DOMINION BEGINS

The winds howled through the shattered remains of Outpost Delta. Ashes drifted like snowflakes, and blood painted the cracked walls in streaks of dark crimson. What once stood as a defense station was now a graveyard.

In the center of it all stood Orion Duskbane, his shadowed cloak fluttering in the wind, and behind him—a beast forged of living shadow, ten feet tall with burning violet eyes and fangs that shimmered with death. The villagers who had once screamed now stood in stunned silence.

One child whispered, "Woh monster... humein bacha gaya?"

Orion’s eyes dimmed back to grey as the beast melted into his shadow. Sweat poured down his face, his hands trembling—not from fear, but from restraint. He had felt it… the thrill. The hunger of the shadows. And yet, he had controlled it.

This wasn't just survival anymore. This was dominion.

---

Three hours earlier.

Outpost Delta had been under siege. A mutated ogre, enhanced with illegal mana boosters, had torn through the front gates like they were paper. Hunters stationed at the outpost had been slaughtered. The few civilians left had barricaded themselves in the temple ruins, praying to gods who had long since stopped answering.

Orion had sensed the chaos before it began. His bond with the shadows had grown sharper since the awakening. He heard the cries before they were even made, felt the blood spill through the whispers in the void. He had moved without thinking, led by instinct and a pull deep within his bones.

As he arrived at the outskirts of the village, he saw the carnage—bodies, fire, and the monstrous ogre roaring into the sky, challenging fate itself.

"You feel that?" Orion muttered.

A soft rumble echoed beneath him as his shadow shifted. The beast inside was eager. It wanted blood.

"Not yet," Orion said, narrowing his eyes. "We do this my way."

He stepped into the chaos.

---

The fight was brutal. Orion dodged the ogre’s massive swings, using terrain and agility. But the creature was fast, unnaturally fast for its size. One hit sent Orion crashing through a wall, coughing blood. But the impact awakened something deeper.

As the ogre charged again, Orion closed his eyes.

"Now."

His shadow erupted.

The beast emerged—the same entity he had summoned during his awakening. Towering and furious, it slammed into the ogre with feral rage. The ground cracked beneath its strength. The air chilled. Civilians hidden nearby watched in awe and terror as shadow and monster clashed.

Orion stood, blood on his lips, as he guided the beast’s movements. His fingers moved like a conductor, and the shadow followed.

With one final roar, the shadow beast pierced the ogre’s heart, dissolving it into black mist.

Silence.

Then screams.

Not of fear—but awe.

"He saved us!"

"That thing... it's his?!"

"Is he... even human?"

Orion staggered, the beast retreating into him. He collapsed to one knee, panting. Controlling it drained him, but he had succeeded.

A little girl ran up and placed a flower in his hand.

"Thank you, mister shadow."

Orion looked at her, stunned. A smile flickered across his face for just a moment.