may end up in a far shadow, or once again face to face with The Eclipsed. The Eclipsed feeds on your very being, seeking to consume you. You must either escape or face the consequences."
"I saved you this time," she said, her gaze turning colder. "But tonight, should you encounter The Eclipsed again... I won't be able to help."
Tonight? What was so special about tonight? I thought to myself, my mind finally starting to feel normal again.
But if what that woman says is true, if I were to go insane would it affect me even if I woke up?
Her words lingered in the air, wrapping themselves around my thoughts and tightening with each passing second. "The Eclipsed…" I muttered under my breath, still struggling to grasp the weight of what she had revealed.
Her violet eyes bore into mine, she didn't speak, she only watched, her gaze steady, almost pitiful.
The disorientation was still there, gnawing at the edges of my mind like a leech. That void, that pure blackness, had been suffocating.
I had questions—so many questions—but she raised a hand, silencing me with a casual wave.
"Nightfall is near, so rest."
She gestured to the chair across from her. "Or if you'd rather the floor, that's fine too."
Rest? With everything I had to ask, rest seemed impossible. "What's coming?" I asked, my voice tinged with urgency.
"A Darkling," she said, taking another sip from her cup before placing it down on the table. "Survive tonight, and we'll continue tomorrow."
Before standing, she paused, her eyes lingering on me for a moment longer. "Be conservative with your use of Shadow Step. Too much will drain your energy. Shadow Step will affect your physical as much as it does your mana."
She rose, her long violet-black hair swaying around her, before vanishing into thin air, leaving me in an overwhelming silence.
The silence was suffocating, thick like tar, pressing in from all sides. I glanced around, half-expecting her to reappear, but there was nothing—only the vast expanse of swirling stars overhead and the gorgeous, shifting landscape. The ground beneath me felt as though it were breathing, the shadows stretching like twisted tree branches overhead.
A Darkling? What was that? The word echoed in my mind, unsettling, and I knew I had to prepare for something.
Taking a look at the chair I decided the best course of action would be taking her advice and actually getting some rest, it would allow my core to recover and allow me to get a break.
I sat down getting cozy. Then, instinctively reached for my core, but the dull ache still lingered.
Every instinct screamed that I needed to prepare for whatever this Darkling thing was. I had no idea what I was dealing with, but she'd made it sound dangerous, something to be wary of.
Without her this place seemed so empty—lonely.
Shadows had been stretched out as long tree branches hung overhead and the area was filled with a calm breeze and seemingly pulling at the edges of my mind was my urge to use Shadow Step.
But I was in no shape to be playing around and the thought of getting some sleep had really dawned on me.
Getting as cozy as I could in the impossibly comfortable chair I felt an oddly satisfying wave of exhaustion overtake my body and I completely gave in.