Chapter 18

Chapter 18: A Bargain Struck in Darkness

The figure emerged fully from the shadows, its form cloaked in darkness so thick it seemed to devour the light itself. Its face remained obscured by a deep hood, but a pair of eyes glowed with an unholy red light, burning into Evie and Liam.

"So," the voice boomed, laced with a power that sent shivers down their spines, "the chosen ones have arrived. But are you prepared to face the true cost of saving Aethel?"

Evie's hand instinctively flew to the hilt of her makeshift dagger, a meager defense against such a powerful presence. Liam, ever the pragmatist, scanned the chamber, searching for an escape route, but the only exit was the doorway now blocked by the imposing form of the guardian.

"Who are you?" Evie demanded, her voice shaking but laced with defiance.

The figure chuckled, a sound like stones grinding together. "I am the embodiment of entropy, the inevitable decay that awaits all things. I am the harbinger of the darkness, the silence th