The kingdom was visible from afar.
Not through towers or walls, but through the air.
The sky above him was lower than the rest of the world, as if something was pressing down from within. The morning light failed to settle on the fields; it scattered in pale strips before reaching the gates.
Paul stopped first.
Not because the road was ending, but because the future was beginning.
Vlad and Alexandra stopped beside him. Neither asked why. They were both already feeling that familiar thrill—the moment when you no longer fight what's in front of you, but what's inside you.
Paul looked at them in turn.
"I had a vision," he said quietly. One I didn't want you to have.
Alexandra clenched her jaw.
"Say it."
Pavel lowered his gaze to the kingdom.
— The shadows will not be defeated only from the outside. For what comes next… you will have to touch them from the inside.
Vlad felt something cold gather in his chest.
- What do you mean?
— That each of you already carried a shadow, Pavel answered. And that the kingdom will try to awaken it.
Alexandra clenched her fists.
— And what should we do?
Pavel looked straight at them.
— Close your eyes. And don't run.
Vlad and Alexandra said nothing.
They did as they were told.
Darkness came immediately, Alexandra.
Not like night, but like a heavy, suffocating heat that pressed against her chest. Alexandra felt something burning inside her, like an ember hidden under her skin. Her breath was taken away.
— I can't… she told herself.
She opened her eyes suddenly, gasping.
The shadow crept into her chest, pressing, squeezing, whispering things she didn't want to hear. Old fears. Regrets. Moments when she had been weakened.
Alexandra opened her eyes suddenly, gasping.
— I can't resist! she said. It's destroying me!
Paul didn't seem surprised.
— I knew.
Her gaze slowly shifted to Vlad.
— It'll be harder for you.
Vlad
Vlad closed his eyes.
And the world disappeared.
It wasn't dark.
It was a voice.
— Brother…
His heart broke.
In front of him stood his younger sister. Exactly as he remembered her. With wide eyes. With cold hands. With a smile that hadn't had time to open.
— You… Vlad whispered. You're dead.
— Not for you, she replied.
— Why are you here?
She took a step toward him.
— Because you want the power of the shadow.
Vlad felt his tears burning.
— I want to be able to protect the children. The ones like you. No one else should die like this. Not children, not the elderly, not innocent people.
His sister looked at him for a long time.
— If you accept the shadow, you will forget me.
- I know.
— Me. Them. Everyone who loved you.
- I know.
— You will be half human, half shadow. No one will wait for you at the end.
Vlad clenched his fists.
— There are people who will accept me as I am.
She shook her head.
— The world doesn't work that way.
— Maybe not. But yes.
She looked up.
— After I destroy the shadows and all evil, people will have to remember you. Even if they can't anymore.
Silence.
His sister came closer and touched his forehead.
— Then do it.
— Will you help me?
She smiled through her tears.
— Take care of yourself, big brother. And avenge us.
He disappeared.
Darkness immediately engulfed him.
Vlad didn't fight.
He let him come.
When he opened his eyes, he was different.
Not a monster.
But not just a man.
Alexandra was shaking.
— I can't… I can't breathe…
Vlad came closer.
— I'll help you.
- How?
— I'll give you my shadow. Just enough for you.
Alexandra looked at him scared.
- And you?
— I've already paid.
She closed her eyes.
Vlad put his hand on her forehead and let the shadow move.
Then Alexandra heard a voice.
— Alexandra…
- Who are you?
A memory burst into her mind.
A boy, an old love. A voice that had once told her "I love you".
- Is it you?
— I am what's left.
— Why are you here?
— Because if you unite with the shadow, you will be stronger. But only until one day.
— What day?
The voice became sad.
— The day Paul dies.
Alexandra froze.
— Then you will forget me?
— Me. Ana. Alex. Oana. Paul. Maybe… just not Vlad.
— And still you will help me?
— Yes. Because I love you. And because some loves burn even when there are no more memories.
Alexandra wanted to ask more.
But the shadow entered her.
And she accepted it.
When she opened her eyes, she was breathing.
But she knew.
Nothing would be the same again.
Oana approached Alexandra as soon as the sound of weapons and Shadows faded for a moment. There was no peace, just a breath between the waves.
— Are you okay? she asked, without haste.
Alexandra rested her hand on her thigh and took a deep breath. Every muscle in her body burned, but she held herself straight.
— I'm hurt, she said. But I can walk. I can fight.
