Phantom Genesis

Prologue: The Awakening of Shadows

The moon hung high over the ruined city of Eryndor, its pale glow barely piercing through the dense mist that swirled over the desolate streets. Broken buildings stood as silent witnesses to the chaos that had consumed the world. The air was thick with the scent of blood, smoke, and something darker—something ancient.

A lone figure moved through the debris, his footsteps silent despite the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him. His name was Orion Duskbane, and tonight, his fate would change forever.

Wounded and breathless, Orion collapsed against the cold stone wall of an abandoned cathedral. His black combat gear was torn, revealing deep gashes along his arms and torso. Blood trickled from his lips as he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay conscious.

“They just… keep coming,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

The creatures hunting him—Voidborns—were relentless. Twisted abominations of darkness, their glowing red eyes peered from the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike. Orion had fought them for years as a mere D-Rank Hunter, surviving by skill, strategy, and sheer determination. But tonight, something was different.

A sudden pain shot through his chest, sharp and searing, as if something inside him was breaking free. His vision blurred, his heartbeat thundered in his ears. He clutched his head as an overwhelming force surged through his veins, a darkness unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Then, it happened.

A voice echoed in his mind. Deep. Commanding. Ancient.

"You are not weak. You are not prey. You are the harbinger of shadows."

Orion's body convulsed as dark tendrils erupted from his back, wrapping around him like a cocoon of energy. His wounds sealed, his strength multiplied, and for the first time, he felt it—power. Real power.

The Voidborns hesitated, sensing the shift. Orion slowly stood, his golden eyes now glowing with an eerie violet hue. He raised his hand, and from the darkness, something answered his call—a phantom army.

The night trembled as Orion Duskbane took his first step toward becoming a legend.

The Shadow Sovereign had awakened.

Let's get introduced about Orion backstory.

As Orion stood in the eerie silence of the ruined battlefield, his mind drifted back to a time before the chaos—before he became a hunter.

Five years ago…

A cold wind howled through the narrow streets of Sector 12, the slums where the abandoned and forgotten lived. Orion was just a boy back then, barely fourteen, surviving on scraps. His parents had disappeared when he was young, lost to a dungeon break that wiped out half the city. With no one to rely on, he scavenged for food, fought off thugs, and slept under broken rooftops.

One night, as Orion rummaged through a pile of discarded supplies, a deep growl echoed behind him. He turned sharply—his breath caught in his throat. A mutated beast, a Lesser Hellhound, prowled toward him, its crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. He had never fought a monster before, never wielded a weapon, never felt the sheer terror of staring death in the face.

As the beast lunged, Orion’s instincts screamed at him to run, but his body refused to move. Just as the claws nearly reached him, a cloaked figure appeared—a hunter. With precise movements, the stranger slashed through the beast with a gleaming dagger, its body collapsing in an instant.

The hunter turned to Orion, his blue eyes piercing through the darkness. "If you don’t fight, you die. Strength is the only currency in this world." He tossed a blood-stained dagger at Orion’s feet before vanishing into the night.

From that moment on, Orion knew—weakness had no place in this world. He vowed to become stronger, to never be helpless again. That was the day he decided to step into the world of hunters.

---

Arpit Sharma the author

Phantom Genesis – Chapter 2: Awakening in the Abyss

The darkness was suffocating. Orion could barely move, his body battered from the relentless assault he had endured. His breath came in ragged gasps as he pressed his back against the cold stone wall of the underground ruins. The echoes of approaching footsteps sent a chill down his spine.

"You thought you could escape, didn't you?" A sinister voice cut through the silence.

Orion gritted his teeth, his golden eyes flickering with determination. Neon Dake emerged from the shadows, his silver hair gleaming under the dim torchlight. His lips curled into a smirk as he twirled a dagger between his fingers.

"You're nothing but a failed hunter, Orion. Accept your fate."

Orion clenched his fists. His entire body ached, but his will remained unbroken. He had always fought against the odds, and this time wouldn't be any different.

Neon dashed forward, his movements swift like a phantom. Orion barely managed to dodge the first strike, but the second attack slashed across his shoulder, drawing blood. Pain surged through him, but something inside him refused to let him fall.

The air around him shifted. The shadows in the chamber seemed to writhe and pulse. A deep, otherworldly voice whispered in his mind.

"Do you seek power?"

Orion's vision blurred. His heartbeat slowed, and for a brief moment, time itself seemed to stop. A dark energy coiled around him, seeping into his veins like liquid fire.

