Chapter 4 – The Chains Stir

🌑 Chains of Eternity

Kael’s breath hung in his throat as he crouched behind the jagged ridge. His shadow trembled faintly beneath him, chains rattling in silence only he could hear. Below, the battlefield stretched like a grim stage set against the crimson fog—survivors, desperate and furious, struggling against the monster that dwarfed them.

The creature was grotesque: a towering, skeletal beast, its hide patched with bony plates that gleamed sickly in the dim light. Each movement shook the ground. Its roar echoed through the air like a war drum, shaking Kael’s chest.

And yet… the survivors didn’t yield.

One figure darted forward—a young woman with short silver hair that caught the dim glow of the fog. Her eyes burned with determination as she swung a crude blade, its edge chipped but wielded with precision. She wasn’t just flailing—her strikes were deliberate, aimed at gaps in the creature’s armor.

Beside her, a man stood like a wall, broad-shouldered and grim, gripping a massive slab of metal torn from some ruin, using it as a shield. He absorbed the monster’s blows with a grunt, blood already dripping from his arm, but he refused to fall.

A third figure moved in flashes of motion Kael almost couldn’t follow. A wiry man with wild, dark hair and a manic grin, he leapt from stone to stone with a jagged spear in hand, jabbing at the beast’s eyes and retreating before it could crush him. His laughter rang out between its roars, reckless and sharp.

And then, there was the fourth.

A tall, cloaked figure who did not rush, did not strike. Instead, she raised a hand, and the fog itself bent toward her. It swirled, condensed, and hardened into jagged shards that streaked toward the monster, embedding into its flesh with a hiss. Her face was calm, eyes hidden beneath her hood, but Kael could sense the raw control she commanded over this nightmare’s very fabric.

Four against one. For a moment, Kael dared to believe they might succeed.

But the nightmare was merciless.

The beast swung wide, its claw slamming into the shield-bearer with brutal force. He staggered back, nearly buckling, his shield cracking under the weight. The silver-haired woman darted to cover him, slashing at the exposed joint of the monster’s leg, but her blade only scraped sparks.

The cloaked woman’s shards of fog struck true, but each time they pierced the monster, its flesh seemed to knit back together, regenerating.

The wiry man with the spear cackled and lunged again, thrusting deep into the creature’s neck. For an instant, triumph flared—then the beast twisted, its claw slamming him midair. He hit the ground with a sickening crunch, rolling limp across the stones.

Kael’s gut clenched. His pipe felt heavy in his hands.

He couldn’t stay hidden anymore.

The chains rattled violently, their hunger pulsing through him. They demanded he act, not just to feed—but to choose. He could abandon them and walk away, or he could step into the fray and change everything.

Kael grit his teeth. His legs moved before his mind could stop them.

---

The survivors barely noticed him at first. Their focus was locked on the monster, their weapons flashing desperately against its hide. Kael charged down the slope, his shadow stretching unnaturally long, chains glinting faintly against the fog.

The silver-haired woman caught sight of him first. For the briefest moment, her eyes widened in shock. Then, with no time for questions, she turned her blade to cover his approach.

Kael lunged, his pipe raised, and brought it down with every ounce of strength. The impact rang out like a bell. The creature staggered, more from surprise than pain, and turned its skull-like head toward him.

Kael’s shadow writhed.

Chains erupted.

They lashed out with a speed that startled even him, coiling around the monster’s leg, yanking it sideways. The beast roared, stumbling just enough for the silver-haired woman to slash at its exposed flesh, carving a shallow wound.

The cloaked figure’s head tilted, her hidden eyes narrowing as she watched the chains writhe.

The shield-bearer grunted, seizing the moment. He slammed his makeshift shield into the monster’s chest, forcing it back a step.

Kael’s heart pounded. The hunger screamed in triumph.

This was power.

---

The fight turned into chaos.

The beast thrashed, tearing at the chains, but they clung like vipers, tightening, pulling, draining. Kael could feel its essence bleeding into him, every lash of his shadow feeding the gnawing void within his chest. His vision sharpened, his body surged with strength—but with it came a dizzying, terrifying urge to take more.

“Don’t stop!” the silver-haired woman shouted, her voice fierce. “We can bring it down!”

Her strikes grew bolder, fueled by the opening Kael’s chains created.

The wiry man groaned, dragging himself to his feet, bloodied but grinning through cracked teeth. “Hah! Didn’t think we’d get backup in hell!” he cackled, snatching his spear and limping back into the fight.

The cloaked woman raised her hand again, fog swirling violently into a spear of shadow that struck the beast’s skull, staggering it further.

Together, they pressed the assault.

Kael lost himself to the rhythm of the chains, each strike, each lash pulling him deeper. The hunger urged him to consume it whole, to unravel every scrap of essence the creature had. He teetered on the edge of surrendering—of letting the chains take everything.

But then, he saw the others.

The shield-bearer’s trembling arms locked behind his broken weapon. The silver-haired woman’s jaw clenched as she risked her life for each precise strike. The wiry man’s manic laughter masking pain. The cloaked woman’s cold focus, her eyes flicking once toward Kael with something like… recognition.

They were fighting for more than survival.

And suddenly, so was he.

Kael roared, pulling the chains taut. The beast screeched, its flesh tearing as the silver-haired woman drove her blade deep into its exposed joint. The wiry man thrust his spear into its eye, and the cloaked woman’s fog spear pierced through its skull.

With a final, shuddering bellow, the creature collapsed.

The chains unraveled.

Kael staggered, gasping, as the essence of the monster seeped into him, the hunger easing but never vanishing. He pressed a hand to his chest, shivering.

Silence fell.

Broken, heavy silence—but this time, not empty.

---

The survivors turned toward him.

The silver-haired woman lowered her blade but didn’t relax. Her voice was sharp, cautious. “Who are you?”

Kael hesitated, his throat dry. “…Kael.”

The shield-bearer grunted, planting his makeshift shield into the ground to steady himself. His voice was low, gravelly. “You fight like someone who’s been here longer than a day.”

“I don’t know how long I’ve been here,” Kael admitted, his eyes flicking to the chains that curled faintly at his feet. “But I know what these things can do.”

The wiry man barked a laugh, wincing as he clutched his ribs. “Well, Kael, you’ve got one hell of a trick up your sleeve. Chains, shadows… whatever that was, it saved our asses.”

The cloaked woman finally spoke, her voice calm, quiet—but carrying an unsettling weight. “Not a trick. A curse.”

The others glanced at her, but she said no more, her eyes lingering on Kael as though she had seen this before.

The silver-haired woman broke the silence, sheathing her blade. “We can sort out curses later. For now… thank you. Without you, we wouldn’t have survived.”

Kael nodded, though unease gnawed at him. He had helped, yes—but he knew the hunger had nearly consumed him in the process.

The shield-bearer extended a hand. “Name’s Brann,” he said simply.

The wiry man smirked, offering a half-bow despite the blood dripping from his lip. “Eryndor, at your service. Resident lunatic.”

The silver-haired woman gave a short nod. “Seris.”

Finally, the cloaked woman lifted her hood slightly, revealing pale features framed by midnight hair. Her eyes glowed faintly violet in the crimson fog. “Liora.”

Their names settled into Kael’s mind like anchors in the storm. For the first time since the nightmare began, he wasn’t alone.

But the hunger inside him whispered still. And as Liora’s gaze lingered on his chains, Kael sensed she knew more about it than she let on.

The nightmare had forced him into their path. Whether it was chance or design, he didn’t yet know. But one thing was certain—his journey had just begun.

☠️ End of Chapter 4