บท 74: Shadow Domain
Dane followed Shen's lead, his eyes glued to his back. He opened his mouth several times but shut it, saying nothing.
Shen felt the piercing gaze on him, but ignored it. He continued descending the stairs, which were straight like the first floor.
The duo walked and walked. After ten minutes of descending the stairs, they saw no end to the stairs. They could only keep on descending.
"Shen bro," Dane called.
Shen raised his hand and balled it. "Something is wrong here," he whispered.
"Even after all this time, we still haven't found the next room. It could be me being paranoid or… are we not actually moving?"
Turning his head to Dane, Shen scanned him, looking at him from top to bottom. Leaning to the side, he gave Dane a path. "I think you should lead the way," he said.
Dane had seen how smart Shen is and till now he figured most things out. With no objection, Dane took the lead and descended the stairs.
With him leading the way, Shen finally felt a difference. 'It seems the longer we descend the more vital his existence appears.' If before, it felt like moving in their place or limbo. Now they were really descending the stairs.
Five minutes later, the duo finally reached a room. No door appeared in sight, just a dark place. Coldness permeated the air, and all sounds disappeared as if there were none.
"Let's enter."
Dane reached his hand out, wanting to say something, but remained silent. He could only follow behind Shen's back to not get lost.
Once they stepped inside the dark area, Dane looked behind him, only to find no stairs. He ran back a little but found no sign of where they entered, only the ever surrounding darkness. The shadow element in the surrounding felt heavy and condensed.
"Why even try anymore?" Shen asked. They had already gone through this two times. Dane should've known there won't be a way out till they fulfill whatever this place's requirement.
"I'm just-"
"Shh, there is something in here."
Shen interrupted and looked around. Although he couldn't see at all, or even feel anything with his energy, his honed senses still helped.
*Slash. Shing*
Shen's sword collided with a claw. A metallic-dark being smirked at Shen and disappeared, leaving no sound.
Shen narrowed his eyes as a smirk decorated his face. 'I knew what this floor needed, but I never imagined this to be here.'
The creature appeared totally in tune with its surroundings. Wings flapped through the darkness but made no noise. The size of that creature seemed around Shen's, being tall for a humanoid but not gigantic.
'This will be a problem though.' Shen moved his arm around through the darkness. No wasted movement happened, but Shen felt some lag in it. 'That thing didn't have a problem though.'
"Dane, do as we discussed!"
Following Shen's words, Dane ran away to the back. Only when Shen's back was barely in sight did he stop.
The two had established a consensus before entering the room. To not get in the way or get lost, Dane would stay away from Shen when he fought.
No monster would attack him due to them feeling his weak power. This rule applied to most beasts and monsters, as they felt that dealing with the bigger problem comes first. This saved Dane from getting in the way and allowed Shen to not worry about him. After all, Dane was important to the inheritance.
Dane watched Shen engage the beast several times. Every time the beast attacked, Shen parried the attack or defended with his sword. Although darkness encompassed the place, blinding him, Dane wasn't faraway enough to not watch.
Something felt odd, though. Dane felt some inconsistency. He had seen Shen brutally beat and tame beasts before, but this time something felt different. It's as if the more Shen fought, the weaker he became.
'What's happening?' Dane wanted to help but didn't know how. He wasn't as powerful or as intelligent as Shen.
"Enough of this playing!"
Shen suddenly said and took a deep breath. Darkness. A different shadow-like energy to the surroundings came from Shen's hands.
His eyes closed, Shen moved his body around as if dancing. With each move, beads of sweat formed on his head, his skin paled, and he appeared weaker. And finally, the beast attacked again.
Through the darkness, Dane barely saw anything. He wanted to get close, but he didn't. He might interrupt Shen otherwise.
Yet, he could make out something. Shen's palms glowed black and darkness, energy gathered at the tip of his sword.
Screeching in a high pitch tone, Dane saw a gash shaped X on the monster's torso. The gash appeared too fast for Dane to make it out, and even the monster couldn't avoid it.
Shen didn't stop with one slash. He slashed and hacked at the monster, not giving a chance to run. Every time he attacked, Shen's breathing became disordered. Dane noticed a certain craze in his eyes that sent a shiver down his spine.
If Dane came closer, he would also get sliced, that's the oppressing feeling Dane felt from Shen. 'What's happening to him?'
A complete massacre. Shen slashed the monster till no pieces of it could be made. Only then did he stop, his breathing heavy. Shen turned to Dane, and his eyes returned to normal.
Shen took a step towards Dane and fell. Dane ran through the darkness towardsShen. The usual quake had already happened and a straight path through the darkness materialized. It's as if the darkness got cut in half, condensing to the sides.
"Shen bro! What's wrong? Are you alright?" Dane screamed as he flipped Shen to face him.
Shen appeared exhausted. His breathing was heavy and his energy seemed deficient. Dane didn't know what to do. He wasn't a doctor and had no potions or pills to help.
'What do I do? What do I do?' his mind whirled as he squeezed it dry.
"It's huff… alright," Shen said, his eyes barely open.
"I.. just… huff huff need some seconds."
"Don't speak anymore, Shen bro! Just relax and take your time."
Shen nodded his head and lay his head on the ground, closing his eyes. "I'll be… in your c-"
Shen tried speaking but fell asleep.
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