As the sarcophagus trembled violently, Cale's figure vanished completely into the darkness. He could no longer distinguish himself from the monster crawling out of the sarcophagus. He felt himself being devoured, and the whole world seemed to turn into a black whirlpool. Only that strange power was calling to him, pushing him towards an unknown abyss.
"Cale!" Darlene's voice pierced through the darkness, tinged with urgency and helplessness. "Come back quickly!"
However, Cale didn't respond. His body was guided by an irresistible force. All he could see was that withered hand slowly emerging from the crack, carrying the aura of death and decay. It was like a demon imprisoned for a thousand years, longing for rebirth.
"It's time." Cale murmured. His voice was full of confusion yet also had a resolute calmness.
He closed his eyes and felt the dark power surging within him. It rose from the depths of his soul and collided with the power of the Shadow Master emerging from the sarcophagus. This was a strange fusion, a convergence point of dual powers. Cale suddenly realized—he wasn't the only Shadow Master. The true body of the Shadow Master had long been lying dormant within him, waiting for rebirth. And now, it had formed a strange resonance with his own shadow.
At this very moment, he could clearly hear the sound of his heartbeat—it was completely in sync with that of the Shadow Master.
Suddenly, a powerful dark force burst out from Cale's body, piercing the air and instantly filling the entire cellar. The air seemed to become heavy, making it difficult to breathe.
"Cale!" Darlene's cry came again, laced with unease and fear. She tugged hard at Lucas, trying to rush towards where Cale was, but was blocked by the dark force and couldn't move forward.
Lucas's face turned extremely serious. He tightly grasped Darlene's arm and said in a low voice, "Cale isn't in control of all this. It's the power of the Shadow Master eroding him."
"We have to stop it!" Darlene gritted her teeth, glaring at the surging darkness. "Otherwise, he'll be completely devoured!"
However, Cale's body was no longer the Cale they knew. He stood there, his eyes vacant, with a strange smile on his face. That smile wasn't his own but the Shadow Master's.
"You've come at just the right time." Cale's voice was no longer in its original tone but a cold, oppressive whisper, like a summons from the depths of the earth.
Both Darlene and Lucas were stunned by the voice. It was as if every word was tearing at their nerves. Tears glistened in Darlene's eyes, and her heart was filled with unease. "Cale, don't... You must come back to us!"
"Come back to you?" Cale let out a low laugh, his voice full of indifference and disdain. "You're too naive. This world... has already been devoured."
Darlene could hardly believe what she was seeing. The Cale in front of her was no longer the person she had once loved deeply. There was no warmth in his eyes anymore, only the uncontrollable dark power.
Lucas tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. His eyes grew solemn. "You're not Cale anymore." he said in a low voice. "You're the Shadow Master, or rather, you and the Shadow Master have become one."
Cale didn't respond. His body trembled slightly, and then he began to emit a black glow. That glow seemed to have a life of its own, spreading continuously, devouring everything around it. Even the air became heavy, as if every inch of space was under extreme pressure.
"You won't understand." Cale's eyes turned blood - red, and his voice was low and furious. "I was born to be a vessel for the Shadow Master. You can't change any of this!"
As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible force suddenly exploded, pushing Darlene and Lucas forcefully to the ground. The air was filled with a harsh buzzing sound, as if an invisible hand was oppressing their souls.
"Cale!" Darlene gasped violently, her vision almost blurred by tears. "You can't go on like this. You can't become part of the Shadow Master!"
But Cale seemed not to hear. Her cries had become insignificant to him. His body gradually became blurred, and the boundary between the image and reality became increasingly indistinct.
Gradually, the entire cellar space began to distort and transform, as if they had entered another dimension.
"Your resistance..." Cale slowly raised his hand, with black light flickering at his fingertips. "Is doomed to be in vain."
Just then, Darlene suddenly grabbed Lucas's hand, a determined look flashing in her eyes. "We can't wait any longer. If he really becomes the Shadow Master, we'll lose him completely."
Lucas nodded. The two stood up together and rushed towards Cale with all their might. Just as they were about to touch him, a black shadow suddenly flew out from Cale's body, condensing into a huge black phantom. The overwhelming aura almost choked them.
"You're too late." The voice of the Shadow Master was full of threat and indifference. "This game has just begun."
Cale's body became ethereal again. His face gradually dissipated, disappearing into the darkness. Only the voice lingered in the air, echoing for a long time.