Bonds of Darkness: Swordmen's Redemption

Genesis Arc - Ch. Eighteen: Aeon vs Shadow

A/N: All rights to the original content are reserved by the respective copyright owner.

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Y/N's voice echoed in the void, a solitary whisper in an expanse of endless black. "Where am I?" The question lingered unanswered, fading into the surrounding nothingness. He was adrift in a sea of shadows, a realm far removed from the world he knew.

Memories flashed before him – the raw surge of power, the overwhelming rage, and the haunting image of Jingliu in the clutches of monstrous beings. His heart clenched at the thought, a mix of despair and anger churning within him. "Jingliu..." he murmured, his voice tinged with a deep, aching sadness.

"No! I must go back. She needs me. SHE NEEDS ME. JINGLIU!" His voice grew more frantic, more desperate. The enormity of his situation dawned on him, a realization that he might be lost, perhaps forever, in this abyssal limbo.

He floated aimlessly, a lost soul in an endless night, the void around him a mirror to his inner turmoil. The darkness was oppressive, suffocating, yet oddly comforting in its familiarity.

As Y/N drifted, a wooden bridge materialized beneath him, seemingly conjured from the depths of his subconscious. It was old and rotting, reminiscent of a forgotten fisherman's pier, weathered by time and neglect. He kneeled at its edge, peering into the abyss below, as if expecting an answer from the depths.

But it was his own reflection that caught his attention. In the still, dark waters, he saw not himself, but a silhouette shrouded in shadows, its eyes a haunting black-purple. The reflection gazed back at him, a silent observer to his internal struggle.

"Who are you?"

Without warning, the reflection reached up, pulling Y/N into the water. There were no screams, no struggle – just a silent surrender to the unknown. Y/N found himself being drawn deeper into the abyss, the last remnants of light fading as he descended.

The bridge above him, and the world he knew, disappeared from view, leaving him enveloped in an all-consuming darkness. It was a place where time seemed irrelevant, where the echoes of his past deeds and the weight of his choices hung heavily in the air.

As he sank deeper, Y/N grappled with his thoughts, his mind a whirlwind of confusion, guilt, and unresolved emotions. The darkness around him felt alive, pulsating with an unseen energy, as if it were a living entity observing his fall.

In this void, Y/N confronted the darkest parts of himself – the anger, the power, and the fear that had led him to this point. It was a journey into the very depths of his soul, a trial that would test his resolve and his ability to find his way back to the light.

As the darkness enveloped him completely, Y/N realized that this was more than just a physical descent; it was a descent into the depths of his own psyche, a journey to confront and understand the shadows that had taken hold of him. The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear – he had to find his way back, for Jingliu, for his friends, and for himself.

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The air was thick with tension as Lan faced Y/N, whose form was now a terrifying embodiment of shadow and power. The Aeon of Hunt, clad in his mighty armor, felt an unusual sense of foreboding. Before him stood Y/N, transformed and unrecognizable, his eyes like slits of condensed flame, burning with an unhinged fury.

Lan, despite the daunting sight, addressed the corrupted Y/N, his voice carrying a mix of sorrow and determination. "Now, I know where your power comes from. You do not know it, but I do. That power... it is reserved for beings who have ascended beyond the mortal realm," he stated, his words echoing in the tense air.