Shadows of the Past

The underground tunnel stretched endlessly before them, the echoes of their footsteps swallowed by the suffocating darkness. Lyria’s grip on her sword remained tight, her mind still reeling from the encounter with Darius.

Darius.

The right hand of the Tyrant. The man who had nearly killed them without breaking a sweat. But that wasn’t what unsettled her the most.

It was Ronan’s reaction.

He hadn’t just fought Darius. He had known him—understood him in a way that spoke of a past neither of them had dared to voice.

And that made him dangerous.

The silence between them stretched for several minutes before she finally spoke. “Are you going to tell me what that was about?”

Ronan didn’t answer immediately. His expression was unreadable, and his golden eyes reflected the dim torchlight as they walked. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm yet edged with something she couldn’t quite place.

“Darius and I were trained under the same master.”

Lyria blinked. That wasn’t the answer she had expected. “You trained together?”

A slow nod. “We were raised for one purpose—to be the Tyrant’s weapons.”

The weight of his words sent a shiver down her spine. She had known Ronan was dangerous and had seen his raw power firsthand, but to hear that he had once served the Tyrant?

It changed everything.

Lyria’s grip on her blade tightened. “And you escaped.”

Ronan let out a low exhale. “No one escapes the Tyrant. Not really.”

A silence fell between them again, but this time, it was heavier. Lyria knew better than to push him further, but something about the way Ronan carried himself—the way his shoulders were just slightly more rigid than before—told her that Darius’ presence had rattled him more than he let on.

And that unsettled her more than anything.

The tunnel eventually opened up into a massive cavern, the ceiling so high it disappeared into shadows. Ruined structures dotted the area—remnants of an ancient underground city long forgotten by time.

Lyria let out a low whistle. “Didn’t expect this.”

Ronan didn’t respond. His attention was elsewhere.

Lyria followed his gaze and immediately felt her stomach twist.

Bodies.

Dozens of them, scattered across the stone floor. Some were armored, their weapons still clutched in stiff hands. Others looked like they had been cut down before they could even react.

And at the center of it all, standing over the fallen, was a lone figure.

Lyria’s breath caught.

The figure was clad in dark robes, their face obscured by a hood. But even from this distance, she could feel it—the same suffocating pressure that Darius had exuded.

A predator waiting in the dark.

Ronan’s hand went to his sword. “Stay close.”

Lyria didn’t need to be told twice.

As they moved forward, the figure slowly turned toward them, their movements eerily smooth. The air grew colder, and a twisted smile crept across the figure’s lips.

“I was wondering when you’d arrive.”

Ronan’s grip on his sword tightened. “Who are you?”

The figure took a slow step forward, their voice like silk over steel. “Names are such fickle things.” A pause. “But if you must call me something… you may call me Nyx.”

Lyria exchanged a glance with Ronan. The name meant nothing to her, but Ronan’s jaw clenched at the sound of it.

He knew that name.

Nyx tilted their head, as if amused. “I see Darius didn’t finish the job.” Their smile widened. “Good. That means I get to play.”

Without warning, they moved.

A shadowy blur—faster than anything Lyria had ever seen.

Ronan barely managed to parry as Nyx’s blade came crashing down, the impact sending a shockwave through the cavern. The sheer force nearly knocked Lyria off her feet.

Nyx laughed, twisting around Ronan’s defenses like a phantom. “You’ve gotten stronger.”

Ronan didn’t reply. His sword lashed out, forcing Nyx back with a brutal counterattack. But Nyx barely seemed fazed.

Lyria didn’t wait for an opening—she lunged forward, her blade aimed straight for Nyx’s side.

Nyx turned at the last second, catching her wrist mid-strike. “Oh?” They smiled. “And who might you be?”

Lyria grits her teeth, wrenching free and slashing again—only for Nyx to vanish into a swirl of shadows.

A whisper brushed against her ear. “Too slow.”

She barely had time to react before a boot slammed into her back, sending her crashing to the ground.

Ronan roared—his aura exploding outward as he swung his sword in a devastating arc. Nyx flickered back just in time, their amused smile never faltering.

“You’re still holding back, Ronan.”

Ronan’s eyes burned. “And you’re still as insufferable as ever.”

Nyx chuckled, shaking their head. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

Then, faster than Lyria could track, Nyx raised their hand. A dark, pulsing energy gathered at their fingertips—

And then fired straight at Ronan.

The force of the impact sent him flying, crashing through the ruined structures with an earth-shattering boom.

Lyria’s heart stopped. “Ronan—!”

Nyx exhaled, dusting off their hands. “Well, that was anticlimactic.”

Lyria’s pulse pounded. She wasn’t strong enough to fight Nyx alone—she knew that. But there was no way in hell she was just going to stand there and do nothing.

She steadied her breathing, forcing herself to move.

Nyx noticed, amusement flickering across their face. “Still got fight in you? How adorable.”

Lyria ignored the taunt. She had to stall—had to give Ronan time to recover. She tightened her grip on her blade and rushed forward—

But before she could reach Nyx, the ruins shook.

A pressure, unlike anything she had felt before filled the cavern.

A golden light erupted from the rubble where Ronan had fallen.

The entire battlefield went still.

Nyx’s eyes widened slightly, their smile finally slipping. “Oh?”

Then, from the dust and debris, Ronan stepped forward.

But he wasn’t the same.

His aura burned—a raw, suffocating force that made the very air tremble. His golden eyes gleamed with something primal, something unstoppable.

He exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. “That hurt.”

Nyx’s lips curled. “Finally taking this seriously?”

Ronan’s grip tightened on his sword. The golden glow around him pulsed, and the very earth beneath him cracked from the sheer weight of his power.

His voice was low. Dangerous.

“No more games.”

Nyx grinned. “Now this is interesting.”

The next second, the cavern exploded as the two clashed once more—

And the battle had only just begun.