The Devourer's Dominion

The forest was silent again, but it wasn't a peaceful silence. It was the kind that settled after something wrong had passed through. The remnants of the assassin's form had faded, but Aetheron could still feel it—the faint trace of something otherworldly lingering in the air.

He let out a slow breath, flexing his fingers as the last sparks of Dominion faded from his skin. His body ached, the fight having taken more out of him than he wanted to admit.

Lyara was the first to break the silence. "That wasn't a normal assassin."

Veyrin scoffed. "You think? That thing barely reacted when you cut it, and it laughed when Aetheron punched it through a tree."

Aetheron didn't respond immediately. He kept his eyes on the spot where the assassin had fallen, his mind still turning over what had just happened. The way the Sovereign's voice had echoed in his head… the way the enemy felt like it wasn't fully real…

This was something new.

Something dangerous.

He turned to Lyara. "We need to move."

She nodded, already on the same page. "Agreed. If it found us here, more could be coming."

Veyrin stretched lazily, though there was an edge to his voice. "Great. No rest for the wicked, huh?"

Aetheron's Growing Awareness

They packed quickly. The morning sun had barely risen when they were already on the move, slipping through the dense trees with practiced ease.

Aetheron felt… different. His Dominion was reacting strangely, shifting like it was adjusting to something.

As they moved, he let his senses expand, reaching out—not just for enemies, but for something else. The Sovereign's voice still echoed faintly in his mind, but it wasn't speaking now. It was just there, like a shadow clinging to him.

It wasn't the first time. Ever since he'd devoured the Sovereign's mark, he had felt it—him—lurking in the depths of his Dominion. But this was different. More active.

And he didn't like it.

Arrival at the Ruins

By midday, they reached their destination. Aetheron slowed his steps, taking in the sight ahead.

The ruins stretched out before them—ancient stone structures, half-swallowed by the forest. Crumbling pillars. Walls cracked with age. A massive archway stood at the entrance, its surface covered in strange carvings.

"This is the place?" Veyrin asked, tilting his head.

Lyara nodded. "The map led here. If the artifact is real, it should be inside."

Aetheron stepped forward, eyes scanning the ruins. His Dominion stirred—a faint hum in the back of his mind.

There was something here.

Something powerful.

He could feel it.

Inside the Ruins

The air was thick with an unnatural stillness as they entered. Dust swirled at their feet. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became.

Then—

Aetheron felt it.

A shift.

Like the very space around them twisted for a second.

"Stop," he said sharply.

Lyara and Veyrin froze.

Aetheron narrowed his eyes. His Dominion flared slightly, sending a pulse outward. The moment it touched the space ahead—

Distortion.

The hallway rippled. The stone walls shuddered, like they weren't entirely real.

Veyrin took a cautious step back. "Yeah, that doesn't look normal."

Lyara frowned. "Illusion?"

Aetheron shook his head. "No. Something deeper. A barrier, maybe. Or a space that doesn't fully exist here."

Lyara exchanged a glance with Veyrin. "Then how do we get through?"

Aetheron clenched his fists. "We don't walk through it blindly, that's for sure."

Breaking the Barrier

He extended his hand. His Dominion shifted—his energy surging forward, pressing against the strange space.

At first, nothing happened. Then—

A reaction.

The moment his Dominion made contact, the air rippled violently, as if something inside the ruins recognized him. The carvings along the archway began to glow, their symbols shifting, rearranging.

Aetheron felt a sudden pull—like something was watching.

Then—

The space collapsed inward.

The Descent

The world twisted.

For a moment, Aetheron felt like he was falling—like gravity itself had turned against him. Lyara and Veyrin vanished from his vision, swallowed by the distortion.

Then—

Impact.

Aetheron hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact. He pushed himself up quickly, scanning his surroundings.

He wasn't in the ruins anymore.

This place…

It was dark. The air felt thick, charged with something old. The walls were smooth, polished like obsidian, yet they moved—shifting ever so slightly, like living shadows.

Aetheron exhaled sharply. "Great. Another void-like nightmare."

A sound echoed through the space.

A whisper.

Aetheron tensed. His Dominion flared instinctively, electricity crackling at his fingertips.

Then—

Footsteps.

Slow. Deliberate.

Aetheron turned sharply, his eyes locking onto a figure emerging from the darkness.

It wasn't human.

It wasn't alive.

A tall, armored entity stepped forward, its body wrapped in ancient, ethereal chains. Its face was obscured by a broken mask, cracks running through it like veins.

The air trembled around it.

Aetheron narrowed his eyes. "You must be the welcoming committee."

The entity didn't speak. It raised its hand.

The chains around its body unraveled—

And attacked.

The Fight Begins

Aetheron moved.

The chains came fast—whipping toward him like living serpents. He twisted his body, dodging the first strike as it cracked against the ground where he had just stood. The impact shattered the stone.

The second chain came for his back. Aetheron spun, his Dominion flaring as he caught it mid-air. Sparks erupted where his hand met the cold, metal-like energy.

For a second, he held it.

Then—

The force behind it tripled.

Aetheron's feet dug into the ground as he was launched backward, slamming into the far wall.

Aetheron coughed, shaking off the impact. "Yeah. Should've expected that."

The entity didn't give him time to recover. More chains lashed out, the space itself distorting with each attack.

Aetheron had to end this fast.

He let his Dominion surge—this time not just reacting, but overpowering.

Lightning arced across his body. The ground beneath him cracked.

The next chain that came his way—

He caught it.

Not just with his hand. With his Dominion.

The moment his power touched it, something inside the entity shuddered.

Aetheron smirked. "Oh? You don't like that?"

Then he pulled.

The Fall of the Guardian

The entity staggered. The chains twisted violently, trying to resist—

But Aetheron wasn't letting go.

His Dominion devoured the energy. The chains cracked, dark energy shattering apart.

The entity let out a sound—a distorted, echoing wail—before its body finally crumbled.

Aetheron exhaled, watching as the last remnants faded.

Then—

A doorway appeared.

Glowing, pulsing with energy.

Aetheron rolled his shoulders. "Well. That's new."

He stepped forward.

And crossed the threshold.