The fog twisted between the trees like ghostly fingers as Aric pressed forward on the narrow trail through the Forgotten Isles. The air was thick with tension, a foreboding atmosphere that clung to everything around him. Mount Morris, his destination, loomed in the distance, its dark silhouette barely visible through the mist. The cursed peak seemed to call to him, a constant reminder of the challenge ahead.

Hours had passed since he left the fortress, and the isolation of the Isles gnawed at him. The silence was unnerving, broken only by the crunch of his boots on dead leaves and the occasional rustle in the distance. He kept his chain at the ready, the familiar pulse of Khaos thrumming in his veins. Though he could not unleash its full power without risking devastation, he knew the bursts he could control would be enough to handle any threats—he hoped.

Suddenly, a sound caught his attention. A rustle, heavier than the wind, coming from the trees. Aric halted, his hand instinctively reaching for his chain. His senses sharpened, and he felt the unmistakable presence of something... watching him.

The mist thickened unnaturally, and the temperature dropped. Aric narrowed his eyes, scanning the treeline, his pulse quickening. His hand tightened around the chain, letting just a trace of Khaos energy seep into it. The blackish-grey energy swirled around the links, alive with a quiet hum of power.

A figure emerged from the fog, twisted and grotesque, humanoid but deformed. Its limbs were too long, its skin a sickly grey marred with black patches of corrupted flesh. Its eyes glowed with a faint, eerie light, and its mouth hung open in a silent, agonized scream.

An Aberration.

The creature lunged without warning, faster than Aric expected. He flicked his wrist, sending the chain flying through the air. The links coiled around the creature’s arm with a crack, a burst of Khaos energy surging through the chain. With a sharp pull, Aric yanked the Aberration to the ground, slamming it into the dirt.

But it didn’t stay down.

The Aberration twisted, its claws scraping at the ground as it tried to rise. Aric gritted his teeth. Something about this creature was wrong—more powerful than any Aberration he had heard of. He could sense a darkness within it, far beyond what was normal for such creatures.

The Aberration broke free of the chain and rushed him again. Aric sidestepped the attack, swinging his sword in a wide arc to catch the creature across its torso. The blade cut deep, but instead of blood, thick black ooze spilled from the wound. The Aberration screeched in pain, its glowing eyes flaring brighter.

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Aric's heart pounded. This thing wasn’t just an Aberration. Its strength, its resilience... it was something far worse. He stepped back, raising his chain as the creature began to change, its body elongating and warping into something even more grotesque.

“It must be Him,” Aric muttered, a sinking feeling in his chest. “But why so soon?”

The creature’s form twisted further, its flesh bubbling and splitting open, revealing more of the black, corrupted mass beneath. It wasn’t just an Aberration. It was a Blight.

Aric’s breath hitched. A Blight was a true horror—far more powerful and intelligent than any Aberration. These monsters only appeared once every century, and their arrival heralded devastation. And now, one stood before him.

The Blight let out a deafening roar, shaking the very air around it. Aric felt the force of it in his bones, but he didn’t retreat. He couldn’t afford to. He swung his chain again, sending a controlled burst of Khaos energy through it. The blackish-grey tendrils wrapped around the Blight’s neck, crackling with energy, but the creature only staggered back for a moment before tearing itself free.

Aric clenched his jaw. He couldn't unleash the full power of Khaos. If he did, the resulting implosion would level the entire area, destroying everything—including himself. But even the bursts he could release were proving difficult against the Blight. He needed to be strategic.

The Blight charged, its claws slashing through the air. Aric dodged, his movements fluid as he let the chain whip around the creature’s leg, pulling it off balance. The Blight screeched again, swinging its arm wildly, but Aric was faster, delivering another burst of Khaos that sent the creature crashing into a tree.

The impact was enough to buy Aric a moment to regroup. He focused, channeling just enough Khaos into his chain to keep it deadly but controlled. The blackish-grey energy flickered around the links as he circled the Blight, looking for an opening. He couldn’t afford to let this drag on for much longer—Blights were relentless, and their power only grew as they fed on the corruption around them.

The Blight lunged again, and this time, Aric was ready. With a swift movement, he lashed the chain around the creature’s arm and pulled, hard. The burst of Khaos energy surged through the chain, ripping the Blight’s arm clean off. The creature let out a horrid wail, black ooze gushing from the wound, but it didn’t stop.

It never stopped.

With a snarl, the Blight’s remaining arm swiped at him, forcing Aric to backpedal. He swung his sword, catching the creature’s chest, but it was barely a scratch. He needed to end this now.

With a deep breath, Aric summoned another burst of Khaos, more powerful than the previous ones but still controlled. The energy crackled along the chain, and with one final, precise strike, he lashed it around the Blight’s neck, pulling tight. The blackish-grey tendrils of Khaos constricted, seeping into the Blight’s flesh and burning through its corrupted body.

The creature let out a final, blood-curdling scream before its body crumbled to ash, the remnants of its dark form dissolving into the air.

Aric staggered back, breathing heavily. His chest ached from where the Blight had landed a few blows, but the wounds were shallow. He had survived.

For now.

The forest was quiet once again, the oppressive presence of the Blight gone, but the threat still lingered in Aric’s mind. If Blights were already forming here, the situation on the Forgotten Isles was far worse than anyone had anticipated.

Aric wiped the sweat from his brow, sheathing his sword as he glanced at the looming shadow of Mount Morris in the distance. The journey ahead was going to be even more dangerous than he’d imagined. But he wasn’t about to turn back now.

With one last glance at the ashes of the Blight, Aric continued down the path, his thoughts already turning to the next challenge.