Soulbound

14

The city was alive in a different way now. Shadows clung to corners like liquid smoke, twisting around walls and lampposts, but Avery noticed them. Every twitch, every unnatural ripple in the air, every faint hum beneath the pavement—the city was no longer a place of confusion for her; it was a map of information.

Kael led the way, silent and precise, moving through the streets like a predator. Avery followed, scythe in hand, senses taut. The pulse of her sigil mirrored the energy she felt thrumming through the city, a rhythm that seemed to guide her.

“Watch for patterns,” Kael murmured. “The soul leaves traces. Every manifestation, every corrupted human, every warped shadow—it’s all a breadcrumb. Follow it.”

Avery nodded, eyes scanning the streets. In the distance, a faint shimmer of darkness undulated across a plaza. A streetlight flickered violently, casting long, warped shadows that danced unnaturally on the pavement.

“There,” she whispered. “Do you see it?”

Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. Move carefully. It will test you.”

The first encounter was subtle: a man hunched over a newsstand, muttering incoherently, his fingers twitching as black tendrils crawled from the ground, curling around his arms. Avery froze for a heartbeat, instinct screaming to save him.

“Don’t,” Kael hissed, positioning himself between her and the man. “It’s already corrupted. Engaging him directly will only waste your energy. Observe, learn, strike the soul itself.”

Avery exhaled sharply. It was still hard, resisting her instinct to intervene. Her hands tightened on her scythe. The man’s shadows writhed, forming spikes that jabbed at the air. Avery watched, noting the speed and direction of each movement. The corrupted soul was teaching her, almost mocking her through its extensions.

Kael gave a subtle nod. “Good. You’re reading it.”

The next encounter was deadlier. Shadows erupted from a side alley, humanoid shapes lunging with jagged precision. Avery swung her scythe, striking the first few before another lunged from above. She ducked just in time, rolling to the side and slicing cleanly through the advancing tendrils.

Kael’s voice was sharp in her ear. “Predict! Don’t react!”

Avery forced herself to breathe, focusing on the rhythm of movement, the patterns repeating in the shadows. The same shapes emerged, the same angles of attack. She cut through them, each swing cleaner, more deliberate, until a path opened toward the central mass of corruption in the plaza ahead.

It pulsed faintly, a black heart feeding off the city, twisting reality around it. Avery felt the pull of recognition—the way it fixated on her, probing, testing, daring her to make a mistake.

“It’s learning,” Kael said softly. “Every time we engage, it adapts. You must anticipate, not just react.”

Avery’s jaw tightened. “I understand.”

They moved closer, weaving between warped shadows and corrupted humans. Some cried out, some swatted at invisible enemies, others merely froze, eyes wide, muttering in broken syllables. Each one was a warning, a puzzle piece. Avery noted them all, committing patterns to memory.

Then, a faint glimmer caught her eye: a shard of light caught in the shadows near a collapsed fountain. It pulsed differently than the rest, almost like a heartbeat, faint but distinct.

Kael’s gaze followed hers. “Good eye. That’s not just a shadow. That’s a fragment of it—its origin, perhaps a memory it clings to.”

Avery’s heart raced. “You mean… we could find a way to…?”

Kael’s jaw tightened. “Potentially. But first, we survive this hunt. Approach carefully. It’s stronger than before, and it knows you’re here.”

The corrupted soul’s tendrils surged suddenly, flaring across the plaza in a wave. Avery barely leapt out of the way as one wrapped around a lamp post, snapping it in half. The sound echoed like thunder. She spun, slicing through a cluster of writhing tendrils, sweat stinging her eyes.

Kael moved with lethal precision, cutting a path beside her, silent except for the faint hiss of shadows dissipating under his blade. “You’re doing well,” he said, voice low, almost calm. “Keep the rhythm. Predict, anticipate, act.”

Avery forced herself to sync with him, letting her scythe follow instinct and observation. The Veil energy hummed along her arms, guiding each strike, sharpening each swing. Slowly, painstakingly, she began to carve a path closer to the heart of the corruption.

A tendril lashed out, snapping at her chest. She ducked, rolling under it, and felt a tug—like the corrupted soul was trying to draw her in, testing her fear. Her heartbeat thundered, but she steadied her hands, swinging deliberately. The tendril severed, dissipating into mist.

Kael’s voice cut through the chaos. “Excellent. Keep pushing. We’re close.”

The central mass writhed violently, reacting to their approach. Shadows twisted into grotesque, humanoid shapes, screaming without sound. Avery could feel its intelligence probing, learning, recognizing. One form lunged directly at her, and she pivoted, slashing cleanly through it, only to see another take its place.

Her arms burned, muscles screaming, but she forced herself to breathe, to observe. Each movement repeated the pattern, each strike followed logic. She began to predict the attacks, cutting with precision, slicing through the swarm until a narrow corridor led straight to the pulsing shard she had seen earlier.

Kael’s eyes flicked to it, a rare hint of approval in his gaze. “There it is,” he said quietly. “We may finally get the answers we need.”

Avery’s hands shook with exhaustion, but determination flared. The shard pulsed faintly, embedded in the mass of shadows, as if calling to her. She took a deep breath, raising her scythe. This was the opportunity. A chance to strike decisively, to learn, to test the corrupted soul’s weakness.

And for the first time, she didn’t hesitate.

The city held its breath. Shadows quivered. The corrupted soul sensed her intent—and for the first time, she sensed something in return: fear. Or maybe recognition.

Avery lunged forward, scythe swinging, cutting a path toward the shard. Kael followed, silent and precise, shadows dissipating under his blade. The corrupted mass writhed, reacting, but Avery’s strikes were measured, deliberate.

She was no longer the hesitant novice who had failed once. She was a hunter now, reading the patterns, predicting the attacks, carving a path through chaos. And as the shard pulsed beneath the shadows, she realized something: the corrupted soul could be defeated.

But it would not be easy.