The Apprentice of Shadows

I arrived at the temple, worn and hungry for what I could not name. The Warden stood at the edge of the shadows, a figure born from darkness itself. Without a word, he guided me into the depths of the temple, where silence ruled, and time bent to the whims of the unseen.

"To seek power is easy," he said, his voice like distant thunder. "To understand it... is another matter."

He did not tell me what to do—he simply watched as I floundered in the emptiness. I grew desperate for direction, yet each attempt to grasp the answers only deepened the void.

Finally, after days—or perhaps years—of wandering the temple in confusion, he spoke again: "Embrace the darkness."

At his command, I stepped into the blackness, and it consumed me, swallowing every thought and desire. In that space, there was no light, no sound, only the pull of something deeper within me. The shadows whispered—tales of failures, of fears, of parts of myself I had denied. I fought against them, but the more I struggled, the stronger their grip became.

I don't know how long I remained there, lost in the shadows. The pain was unbearable, yet something shifted. I began to understand that the darkness was not my enemy—it was a part of me I had refused to see. Slowly, the weight of fear lifted, replaced by an eerie sense of acceptance.

When I emerged from the void, the Warden stood before me. "What did you learn?" he asked, his eyes glowing like distant stars.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "The darkness... is not something to fear. It is part of me. I must learn to live with it."

The Warden smiled, though his expression was unreadable. "You understand, but you do not yet know the cost."

He led me deeper into the temple, where the shadows grew thicker. "There is no end to this path," he warned. "There is only the journey, and the price you are willing to pay."