The stone door closed heavily, emitting an ear-piercing rumble, trapping Cale, Darlene, and Lucas deep in the cellar. The burning torches illuminated the surroundings, and the shadows danced on the walls, as if countless twisted faces were peering at them.
Ivan stood in the darkness, looking at Cale quietly. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and an elusive emotion showed in his eyes.
"Do you really want to stay here?" His voice carried a low echo, as if it had merged with the entire cellar.
Cale's gaze was calm, and he said slowly, "If I stay, can they really leave?"
Ivan didn't answer but turned and walked towards the sarcophagus. The black shadows moved silently with his steps, as if the darkness itself was his shadow.
"Ivan!" Darlene pulled the bowstring fully, the arrowhead pointing straight at his back. "What on earth are you going to do?"
Ivan stopped in his tracks, turned his head slightly, and still had a smile on his lips. "Darlene, don't you understand yet? All of this was already destined from the very beginning."
Lucas stepped beside Cale and said in a low voice, "Don't listen to him, Cale. The three of us together, there's nothing we can't solve."
Cale remained silent, his gaze slowly sweeping around the cellar as if searching for some clue. Finally, his eyes landed on the bottom of the sarcophagus, and a very faint rune mark emerged in the light of the torch.
"Is this... a seal?" Cale frowned slightly.
Ivan turned around, his gaze falling on the rune. He said slowly, "The seal does exist, but it has already loosened. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to get in here."
Cale's heart jolted, and he asked in a low voice, "What's the reason for the loosening?"
Ivan looked up towards the top of the bell tower, and his eyes gradually became profound. "Ten years ago, a crack appeared in the seal, and the first 'Shadow Attack' occurred in the village. Every night, someone would disappear without a reason, and at dawn, their shadows would appear beneath the bell tower."
"And you were the first person to disappear at that time?" Lucas asked, frowning.
Ivan smiled slightly. "That's right. The process of disappearing was very painful, but what was truly terrifying was that when I came back, I found that I was no longer a complete person."
His voice was cold, as if mixed with some pain that had been suppressed for a long time.
Darlene frowned and looked at Ivan. "Since you're back, why didn't you tell everyone the truth?"
Ivan slowly walked up to the sarcophagus, stared down at the already decayed corpse, and said in a low voice, "Because no one in this village can escape the curse of the shadow. Telling the truth would only make more people fall into fear and despair."
Cale gripped his short blade tightly, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Can you explain clearly who is behind all of this?"
Ivan didn't answer immediately but slowly reached out and touched the rune at the bottom of the sarcophagus. "Sealed here are the fragments of the 'Shadow Spirit'. And the one who truly controls it... is another 'Shadow Master' hidden deep in the village."
——
As soon as the words were spoken, the runes in the sarcophagus suddenly lit up as if they had been activated, and the entire cellar was instantly enveloped in an unusual light and shadow.
An invisible force swept in, and Cale took a sudden step back, raising his hand to cover his eyes. When the light faded, he slowly opened his eyes and found that the scene around him had changed.
The cellar was no longer dark and damp. Instead, it was a grayish space. It felt as if they were standing on empty air, and countless incomplete shadows were floating around, twisting and struggling, emitting silent howls.
Lucas looked around in stunned, his face pale. "What is this place?"
Ivan stood not far away, and his voice echoed in the space. "This is the 'Shadow Realm'. The souls of all those who have disappeared will be drawn here and become the servants of the shadows."
Darlene gritted her teeth and held her bow tightly. "So... we're in here too?"
Ivan nodded slowly. "Yes, you've already stepped onto the edge of the 'Shadow Realm'."
Cale frowned. "Then how do we get out?"
Ivan was silent for a moment and then said slowly, "The only way is to find the real Shadow Master and destroy him completely."
"Who is the Shadow Master?" Lucas stared intently at Ivan, his tone full of vigilance.
Ivan lowered his head, and his voice was barely audible. "The Shadow Master... is me."
As soon as these words were spoken, the air froze instantly. Cale and Lucas looked at each other, their eyes full of shock and disbelief.
"Are you kidding?" Lucas gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his tone menacing. "You've been using us?"
Ivan slowly raised his head, and a strange light gradually appeared in his black hole-like eyes. "I'm not the complete Shadow Master. There are fragments of the 'Shadow Master' inside me. And the real Shadow Master... is among you."
He slowly looked at Cale, his gaze carrying an indescribable meaning. "Cale, do you really think you're just an ordinary person?"
Cale's pupils shrank suddenly, and his heart beat rapidly.
Ivan continued, "Every generation of the village's vessel will awaken in the cycle of reincarnation and inherit the power of the Shadow Master. The blood in your body has already changed. If you don't believe it, you can feel it for yourself."
Cale looked down at his palm, and he could vaguely see faint black patterns emerging under his skin, as if some unknown power was awakening.
"I..." Cale's expression was complicated, and his heart was in turmoil.
Darlene bit her lip and said firmly, "No matter who he is, we won't let Cale become the next Shadow Master."
Ivan looked at her and sighed softly. "The gears of fate have already started to turn, and you can't stop it."
As soon as the words were spoken, the shadows around them surged frantically and swept in, dragging everyone into the endless darkness...