The Queen of Shadows loomed above us, her form shrouded in an amorphous mass of writhing darkness, as though the night itself bent to her will. Her glowing crimson eyes pierced through the blackness, locking onto our group like a predator sizing up its prey.
Apollo tightened his grip on his axe, the veins in his arms pulsing with the rage magic that infused his abilities. He muttered a quick incantation, his aura flaring to life in a fiery blaze as he activated his buffs. Ravok knelt briefly, driving his massive shield into the ground as a radiant golden glow enveloped him, signaling the activation of his regeneration and defensive passives. Beside him, Mira clutched her staff tightly, a radiant halo of holy energy radiating outward as she invoked her most potent blessings.
I focused inward, channeling the dark energy that fueled my abilities. I activated Dark Pact: Stamina Drain, Mana Drain, HP Drain, feeling the unholy power surge into my weapon. My sword pulsed with a sickly, iridescent glow, an extension of my will. I knew the risks, but with my drains active, my own lifelines were secure, no matter what damage I took.
She was too far for me to hit directly—yet. My mind raced, piecing together a plan. If I could use the trees to gain height and activate Sky Walk, a fusion ability that would let me stay in midair, I could strike her directly and disrupt her summoning. But before I could share my thoughts, Apollo’s voice cut through the tense silence.
“She’ll descend quickly,” he began, his tone sharp and commanding. “When she does, she’ll summon Scorpion Spiders—batches of five at a time. Don’t bother with them. Focus all your attacks on her to interrupt her summoning. The spiders will disappear if we keep her disrupted. Watch out for her Weakening Aura—you’ll know when it activates. It’ll slow you, drain your strength, and cut your defenses.”
He paused, his gaze landing squarely on me. “This is your first time here, Astraeus, so listen carefully. Once her HP drops to 50%, Phase 2 will start. She’ll transform into her melee form and switch to close-range combat. Stay sharp.”
“What does she drop?” I asked, smirking as I finished prepping my abilities.
“Verdant Crystals,” Ravok rumbled, his shield gleaming as he straightened to his full height. “And probably the rest of what you need.”
I grinned, my confidence swelling. “Excellent. Let’s do this.”
The Queen’s laugh echoed again, but this time it was sharper, more guttural, as though she were amused by our defiance. Without warning, she descended like a streak of black lightning, the sheer force of her presence causing the ground to quake. Her arrival was heralded by the appearance of Scorpion Spiders, their grotesque, armored bodies skittering into view, claws clicking menacingly.
“Focus on her!” Apollo roared, charging forward, his axe blazing with elemental fury. He swung with precision, each strike aimed to disrupt her summoning. Ravok moved to his side, his shield absorbing the Queen’s retaliatory strikes.
The spiders rushed toward Mira and Selene, but Mira’s Automatic Smite triggered, radiant bolts of holy light slamming into the advancing creatures. They screeched, momentarily stunned, giving Selene time to unleash a barrage of arrows.
I darted to the side, weaving through the chaos. The Queen’s towering form loomed above, her limbs slashing downward in sweeping arcs that forced Apollo and Ravok to adapt quickly. I leapt onto the nearest tree, activating Sky Walk. The ability propelled me upward, each step on the air leaving a ripple of dark energy in my wake.
As I reached her, I unleashed Arcanic Blast, the spell slamming into her chest with a satisfying burst of shadowy energy. The Queen shrieked, her summoning circle flickering as my attack disrupted her concentration.
“Keep hitting her!” Apollo shouted, his axe colliding with one of her limbs in a burst of sparks.
The Queen retaliated, her Weakening Aura flaring to life. A wave of oppressive energy washed over us, and I felt my movements slow, my strength sapped. My drains counteracted the worst of the effect, but I could see Apollo staggering slightly, his swings losing their usual speed.
Mira raised her staff, chanting quickly. A burst of holy light enveloped us, temporarily negating the aura’s effects. “That’s the best I can do! Keep going!” she called.
The Queen’s HP bar dropped steadily, her shrieks growing more frenzied as we hammered her with coordinated attacks.
When her health reached the halfway mark, she froze mid-motion. The forest fell silent, an unnatural stillness blanketing the battlefield. Then, her form began to shift. The amorphous shadow coalesced, condensing into a sleek, armored figure with bladed limbs that gleamed like obsidian.
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“She’s transformed!” Apollo warned, retreating briefly to assess her new form.
The Queen lunged forward with terrifying speed, her melee attacks a blur. Ravok intercepted her, his shield barely holding against her onslaught. Sparks flew as her blades clashed against his defenses.
I dropped back to the ground, landing beside Apollo. “What’s the plan now?”
“Same as before,” he said, hefting his axe. “Hit her hard and fast. Mira, keep Ravok alive. Selene, aim for the joints in her armor. Astraeus, keep disrupting her with curses and drains.”
I nodded, gripping my sword tightly. “Got it.”
