Chapter 6 – The Shadow’s Claim
290 Words
Chapter 6 – The Shadow’s Claim
Far from the glowing meadow, in the ruined undercity of Lumina, the man in black knelt in a chamber of cracked stone. Shadows pooled around him like living smoke, whispering in voices only he could hear.
On the floor before him lay fragments of old paintings—ancient scrolls that still flickered faintly with trapped colors. He traced one fragment with his pale hand, revealing a picture of a brush almost identical to Kael’s.
“So,” he murmured, his voice calm but laced with venom. “The meadow awakens, and the brush has chosen again.”
From the shadows, a figure crawled forward—a gaunt servant with hollow eyes. “Master, the boy is untrained. Why not strike now and take it from him?”
The man in black’s cold gray eyes gleamed. “Because power ripens with use. Every stroke the boy makes feeds the brush, awakens its true potential. When he is strong enough…” He smiled faintly. “That is when I will take it. Whole.”
The servant trembled. “And if the Guardian protects him?”
“Then the Guardian will fall. It always does.”
The man stood, raising his hand. The shadows thickened, swirling into shapes—dark wings, snarling beasts, crawling claws. “Prepare the hunters,” he ordered. “The Painter believes he is safe. But soon, he will learn the truth…”
The shadows hissed in unison, eager and hungry.
The man in black closed his eyes, and for a brief moment, a flicker of sadness crossed his face. “It should have been mine from the beginning,” he whispered.
Then, with a wave of his cloak, he vanished into darkness.
- Writer
