Nightborne picked his way up the rocky slope, each boot-step echoing in the dawn's stillness. His muscles burned where Diablo's Shadow Colossus had struck him, but his spirit soared. With every duel in Dark Domain, he grew stronger—and tonight's triumph had unlocked new reserves of power. He felt it coursing through him now, a steady pulse beneath his skin.
He paused at the rim of the canyon, looking out over the forest sea. Greenwood Hollow lay far below, smoke spiraling from chimneys. Beyond the trees, the gleam of distant ruins beckoned—Cesar's Temple, half-swallowed by vines and lichen. It was said to hold the secrets of the ancient god of light—and perhaps the key to ending the island's endless night.
He descended the slope, following a narrow goat-trail that wound through twisted undergrowth. Gnarled roots tangled at his feet, and the air smelled of damp earth and moss. Each step brought him closer to the temple—and deeper into the island's history.
After an hour's trek, he broke through the last stand of trees. The temple rose before him, a half-collapsed façade of white stone carved with sunbursts and spirals. Ivy draped the columns like fallen curtains, and the main doorway yawned open, dark as a maw. Broken statues of radiant warriors stood guard on either side, their features worn by centuries of wind and rain.
Nightborne stepped forward and brushed his fingers over a carved relief: a figure raising a flaming sword to the sky. The stone glittered faintly, as if holding a memory of light. He knelt and pressed his palm against it.
[Insight Gained: Cesar's Light – the god was believed to channel raw daylight itself, banishing shadows with a single strike.]
He rose, pocketing the discovery. Mechanically, he consulted his system:
[Inventory: Direwolf's Claws; Blade of Forgiveness; ShadowSteel Daggers; Darkness Wire; Flying Shadow Daggers]
[Ability: Dark Domain — Level 2; Max Targets: 3]
[Magic Power: 1,210/1,200 (+10% Domain Bonus)]
[Progress to Level 3: 34/100 defeats]
Magic Power flashed full—his new buff in action. The temple beckoned him onward.
He stepped inside. The floor was cracked marble, now veined with roots. Pillars soared overhead, crowned with carvings of suns and moons dancing together. Dust motes drifted in the pale morning light that filtered through collapsed walls and holes in the ceiling.
A low hum filled the air, like a distant heartbeat. Nightborne's skin prickled. He followed the sound to a central chamber where a circular dais rose from the floor. In its center floated a small orb of pure light—humming with warmth.
"Cesar's Beacon," he whispered. "A remnant of his power."
He approached, but the orb pulsed, and the floor around him shimmered. From the shadows slithered shapes—four Shadow-Serpents, each as long as his arm, their eyes glowing with cold cunning. Their scales rippled like liquid night.
He drew a breath and activated his signature move.
[Dark Domain — Level 2 Activated]
Blackness engulfed everything. Even the beacon's light died. He stood alone, heart hammering, as the serpents advanced in silent grace.
He tested the new target limit. Without hesitation, he summoned three more threats from beyond: two Shadow-Bats for distraction and one skeletal guardian from the courtyard statues. Six enemies in all.
The first serpent struck at his leg. He vanished and reappeared behind it, driving a dagger through its vertebrae. It writhed before dissolving. A bat swooped in; he teleported above its wingtip and slashed it free. The second serpent lashed out—he used the Darkness Wire to bind its fangs, yanking them free from his flesh. A skeletal guardian charged; he met it with his Direwolf's Claws, ripping its armor-plate skin in a shower of black mist.
Four down, two to go.
The final serpent, larger than the rest, coiled around the dais. It struck from below; he rolled aside, then reappeared inside its coils. His daggers found the soft underbelly. The beast collapsed into motes.
The last creature, another bat, flapped wildly. He pinned it with a flick of his wrist and ended it swiftly.
The domain collapsed, and light returned, pale and lifeless against the ancient walls. He knelt on one knee, breathing hard, yet triumphant.
He sensed a faint tremor beneath his feet. The beacon at the dais flickered. A single sunburst carved into the dais glowed, painting golden light across the chamber. The orb pulsed faster—then shattered into shards that drifted toward him.
[Item Acquired: Shard of Cesar's Beacon]
[Effect: +15% MP Regeneration; Whenever Dark Domain is active, gentle pulse of light strengthens domain duration by 20%.]
He collected the shards, feeling their warmth seep into his veins. The runes on his Blade of Forgiveness glowed softly, as if acknowledging the god's power.
He explored deeper. Stone corridors led off the chamber, half-collapsed into darkness. He sealed the main entrance with a fallen pillar—just in case—and pressed on with a flickering torch in hand.
The corridors branched and twisted, lined with bas-reliefs of Cesar's victories. Warriors cast down shadow beasts, rays of light bursting like stars. Nightborne traced their histories with his eyes, piecing together a tale of war between darkness and light.
At the end of one hall, a grand door stood, carved with a sun and a moon intertwined. It led into a vast hall crowned by a shattered dome. Moonlight spilled through the crack, illuminating a massive stone statue: Cesar himself, sword raised, gaze fixed on the heavens. The statue's face was chipped away, but its presence was overwhelming.
Before Nightborne could step forward, the statue's eyes flared with living light. The ground shook as stone limbs creaked to life. Cesar's avatar—a being of pure luminescence and stone—stepped down from its pedestal, bringing the blade of daylight to bear.
Nightborne's pulse raced. He recognized this fight: a true boss within the domain, where light and dark clashed.
He activated his domain:
[Dark Domain — Level 2 Activated]
The statue's light dimmed to nothing. Only he and the avatar remained in the void.
The statue's form rippled as it attacked—stone fists pounding and the sword slashing. He blinked apart, teleporting behind its ankles, driving his Claws into cracks in the rock. He reappeared inside its gauntleted fist, slashing the inside plating. Sparks of darkness exploded where dagger met stone.
The avatar roared—a soundless cacophony that bruised his bones. It summoned shards of broken marble, hurling them like spears. Nightborne teleported through gaps, each step precise. He closed the distance, driving his sword into its chest, where runes of light glowed faintly. The statue staggered, splintering like a cracked monument.
With one final roar, it collapsed, stone dust drifting through the void like snow. The Domain collapsed around him, and sunlight returned—golden and fragile.
He collapsed to his knees, chest heaving. Before him lay a single shard of pure, living light.
[Item Acquired: Heart of Light]
[Effect: Grants Dark Domain the ability to absorb one light-based attack per activation, converting it into MP.]
[Quest Update: You have cleansed the Temple of Light. The island's destiny shifts.]
Nightborne rose unsteadily, clutching the shard. His Dark Domain had grown beyond his control—melding light and darkness into a single force.
He stepped into the hall and touched the statue's frozen hand. A shock of warmth pulsed through him, rewriting the night's promise.
The island had new hope.
---
He returned to Greenwood Hollow at dawn's first light, the Heart of Light hidden in his pack. Bertha greeted him at the well, her eyes wide.
"You look… different," she said softly.
He smiled, nodding. "A lot happened."
He didn't explain the statue or Dark Domain's new power, but he felt ready for whatever came next. The temple's secret was his now, and with it, the power to rewrite an eternal night.