Shadow of the First Sin

A battle raged on as I opened my eyes, greeted by a night sky and countless Talons leaping from shadow to shadow. Barely any time had passed since my death; what felt like ages in the afterlife were mere moments here. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I died on a battlefield, and now I had a chance to return the favor. Life for life—it was only fair.

Shadows formed beneath me, lifting me from the ground and helping me to my feet. Surveying the scene, I saw Orion standing at the brightest point of Buckleberry, where there were few shadows. At his feet lay a pile of Talon corpses. Their blood covered him from head to toe as he tore their limbs and cast their bodies aside, his face resembling that of a wild beast.

Turning my head, I spotted Silas hiding in an alley, clutching his lute to his chest, his eyes wide with disbelief. They glowed brightly, and knowing him, witnessing a man rise from the dead on a cloud of shadows, surely sparked an idea for a tale or a song. With his gaze locked on mine, he rose to his feet and swayed drunkenly toward me. No, stay back, Silas, please.

But no matter how much I hoped he would stay put and let me finish this, I knew he would come back again and again. This was who he truly was—a hero at heart.

“I will fight alongside you, for it was you who reignited my—” he began proudly, only to abruptly vomit at my feet.

“You really don’t have to...” I said, squinting in disgust.

“Oh, but I do!” he exclaimed, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “If it weren’t for you, I’d still be stuck in this hellhole, with my drunken face knee-deep in vomit! You are everything I searched for in an adventure! I dreamed of adventures and sought a world within the pages of the tales I’ve written over the years, but I was met with the cruel reality of this world...” As he rambled on, a few Talons emerged from the shadows and began their assault.

Oblivious to the danger, he continued to ramble while I protected him. I summoned the Void Veil beneath the Talons’ feet, and just as they emerged from the shadows, they devoured them. One by one, they disappeared, and their numbers began to dwindle.

„Despite being broke, I gave the last coin I had on me to a beggar. I mean, who goes on an adventure without money? I know I do...” he continued to reminisce, while the Talons attacked, and I desperately fought them off.

Seeing their frontal attacks fail, they tried to surge from behind. But old tricks don’t work twice; this time, I was ready. With a quiet, swift movement, they sneaked up with their daggers drawn. Just as they were about to strike, I brought out my wings and, with a half-spin, slashed at their throats, their heads rolling off their shoulders. Since my return, I felt more complete and more powerful than ever. It seemed all my weaknesses had turned into strengths; I could sense the Talons’ murderous intent from a mile away, and the power of the Void Veil and its shadows no longer controlled me—I was the one in control. I could mould them in any way I wished, deploy them wherever I needed, and conceal them when I didn’t. My wings seemed broader and darker as well.

“With no money and no ambition left, I stumbled into this hellhole, stayed in the nearest tavern, and drank the cheapest beer I could afford! Whenever I made a few coins, I spent them on alcohol and lulled myself to sleep, where my adventures felt real and I actually mattered. Oh, I’m such a poor excuse for a man,” he wept, clutching his lute like a baby, oblivious to the chaos surrounding him.

The Talons’ greatest strength lay in their numbers and ability to blend into the shadows; individually, they were quite weak. Defeating them one by one would take forever, as they seemed endless, pouring out like rats from the sewers of major cities. To eradicate every last one, I needed a way to do it all at once.

Light creates shadows, and from those shadows, the Talons drew their power, tipping the scale in their favor. What if there was no light, only shadows? I used the Void Veil, gathering shadows into my palm and shaping them into a perfect sphere. I released it into the sky, expanding it until it covered all of Buckleberry like a tent, blocking the moon’s light. Absolute darkness enveloped everything, and anyone who touched the shadowy walls would be devoured and forgotten.

“I may have wasted the last seven years of my life in vain, but no more!” Silas exclaimed drunkenly, unaware of the pitch-black darkness around him, his eyes closed the entire time. “I will get better, I promise...” he broke down, crying, his sobs echoing through the scene and drawing the Talons toward his location.

I could hear and pinpoint the exact location of every Talon within the radius of the veil I had deployed. They moved in pairs toward Silas and me, and when they were close enough, I summoned shadows from the ceiling and walls, allowing them to consume the Talons. As the Talons heard their brethren’s voices and battle cries disappear, their calm demeanour turned agitated, and their movements became erratic. For the first time, they lost their composure, making mistakes as they separated from their groups, each one looking out for themselves. Now was the time to strike.

I summoned my wings and began flying close to the floor, gaining momentum until I was flying faster than ever before. Rapidly, I moved from Talon to Talon, and before they could react, the feathers on my wings slashed their throats, and soon blood began soaking the ground.

In the darkness, electric sparks flickered as Orion joined the fight. Each time he landed a hit, the dark room would flash like lightning before returning to pitch-black. Together, we defeated the entire legion, transforming the scene into a graveyard for the Talons, with only one left alive. I brought down the veil, letting the light once more shower the scene. A sole surviving Talon sat amid a pile of his former comrades’ corpses, his head on his knees, and his hands covering his ears; he was beyond mortified. I began walking toward him.