I stood still, staring into the shifting shadows around me.
A memory.
That word felt like a knife slipped between my ribs.
Most people feared losing their past.
I had already lost mine.
Everything before I turned seven was gone. Blurred out. Nothing but faint feelings and phantom warmth. I knew my parents were dead—at least, that's what I'd always been told. But I didn't know how. I didn't know why.
And I hated that.
I clenched my fists. There was a burn in my chest, something old and aching. Not anger. Not grief. Something worse.
Emptiness.
I sat still, staring at the dark horizon. The silence pressed against my chest like a weight. I didn't know why, but something inside whispered to call it.
"Shadow Key," I said quietly.
It appeared, just like that—floating before me. Cold, dim, and made of something darker than shadow.
The Hex echoed:
[Shadow Key is responding to the owner's wish.]
The key pulsed.
[Temporal Release: Unseal one trait.]
It was the first enchantment of the Key. Its description was hidden.
Why was it…?
The Hex rang again:
[Will you use it?]
I looked at it for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."
Wisps of faint black light drifted from the Key and entered my body, sinking deep—like something returning home.
[Trait Unlocked: Shadow Devour.]
I exhaled, my chest heavy. One step closer. One memory, maybe. Just one… and I could finally remember.
I hoped with all my heart that it would be a combat trait.
A twisted howl tore through the silence—a sound too broken to belong to anything living. The trees bent back as if recoiling from what came next.
It burst from the shadows like a nightmare that had been waiting for this exact moment.
Charred skin peeled back over exposed muscle. Limbs too long. Eyes like hollow pits leaking smoke.
It didn't crawl.
It sprinted.
Straight at me.
The shadows around me scattered.
I froze.
My body moved before I could think. I turned and ran.
Branches clawed at my arms, my face. The ground cracked under every step. My heart slammed against my ribs—faster than it ever had. I could hear it behind me, its wheezing breath growing closer, closer—
I tripped, hit the ground, scrambled up.
The Spawn howled again. My legs ached, lungs burned, but I didn't stop.
Just as despair began to creep in, I stumbled upon a lake. Its surface was unnaturally still, like a sheet of polished obsidian reflecting the darkness above. At the center of the lake, partially submerged in the inky water, lay a rusted blade. Its hilt was wrapped in tattered leather, faint engravings barely visible.
I took a step forward.
Then it came.
No warning. No sound.
It burst from the trees—skin black as burnt flesh, fire burning in its hollow eyes. No thoughts. No soul. Just hunger.
It slammed into me.
I hit the lake. Cold. Heavy. My chest ached.
I forced myself up, water clinging to my skin as I gasped for breath.
It was coming.
I ran.
My legs moved on instinct. The blade was my only thought. I reached it, heart pounding, and grabbed the hilt.
It crumbled in my hand.
A burst of light blinded the darkness. The creature stopped, screeched, and retreated into the shadows.
Then the Hex echoed:
[You have received a Chronicle.]
I focused my will on it.
A slick longsword appeared in my palm. It was heavy—really heavy.
It pulsed with quiet power. Not clean. Not pure. But real.
The creature came again. This time, its eyes held a flicker of fear. I didn't know why—but I didn't have time to think.
I met it head-on.
Swinging with all my might—
The blade sank into its flesh without resistance.
The Hex rang, putting my heart at ease:
[You have slain: Twilight Spawn, Blackened
Soul]