The air in the basement gradually solidified. Cale's disappearance left the entire space in silence for a moment. Darlene and Lucas stood there, their hearts pounding rapidly. Their eyes were fixed on the dissipating black shadow. The suffocating sense of oppression was like an invisible shackle, tightly binding them.
"Is this... him?" Darlene asked in a low voice, her eyes full of unease.
Lucas's gaze remained solemn. "This isn't Cale anymore." His tone was calm, but the anger and helplessness in his heart were impossible to hide. He knew that what stood before them wasn't the Cale they had once known, but something far more powerful and dangerous. That dark power had completely consumed him.
"We have to do something." Darlene gritted her teeth, her eyes involuntarily drawn to the black shadow still swirling in the air.
Lucas was silent for a while before finally speaking. "We must find the source of the Shadow Master. Only by destroying it completely can there be any chance for Cale to recover."
The two walked slowly, their steps heavy. It seemed that with each step they took, the air became more oppressive. Deep in the cellar, the darkness all around seemed to come alive. Every inch of space was filled with an eerie atmosphere, and even sounds were distorted.
Darlene's heart began to race. She couldn't help but reach out to grab Lucas's sleeve, but stopped her hand the moment she made contact. She felt a strong sense of unease—this unease seemed to stem from some unknown premonition deep within her. She didn't know why, but she knew that they were bound to face unimaginable horror tonight.
"Lucas, wait a minute." Her voice was low and trembling. "I feel something's wrong."
Lucas turned to look at her. There was no panic in his eyes; instead, there was an unwavering determination. "Come on, we need to get out of this place quickly."
But just then, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly came. The sound had no sign of life, as if it came from the shadows deep underground.
"Did you hear that?" Darlene subconsciously tightened her grip on the short sword in her hand, her eyes tense.
Lucas also listened intently and looked around. The air was filled with a rotten smell. His face became even more solemn. "Let's go. Find a place to hide first."
They quickly found a hidden corner and crouched down quietly, listening to the approaching footsteps. As the footsteps got closer, the air around them seemed to become even heavier, making it difficult to breathe. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. The darkness all around seemed to condense into a huge net, descending silently.
Darlene slightly raised her head. Through the layers of shadows, she suddenly saw a blurred figure emerging from the darkness in the distance. It was a man in a long robe. His face was pale, his hair was messy, and there was no life in his eyes, as if he were a dead soul.
"Who's there?" She blurted out almost involuntarily.
The man didn't respond. He still stood there quietly, his eyes dull, as if waiting for something. Suddenly, he slightly lowered his head, and a sneer appeared on the corners of his mouth.
"You've finally come." His low voice seemed to come from the depths of the earth, full of coldness and threat.
"Who are you?" Lucas asked in a low voice, a glint of vigilance flashing in his eyes.
The man slowly raised his head, a chilling smile appearing on his face. "Me?" He seemed to be savoring the question. "I'm the successor of the Shadow Master."
Darlene immediately felt a piercing chill, and a sense of foreboding welled up in her heart. "What... what are you talking about?"
The man's smile gradually deepened, and there was a hint of pleasure in his voice. "The successor of the Shadow Master. In a sense, you could also think of me as a 'savior'." There was an extraordinary certainty in his words. "Do you think you can defeat it and eliminate the darkness? You're so naive."
"He's the successor of the Shadow Master." Lucas repeated in a low voice, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. "What on earth do you want to do?"
A look of disdain appeared in the man's eyes. "What do I want to do? I'm just fulfilling the arrangements of fate." He chuckled. "Your ignorance is my favorite melody."
Suddenly, he reached out and gently touched the air with his fingertips. The next moment, the darkness all around began to churn violently. Countless images seemed to interweave, distort, and even condense into various forms. The figures of Darlene and Lucas were pulled into this endless darkness.
"You're about to understand that no matter how many times you try, you'll eventually be swallowed up by all this." The successor of the Shadow Master said indifferently, his voice filled with endless mockery.
The darkness grew even denser. The world in front of them almost began to crumble. The surrounding space became distorted, and reality and illusion intertwined. Suddenly, Darlene's vision went black, and a sense of oppression filled her ears, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
Her heart began to beat wildly, and her consciousness gradually blurred. She felt bound by invisible chains and unable to move. Until a faint whisper came to her ears: "You can't escape."
Suddenly, everything in the darkness came to a standstill.
Silence, stillness.
A look of tension appeared on Lucas's face. He struggled hard to break free from this heavy pressure. Darlene also exerted all her strength, trying to draw her sword to fight back. However, the darkness around them seemed to be alive, constantly sapping their strength.
"You can only choose to accept it." The voice of the successor of the Shadow Master was cold. "This is fate."
The darkness engulfed everything about them again. In an instant, Cale's name echoed in the air, as if the entire world was responding to it.