| |
The wind howled through the broken walls of Emberhold as Jonah and Rian stumbled back into the settlement. Their faces were streaked with dirt and sweat, their eyes hollow with exhaustion. The whispers from the chapel still clung to Jonah’s mind, curling around his thoughts like smoke.
Kael was waiting at the gates, her face tight with worry. “You’re back,” she said, her voice low. “What happened?”
Jonah dismounted his horse, his legs trembling. “The chapel—it wasn’t just ruins. Something was there, Kael. Something connected to Draven. And it’s still watching us.”
Kael’s brow furrowed, her eyes darting to Rian, who gave a curt nod in agreement. “It spoke to us,” Rian said hoarsely. “It said the shadows are still spreading. That Draven was only the beginning.”
Silence fell over them, the weight of the revelation pressing heavily on their shoulders.
Kael exhaled slowly. “If the shadows are spreading, we need to prepare. Emberhold won’t survive if we’re caught unprepared.”
Jonah nodded, his voice steady despite the fear clawing at his chest. “We can’t hide from this. We have to face it.”
The days that followed were filled with frantic preparation. Jonah worked alongside Kael and Rian, reinforcing Emberhold’s walls, organizing supplies, and training volunteers to defend the settlement.
But the whispers never stopped.
At night, Jonah would lie awake in his cot, listening to the faint, distant murmurs carried on the wind. They felt closer now, sharper, as though they were calling out to him specifically.
On the third night, Kael found Jonah standing on the outer wall, staring into the darkness beyond the settlement.
“You hear them, don’t you?” she asked softly.
Jonah nodded. “They’re getting louder. Whatever’s out there, it’s coming closer.”
Kael rested a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve carried so much already, Jonah. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Jonah turned to her, his face shadowed by the flickering torchlight. “I don’t think I have a choice, Kael. I was part of this from the moment I stepped into that fortress. Draven... whatever he was trying to awaken, it still has its claws in me.”
Kael’s eyes softened, but she said nothing.
The next morning, a scout burst into Emberhold, breathless and pale. “They’re coming!” he gasped. “From the north—the shadows—they’re moving!”
Jonah felt his stomach drop. The time had run out.
Kael stood atop a makeshift platform in the settlement square, her voice carrying over the crowd. “Listen to me! The Dominion’s darkness isn’t gone. It’s coming for us, and it won’t stop until it consumes everything. But we are not weak. We are not broken. We will fight, and we will stand!”
The crowd roared in response, fists raised, voices united in defiance.
Jonah felt something stir in his chest—a fragile ember of hope.
Rian approached him, a crude sword strapped to his side. “We’re with you, Jonah. Whatever happens, we’ll stand together.”
Jonah gripped Rian’s arm firmly. “Thank you, Rian. Let’s make this count.”
As twilight descended, the horizon turned an unnatural shade of red. The sky seemed to bleed as the shadows approached, moving like a living tide across the cracked earth.
Jonah stood atop the wall, his hand resting on the hilt of a dagger. Kael and Rian stood beside him, their faces lit by flickering torchlight.
The shadows were closer now. Jonah could see faint shapes within them—twisted figures, hollow eyes, elongated limbs. And above them, faint whispers carried on the wind, words Jonah couldn’t fully understand.
But one word stood out clearly.
“Jonah.”
The whisper slithered across his mind, sharp and cold.
Jonah’s breath caught in his throat.
“They know I’m here,” he said quietly.
Kael’s hand tightened on her bow. “Then we make sure they regret coming.”
The first wave of creatures emerged from the shadows, their shapes barely solid, their limbs writhing as they moved. Their hollow eyes glowed faintly in the gloom.
“Hold the line!” Kael shouted.
Arrows flew, swords clashed, and the air was filled with the cries of battle.
Jonah moved through the chaos, his dagger flashing as he struck down a creature lunging toward a young soldier. Its form collapsed into wisps of black smoke as it died.
But more came.
The shadows kept advancing, relentless and unyielding.
Amidst the chaos, Jonah caught sight of something in the distance—a figure standing motionless at the edge of the battlefield. Its silhouette was sharp, its robes flowing like liquid shadow.
It was watching him.
Jonah felt its gaze like ice in his veins.
“Kael!” he shouted over the din. “There’s something out there—something leading them!”
Kael followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing. “Then we cut off the head of the snake.”
Jonah nodded, his resolve hardening. “Cover me. I’m going after it.”
Before Kael could protest, Jonah broke away from the defensive line and sprinted into the field of shadows.
The whispers grew louder with every step, clawing at his mind, pulling at the edges of his thoughts.
The figure waited, unmoving, its hollow eyes fixed on him.
Jonah gripped his dagger tightly, his heart hammering in his chest.
The whispers coalesced into a single voice—one he hadn’t heard since the fortress.
“Jonah... you cannot escape me.”
It was Draven’s voice.
Jonah froze, his dagger trembling in his hand.
But then, somewhere deep within him, he heard another voice.
Elara’s voice.
“Don’t let him break you, Jonah.”
Jonah’s grip tightened on the dagger, his fear crystallizing into fury.
With a roar, he lunged at the shadowy figure, his blade flashing in the crimson light.
And the world erupted into chaos.