Chapter 30: Bargains of Power
The narrow passageway loomed ahead, barely visible in the dim glow of the Blade of Eterna. Yuuji led the way, his steps cautious but swift. The others followed close behind, their breaths ragged, their weapons at the ready. The oppressive presence of the void still hung in the air, but with the Heart fragment in his grasp, Yuuji felt a fragile calm, as though the storm had briefly passed.
But the voice’s warning echoed in his mind. This power comes with a price… are you ready to pay it?
The passage wound deeper into the forest, the towering trees closing in overhead like ancient sentinels. The shadows danced along the walls, twisted by the flickering light of the Blade, but there were no sounds of pursuit. The void-born were staying back, watching, waiting.
“They’re not following us,” the archer said, her voice low, as if speaking too loudly might break the tenuous silence. “Why?”
“The fragment’s power is keeping them at bay,” the mage replied, though there was uncertainty in her eyes. “But I don’t know for how long. Whatever connection Yuuji has with it, it’s fragile.”
Yuuji felt the weight of their gazes on him. He didn’t know what to tell them. The fragment’s power pulsed faintly in the Blade, but he could feel its reluctance, the barrier that stood between him and the full extent of its strength.
As they continued down the passage, the air grew colder, the light from the Blade flickering like a dying flame. The void’s influence was still present, just beyond the edges of his awareness, pressing in from the shadows.
Suddenly, the path opened into a clearing. The moonlight filtered through the trees, casting an ethereal glow over the space. It was quiet, too quiet, as though the world itself was holding its breath.
The knight stepped forward, scanning the area. “We should rest here. It’s safer than out in the open.”
Yuuji nodded, though the tension in his chest hadn’t lessened. He sheathed the Blade, and the fragment’s light faded, leaving only the soft glow of the moon.
The group settled on the ground, their exhaustion evident in their movements. The archer cleaned her arrows, the mage sat cross-legged, trying to replenish her magical reserves, while the knight sharpened his sword in silence.
Yuuji stood apart from them, his back to the forest, staring at the fragment in his hand. Its glow was faint now, almost imperceptible, but the connection to it still pulsed in his chest.
“What is it?” the mage asked softly, coming to stand beside him. “You’ve been distant since you touched the fragment.”
Yuuji hesitated before speaking. “It spoke to me. Warned me. Said there’s a price for this power.”
The mage’s brow furrowed in concern. “A price? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know,” Yuuji admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “But when I touched the fragment, I saw… something. Visions of the past. The Heart of Eterna wasn’t just a tool; it was wielded by someone powerful, someone who bore the weight of its power. I could feel it—this power isn’t meant to be taken lightly.”
The mage’s gaze softened, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re not alone in this, Yuuji. Whatever the price is, we’ll face it together.”
Yuuji nodded, grateful for her support, but the weight of the warning still hung over him like a storm cloud.
Before he could say more, a sudden rustling came from the trees. Yuuji’s hand flew to the hilt of the Blade, his body tensing. The others were on their feet in an instant, weapons drawn and eyes scanning the shadows.
From the darkness, a figure emerged.
It was a man, cloaked in black, his features obscured by a hood. His steps were slow and deliberate, his movements too smooth, too calculated. His presence was suffocating, like the void itself had taken human form.
Yuuji’s heart raced as the figure approached, his instincts screaming that this man was dangerous. His grip on the Blade tightened, though the fragment’s power remained distant, unresponsive.
“Who are you?” the knight demanded, stepping forward with his shield raised.
The cloaked man stopped just beyond the edge of the clearing, his face hidden in the shadows. When he spoke, his voice was like silk, smooth and dark.
“I am merely a traveler, much like yourselves,” the man said, though there was something unsettling about the way he spoke, as if every word was carefully chosen, calculated. “But unlike you, I have no interest in chasing fragments of a broken past.”
Yuuji’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want?”
The man’s gaze shifted to Yuuji, and though his face remained obscured, Yuuji could feel the intensity of his stare. “I want what you want, Yuuji of Earth. To see the void’s influence wiped from this world. But I know something you don’t.”
Yuuji’s grip on the Blade tightened. “What are you talking about?”
The man took a step closer, his voice lowering to a whisper, though it carried clearly through the stillness of the clearing. “The Heart of Eterna… the fragments you seek… they are not salvation. They are a trap, a curse designed to bind whoever wields them.”
Yuuji’s blood ran cold. The man’s words echoed the warning he had felt from the fragment, the sense that the power he sought was not as simple as it seemed.
“You’re lying,” Yuuji said, though the uncertainty in his voice betrayed him.
The man chuckled softly, the sound sending a chill down Yuuji’s spine. “Am I? You’ve felt it, haven’t you? The weight of the fragment, the resistance it offers. That is not the power of a benevolent force. It is the power of a prison, a force meant to contain something far worse than the void.”
Yuuji’s heart pounded in his chest. The visions, the voice, the warnings—they all flashed through his mind, intertwining with the man’s words.
The knight raised his sword. “You’re trying to confuse him. We’ve fought too hard to turn back now.”
The cloaked man didn’t flinch, his attention still focused entirely on Yuuji. “I’m not here to stop you, Yuuji. I’m here to offer you a choice.”
“A choice?” Yuuji asked warily.
The man nodded. “You can continue your quest, gather the fragments, and face the inevitable price… or you can take another path. A path free from the burden of the Heart of Eterna.”
“What are you offering?” Yuuji’s voice was low, suspicion dripping from every word.
The man’s hand reached into the folds of his cloak, and he produced a small, dark stone, its surface etched with intricate patterns. “This is a shard of the void, a piece of the very power you seek to destroy. But unlike the Heart, it does not demand a sacrifice. With it, you can wield the void’s power without being bound by it.”
Yuuji recoiled instinctively, his eyes narrowing at the dark stone. It pulsed with an energy that felt both familiar and repulsive, a mirror image of the void-born creatures they had fought.
The mage stepped forward, her voice trembling with disbelief. “You want him to wield the void?”
The man’s smile was hidden, but Yuuji could hear it in his voice. “I want him to survive. The Heart will destroy him, but with the void, he can break free.”
Yuuji stared at the stone, his mind racing. The power of the void, free from the burden of the Heart… but at what cost?
He glanced at his companions, their faces a mixture of shock and horror. They didn’t trust the man, and neither did Yuuji. But the warning from the fragment still echoed in his mind, and the weight of the unknown price loomed large over him.
Yuuji… this power comes with a price.
He looked back at the cloaked man, his decision hanging in the balance.
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