The Shadow Forest clung to dusk like a second skin, mist coiling around gnarled oak trunks like spectral serpents. The air reeked of damp earth and decaying moss, with a faint, metallic undercurrent of shadow energy that pricked at Karen's nostrils. Fallen leaves crunched beneath his boots—dry, brittle things that seemed to whisper warnings as he and Elon pressed deeper into the trees. Silver hair sticking to his sweat-damp neck, Karen's left jaw throbbed; the shadow veins there pulsed in time with his heartbeat, a constant, burning reminder of the curse Marcus had branded him with.
"The Balance Civilization didn't just vanish," Elon murmured, his fingers tracing the faded ink of his mother's journal as they walked. The elf's pointed ears twitched at every rustle, his green eyes sharp with vigilance. "My mother's notes say they were betrayed. The theocracy—back then just a small cult—stole their rune formulas, twisted them to siphon shadow energy for their own holy light. When the Balance Guardians fought back, the cult unleashed a plague of void corruption. By the time the smoke cleared, only ruins and scattered runes remained." He flipped to a page filled with sketches of Five-Element symbols, identical to the one on Karen's copper coin. "Your curse? It's a perverted version of their core rune—designed to let the theocracy control shadow energy… and the host."
Karen's hand tightened around the balance short knife Elon had given him. The hilt, carved from dark wood, hummed faintly against his palm, its runes glowing soft gold whenever his shadow energy flared. He thought of Elias, poring over ancient texts by candlelight, rambling about "balance as the key to everything." Back then, Karen had laughed it off as his brother's eccentricities. Now, that laughter tasted like ash. "So Marcus knew," he said, his voice low and rough. "He knew the curse was more than a punishment. He wanted a weapon."
Elon nodded, tucking the journal into his leather backpack. "And you're the most powerful weapon he's ever crafted. Your knightly training let you resist the corruption longer than any other test subject. That's why he's so desperate to catch you—he wants to crack the curse's code, to bind the shadow energy without the humanity that holds you back."
A sharp ping echoed in Karen's mind, the system's cold mechanical voice cutting through the forest's hush: [High-intensity holy light detected. Source: Theocratic Golden Knight Order. Number: 5. Energy signature: Corrupted holy light (Balance Rune-infused). Distance: 800 meters and closing.]
Elon's face paled. "They're using enhanced detection crystals—modified with balance runes, just like your curse. They can track your shadow energy through the mist." He grabbed Karen's arm, yanking him behind a massive oak trunk. "We need to hide, but the mist won't shield us for long. My mother's journal has a 'Light-Shadow Synergy Rune Array'—it can weave your shadow energy and my balance runes into a barrier that bends holy light around us. But I need time to set it up."
Karen glanced over his shoulder, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He could hear it now—hoofbeats, heavy and rhythmic, thudding through the forest floor. The knights were moving fast, their horses urged into a gallop. "How long?" he asked, drawing the balance knife. The blade's runes flared, syncing with the copper coin in his chest; a wave of cool energy washed over him, dulling the burn of the curse.
"Two minutes," Elon said, dropping to his knees and yanking a leather pouch from his belt. He spilled five jagged ores onto the forest floor—each one glowing with a different hue: red for fire, blue for water, yellow for earth, white for metal, green for wood. "I need to arrange them in the Five-Element formation, channel my rune energy into each, and sync it with your shadow. Don't let them get within ten meters of me while I'm casting."
Karen nodded, spinning to face the direction of the hoofbeats. The mist was thinning ahead, torn apart by the knights' charge. He activated the system panel, his eyes narrowing at the numbers: [Humanity Level: 75%. Corruption Level: 25%. Active Skills: Shadow Claws (Basic), Light-Shadow Slash (Basic). Passive Skill: Light-Shadow Synergy (Basic) – Reduces shadow energy consumption by 30%, temporarily bends holy light.] The shadow veins on his neck writhed, responding to his focus, and he felt his fingers tingle as obsidian claws erupted from his nails—sharper now, longer, glinting with a faint gold edge from the synergy.
"Ready!" Elon shouted, his voice strained. The ores had embedded themselves in the earth, glowing brighter by the second, and a faint golden grid had spread between them, humming with energy. "Keep them off me!"
The first knight burst through the mist, armor glinting like molten silver in the fading light. It was Raymond—Marcus' right-hand man, his face scarred from a previous battle, eyes cold as he spotted Karen. "There he is! The kin-slayer heretic!" Raymond's sword blazed with holy light, the blade etched with tiny, twisted balance runes—exactly like the ones on Karen's curse. "The Grand Master will reward me for bringing back your head… and that little system of yours!"
Raymond's horse reared, front hooves slamming down toward Karen. He rolled sideways, Shadow Claws slashing at the beast's legs. The claws struck metal—horse armor reinforced with holy light runes—and sent sparks flying. The horse neighed in pain, rearing again, and Raymond cursed, swinging his sword in a wide arc. Karen ducked, the blade slicing through the air inches above his head, its holy light searing his cheek.
"Over here, you dogs!" Elon shouted, slamming his hammer into the nearest ore. The yellow earth rune exploded in a shower of golden light, sending a shockwave that knocked a second knight's horse off balance. "Come get me if you're brave enough!"