"Then... take it."

A sudden surge of strength flooded his body. His wounds stopped bleeding, his muscles felt lighter, stronger. His golden eyes darkened to a haunting obsidian hue. The air around him crackled with unseen force.

Neon took a step back, his confident smirk faltering.

"...What the hell is this?"

Orion exhaled slowly, his voice colder than the abyss itself.

"The beginning of your end."

Before Neon could react, Orion vanished. A blur of darkness, faster than the human eye could track. The next thing Neon knew, he was flying backward, crashing into the stone wall with a sickening crunch. Orion stood before him, his shadow stretching unnaturally across the chamber, flickering like a living entity.

Neon's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible..."

Orion flexed his fingers, feeling the raw power coursing through him. For the first time in his life, he wasn't the hunted. He was the predator.

- - -

Neon groaned, trying to push himself up, but his body refused to obey. HDusk baneencts screamed at him—this was no longer the same Orion he had mocked just moments ago.

Orion stepped forward, each movement sending waves of pressure through the air. His newly awakened power pulsed around him, a living shadow that whispered and coiled like a beast finally unleashed.

He raised his hand, and the darkness obeyed. Tendrils of pure shadow slithered from the ground, wrapping around Neon’s limbs, pinning him in place.

Orion’s voice was barely above a whisper, yet it echoed like thunder.

"You were right about one thing, Neon…"

He leaned in, his obsidian eyes glowing with an eerie intensity.

"I was nothing."

The shadows surged.

"But now… I am your nightmare."

- - -

And this was just the beginning.

The thriller was about to come with Orion Dusk bane.....

To Be Continued....

A deafening silence followed the explosion. Dust and debris clouded Orion’s vision as he staggered to his feet. His breath was ragged, his body trembling with a newfound sensation—power. The dark aura surrounding him pulsed violently, like a beast awakened from its slumber.

Neon Dake emerged from the wreckage, a sinister grin carved into his face. “Well, well… Looks like the weakling finally found some teeth.” His crimson eyes gleamed with excitement. “Let’s see if they’re sharp enough.”

Orion didn’t respond. He simply raised his hand, and the very shadows around him twisted unnaturally. The ground beneath him cracked as a pulse of darkness surged through the battlefield. For the first time, Neon’s smirk wavered.

Without warning, Orion vanished.

A blur of black lightning struck Neon’s torso. He barely had time to react before Orion reappeared behind him, landing a devastating kick to his ribs. The force sent Neon crashing through a ruined pillar.

Coughing up blood, Neon wiped his lips, eyes wide with exhilaration. “This… This is more like it!”

Orion didn’t give him a chance to recover. He raised his arm, and from the abyss, shadowy figures emerged—humanoid, with glowing crimson eyes and weapons forged from pure darkness. The first of his Shadow Army.

Neon’s smile vanished. “You… You can summon them?”

Orion clenched his fist. The shadow warriors surged forward, their movements unnatural yet terrifyingly precise. Neon dodged, countered, but for every warrior he cut down, another replaced it.

A deep chuckle escaped Orion’s lips. The power coursing through him was intoxicating. This was only the beginning.

Neon, now cornered, gritted his teeth. “Tch… Looks like I’ll have to get serious.” His aura erupted into a storm of fire and destruction.

But Orion wasn’t fazed.

He stepped forward, eyes glowing with a malevolent light. “Come then. Let’s see who survives.”

The battle had only just begun.

Neon lunged forward, flames swirling around his fists as he delivered a rapid barrage of attacks. Orion, now fully synchronized with his newfound power, evaded effortlessly, his movements like a ghost flickering in and out of existence.

With a flick of his wrist, Orion sent a wave of shadow energy crashing into Neon’s flames, creating a shockwave that shattered the ground beneath them. Neon growled, frustration creeping into his expression. “Damn you… You think you’ve won?”

Orion remained silent, but his eyes burned with an eerie glow. He raised his hand, and the battlefield darkened as shadows spread like ink, swallowing the surroundings. Neon’s flames flickered, struggling against the consuming void.

Then, from the abyss, a massive figure began to emerge—twice the size of any shadow warrior before. Its form was monstrous, its presence suffocating. Orion had summoned something… different.

Neon’s confidence cracked. “What… the hell is that?”

A sinister smile played on Orion’s lips. “Your nightmare.”

The monstrous shadow let out a guttural roar, its presence shaking the very air. The tides of battle had shifted, and for the first time, Neon Dake knew fear.

TO BE CONTINUED........