Nightborne woke before dawn, the first rays of sunlight barely touching the edges of Greenwood Hollow's horizon. He tightened the straps on his pack, tucking the Blade of Forgiveness into his belt and slipping his Direwolf's Claws onto his wrists. ShadowSteel Daggers, Darkness Wire, and Flying Shadow Daggers sat ready at his hip. Around him, the island's day‑night cycle felt almost normal—a sharp contrast to the unending darkness of Warp 1's nightmare.
He paused at the mouth of his cave, glanced back at the village lights fading in the distance, then set off southward toward the forest ruins where rumors spoke of shadow‑bats and lurking horrors. He tested his Shadow Blend as he moved, letting the early light wash over him before melting into the dappled shade beneath oak and birch.
Thirty minutes of steady travel brought him to a clearing scattered with broken columns and moss‑clad stones—remnants of an ancient shrine. Low stone walls formed circular patterns, half‑buried in ferns. The air smelled of damp earth and old magic.
He knelt and drew two sticks together, striking them until a small fire bloomed. The flames danced across his gauntlets, illuminating carvings on the shrine's altar. Intricate runes spiraled around the stone—symbols he'd glimpsed in Dr. Hale's library notes on Warp lore.
Then he heard the flutter: shadow‑bats emerging from the DARK DOMAIN he'd conjured as an anchor for his tests. He extinguished his fire, leaving no smoke trail, and recalled the system prompt with a practiced motion:
[Dark Domain]
The realm turned as black as obsidian, the rising sun banished by the sphere's boundary. He could see nothing—no moss, no trees, only the subtle gleam of his own hands.
A shriek cut through the void. Three shadow‑bats swooped in, their wings whispering like silk across glass. Their eyes glowed faint amber slits.
He teleported upward, reappearing among them in a blur. Two bats circled beneath; he plunged both ShadowSteel Daggers into one's wing and throat, feeling the misty blood vanish into nothing. The other yelped and thrashed; he blinked‑reappeared behind it, tearing its back with his Claws. The third swung around but vanished before its claws met his flesh. He slashed downward, the blade severing a wingtip, then kicked off the air to drive both daggers into its flank. It collapsed, bone crunching beneath the sheer force.
Silence reigned.
He let the Domain dissolve in a rolling wave of returning daylight, and the shrine's stones returned to focus. No trace of battle remained—except for three tiny black motes falling to the ground.
He knelt to gather them: Tier 1 Energy Crystals, pulsing with residual shadow essence.
[Progress: 3/100 defeats in Dark Domain]
He pocketed the crystals and took a deep breath, letting the sun warm his face.
Deciding to push his limits, he moved deeper into the forest, toward the ruins of an old watchtower carved into a cliffside. The path twisted through ancient oaks and fallen pillars. Mushrooms glowed faintly at the bases of trees, and vines draped arches like cathedral curtains.
At midday, he reached the tower's half‑collapsed staircase. He climbed to the top landing—an open ledge overlooking the valley. The wind off the water whispering below ruffled his hair.
He tested a teleport: visualizing a spot at the base of the far wall, he vanished and reappeared inches from the stone. The return of the breeze and the smell of lichen confirmed the success.
He called the Domain:
[Dark Domain]
Night fell within the sphere. Stars and sun vanished. In the void's center, he sensed movement: four shadow‑wolves drifting into form, eyes like dying embers.
He flexed his claws. The wolves advanced in a silent line.
Rather than strike immediately, he observed—their fur ebbed and flowed like black ink on water. Their jaws opened and closed in near‑silent snarls. He could feel them smell him through the void. He took a steadying breath.
He blinked, teleporting behind the first wolf, and slashed from knee to hip, opening a long groove that glowed with shadow mist. It stumbled. The second wolf lunged, but he vanished, reappearing behind the third and thrusting his dagger into its chest. The beast collapsed.
Two wolves remained, circling. He fired the Darkness Wire, whispering "Bind." The filament shot out, wrapping around one wolf's hind leg. Its weight dragged it down. He teleported up, driving his claws into its neck, ending the struggle. The last wolf reeled in panic; he teleported twice, closing distance, and then crossed the beast's shoulders with twin dagger strikes. It disintegrated into motes.
The void hovered, then faded. Moonlight and stone reasserted themselves.
He rose from his kneeling stance, collecting four more crystals.
[Progress: 7/100 defeats in Dark Domain]
Warning lights of fatigue flickered in his mind—magic power dipped dangerously low after two Domains in a day. He checked his MP meter: a thin sliver remained.
He needed rest and recovery. He returned to the small lake at the forest's edge, drank deep from cool water, and ate flatbread soaked in fish broth he'd stored earlier.
As twilight edged the sky in molten gold, he built a modest fire. Sparks drifted upward, and he took a moment to reflect on the Domain's nature: no light could penetrate. Not even sunlight, not lantern flame—nothing could pierce that perfect sphere. He tested it later, holding a lit torch outside the Domain and seeing its glow vanish at the boundary.
He sketched notes in his worn notebook:
– Reset Domain quickly drains MP. Rest needed between uses.
– Teleportation inside Domain unlimited, but exit requires dispelling the sphere.
– Larger foes can survive single strikes; combine Claws, Wire, and Daggers for guaranteed takedown.
– Crystal yield increases with creature size.
Nightborne closed his book, extinguished the fire, and lay on a blanket of spruce needles. Stars blinked into existence beyond the Domain's boundary—he watched them until sleep claimed him.
Tomorrow, he would explore the cavern tunnels beneath the cliffs, rumored to house ancient guardians larger than trolls. He would gather more Energy Crystals and inch closer to mastering Dark Domain.
But tonight, he rested, at peace in the controlled darkness he alone could command.