Eclipse of the Forbidden

Chapter 12: The courage stone

The night was still, save for the soft rustling of leaves in the wind. The battle had ended, but the looming uncertainty about what came next weighed heavily on Haru’s mind. The creatures had been defeated, for now, but their presence was only a symptom of something far greater, something darker that was still hiding in the shadows.

Haru stood on a cliff overlooking the town, the faint glow of distant lights flickering below. The weight of his body felt heavier than usual, as if the very air around him was pulling him down. The orb, now a mere shadow of its former self, hung in his hand like a dull, lifeless stone. He hadn’t had the strength to summon more of its power after the battle; it had drained him completely.

“Are you sure about this?” Sena’s voice was soft, filled with a quiet concern that had been growing since the fight ended. She had followed him here, standing just a few steps behind, her eyes watching him closely.

Haru didn’t answer immediately. He wasn’t sure. He’d tried to push his limits, to use the orb’s power to protect everyone, but at what cost? He had nearly killed himself in the process. Even now, the power surged within him, a constant hum beneath his skin, but it felt... wrong.

“This is the only way,” Haru finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I need to find out more about the Courage Stone. Maybe it’s the key to understanding this power… to understanding what’s really going on.”

Sena took a hesitant step forward, her gaze softening. “I know you’re scared, Haru. But you don’t have to do this alone. We’re all in this together.”

Haru turned his head slightly, meeting her gaze. Her sincerity was a comfort, but it also made his resolve falter for a moment. But he couldn’t back down now. Too much was at stake. He had seen what the orb could do—the destructive power it held, the potential for chaos. But he also knew that it wasn’t just about stopping the creatures. It was about understanding the Courage Stone, and why it had chosen him.

The Courage Stone. It was an ancient artifact, one that had been lost to time, a myth whispered among the legends of old. They said it had the power to unlock a person’s deepest potential, to push them beyond their limits. Some believed it could grant the strength to topple gods, while others thought it could create monsters beyond imagination. Whatever its true nature, Haru knew it was connected to the orb, and by extension, to his own fate.

“Where do we even begin to look for it?” Sena asked, breaking his thoughts. “The Courage Stone isn’t exactly something you can just find lying around.”

Haru clenched his fist around the orb. “I don’t know. But I feel like I’m getting closer. The orb—it’s guiding me, in a way. I can feel its pull.”

Sena’s face tightened, her expression a mix of concern and disbelief. “Haru... you can’t trust that thing. It’s already nearly destroyed you once.”

“I don’t have a choice!” Haru snapped, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “If I don’t find the Courage Stone, if I don’t understand this power, then everything we’ve fought for... everything we’ve lost... it will all be for nothing.”

Sena’s eyes softened. She reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I understand. But you don’t have to carry all this weight by yourself.”

Haru looked at her, his anger dissipating as he saw the genuine care in her eyes. She was right, of course. He didn’t have to do this alone. But he also knew that his journey was his to take. The others had their own battles to fight.

He let out a breath, calming himself. “Let’s go. I have to know what this thing is and how to control it before it controls me.”

---

The journey ahead was uncertain, but they had no time to waste. Haru and Sena made their way through the dense forest at the edge of the town, the trees looming like dark giants in the moonlight. The orb’s faint pulse seemed to grow stronger as they walked, guiding them deeper into the woods.

Sena remained close, her eyes scanning the path ahead. “I never thought we’d end up out here, chasing after something so... mysterious.”

Haru didn’t respond at first, lost in his thoughts. The forest seemed eerily quiet, the usual sounds of wildlife nowhere to be found. It felt as if the very earth itself was holding its breath.

“There’s something... off about this place,” Haru muttered, stopping in his tracks. The orb in his hand pulsed again, the light flickering more erratically now, as though it was reacting to something in the environment.

Sena frowned, her gaze shifting to the surrounding trees. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” Haru said, his voice distant. “But I feel like... like we’re being watched.”

Before Sena could respond, a sudden rustle in the trees made them both freeze. The wind picked up, whistling through the branches, and then—nothing. Silence.

Then, a flash of movement in the shadows caught Haru’s eye.

“Did you see that?” he whispered, turning to Sena.

Sena nodded, her body tensing. “Yeah. Something’s out there.”

Another rustle. This time, it was closer.

Suddenly, figures emerged from the shadows—creatures, but not like the ones they had fought before. These were different. Smaller, faster, and their movements were unnervingly precise. Their eyes glowed faintly in the dark, their bodies shifting like they were made of liquid shadows.

“We’re not alone,” Haru said, his voice low. “Stay close.”

The creatures moved in, their movements fluid and eerily silent. Haru’s hand instinctively clenched around the orb, but before he could summon its power, one of the creatures lunged at them.

Sena reacted instantly, summoning a barrier of energy to deflect the creature’s strike, but the creature shattered the barrier with a single swipe. It didn’t stop, its claws scraping against the ground as it darted for them again.

“We’re surrounded!” Sena shouted, taking a defensive stance.

Haru’s heart raced. These creatures were different—faster, more agile. But they were also weak. He could feel their energy, and it was unstable, chaotic. They weren’t like the creatures from before. They were... something else.

“I’ll handle this,” Haru said, his voice firm. He felt the orb’s power surge within him again, the pulse growing stronger as he concentrated.

A surge of light exploded from the orb, sweeping through the air like a tidal wave. The creatures screeched, recoiling from the blast, but Haru didn’t stop. The energy within him was growing, and this time, he wasn’t going to hold back.

“Get ready!” Haru shouted to Sena. “We need to push them back!”

Sena nodded, raising her hands as she summoned a second barrier of energy, but this one was different—more focused, more solid. As the creatures closed in again, Haru unleashed another pulse of energy, this one more controlled, more refined.

The blast struck the creatures head-on, sending them flying into the trees. The force of the attack left a trail of scorched earth in its wake.

The creatures, stunned but still alive, gathered themselves, their eyes narrowed with anger. They were fast, too fast, but they had been wounded.

“We need to finish this, now!” Haru shouted, his voice full of urgency. The orb pulsed again, its power reaching its peak.

But just as he was about to unleash another attack, the ground beneath them trembled. The shadows around them twisted, and from the darkness, something far larger and far more terrifying emerged.

A figure cloaked in black, with eyes glowing a blood-red hue, stepped forward, its presence like a suffocating weight on Haru’s chest.

Sena gasped, her eyes widening in recognition. “The Guardian…”