Elias's heart hammered as he approached the figure at the altar. Lucan's eyes glowed with an unnatural fire, piercing through the dense mist like twin beacons. The air between them crackled with an ancient power that Elias could neither understand nor control.
"Why am I here?" Elias asked, voice barely above a whisper. "What curse?"
Lucan's lips curled into a faint, grim smile. "You are the seventh son, Elias. Born with the blood of the line flowing through your veins. But with it comes a burden—the darkness that hunts us all."
He stepped forward, hands raised, palms glowing with ethereal light. "Tonight, I will teach you the first lesson: how to bind the shadows that seek your soul."
Elias felt a cold shiver crawl down his spine. "I don't know if I'm ready."
"You have no choice," Lucan said, voice sharp as a blade. "The Wraiths don't wait for readiness."
Lucan began the incantation, ancient words falling like thunder in the silent forest. Elias's vision blurred as he felt himself pulled into a realm between worlds—half light, half shadow.
From the darkness emerged twisting shapes—figments of Elias's deepest fears, memories warped into monsters.
"Face them," Lucan commanded. "Or be consumed."
Elias's breath hitched. Sweat dripped down his forehead. His first step was hesitant, but as a grotesque figure lunged, he felt something within ignite—a spark of defiance.
With trembling hands, he reached into his pocket and clutched the silver pendant his mother had given him. It pulsed with warmth. The shadows recoiled.
"Good," Lucan said approvingly. "That is your anchor."
Hours passed like minutes as Elias battled visions from the darkest corners of his mind. Each victory drained him, but each defeat taught him more.
When dawn's first light broke through the trees, Elias collapsed at the altar, exhausted but alive.
Lucan knelt beside him, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. "This is only the beginning. The shadows will grow. But so will you."
Elias nodded, determination burning bright despite the fatigue. The war within had just begun.
—