Paul looked at the walls of the Kingdom. The towers were clearly visible, but the air around them seemed to be squeezed in a vise. The Shadows were already moving among the buildings, organized, patient.
— We don't have time, he said. If we wait, they will surround us.
As they approached, the number became clear. It wasn't the entire horde, but there were over a hundred. Enough to turn the Kingdom into a mass grave.
Paul didn't raise his voice.
— Listen.
— Oana and I are evacuating the people.
— Vlad and Alexandra are holding the front line. Get their attention, break them into small groups.
— Ana, Alex, enter the forest. Use the bassars. The castle is a priority. The kings must be taken out of there.
The plan had no room for doubt.
They parted without looking at each other for long, each knowing that any hesitation could cost lives.
Paul and Oana
Oana felt the change before she saw it. Ten Shadows stood next to the crowded people. One was not moving. It was denser, more clearly outlined. It did not attack.
It was coordinating.
— It is one that thinks, she murmured. A leader.
Paul was already caught between two Shadows. The third hit him from the side and brought him to his knees.
Oana ran without analyzing.
Light burst from his hands, instinctively. Two Shadows fell apart. Then he truly understood.
The Shadows feared the light. They couldn't stand it.
But Paul was bleeding. A deep wound ran through his arm.
He had no time for fear.
The light compressed, clenched with pure will, until it took shape. A simple, yet living weapon.
Paul caught it without asking.
— "Good," he said shortly.
With it, his movements became precise. The Shadows began to fall, one by one.
The leading Shadow spoke, and her voice vibrated in the air:
— Take the men. Retreat.
— No, Oana said calmly.
She released the rest of the light. The Shadows were trapped, burned, pushed back. Her power was draining fast.
Paul saw and attacked the leader. The fight was fierce, without hesitation. When the Shadow fell, the others lost their cohesion.
— Now! Paul shouted. Go!
The people fled.
Oana leaned against the wall for a moment. Just a moment. Then she stood up.
Vlad and Alexandra
The front line was almost broken.
The Shadows were constantly attacking, changing direction, testing for weaknesses.
Alexandra had been wounded in the arm. Vlad stepped in front of her without thinking.
— Don't pass.
The blow came from the side. Her head hit the stone. Blood filled her vision.
Alexandra felt the Shadow inside her respond.
Not chaotic. Not violent.
Controlled.
The darkness burst briefly, pushing the Shadows back enough to create space.
A large one lunged at her.
Vlad stood up and intercepted it.
Alexandra saw his wound slowly closing.
He understood.
Power didn't save them without a price.
Ana and Alex
The castle was saturated with Shadows. They moved through the halls, through the corridors, through the rooms where people had already fallen.
— The sign of the Moon, Ana said. The darkness recognizes it.
Alex called on the power. The cold light of the Moon cut through the shadows, opening a path.
They passed by the bodies. Past people who could no longer be saved.
Ana lowered her gaze and walked on.
In the throne room, a Shadow stood before the King and Queen.
— Tell me where the riches are hidden, she said.
The King fell silent.
The Shadow attacked.
Alex struck first.
— Get them out of here, he said. Now.
Ana wanted to stay, but she knew the truth. She led the Kings to the exit.
— Are there any survivors? she asked.
— The Shadows took a group underground. We don't know if they're still alive.
Ana left.
Alex stayed.
The Shadow came toward him.
He didn't obey it.
It molded it.
The armor of night enveloped him—stars, moon, darkness held in check.
He saved what he could and ran toward the forest.
The fight was slowly fading, but it wasn't over.
Oana had turned to the side of the road when she felt a different presence. Not a Shadow. Not a soldier. A man still fighting, though he had almost nothing left.
A young man, alone, trying to hold off a Shadow with a broken sword. His movements were precise, but tired. He wasn't running.
Oana approached, unhurriedly.
The Shadow attacked from the side.
Light shot from her palm and struck the creature before the broken blade gave way completely.
— Hold your position, she said.
The young man nodded, breathing heavily.
Oana gathered her light, shaped it quickly, and handed him the weapon.
— This blade lasts as long as you stay focused. Don't waste it.
He grabbed it instinctively. He felt its different weight.
— What's your name? Oana asked, without looking at him.
— Ion.
— I'm Oana
At that moment, Paul had arrived next to Vlad and Alexandra. He supported them, assessed their injuries at a glance, and stood there, holding the line.
At that moment, Paul had reached Vlad and Alexandra. He supported them, assessed their injuries at a glance, and stood there, holding the line.
There was no time for questions.