The Forsaken Heir's Ascension
Chapter 73: Darkness Awakens

Chapter 73: Darkness Awakens

Plants crept silently toward their prey. A vine slithered forward and wrapped itself around Meika’s ankle.

It yanked.

"Kyaaa!" Meika screamed.

"Who’s there?!" she shouted in panic.

No answer came.

She was being dragged across the forest floor, the ground scraping her skin. Without hesitation, she pulled out her dagger and slashed at the vine.

Slash!

The vine snapped, and she was free. But now, she was lost in darkness.

"Where are you guys?!" she called out.

Silence.

Only the soft rustling of leaves replied.

Meika shuddered as a dreadful understanding settled into her chest—she had been dragged away from her companions. She was alone.

Gritting her teeth, she pulled out her second dagger and stood on trembling legs. "It’s no use being afraid," she said out loud—more to herself than anyone else. "I have to fight. Even if I’m alone."

Step by step, she moved through the shadows, slashing at anything that brushed against her skin.

Back with the group—

A few moments after Meika was taken...

"Where are you, Meika?" Lyra’s voice trembled as she called into the darkness.

No response.

Rina sobbed, "S-something dragged her away. We have to help her!"

"How?!" Lyra snapped. "We can’t even see anything in this damn darkness! We’re like blind rats!"

Alex shook his head, pushing away the fear gnawing at him. No. I can’t give in here. My goal is to get stronger—not cower in fear at every challenge.

He stood up with newfound determination. "What happened to Meika?" he demanded.

"Alex?" Rina’s voice cracked, unsure.

"Yes, it’s me," Alex replied, firm and reassuring.

Lyra cut in before Rina could speak. "Something pulled her away. She screamed, and then... nothing."

Alex’s grip on his spear tightened. "Hati, can you see in this darkness?"

"Woof! Woof!"

Relieved, Alex nodded. "Good. Lead us to somewhere with closed space first."

Then he shouted to the group, "Everyone, follow my voice! Grab each other’s hands and stay close!"

Alex turned to the faintly glowing eyes of Hati. "Can you drag Kaelan here?"

"Woof," Hati replied.

Moments later, the large wolf pulled Kaelan to Alex’s side. Alex hoisted the unconscious boy onto his shoulders.

"Rina! Lyra! Where are you?" he yelled.

"We’re coming!" Lyra’s voice echoed. "Please keep those glowing eyes in sight!"

Lyra crawled forward, guiding Rina by the hand. As they neared, her hand brushed against Alex’s cheek.

"Is that you, Lyra?"

"Y-yes... P-please h-hold my hand... gently..."

Alex held her hand.

"Kyaaa!" she shrieked. "L-lightly! Please!"

He quickly adjusted his grip. "Got it. Just don’t let go. Hati, stay close. Let’s move."

They moved slowly, led by Hati. The rustling of leaves and the chirping of crickets echoed through the dark forest.

Their feet touched solid ground.

"Woof! Woof!"

Alex nodded. "Everyone, be careful. We’re entering somewhere."

They crept forward, step by step. Hati turned back, his dimly glowing eyes meeting theirs. Alex understood the signal and moved closer, feeling around with his hands. He touched jagged stone and soon found an opening in the rock, leading inside.

"We’re entering a cave," Alex said, turning his head back into the darkness. "Follow me. Crawl in on all fours."

"Okay," Lyra and Rina answered at the same time.

Alex got down and crawled into the narrow opening, dragging Kaelan along and following Hati inside. Lyra and Rina followed close behind.

Hearing rustling behind him, Alex asked, "Are you two inside?"

"Yes, we’re in," they replied.

Alex pulled a green stone from his spatial ring. It lit the small cave with a faint emerald glow. The light was dim—just enough to cast shadows of each other, but not enough to seep outside.

They looked around. The cave was small, surrounded by jagged rocks protruding from the ground.

"This is the only light we can use for now," Alex whispered. "Let’s catch our breath and think of a plan."

Lyra replied with a sigh, "We have to adapt to this darkness. We can’t move with light—it’ll only attract danger again."

Rina added, a firm resolve in her voice, "We have to find Meika."

Alex exhaled deeply. "You’re right. But right now, we can’t even move properly in this environment."

Rina whispered, "There’s a training in my clan. They blindfold us and leave us in a forest. We’re not allowed to remove the cloth. We have to find our way out, hunt our own food, and rely solely on instinct."

