Chapter 335: Found The Shadow
Chapter 335: Found The Shadow
Inside the Summer Cottage, Xiang Ling sat cross-legged with the forbidden scroll unrolled before her on a low table.
The soft glow of moonlight was filtering through the silken curtains, casting long shadows across the intricate script written in dark ink. The room was filled with the warm glow of the lanterns.
Her hands got covered in dust slightly as she ran her fingers over the aged parchment. The forbidden spells contained in the scroll were not meant for casual use. They were the kind of magic that could twist reality, corrupt the user, and leave irreversible scars on one’s soul.
Xiang Ling had known the risks from the moment she decided to search for this collection, but the stakes were too high for her to back down.
Su LiangLin had already left her alone for the night, trusting her to handle the spell on her own. The playful atmosphere they had created earlier was long gone and now it was replaced by an intense, almost suffocating silence.
She inhaled deeply to slightly lift the weight of her decision that seemed to trying to crush her. She skimmed through the spells, passing over dark incantations that could summon tribulations, possess mortals, bind souls, and even control death.
She couldn’t deny that she didn’t feel curious to know just what other forbidden spells were there in that scroll, but she couldn’t afford to be distracted by the temptations the scroll offered.
Finally, her eyes landed on a spell written in an ancient script, almost unreadable due to its age. The ink had faded over centuries, but the ominous energy it radiated was unmistakable.
Locator of the Abyss
This was it—the spell designed to find beings who were hidden beyond the normal realms of existence, those who dwelled in the darkest corners of reality.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she read the instructions, each word more foreboding than the last. The spell required blood - her blood. A price must be paid to reach beyond the veil of shadows. She hesitated as she knew that once she began, there would be no turning back for her.
With steady hands, she summoned a divine dagger. Its blade gleamed in the dim light. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, with one swift motion, she made a small cut on her palm. A sharp sting of pain accompanied the sight of crimson blood pooling in her hand, and with a sense of finality, she pressed her bleeding palm onto the scroll.
The effect was immediate. The ancient script on the scroll pulsed with life, glowing a dark, ominous red as it absorbed her blood. The words twisted and shifted, reshaping themselves into a form she could understand. A low hum filled the room. The air became thick as the forbidden magic began to take hold.
She began chanting the incantation softly, her voice growing louder with each verse. The room darkened as if shadows had gathered around her, feeding on the energy she was summoning. Her body felt heavier, weighed down by the oppressive aura of the spell. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she continued the chant, her voice unwavering despite the growing strain.
The spell wasn’t simple. Each word felt like it was draining her, pulling her deeper into the depth of darkness. Her vision blurred, and for a moment, she thought she might lose consciousness. Yet, she pushed herself. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to stay focused.
As she reached the final verse, the shadows around her swirled violently, converging into a single point in front of her. She watched as a portal mirror tore the air in front of her, allowing her a look at what she was seeking. The spell worked.
She peered into the mirror while holding her breath. She had expected to be met with some distant, barren wasteland, but instead, she was faced with a void. The darkness within seemed to stretch infinitely, its depth consuming everything in its path. There was no light, no sound, nothing - only an overwhelming emptiness.
For several next moments, nothing happened and it forced her to wonder if the spell went wrong somewhere. But then, a light suddenly flickered in the midst of that suffocating darkness. It was dim at first, but then grew brighter.
And then... she saw him.
He was tall. His form was draped in black robes that seemed to melt into the shadows around him. Despite him not being present there with her, she could feel his commanding presence. His very aura radiated a power so dark and ancient that it made her skin crawl. He moved with an eerie grace, his footsteps silent as he approached the edge of the mirror.
Xiang Ling held her breath, her eyes locked on the figure as he drew closer. And then, he stopped, just a few paces away from where the mirror’s edge shimmered in the air. In that moment, she felt like the entire world was holding its breath with her.
She watched as the Shadow Lord very slowly lifted his head, and she finally got to see his face.
A jolt of shock hit her hard as soon as he revealed his face, freezing her in place. She had expected many things - a demon, a monster, a face twisted by dark magic. But the face that stared back at her was none of those things. It was familiar.
Too familiar.
The Shadow Lord wasn’t just some ancient evil from the forgotten realms.
He was someone she knew.
Someone she had once trusted.
Her heart pounded in her chest as the truth hit her with the force of a thousand storms. The forbidden spell had revealed his identity, but it had also unveiled a betrayal that cut deeper than any blade.
Her vision blurred, her mind reeling from the revelation. She could barely comprehend what she was seeing.
A lone tear rolled down her cheek as she asked out loud to no one in particular - "Why? Why is it you?"