The Aether Hero: Awakening of the Elements

Chapter 8: Shadows of the past

I jolted awake, heart racing, with flashing images of a monstrous creature searing through my mind. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead as I muttered, "Dammit," under my breath. Rubbing my eyes, I knew I needed to clear my head.

I dressed quickly, throwing on a button-up shirt and jeans, and stepped outside. The cold night breeze hit my face as the purple and neon lights of the city glowed in the darkness. It was 2:00 a.m., and the streets were eerily quiet. I found myself wandering to the market stalls, a rare sight at this hour.

"Good evening, sir!" the merchant greeted me with a cheerful smile.

"Do you have any coffee?" I asked, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle in.

"Of course!" he replied, handing me a steaming cup. I knew I shouldn't be awake right now, but sleep was impossible. I took a sip of the bitter drink, muttering, "That's good," before turning and heading back to the hideout.

Fourteen minutes later, just as I began to unwind, a knock echoed through the hideout. Expecting it to be Maya or Elias, I opened the door, but instead, a young woman stood there, clutching a large gash on her arm.

"Alex... help me," she whispered before collapsing.

I rushed to catch her, recognizing her face from Club Abyss—Lysandra. Carefully, I carried her to the couch and grabbed the first aid kit. As I began to treat her wound, she weakly tried to stop me.

"Let me help," I reassured her.

She sighed in resignation, allowing me to stitch up the deep cut on her arm. "I'm sorry," I told her as I finished, but she just smiled faintly and said, "It's okay."

Moments later, exhaustion overtook me, and I fell asleep.

I awoke to the sound of my name being screamed. "ALEX!"

I shot up in bed, the apartment suddenly surrounded by shadowy creatures. The Aether Band on my wrist glowed faintly, still charging from the Sentinel's attack. "Dammit!" I cursed, watching as the creatures soared through the room.

One of them lunged at me with razor-sharp claws. I rolled out of the way just in time, grabbing a flashlight from my nightstand. The beam of light startled the creature, making it snarl and retreat for a moment.

"Go, go, go!" I shouted, ushering Lysandra down the hallway. We sprinted through the apartment building, the creatures hot on our trail. Every time they got too close, I flashed the light at them, buying us precious seconds.

"Get in the elevator!" I yelled, and we dove inside just as the doors closed. The elevator jolted to life, descending rapidly.

"You okay?" I asked, breathing heavily.

"Yeah... thanks to you," Lysandra replied, her eyes meeting mine. We barely had a moment to breathe before the elevator doors opened to reveal the main lobby, now overrun by the shadow creatures.

"Everyone, run!" I shouted to the few people who were still in the lobby. We bolted outside, where I spotted a high construction light. "Alright, ready?" I called out.

The creatures charged toward us as I activated the light. It blazed brightly, causing their skin to peel and crack. Most of them disintegrated under the intensity, but a few remained. My Aether Band beeped—fully charged.

"Now you're ready," I muttered, summoning Lumen, a massive burst of light erupting from the Aether Band and finishing off the remaining creatures.

Lysandra looked at me, breathing heavily. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied, but she didn't break eye contact. She leaned in slightly, her gaze softening. I turned my head down, feeling a pang of guilt.

She sighed. "You're turning me down..."

"It's not like that," I said quietly. "There's someone else."

She nodded, understanding but still disappointed. "It's fine," she said, though her voice wavered. After a moment, she added, "Those creatures... they were here because I know how to stop the Voidbringer."

I looked at her, stunned. "What do you mean?"

"Have you heard of the Eclipsed Stone, Alex?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No... should I have?"

She continued, "Voss is close to summoning the Voidbringer, and I'm sure you've had visions of it. The Eclipsed Stone can trap the Voidbringer, but we need to find it first."

Just then, I thought of Elias. I quickly called him and Maya, telling them to meet us.

When they arrived, their eyes immediately went to Lysandra. "Hey guys," I greeted them, but they simply shook their heads, concern evident in their expressions.

"Alright," I began, "so you think we can stop the Voidbringer with this... Eclipsed Stone?"

Elias looked shocked. "That's just a myth."

"Nope," Lysandra said confidently, "it's very real. If we find it, we can stop the Voidbringer."

"This is going to be fun," I muttered sarcastically. My eyes drifted to the desk, where a small, inconspicuous object caught my attention. I picked it up—a micro camera. "What the hell?" I muttered, stomping on it.

Miles away, Voss watched the scene through the camera feed. "Not if I get it first, kids," he whispered, donning his trench coat and heading out.

Lysandra led us to the public library, where she whispered something to the librarian. The librarian nodded and, to my surprise, opened a hidden passage behind the counter. "What the hell..." I thought as we descended into the secret room.

Once inside, Lysandra pulled out an ancient-looking book. "Here it is," she said, flipping to a page that depicted an island—the Fair Islands. At the top of a temple stood the Eclipsed Stone.

Before I could say anything, choking sounds filled the room. The librarian was being strangled by none other than Voss. "Hey, kids," he taunted, slamming her against the wall.

I stood frozen in shock. "Give me the book," Voss demanded.

Lysandra quickly stuffed the book into her bag, and Voss's smile faded. "Fine," he growled. Shadow creatures poured through the walls, surrounding us.

"What are you waiting for, Alex?" Voss mocked. "Come on."

I tried to punch him, but he effortlessly dodged and countered with a kick. I staggered, but quickly retaliated with an elbow to his ribs and a knee to his stomach. He grunted, but before I could follow up, he shoved me into a bookshelf.

I coughed, struggling to catch my breath, but I wasn't done yet. The Aether Band flared as I summoned Inferno, fire surrounding my fists. I glanced at Maya and Elias, who were locked in their own battle with the shadow creatures.

I fought Voss with everything I had, flames burning brightly, but in a flash, he disappeared. "Dammit!" I cursed, watching as the remaining creatures lunged at us. With a final blast of fire, I incinerated them, clearing the room.

Maya coughed. "I'm fine," she said, but I could see the strain on her face.

I turned to Lysandra, who lay on the ground, wounded, the book gone. "He knew about this," I snarled. Anger surged through me as I realized Voss had escaped with the key to stopping the Voidbringer.

In the rearview mirror of his car, Voss smirked, the book resting in the passenger seat beside him.