The Awakening Of The Shadows
Chapter 54: The Shadow Ancestor

Chapter 54: The Shadow Ancestor

Lian was still trying to catch his breath, leaning against the wreckage of the broken door, when he heard a voice ahead of him. Unlike the others that had haunted him since his arrival at that castle, this one was not a distorted whisper trying to devour his sanity. It was firm, deep, and carried a weight he couldn’t define.

"You shouldn’t have entered so soon."

Lian immediately lifted his head, his eyes scanning the room. His hand instinctively tried to summon Oblivion, but nothing happened.

His heart beat faster.

Oblivion... was silent.

He felt an emptiness inside him. As if the sword, or whatever it truly was, had disappeared. Even though he could still use his shadows to fight, not having Oblivion’s presence left a void in his soul. Lian didn’t like this feeling; he didn’t want to be dependent on something he didn’t even understand.

The voice chuckled softly.

"You still don’t trust me, boy?"

Lian clenched his fists and took a step back, feeling every fiber of his body alert him to the presence of something powerful nearby. His eyes moved from side to side, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice.

"Show yourself."

Silence answered first. Then, the darkness in the corner of the room stirred.

A figure emerged from the shadows, flowing like a specter before solidifying. He wore a black cloak adorned with ancient symbols, similar to the ones carved into the walls of the underground corridor. His face remained hidden beneath a hood, but as he approached, Lian could see his eyes, a deep purple glow, identical to Oblivion’s.

"You still don’t understand, do you?" The stranger’s voice was calm, almost friendly, but there was something in it that made every muscle in Lian’s body tense.

"Who are you?" Lian asked, not lowering his guard. "And why should I trust anything related to this place?"

The man chuckled softly.

"Good question. The fact that you question it already puts you above most fools who came before you."

Lian narrowed his eyes. "Before me?"

"Yes. You are not the first to wield Oblivion."

The air around him suddenly felt heavier.

"And I... was one of those who came before."

A chill ran down Lian’s spine.

"You’re lying." Lian knew the man was lying, everyone who wielded the sword eventually went insane and died. That was the fate of those who bore this power. That was his fate.

The man tilted his head slightly.

"I wish it were a lie."

Lian remained motionless, every part of him screaming not to trust this being.

"If you were truly a wielder of Oblivion, then tell me..." Lian narrowed his eyes. "What happened to you?"

The man sighed and raised his hand.

Lian felt the world around him shift.

The stranger’s shadow expanded, swallowing everything like a black tide. Lian tried to react, tried to move away, but it was as if he was being pulled by an invisible force.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he was no longer there.

The environment around him had completely changed.

The air carried the scent of burning candles mixed with something deeper, old parchment and damp stone. The space around him was a circular chamber, stone walls decorated with torn tapestries and shelves filled with black leather-bound books. In the center, a stone table and two chairs.

The stranger was already seated in one of them, his glowing eyes piercing the dim light.

"Now we can talk properly."

Lian staggered for a moment, still trying to process what had just happened. His breath was quickened.

"What the hell did you do?"

"Just an old trick. Don’t worry, we are still in the castle. But I prefer this place for a civilized conversation."

Lian scanned every corner of the room before fixing his gaze on the man.

"You still haven’t answered my question. If you were truly a wielder of Oblivion... what happened to you?"

The man ran his hand over the arm of the chair, as if pondering his words.

"I fell."

Lian frowned.

"And I lost everything I was."

Silence filled the space between them.

"Oblivion is not just a sword, boy. You’ve realized that by now, haven’t you?"

Lian didn’t answer.

"It’s not a mere tool. It never was."

The air around them seemed to tremble.

"What you are wielding is something older than this world. Older than anyone who has ever existed. Only those who have held Oblivion can understand its weight."

The words made Lian recall the writings he had seen on the walls of the underground corridor.

"The blade of shadows is not a weapon, but a force of the universe."

The man smiled slightly.

"Exactly. And that force was never meant to belong to anyone."

Lian felt his heartbeat quicken.

"I thought I could control it. Just as you think now."

The bluish candle flames flickered violently.

"And I failed."

Lian clenched his fists.

"Failed how?"

The man met his gaze.

"I was consumed by the shadows. Oblivion took over me, and I became something beyond human comprehension."

The silence weighed in the room.

"I became a monster. A shadow of what I once was."

Lian swallowed hard.

"And that is what will happen to you... if you don’t understand the truth."

"Then tell me." Lian’s gaze was firm. "What is this truth?"

The man leaned forward, his purple eyes glowing intensely.

"The truth is that you have no choice, Lian."

A chill ran down Lian’s spine.

"Oblivion’s power is not something that can be controlled. Either you master it..."

The air around them seemed to tremble.

"...or it will take you for itself."

Lian felt his skin prickle.

"And the only way to master it..."

The room’s walls began to tremble.

"...is by facing yourself. And don’t be mistaken into thinking it is evil for consuming others. Beings like it do not have good or evil. But its power is so immense that if you go further than you should... you will fall."

The hall became distorted as if it were collapsing.

Lian felt something inside him shift.

And he knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

"Don’t worry, I will tell you everything."