The Downworld

Chapter 1 : First Hunt

Yᴇᴀʀ 1
21 days in the Downworld

It was dark. It was always dark. Shane's muscles were screaming, sending burning waves of pain throughout his entire body. Laying on the primitive bed he had been given, Shane Dumort thought about what happened this day. Because, he knew it, he felt it... This day was different. The mysterious sorcerer Cassius, who had commanded Shane's abduction, had plans for him. He mentioned the title of champion, and said he needed someone by his side, or something like that. No matter what he said, Shane was afraid. It all happened within a few hours, and yet here he was, wielding dark forces he never asked for. Away from his family, away from Humanity, the poor man was destined to be forgotten...

A few weeks passed. Every single day, Shane endured an intense training, both mental and physical, aimed to make him a true warrior. From what he understood, there was no time to wait, no time to mourn and cry. The sadistic sorcerer wanted a champion, an herald, and he found in Shane the potential he had been looking for. Of course, the young man had no idea why he had been chosen, or how he had been resurrected from the dead. It all appeared to be a living hell, a nightmare made of impossible. He missed home, he missed Earth, but he knew he had to follow the rules of the man called Cassius, if he wanted to live. This conditioning series of exercise made him stronger, faster, it sharpened his senses to the point where it reached inhuman levels. Something had changed indeed. A month before, he was just a student, dreaming about a bright future. Now, he had abilities, ones he couldn't comprehend, or even control. The training intisified again and again, day after day, until Shane finally got to understand how to manipulate the darkness within him, the one Cassius was patiently waiting to harness...
That day, Shane was called to the Tower. The Master's sanctuary. There, the atmosphere was cold, silent, filled with a constant feeling of dullness, which made Shane quite uncomfortable... As he reached the top of the tower, he tried to figure out what was happening, asking himself tons of questions. Did he do something wrong? Fear started running in his veins, accelerating his beating heart, at each step he climbed... Finally, he arrived. Cassius was standing there, like he did the first time Shane had come. He was smiling. Looking at the boy with obvious satisfaction, the sorcerer explained the reason why Shane had been summoned here. And against all of Shane's predictions, it was not a punishment, or a personal lesson, that awaited the young man. Instead, Cassius claimed he was here to reward him.