Eclipse of the Forbidden

Chapter 8: Rift of Shadows

The dawn sky was streaked with angry shades of red and black, remnants of the fierce battle that had rocked the school grounds. Haru stood among the shattered stone and scorched earth, sweat dripping from his brow as he struggled to steady his breathing. The creature’s defeated form lay crumpled nearby, but the victory felt hollow. The mage had escaped, leaving behind a rift in the air—a dark portal pulsing with ominous energy.

Kai broke the silence, wiping a cut on his cheek. “That rift isn’t closing. We’re not done yet.”

Aria, her dual blades shimmering in the early light, cast a wary glance at the tear in reality. “If the mage used it to flee, there could be others waiting on the other side.”

Haru’s heart thudded in his chest. This battle had only been the prelude.

Before anyone could respond, a deep, bone-chilling growl echoed from the rift. The ground beneath them trembled, and tendrils of black smoke seeped from the portal, twisting like living creatures. Haru’s instincts flared, and he gripped the orb tightly.

“We have to seal it before it unleashes whatever’s on the other side,” Sena said, her eyes darting between the rift and Haru. “You’re the only one who can use the orb, Haru. But doing this will take everything you’ve got.”

Haru’s mind raced. The orb had saved them once, but it had nearly drained him. The thought of pushing it further sent a shiver down his spine. Yet, he couldn’t hesitate. Not when everyone’s lives were at stake.

“I’ll do it,” Haru said, resolve hardening his voice. “But I need you all to protect me while I channel the energy.”

The group moved into formation, surrounding Haru as he closed his eyes and focused on the orb. It pulsed in his hands, warmth spreading through him as he called on its power. Threads of light began to weave through the air, reaching toward the dark rift.

Suddenly, a piercing shriek erupted from the portal, and a creature unlike any they’d faced before emerged. Its form was skeletal and shrouded in a shadowy cloak, eyes glowing an unnatural crimson. It lashed out with clawed appendages made of pure darkness, striking at the group with deadly precision.

“Here we go!” Kai shouted, launching a blast of wind toward the creature. The attack barely made the creature flinch.

Aria darted forward, her blades slicing through the creature’s shadowy limbs, but they reformed almost immediately. “It’s regenerating!” she yelled. “Haru, hurry up!”

Haru gritted his teeth, sweat trickling down his temples as he struggled to maintain focus. The light tendrils connected with the rift, but the creature’s power surged, fighting back with relentless ferocity. Each pulse from the orb felt like fire coursing through his veins.

Sena’s eyes narrowed as she whispered an incantation, summoning a barrier of glowing runes around Haru. “I can hold it for a bit longer, but you need to seal that rift now!”

The creature lunged at the barrier, cracks appearing in the magical shield as its claws struck with terrifying force. Kai leapt in, driving the beast back with a whirlwind that temporarily disoriented it. But their time was running out.

Haru’s vision blurred as he felt the orb begin to slip from his grasp. The pressure was suffocating, and the power demanded more from him than he thought possible. He clenched his jaw and poured every ounce of his will into the light.

The rift shuddered, the edges beginning to close, but the creature thrashed with renewed desperation. It split into multiple shadowy forms, each one a twisted echo of the original, and attacked the team from all sides.

Aria cried out as one of the forms landed a blow, knocking her to the ground. Sena’s barrier flickered dangerously, and Kai fought furiously to hold the line, but their exhaustion was evident.

“Hold on!” Haru shouted, his voice straining. The orb’s light surged, flooding the air with a blinding radiance. The shadows recoiled, shrieking as they disintegrated into smoke.

The power within Haru roared, and with one final push, the tendrils of light snapped the rift shut, sealing it with a thunderous clap. The last echoes of the shadow creature’s wails faded into silence.

The sudden quiet was jarring. The team stood motionless, chests heaving as they tried to process what had just happened. The broken landscape around them felt eerie, a battlefield frozen in time.

Haru’s legs buckled, and he fell to his knees. The orb slipped from his hands, now dim and lifeless. Aria rushed to his side, her face pale with concern.

“Haru, are you okay?” she asked, her voice trembling.

He managed a weak nod, though his body felt hollow, as if the power had taken a part of him with it. “I’m...fine,” he whispered. But deep down, he knew that whatever he’d just done had changed him forever.

Sena, still catching her breath, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You did it, Haru. We’re safe. For now.”

Kai glanced at the sky, now streaked with the first rays of morning. “But this isn’t the end, is it? The Zenith Circle won’t stop here.”

Haru’s eyes met his, filled with exhaustion but burning with determination. “No. This was just the beginning.”

As the first light of dawn illuminated the ruins, a figure stood watching from the shadows beyond the battleground. Clad in dark robes and a mask carved with runic symbols, the figure’s eyes glimmered with cold satisfaction.

“Let them savor their victory,” the masked figure murmured. “They’ve only begun to understand the storm that’s coming.”

With a flick of their cloak, the figure disappeared into the darkness, leaving the school grounds shrouded in an uneasy silence—a silence that promised chaos to come.