Roaring Thunder

Chapter 3: A Shadow's Revelation (Part 6)

___________________________Tower of F_Ombre______________________________________

Before me stands an old tower that erects from the ground. The entrance is barred with large, steel poles.

'Whoever's in there, I need your help!' I shout.

There is a moment of an eerie kind of silence in the atmosphere. I stand on guard, my senses sharpened to the maximum when a laugh reverberates from within the tower followed by several black hands shooting out from in between the bars and extend towards me. I jump away from the first strike and continue to dart around as more hands come at me. Even if I am to jump backwards a few metres, somehow the hands can still reach me. I land on the ground among the trees after dodging a new attack.

A voice speaks from where the hands come from.

'You fool! Only Death awaits those who come to me.' It is the voice of a young man, but slightly rough and shaky. 'Go home, you who have come from afar!'

More hands lash out at me as they twist and sharpen into spears. The spear-like shadows launch out, stabbing into the ground after I dodge them. Some even drill their ways into the dead trees around the tower with the remaining few dried leaves falling upon contact. With each strike comes to pass, the thrusts accelerate even faster.

Sweats begin to surface on my skin as the fight goes on. My energy reserve is drying out as I drag the fight even for a second longer. This is it, I thought, the time to use it has arrived.

'Spark!'

I can feel the power overflowing in me as I enter the Lightning form where I shroud myself in electrical currents. During the few days long trip back to the village of F_Ombre, I have sacrificed both my body and time to harsh trainings involving control over my newfound power and increasing my reflexes.

Another spear-like shadow crash into the ground where I initially stand after jumping to the side. I do not stop there. Almost immediately, I dash forward to the tower's entrance. The currents focused into my right fist and my feet kicking the soil beneath me as I run.

'Here I go.' I mumble before shouting, ' Trial one... THUNDER FIST!'

The bars bend inward before shattering into pieces like glass as the currents disperse into every direction, forming the image of a web. The shadowy spears and hands alike that come at me in a wave disintegrate as the light from my punch creates a blinding flash.

Standing in the entrance, still in my position after punching the bars, I retreat my right arm and pull myself upright. I raise my head and scan the space before me. There is a broken table, a broken chair and an old cupboard standing in the corner of the room. The smell in there is awful. It is the smell of excretion's products. Man's faeces and pee, to be exact. In the centre of the room, staring right at me, is a seeming young man in his teenage years. He dons a white, long-sleeved tunic along with a black pants. His overgrown hair with the sideburns stretching out lower than where his ears are. And, most importantly, a black mist can be seen floating at his back.

'I have warned you.' He says softly. ' Whatever happens next... will be your own fault.'

The black mist or, shadow after realising it, expands both in height and width. Within seconds, the massive shadow is already towering over me. As if he has changed into another personality, he speaks in a different voice. A voice that bring forth a sense of evil.

'You shall die.'

The man lift himself up and stand, staggering a little as he stabilise himself. When he raises his head, I notice that his eyes, where the white layers should be, slowly turn to black. Black smoke escapes from his body as the skin evaporates, revealing a dark figure among the ever- expanding shadows. A thought strikes me as I see the transformation and the result it brings. This man, this monster before me, he is truly the epitome of darkness itself.

'Gahhh...' The monster exhales loudly. Knowing that this man has reached a whole new level in terms of power, I leap forward in a flash. A stream of lightning tailing at my soles. A few inches in front of the monster, I throw a punch at it's face. It staggers backwards for a while before turning its head along the trajectory of my punch, my fist slips off his face. s**t! Immediately, it drives a fist into my guts. I fly a few feet to the back before I crash onto the trunk of a tree and fall hard to the ground. Blood trickles down my mouth, I stand up. My body is still shrouded by electrical currents, with the aid of lightning speed, I run towards it.

An hour has passed. My cloak is torn in many parts and my body bears the wounds from various attacks. Despite my quick healing ability, the wounds somehow take a long time to heal. Blood streams down from the open wounds.

'Gahhh...' The monster walks towards me, exiting the tower. Its eyes pitch black and a large wave of shadow follows it from behind. 'You shall die.'

It raises its right arm and reaches out at my direction. The wave of shadow advances at me, towering over me before it slams downwards into me. I sink into a dark abyss.

Is this it? My eyes staring out into the surface, the light slowly fading away as I sink further away from it. I lift my hand and hopelessly extend my hand towards the remaining tiny speck of light. Suddenly, as if a train of memories crashes into my head, the scene of Jason pushing me away from a knight as the blade sinks into his armour then, into his flesh flashes before my very eyes. 'Noooo!' I shout. My arm extended, my fingers fold together into a fist as if I am catching the light. 'No- Not yet!'

The area surrounding the dead tree has a large pool of shadow on the ground. The black figure has its eyes locked onto it when suddenly it narrows its eyes. The Earth begins to shake violently as cracks begin to form on the ground. It isn't long until the monster's eyes widen and it becomes still, static in position. Somewhere in its heart, there's an invader.

I stand there, in the middle of a dark recess within the heart. The sound of heartbeats echoes throughout the space. 'How did you enter here?!' A familiar voice roars at me. From where I am, I notice the monster in a corner of the heart. Only, as it come out from hiding in the darkness, it shifts its shape into that of a wolf. 'How did you...'

I interrupt its line,'You have made mistake of connecting every shadow, of creating a bridge between one shadow to the rest.'

'Y-You shall die!' The wolf growls then, lunges right at me, baring its teeth and its claws. I shake my head before lowering my body, eyes forward. With a push against the surface where my toes lie, I sprint towards the attacking wolf, my arms have the currents focused on them. And the next second, we clash into each other then, each lands about a metre from the clashing point.

My fingers on both hands covered in blood, the wolf behind me loses its ground and fall to the side. 'Uh... I have fought quite a number of wolves already to lose to one.' I mutter to myself.

The dead wolf disperses into countless number of hairs before they vanish, hence revealing a teenage boy tuck sitting behing them. His face on his knees, he sobs quietly. I walk to him and stop at his feet. Reaching a hand out to him, I ask.

'Your name?'

Choking in his own tears, he replies, ' Dane.'

'Very well, Dane.' I turn my palm upwards. ' Will you join me?'

His eyes widen at my words, he extends his hand out and grab mine as I pull him to his feet.

I am now back, standing in the front of the old tower in the woods outside of F_Ombre. My hand still holding Dane's.

Stammering as he speaks, he says,' So... I heard your request to help you with something. What exactly does a warrior like you need help with?'

'I need help with the shadow in me. Someone did it to me.'

Dane's face pales as he listens. 'I am afraid that only one person has the ability to do such a thing to you.' Looking at his eyes, I can somehow guess who he is talking about.

'Ale.' He says. 'You will have to make him sucks the shadow out of you. I have no idea as to how to undo this skill of his.' He pauses for a few seconds before resuming. ' B-But, I can help you to locate him and fight him. I can help you to defeat my brother.'

I nod. As far as I am concerned, I am not strong enough to defeat Ale. That day, when I set my eyes on his, I can tell the difference in strength between us.

'Please to make your acquintance, Dane.'

'Likewise.'