That drew the attention of two more knights, who peeled off from the formation to charge at Elon. Karen snarled, darting forward to intercept them. "Not so fast!" He leaped, driving his balance knife into the first knight's shoulder armor. The blade's runes flared, and a burst of black-gold energy exploded from the wound—shadow and balance, tearing through the holy light reinforcement. The knight screamed, falling from his horse, and Karen wrenched the knife free, spinning to face the second attacker.
This one was younger, his face still smooth beneath his helmet, but his eyes were wild with fanaticism. "Heretic! You'll burn for defiling the Grand Master's work!" He thrust his sword at Karen's chest, holy light blazing. Karen parried with the balance knife, the clash sending a jolt of pain up his arm. The knight's strength surprised him—enhanced, no doubt, by the same corrupted holy light Marcus wielded.
[System Notification: Holy light corruption detected in enemy attacks. Activate Light-Shadow Synergy to counteract.]
Karen grunted, focusing on the energy flowing between his coin, the knife, and Elon's rune array. The shadow veins on his chest glowed, merging with the golden light from the array, and suddenly the burning in his skin faded. He felt lighter, faster, the shadow energy in his veins no longer wild but focused, controlled. With a roar, he brought the knife down in a arc—Light-Shadow Slash—sending a crescent of black-gold energy slicing through the air. The knight's sword snapped in two, and the energy hit him square in the chest, blowing him off his horse in a shower of sparks.
"Karen!" Elon shouted, panic in his voice. The fifth knight had circled around, sword aimed at the elf's back. "Behind you!"
Karen spun, Shadow Claws extended. He tackled the knight off his horse, the two crashing to the ground in a tangle of armor and limbs. The knight's helmet rolled off, revealing a face Karen recognized—Gideon, a former comrade from the Golden Order, a man who'd once laughed at his jokes over campfires. Now his eyes were empty, his skin pale, veins of corrupted holy light spiderwebbing across his neck.
"You were always a traitor, Van Helga," Gideon snarled, driving his elbow into Karen's ribs. "The Grand Master was right to cast you out. Shadow energy is evil—only holy light is pure!"
Karen froze. For a split second, he saw Gideon as he'd been—young, idealistic, proud to be a knight. Then he remembered Elias, dying on the altar of Marcus' lies, and the spell broke. "Pure?" he roared, slamming his fist into Gideon's jaw. "You call stealing life-force 'pure'? You call murdering innocents 'holy'?" He drove the balance knife's hilt into Gideon's shoulder, pinning him to the ground. "Wake up—Marcus is using you. Just like he used me."
Gideon's eyes flickered, a moment of doubt crossing his face. But then the corrupted veins on his neck pulsed, and his expression hardened again. "Lies! The Grand Master speaks for the gods!"
Raymond's voice boomed from across the clearing: "Enough, Gideon! Kill him, or I'll do it myself!"
Karen didn't wait. He rolled off Gideon, jumping to his feet as Elon's rune array reached full power. The five ores blazed, golden light weaving into a dome that covered them both. Raymond's sword struck the dome with a deafening clang, holy light splashing off it like water. "What sorcery is this?" the knight roared, swinging again.
"Balance," Elon said, panting. He leaned on his hammer, sweat dripping from his chin. "Something your precious Grand Master fears more than anything."
The system chimed in Karen's mind: [Light-Shadow Synergy (Basic) fully activated. Holy light detection blocked. Corruption Level: 28%. Humanity Level: 80% (Bonus for upholding justice). Skill proficiency increased by 15%.] The shadow veins on his face receded slightly, the burning fading to a dull ache.
Raymond snarled, swinging his sword repeatedly at the dome, but each strike only made the golden light brighter. "Retreat!" he shouted, finally realizing he couldn't break through. "We'll report to the Grand Master! He'll bring the full force of the Order—you won't hide forever, heretics!"
The remaining knights—Gideon included—mounted their horses and fled, their hoofbeats fading into the mist. When they were gone, Elon let the rune array collapse, the ores dimming to inert stone. He sank to the ground, breathing hard. "That… that worked better than I hoped."
Karen knelt beside him, checking his shoulder wound. The gash from the vulture's beak had stopped bleeding, thanks to the herbs Elon had packed, but the skin around it was still red and swollen. "You did good," he said, a faint smile tugging at his lips—the first genuine one in years. "Without your runes, I'd be dead."
Elon grinned, tapping his mother's journal. "Just following orders—from the best rune master who ever lived." He flipped to a page marked with a wax seal, opening it to reveal a map sketched in faded ink. "Look. The Tome of Luminosity, in Veyra City's Holy Light Temple. It has records of the Balance Civilization's core runes—including how to stabilize your curse. And if my mother's notes are right, it points directly to the Forge of Balance."
Karen stared at the map, his heart racing. Veyra City was Marcus' stronghold, a fortress of holy light and corruption. Going there was suicide—but staying on the run, hunted by knights and monsters, wasn't living. He thought of Elias, of the villagers he'd saved, of Elon's faith in him. For the first time in three years, he had a purpose beyond survival.
He stood, sheathing the balance knife at his waist. The shadow veins on his neck still pulsed, but now they felt like a strength, not a curse. "Then we go to Veyra City," he said, his voice steady. "We get the tome. We find the Forge. And we make Marcus pay for what he did."
Elon nodded, standing. The two turned toward the east, where the faint glow of Veyra City's holy light pierced the night sky—like a beacon, or a warning. The Shadow Forest's mist swirled around them, but this time, Karen didn't feel alone. He felt ready.