Bonds of Darkness: Swordmen's Redemption

Chapter Sixty-Four: I am back, Jingliu

"How peculiar..." Vahn muttered, sensing the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Her words drew the attention of Jingliu and Alsanna, both of whom turned their gaze toward the figure that had discreetly appeared in the chamber.

Alsanna, with her unrivaled ability to manifest domains within the boundaries of the world using memories, had created a subspace. Yet, this figure had breached it without leaving a trace. The shadow knight stood still, observing the trio with a silent intensity. Alsanna, unfazed by the potential threat, remained seated, having anticipated such an arrival ever since Jingliu delved into the memory realm she had crafted.

Vahn, however, studied the knight with a sharper gaze. The being was sentient, yet its loyalty lay elsewhere. 'A knight, yet dead, acting as a scout, but for whom?' she pondered.

Her instincts screamed a warning as she noticed the knight reaching for its handle. Reacting with the speed and precision of a seasoned warrior, Vahn coated her sword with an aura as white as a blank slate, a symbol of her inner peace, and drew it in a fluid motion.

Swoosh!

The instant she struck, the space before her was obliterated, taking the shadow knight with it.

She sheathed her sword and turned to Alsanna and Jingliu, who were staring at the destruction. Vahn caught Jingliu's intense gaze and followed it back to the scene, noticing the flickering and subsequent disappearance of the shadow on the ground. She returned her attention to Jingliu, recognizing the expression on her face—it was one of familiarity and recognition.

'Something related to her, it seems. Answers will come later,' Vahn thought.

Suddenly, the trio sensed a surge of power that felt both foreign and primal. Alsanna's marbled figure trembled under the weight of this new presence. Jingliu, too, shook, but her expression was tinged with sadness.

'What is this? Why am I feeling this? What's going on?' Jingliu wondered, staring at her shivering hands. The pendant she wore vibrated, its light shifting from pure white to a tinge of black, resembling an impending eclipse.

Vahn observed the state of her companions and understood they were not in the best condition to proceed. The oppressive feeling of the disturbance lingered, even after the knight's vanishing act.

Sensing the danger, Vahn turned to Alsanna and spoke calmly. "Alsanna, I need you to make a gateway to the source."

Alsanna nodded, understanding the gravity of Vahn's request. Trusting her sister's judgment, she created a dimensional glass door. Without hesitation, Vahn stepped through, determined to confront the source of the disturbance.

Left behind, Jingliu clutched her pendant tightly, her thoughts swirling with fragmented memories. The image of a man kept shifting in her mind, but with her power over Fate, she managed to hold on to her sense of self.

In a barely audible whisper, she muttered a name. "Y/N...?"

---

The once mythical forests, teeming with life linked to ancestral beings, now lay partially destroyed, a segment of its vibrancy cut off by the clash of two swords. The sight would sadden the embodiment of Life, yet miraculously, only a fragment of it was obliterated within the confines of the shadow world.

Shadow World—a fitting name for the realm shrouded in darkness, a space blackened and obstructed from the outside view. No light could penetrate as there were no cracks in this mini-world, though it was illuminated by Vahn's brilliant white aura.

Vahn, the strongest among her 'siblings', was an anomaly in strength. With swift movements, she slid off Artorias' sword and stepped back.

"I believe I have not introduced myself to you, young man. Someone of your caliber should've warranted my attention a long time ago, but seeing your eyes... They look old, and yet, young," Vahn said, stabbing her sword into the shadow ground. The specks of her aura fought against the encroaching blackness.