Chapter 13: Dance of The Shadow

"MY NAME IS VEDEL OF THE HOUSE JENARU, AND I WILL FIGHT TILL THE END!"

With those words on his lips, he ventured into the most pivotal moment of his life.

He was painfully aware of his slim chances, armed with nothing more than a knife, his unyielding determination, and the ancestral name he bore.

The Jenaru House, once a cornerstone of the Empire, had been renowned for generations for its wealth of magical wisdom and martial prowess. And now, he stood as the last torchbearer of that legacy, facing its ultimate demise. Though he found calling himself that pretentious.

"The family's fate was sealed the moment I failed to become a true mage," he sighed.

Despite receiving the full breadth of his family's education, the spark of magical talent had eluded him, only granting him minor Magic Potential. He had excelled as a swordsman, unrivaled in skill and physical prowess, but in the eyes of his lineage, a swordsman could never compare to a formidable mage. As a result, he had been cast out, stripped of his inheritance, and erased from their records.

No longer a member of the family, he stood alone, the sole survivor. Three years after his expulsion, a tragic accident razed their ancestral manor, claiming the lives of every family member.

Ironically, he now invoked the name that had once been his lifeline, only after he had forsaken it, all in a desperate bid to make his impending death meaningful.

He had been granted a reprieve after relinquishing his name, and now destiny had come to collect its final toll, consigning the remnants of the Jenaru household to the annals of history.

"Ruen, Alicia, If you can somehow hear me, I'm sorry that my secret must remain as such to you for all eternity. Forgive me, please." A tear rolled down his face.

Vedel raised his blade before him and adopted a combat-ready posture. Though it took him longer than in his prime, and his form was noticeably less agile, the cloaked men could perceive a shift in his demeanor. Instead of the feeble human who had cowered on the ground moments earlier, they now faced a resolute warrior willing to lay down his life, and take as many of them as he could with him.

The men didn't offer him even a moment's respite, closing in from various angles and thrusting their weapons at his seemingly vulnerable form.

To his trained, albeit somewhat rusty, eye, their attacks appeared telegraphed. They possessed immense strength but lacked agility or any feigned maneuvers. With swiftness, he parried the halberd of the first assailant, diverting it onto the sword of the man standing beside him.

In a deft move, he adjusted his grip on the knife to a reverse hold and struck at the enemy positioned behind him. The cloaked figure, in the midst of raising his axe for a lethal strike, was suddenly seized by a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down to find the diminutive blade protruding from his chest, beating in unison with his heart.

The wielder of the axe remained momentarily frozen in shock, affording Vedel a brief opening to disarm him and seize the weapon. Now equipped with the axe, he pivoted and lunged at the spear-wielding fourth assailant. With a deft swing, he severed the spearhead, rendering the man with nothing but a useless stick.

Just as he was about to shift his focus, an icy, piercing pain coursed through his abdomen. Startled, he glanced down to discover the sword's tip protruding through his stomach.

A crimson fountain of blood poured out onto the ground. His vision darkened and his grip on the axe loosened.

He fell down on his knees, his hands grabbing his abdomen.

"It's over, I failed." He sputtered before his head hit the ground and everything. turned dark.

******

The entity confined within the cage observed the entire skirmish with intense curiosity. The insignificant human had captured its interest, for the man's spirit reminded the entity of its own past, before it had transformed into the monstrous abomination it was now.

No affection was harbored for its captors. They saw it as some form of deity, seeking to exploit its powers. The entity, however, harbored different intentions. It had genuinely wished for the human to win the battle, yet fate, as it so often did, had chosen to thwart its hopes.

The creature, ancient and weary of listening to the whims of fate, resolved to seize control of its destiny. Gathering its formidable powers, it shattered the confines of its cage, releasing shards of obsidian in every direction.

The creature assumed a human guise, its features perpetually veiled by the enigmatic shadows composing its form. It slowly approached Vedel, retrieving the discarded axe and then, turning toward the cloaked figures, it initiated a relentless assault.

******

Vedel was awakened by the cacophony of screams and the grim sight of blood splatters. Gritting his teeth against the pain coursing through his body, he cautiously opened his eyes. The nightmarish scene unfolding before him sent chills down his spine.

A spectral figure, weaving in and out of existence, was leaving a trail of carnage in its wake. Disjointed body parts showered the cave floor as the shadowy entity tore through the cloaked assailants. The cave's own wall-cast shadows seemed to join the macabre ballet, aiding the relentless creature in its brutal onslaught. Grinning, predatory visages emerged from the encroaching darkness all around, their wolvish smiles revealing a malevolent pleasure akin to a predator toying with its prey.

In less than a minute, the gruesome slaughter concluded. The spectral entity briefly cast a glance in Vedel's direction before vanishing from the caves at breakneck speed.

Vedel summoned his last reserves of determination. He dipped his finger into the pool of blood pooling beneath his body. With deliberate, steady movements, he raised his arm and inscribed a final message on the cave wall.

"Heed my warning, for a Monster has awoken."