As the fight raged on, our coordination became second nature, each of us playing our roles to perfection. The Queen’s attacks grew more frantic as her HP dwindled, her movements losing the precision they had in the beginning.
In one final, desperate attack, she unleashed a whirlwind of shadowy blades, forcing all of us to retreat. But Ravok, ever the tank, stood firm, absorbing the brunt of the damage.
“Now!” Apollo roared, and we surged forward as one, unleashing a final barrage of attacks.
My sword found its mark, plunging into the Queen’s core as dark energy surged through her. She let out a deafening screech before collapsing, her massive form disintegrating into wisps of shadow.
The battlefield fell silent, and the tension finally eased. A chest materialized where the Queen had fallen, its glow signaling the end of the fight.
“Verdant Crystals,” Ravok said, grinning as he opened it.
“And a well-earned victory,” Apollo added, his voice tinged with pride.
I couldn’t help but smile. The Queen of Shadows had been a formidable opponent, but we’d proven we were even stronger. I had what I needed but as Apollo looked at me it was decided that we call it a night, roaming here for hours had the fatigue set in. We returned to the Coiled City and entered the tavern and logged out.
I took the headset off and a message appeared on my phone
"Hey, we never properly thanked you for the assist... So thanks, we are sending you a code for early access to Isles of Destiny, we want you to see it first hand... As thanks. -Sato" I felt as if this was some kind of nepotism after assiting Sato with that Ascension nonsense. I deleted the message and went to sleep, though the unease it left me with lingered in the back of my mind. My dreams were restless—shattered fragments of the game, of those red eyes staring through the mist, and of the Ascended's twisted faces. When I awoke the next morning, sunlight barely filtered through the curtains, casting pale streaks across my cluttered apartment. My phone buzzed on the nightstand, but something was off.
The screen flickered erratically, lines of static running across it. The corners of the display were corrupted with dead pixels, a shadowy mosaic creeping inward. A message abruptly appeared in the middle of the screen:
"I said we would meet again. This time, I think we should meet in person so I can gauge the kind of man you are."
The text seemed to shimmer unnaturally, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. My chest tightened. Whoever this was, they had crossed a line. I grabbed the phone, my hands shaking, and felt a pang of rising dread as the text distorted and twisted, repeating itself over and over. I didn’t hesitate. I ripped the back of the phone open, yanking out the SiM card with more force than necessary, then headed straight to the kitchen.
The sink gurgled as I ran cold water, tossing the phone under the stream. I watched as the circuits fizzed and popped, the screen going black. The SiM card followed, snapped in half between my fingers. I didn’t care how much money I’d wasted—better a destroyed phone than a compromised one. The thought of someone watching me, tracking me, sent shivers down my spine.
Still, the unease lingered. If they could hack my phone, what else could they access? My EternaLink? My online accounts? My apartment felt suffocating. I needed air.
I threw on a hoodie and left, locking the door behind me. The streets outside were loud and bustling with the usual chaos of the city. Horns blared, vendors called out their wares, and pedestrians pushed past one another. It felt almost surreal, as if the noise of the world clashed violently with the silence inside my head.
Every shadow seemed to stretch longer than it should. Every passing glance from strangers felt scrutinizing. Paranoia seeped into my bones as I made my way to the electronics store, the weight of unseen eyes pressing on me with each step.
The store was a small, dimly lit corner shop crammed with every gadget imaginable. The shopkeeper, an older man with sharp eyes, barely looked up from his newspaper as I entered.
"Looking for something specific?" he asked gruffly.
"Yeah, I need a new phone. Something secure. And no... apps or features I don’t need," I said, keeping my voice steady.
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask questions. "Over here," he said, leading me to a shelf lined with basic models—ones designed for privacy-conscious buyers.
"This one’s barebones. No GPS, no browser, just calls and texts," he said, holding up a compact device that looked almost archaic compared to modern smartphones.
"Perfect," I muttered, pulling out cash to avoid leaving a digital trail.
The shopkeeper took my money and handed over the phone without ceremony. "Word of advice," he said as I turned to leave. "If you’re worried about privacy, stay off the grid altogether. These things aren’t as secure as people think."
I nodded, clutching the phone tightly as I stepped back out into the chaos of the street. A cold wind swept past me, raising goosebumps on my skin. I glanced over my shoulder more times than I cared to admit as I walked back to my apartment. Every alley seemed darker, every passerby a potential threat. The city no longer felt like home—it felt like a hunting ground, and I wasn’t sure if I was the predator or the prey.
When I finally returned to the safety of my apartment, I double-checked the locks and dropped the new phone onto the counter. For the first time in years, I felt a strange disconnection from the digital world I had come to rely on.
Sitting on the edge of my bed, I stared at the EternaLink headset resting on my desk. It was still there, waiting for me. The game always waited, and now it felt as if the line between the virtual and real was blurring in ways I couldn’t control.
Whoever had sent that message wasn’t done with me. That much was clear.