The air was thick with ash. Broken stone crunched beneath his fingers as Tharyx awoke, his body aching like he'd been stretched and torn in every direction simultaneously. The sky was a sickly gray, streaked with smoke and a faint black mist crawling across the ruins like a living thing. Silence, or something worse than silence, pressed against the ears. Not the comforting quiet of dawn, but the oppressive quiet of death watching, waiting.
Tharyx blinked, trying to piece together… what? How did he end up here? His memories were fragments, like broken glass. He knew only one thing: movement was necessary.
A low rumble shook the crumbling city. Buildings teetered on the edge of collapse. Dust fell like rain. Somewhere, a distant scream cut through the fog, but it was drowned almost immediately by a sickening crunch of stone.
And then he saw it.
A shadow, impossibly black, slithered over the rubble, coalescing into limbs long, jagged claws glinting with some inner light. Eyes? If they existed, they were molten voids, piercing.
Instincts screamed. Tharyx rolled to the side as the claws slammed into the ground where he'd been, sending a wave of dust and stone fragments into his face.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[Alert: Life-threatening encounter detected. Probability of survival: 3%.]
Tharyx gritted his teeth. A smirk tugged at his lips. "I hate those odds."
The shadow beast leapt. Time slowed. He felt the wind from its strike whip his hair, brush past his face. Muscles he didn't know he had tensed. He grabbed a jagged shard of rubble, spun under the arc of its claws, and drove it into the creature's chest.
It hissed. Or roared. The sound was wrong; it was like the city itself was screaming through it. And then… it recoiled, dissolving into a writhing black mist.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[Observation: You should not be alive. Congrats?]
Tharyx laughed, dry and hollow. A laugh that tasted like blood and ash. "Yeah, thanks. Really motivating."
He stood. Dust covered his torn cloak. His body ached. The city groaned, half-standing, half-collapsed, but alive in its destruction. He had no plan, no weapons beyond instinct, and yet he felt… ready.
A sudden squeal from behind a toppled wall made him spin. A small, panicked figure scrambled into view, tripping over a corpse and landing flat on his face.
"Apocalyptic discounts! Don't trample ahhh!"
The man scrambled upright, bowing, pointing at Tharyx like he could save himself with sheer belief. He wore a patchwork cloak of colors that didn't match and carried a satchel suspiciously bulging with coins.
Zalivra, merchant extraordinaire… apparently.
Tharyx raised an eyebrow. "You survive disasters by screaming?"
"I… yes! I mean… It's tactical! Survival tactic!" Zalivra stammered, dusting himself off and tripping over another body. "You! Dangerous… killer! Help! Maybe buy… supplies?"
Tharyx didn't respond. He looked around. The mist had thickened, crawling along the streets like veins, wrapping around broken buildings, moving with purpose.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[Warning: Unidentified hostile entities detected in urban ruin. Estimated population: 7+. Threat level: Extreme.]
"Seven… what?" Zalivra asked. He froze mid-step. "Oh no. Don't tell me… seven shadows… things?"
"Something like that," Tharyx muttered, scanning. The shadows were clever, avoiding him, twisting in the mist. They weren't just hunting, they were studying, probing.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[Skill unlocked: Shadow Instincts. Passive enhancement: Survival probability increased by +Infinity (temporary).]
Tharyx flexed his hands. Black energy hummed beneath his skin, a subtle aura crawling along his veins. The system was right: he shouldn't be alive. And yet… here he was.
He started moving through the city, Zalivra clinging to his cloak like a barnacle. Every step sent echoes through the hollowed streets. Crumbling walls leaned, and stones shifted like the town was alive. Somewhere above, a building collapsed, sending dust clouds swirling into the sky.
"You… don't have a plan?" Zalivra whispered.
Tharyx didn't answer. He felt the subtle vibration of the world. Shadows weren't just around him; they were beneath him, inside him. He had survived worse, he reminded himself. They weren't his first shadows.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[New Objective: Identify Shadow Source. Recommended: Extreme caution.]
The shadows surged. A tendril of black mist shot out from a collapsed archway, whipping toward Zalivra. The merchant squealed, raising a hand as if to push it away.
Tharyx's eyes glowed faintly blue. He didn't move.
Time seemed to stretch. The tendril froze mid-air, shivering like a living thing sensing a predator. Tharyx inhaled, relaxed his hand, and with a flick, the shadow dissolved.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[Damage dealt: 97%. Threat neutralized. Target disintegrated. Cooldown: 2 seconds.]
Zalivra blinked, mouth agape. "Did… did you just…?"
Tharyx shrugged. "Morning ritual. You should try it."
The merchant trembled. "I sell things, mostly things I can stay out of trouble, yes?"
Tharyx's smile was faint. "Good. Stay there."
Hours passed, or maybe minutes. Time had no meaning here. The ruins twisted, shadows creeping like ink on parchment. He moved deeper into the city. The air smelled like burnt iron, old blood, and something… sweet? Rotting sweet.
He paused at a collapsed marketplace. Crates spilled over, silken fabrics shredded. And there, at the center, a shadow much larger than the others, long, serpentine limbs writhing like smoke watched him.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[Elite Shadow Detected. Classification: Unknown. Threat Level: Omega.]
Tharyx's eyes narrowed. He felt anticipation, not fear. He had no weapons, no reinforcements, no plan. And yet… he wanted this.
The shadow hissed. The air distorted around it. Buildings trembled like they were alive. It lunged.
He didn't flinch.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[Ability unlocked: Void Reflexes. Activation probability: 100%.]
He moved. Faster than I thought. Faster than vision. Shadow and flesh collided. A roar split the air. Dust, stone, and darkness flew. And then… silence.
Tharyx was standing. The shadow? Gone. Dissolved.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[Experience Gained: 10,000. Level Up Available. Attributes: +5 Strength, +5 Agility, +5 Void Control. New Skill Slot Unlocked.]
Zalivra crawled toward him, trembling. "I think you just killed a nightmare?"
Tharyx knelt, brushing dust from his cloak. "Morning exercise."
He stood. The city was still breathing. Somewhere, faint laughter echoed low, cruel, mocking. The shadows weren't gone. They were waiting. Always waiting.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
[New Objective: Ascend. Identify Shadow Hierarchy. Survive. Optional: Dominate.]
Tharyx's lips curved into a faint, cruel smile. "Dominate… I like the sound of that."
The city was his playground. And the shadows? Merely the first layer.
And somewhere, far above the ruined skyline, a faint black sigil shimmered briefly against the clouds like eyes opening to mark him.
He wasn't just a survivor. He was becoming something else. Something dangerous. Something… unpredictable.
The city groaned beneath him, and Tharyx stepped forward.
The shadows would learn.
Too late.