Lyra turned to her. "Then you should be able to move around easily here."

Rina answered, embarrassed, "I... didn’t take that training."

Before Lyra could respond, Alex interrupted, "Still, it’s a good idea. Let’s use it. We’ll go out with Hati one by one and sharpen our instincts in the forest. Hati’s job is only to lead us out and back to the cave."

"I’ll go first," he continued. "Once I return, one of you will go next."

Lyra nodded. "It’s a good plan. If we want to escape this floor, we need to do this. We’re already blind—we might as well train to rely on our instincts for survival."

Alex turned toward the wolf, who sat quietly in a corner. "Hati, let’s go."

He crawled out of the cave, following Hati into the dense forest. Once they reached a small clearing, Alex sat cross-legged on the grassy ground and closed his eyes, focusing on his other senses.

He listened to the rustling leaves, the croaking frogs, and chirping crickets. He felt the cool air on his skin and the scents of grass, flowers, bark, and more mingling around him.

As he tuned into the environment, a vine crept toward him silently.

Hati stood up and barked. "Woof!"

Alex instantly rolled away from the spot, then heard something slithering across the grass.

"Are the trees alive here?" Alex whispered.

"Woof," Hati replied—affirmative.

"Thanks for the warning, Hati," Alex said. "Let’s keep going. If I miss anything, make sure to alert me again."

Deep in the forest, far away from Alex, a girl moved swiftly through the underbrush. Sleek black leather hugged her skin, torn in many places. In both hands, she clutched her daggers tightly.

Meika kept moving. If she stopped, the vines would creep close and try to drag her away.

As she advanced, a different sound reached her ears—the sound of flowing water. Her pace quickened. But in her haste, she stumbled and fell, face-first into the dirt.

"Fffuck! Meika, how many times have I told you to move carefully?" she muttered to herself, groaning as she stood up and backed away slightly.

Slowing down, she began testing the ground with her foot before stepping forward. Then, an idea struck her. She crouched, felt around carefully, and used her dagger to chop a stick roughly three meters long.

Holding the stick like a blind person’s cane, she used it to probe the ground ahead as she moved. One dagger in her right hand, the stick in her left.

Her stick touched something—slush. The sound of water.

She crouched, dipped her fingers into the cold stream, and washed her face and hands. Then she sat beside it, breathing softly.

"I never understood darkness truly," she thought. "My element is darkness, but I don’t even grasp its basic principles. I used to think darkness was just the absence of light. But now... I understand Father’s words."

"Darkness is not the opposite of light. You’ll find darkness where the very concept of light doesn’t exist. Darkness is more primal—more human—than light. In the womb, there is no concept of light or vision. Just existence in the void."

As Meika drifted into deeper thought, the air around her shifted. Shadows began to swirl softly at her feet. Unaware, she sat still—on the edge of enlightenment.

Swirling darkness seeped into her lungs as she inhaled. The dark elemental power merged with her blood—flowing in harmony, perfectly attuned to her. It entered the left side of her heart, then spread through her body. Carried by her blood vessels, the darkness was absorbed into every inch of her being.

A rush surged into her eyes, darkening her pupils further—so deep they looked like they held an abyss. What remained of the dark essence circled into the right chamber of her heart, where a blurry seventh ring began to form, pulsing with faint shadows.

She opened her eyes.

Where there was once blindness, now everything was clear. Her vision, sharpened by the element itself, saw through the night as if it were day. Darkness was no longer a foe. It was a friend.

Meika stood up, a bright smile on her face. "I just had my first enlightenment... wait—seventh ring?" she blinked.

Her eyes closed. She focused. A heartbeat passed—and then she jumped into the air, shouting, "Yes!"

Spinning, she looked at the dark sky and laughed. "Finally... I’m a little stronger."

Around her, the forest revealed itself in shades of onyx. The river gleamed pitch-black under the moonless sky. Trees towered like sentinels with dark bark and black leaves. Vines coiled slowly around trunks like snakes, alive and watching.

One vine shot into the river with lightning speed, then jerked back—dragging a small fish glistening with black, glassy scales. The vine reached a thick tree trunk. A split in the bark opened like a mouth. Without hesitation, the tree devoured the still-struggling fish.

Meika stared. "So... all the plants here are carnivores," she muttered, half in awe, half in warning to herself.

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