As the two continued their discussion, the air around them began to vibrate with a strange energy. The color swirls of the Otherworld intensified, and a strange blur in midair alerted them to what was happening beyond the veil. The temporal fault from which the monsters came had opened, like a wound in the very fabric of reality. From that rift, new monsters began to emerge, grotesque and deformed creatures.
Shirei, with just one look, understood the gravity of the situation.
“There they are… damned orcs,” the ex-demigod said contemptuously.
Shirei turned to look at him and stretched out a hand towards him: “I can give you the revenge you deserve, if you wish.”
“Should I side with the gods?”
“No, take mine.”
The son of Aor narrowed his eyes, “The way you're telling me this is scary. What do you have in mind?”
“I will give you an immortal body, insensitive to pain and free from tiredness.”
“You will make me one of your dark creatures.”
Reno, as a ghost, could neither swallow nor sweat, but if he had been alive he certainly would have done so.
“A-and what do you want…” the offer seemed too good to be true, “What would you like in return?”
The demigod's violet eyes glinted with a sinister light. Reno felt he was one step away from a new life, an eternal journey that he was definitely not ready for. He was scared but, at the same time, he was extremely attracted to those fingers.
“Fight by my side.”
The son of Aor stared at the hand in silence.
He was dead, killed by creatures he had to fight. He had faced battles his entire life, only to see the next day. The alternative of eternal rest was not a bad one, after all he could wander anywhere and see anything.
Shirei's outstretched hand, however, was calling to him almost magnetically.
He wanted to fight, he felt the need to be on his side.
“On one condition,” he managed to say before touching Cragar's son, “When this battle is over and I have had my revenge on these cursed orcs, I want to be set free. I will never serve the gods.”
Shirei didn't answer, he just nodded and held out her fingers towards the ghost. The monsters were about to reach them, a sign that the time to ponder the choice was over.
Reno looked up blankly at Shirei. There was no hesitation in his eyes, just a renewed determination.
“Make me one of your shadows,” the ghost replied, in a whisper that sounded like an echo, “I accept.”
Shirei held out his hand toward Reno, and the ghost did the same. As soon as their fingers touched, a deep darkness emerged from nowhere, like a liquid shadow that crawled and wrapped itself around Reno's ghostly body. The darkness, alive and pulsating, enveloped the ghost with sinuous movements, enclosing him in a cocoon of darkness. As it grew denser and denser, Reno's ethereal body began to change. The ghostly light that composed it merged with the darkness, and from the shadows a new form was born.
Stolen story; please report.
The new demigod's skin was a deep black, like the starless night. The eyes lit up with an intense, almost incandescent light, like two burning embers in the darkness. A cloak of pitch-colored fabric formed around his shoulders, billowing and billowing like black smoke in the wind. When the darkness dissipated, Reno was no longer the ghost of a demigod killed by orcs, but a new creature, forged by the darkness.
One of Shirei’s tenebrae..
His presence had become alive, filled with a dark and unstoppable power. Shirei observed his work with a mixture of satisfaction and sadness, knowing that Reno's new form would no longer be free of its own will.
“Reno,” Shirei said, his tone solemn, “Now, are you ready to fight? Together, we will face all the hordes and carry out our mission.”
The shadow tilted its head in respect, the light of its eyes shining blankly. The world around them seemed to whisper in approval, as the two demigods, now inextricably linked by darkness, left that ghostly realm.
The former son of Aor, shrouded in darkness, observed his lord with new eyes, of one who admired what he had never known. Inside, the tenebrae struggled to understand its new existence. The transformation had been swift and powerful, but the consequences unfolded slowly, like shadows lengthening into an infinite sunset. He felt an unshakable obligation to follow the will of his sovereign.
Shirei, with his solemn bearing and cool mind, wielded an authority that Reno could not ignore. He had heard of the dark general's terrifying power, of the legends they told in the Abyss, of how he had summoned darkness to annihilate entire armies. He never imagined that that power would be used on him, to awaken him from the dead and transform him into something completely different.
He was no longer human, nor a demigod, he had become a tiny piece of something even bigger.
His skin black as night and his eyes glowing were a good reminder of his metamorphosis. He had maintained his conscience and will, but he felt he had lost something fundamental, what was intimately his.
Perhaps humanity, or perhaps that vital spark that seemed suffocated by the shadows. His mind was crowded with conflicting thoughts. On the one hand, there was a sense of gratitude towards Cragar's son for giving him a second chance, a new purpose. On the other hand, a deep melancholy assailed him, regret for the life he would never know again. The memories of challenges faced with courage, of emotions, of fear.
Everything seemed distant, shrouded in an impenetrable fog. Yet, a new force flowed within him, a dark power he had never imagined possible. He felt the mana respond to his commands, heard the murmur of the Interworld in his ears. That strength, though alien, gave him a sense of invincibility. Reno knew he had changed forever. He could never go back, he could no longer be the demigod he once was. He had to accept that new identity and find a way to live with it. He had a new role to play, and he would do it with everything he had left. He wanted revenge for his own death. He would exterminate the orcs.
With one last look at Shirei, the tenebrae prepared to embrace its destiny.
The shadows around Cragar's son began to swirl. With a firm wave of his hand, he summoned his ghostly harpies, winged creatures with sharp claws and pitch-black wings. The harpies materialized with a shrill caw, ready to launch themselves against the new enemies.
Shirei charged, in a whirlwind of movement and darkness. The harpies, following his command, pounced on the monsters, tearing flesh and bone with their deadly claws. The creatures' screams mingled with the sounds of combat, creating a cacophony of terror and destruction. Despite the harpies' prowess, new monsters continued to appear from the time rift. Shirei, without wasting a moment, stretched his shoulders and took a deep breath. He knew the battle would be long and arduous, but the divine blood flowing through his veins was a sign that he was ready for it.
Every fiber of his being was ready for battle, every muscle tense, every thought focused on victory. Shirei's last thought, before entering the fray, went to Marina. Her image formed clearly in his mind: her bright blue eyes, the sweet smile, the promise that he would return as soon as possible. With that vision as his guide, Shirei charged at the monsters, wielding his dark power with unstoppable calm.
The battle raged, but Shirei knew he would have to fight to clear that place quickly, no monster, nothing would stop him.
A war was coming and he would make sure to be the one to win it.