Kael's heart hammered in his chest, his breath shallow and quick. He stood at the threshold of the Shadow Gate, his body trembling, not from cold but from an overwhelming surge of power. The moment he had stepped toward the darkness, he had felt something deep inside him awaken—a force far beyond what he had ever known.
The shadows around him whispered, curling like tendrils, weaving through the air with a life of their own. It was unlike anything he had ever felt. The darkness was not a void, but something… alive. It pulled at his very soul, beckoning him forward.
"Do you accept this power?" The voice that had spoken to him before echoed in his mind again, as cold and impersonal as before. "This is your only chance. Once you pass through, there is no turning back."
Kael's pulse raced. He knew what this meant. There was no coming back from this. If he chose to walk through this gate, if he accepted whatever power it promised, he would no longer be the simple farmer he had been. He would be something else—something far more dangerous, far more powerful.
He glanced back toward the Gate of Light. The brilliant glow of its warmth seemed to promise safety, normalcy. But that was not his path, not anymore. He had already felt the pull of the darkness, a whisper in his heart that told him this was his true calling.
"What is the price?" Kael asked aloud, his voice hoarse with fear and uncertainty. "What do you want from me?"
The voice did not answer immediately. For a long moment, there was only silence, as if it were weighing his question carefully. Then, it spoke again, its tone now carrying a faint edge of amusement.
"The price? You need only ask yourself, mortal. The price is what you are willing to sacrifice to gain the power of the shadows. Your past, your innocence, your very soul—everything you hold dear. But if you are strong enough, if you are worthy, you will be reborn, a god among mortals."
Kael swallowed hard. A god? Was he truly ready for this? Was he prepared to let go of the life he had known? For a moment, his mind flashed back to his family—his mother, his younger sister. Would they even recognize him if he changed so completely?
But the image of the war-torn world, of the realms locked in an eternal struggle, flashed before his eyes. He had always been weak, powerless to change anything. No matter how hard he worked, no matter how much he labored, he was just a cog in a machine that had no room for someone like him.
But this… this was different.
The gate before him seemed to pulse with energy, urging him forward, and Kael's hands clenched into fists. He could feel the shadows embracing him, the air thick with dark power. The power he had been denied his entire life.
"I accept," he whispered, almost to himself. "I accept the power of the shadows."
At his words, the shadows surged forward, swallowing him whole. His body shuddered as an immense wave of energy coursed through him, the darkness wrapping around his mind, his heart, his very soul. His senses exploded with overwhelming power, and for a fleeting moment, Kael thought he might collapse under the sheer weight of it.
Then, everything went still.
Kael opened his eyes, blinking against the darkness. He was no longer standing before the gates. He was in a place that felt both foreign and familiar, a world where shadows danced like living things and the air hummed with dark magic. The ground beneath him was cold, but the power inside him burned like a furnace. It was like the very essence of darkness had fused with his being.
He reached up to touch his chest, and his hand trembled. He could feel something—an aura, swirling just beneath his skin. It was a power so potent that he could almost taste it.
"You have made your choice," the voice said again, but this time, it was not as distant. It seemed closer, more intimate. "You have chosen the path of the One-Sided God. You are no longer a mere mortal. Your power is infinite, but so too is the burden it brings. The question now is not whether you can wield this power, but whether you can control it."
Kael looked around, but the only thing he could see was the swirling darkness that surrounded him. There was no sky, no land—just shadows, stretching into infinity. It was a void, yet it felt like it was alive, waiting for him to take command.
He could feel the weight of the world pressing down on him, the responsibility of the power he had just unlocked settling into his bones. For the first time in his life, Kael felt truly alive. And with that life came a fear he had never known before—a fear of losing himself to the power that now surged within him.
The voice spoke again, this time more directly. "You are bound to the shadows now, Kael. But remember this: every gift comes with a price. The light will never accept you again, and you will have to choose your allies carefully. You will be hunted, and the price of failure is death."
Kael clenched his fists, his knuckles white as the shadows swirled around him. The darkness was no longer frightening—it was his to command. He could feel the power shifting within him, a force so overwhelming that he could barely comprehend it.
He took a deep breath, grounding himself in the moment. He had made his choice. He had chosen to step into the unknown, to take the power of the shadows for himself. And now, there was no turning back.
"I will not fail," Kael muttered under his breath. "I will rise."
The voice fell silent, but Kael could feel its presence lingering in the air around him, watching, waiting.
The world was changing, and Kael had become part of it.