The Awakening Of The Shadows
Chapter 53: The Dark Castle

Chapter 53: The Dark Castle

Lian stood before the grand gates of the castle, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him. He had the impression that he had been here before, but he didn’t know why.

He reached out toward the gates, but before his fingers could touch them, the massive doors began to open on their own, grinding against the stone with a deep, resonating sound. The exterior of the castle gave off a dark and ominous aura, yet the interior was warm and luxurious, reminiscent of castles from ancient times.

Lian stepped inside, remaining cautious, fearing that more of those monsters might be lurking in the shadows. As he walked through the corridors, a memory resurfaced, this was the same castle he had seen in his mind. His thoughts raced. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Or was Oblivion manipulating him?

Shaking off his doubts, he decided to focus on the present and made his way toward the same place he had seen in his vision, the prison of his hatred-fueled counterpart. He followed the path he had walked in his mind, his chest tightening with anxiety. He wasn’t sure what he expected to find, nor whether he truly wanted to see it.

When he arrived at the prison, he was stunned by what lay before him. A shiver ran down his spine at the sight.

The chains that had once secured the door were now shattered and scattered across the floor like abandoned bones. The massive doors of the prison were completely destroyed, as if something had torn them apart from the inside.

Lian stood frozen, staring at the broken chains littering the ground. The place exuded an eerie emptiness, not just the absence of life, but a void, as if something had been forcibly ripped away from existence itself.

A chill crept up his back. Whatever had been imprisoned here had possessed unimaginable strength to break free so violently.

He reached out and touched one of the ruined metal bars. The coldness seared his skin, but what truly unnerved him was the material’s resilience. Even as he pressed against it with his magic-enhanced strength, the metal did not bend or even creak.

"Whatever was in here..." he murmured through clenched teeth. "I don’t want to meet it."

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the prison.

The air inside was dense, heavy with something Lian couldn’t quite define. Every step he took echoed unnaturally down the narrow corridor ahead. The cell’s interior was much larger than it had seemed from the outside, as if the castle itself had been built to conceal something vast within.

He examined the wreckage of the destroyed doors. The way the cracks spread across the stone confirmed his suspicion, the destruction had come from within. The prisoner hadn’t simply escaped; they had exploded out of their confinement.

His throat felt dry.

Something was wrong with this place.

Then he noticed it.

At the back of the cell, where there should have been only walls and broken chains, there was something more.

A hole in the wall.

Lian narrowed his eyes and stepped closer. The opening was irregular, as if it had been clawed or forcefully carved into the stone. Beyond it, a staircase descended into darkness, a thick, pulsating darkness that almost felt alive.

Every instinct in him screamed not to go down.

But he already knew the answer.

If he was here, if Oblivion had brought him to this castle, then this was the path he had to follow.

Pulling his hood over his head, he stepped forward and descended.

With every step, the air grew colder. But it wasn’t an ordinary cold, like a winter night or a chill in the forest. It was deeper, an emptiness that seemed to leech the warmth from his very being.

The narrow walls of the underground passage were covered in ancient symbols, etched into the black stone like scars left by time. Lian ran his fingers over one of the carvings, feeling its rough texture.

He didn’t recognize the language, yet it felt strangely familiar.

Then he noticed the scattered phrases among the symbols.

Words he could understand.

"The Blade of Shadows is not a weapon, but a force of the universe."

"Darkness is both birth and death; it was never created, it has always existed."

"He who wields the shadows is not their master, but one with the darkness."

Lian’s breath quickened.

These words... Who had written them?

He pressed on, reading each new phrase as he descended further and further.

"He who succumbs to his true calling will lose everything he is."

"Shadows belong to no master."

"If he awakens completely, there will be no return. Demons are filled with greed and envy, they will take what you have. Do not trust them."

Lian’s heartbeat pounded in his ears.

Then, the voices came.

Soft at first, a faint whisper in the corners of his mind.

He stopped, frowning.

The sound grew louder.

It wasn’t just an echo.

The voices were speaking to him.

"You should not be here."

Lian froze.

He turned his head slowly, trying to locate the source.

But there was nothing.

Nothing but the darkness ahead.

The words on the walls seemed to waver before his eyes. The corridor ahead felt narrower, as though it were closing in around him.

"You are getting too close."

He swallowed hard.

Still, he moved forward, ignoring the pressure tightening around his chest.

"The bearer must never become one with the blade."

The voice was inside him now.

Lian halted, closing his eyes for a moment.

He couldn’t tell if these voices were a warning... or a threat.

But there was one thing he knew for certain.

He had to keep going.

So, without looking back, he pressed on, descending deeper into the heart of the castle’s abyss.

"He will deceive you and kill you."

"You are weak and insignificant. The shadows will consume you."

"You are nothing but a useless pawn in this game."

The voices filled his mind as he neared the exit, each word hammering into his skull. It wasn’t just his thoughts they were attacking, he could feel them clawing at his very soul.

Lian ran.

As soon as he emerged from the prison, the voices began to fade.

Breathing heavily, he leaned against the shattered doorway, his head pounding from the lingering echoes.

Then, a final whisper reached his ears.

"You should not have entered so soon."