I move first.
Knife in hand, I burst from cover, pushing my weakened body into motion before the Void Knight can react.
The forest is dense, branches clawing at my arms, roots threatening to trip me, but I don't stop. I can't.
A deep, inhuman growl rumbles behind me.
Then—a burst of force.
The air itself shudders, and I hear the Void Knight move.
Not footsteps. Not running. Something worse.
A shift. A bending of reality, like the space between us is folding inward.
I glance back—a mistake.
A shadow looms over me—it's right there.
I twist.
The black spear slashes through the air, missing my head by inches. The force alone sends me flying, crashing through branches before slamming into the dirt.
Pain explodes through my ribs. My vision darkens.
But I can't stop. It won't let me.
I roll just as the spear slams down, shattering the earth where I was lying.
Dirt and stone explode outward.
Too fast. Too strong.
I scramble up, lungs burning, my knife feeling utterly useless in my grip. I need a weapon. A real one.
But first, I need distance.
I pivot and sprint—straight toward the river.
The trees thin ahead, moonlight glinting off black waters. The current is violent, rushing through jagged rocks.
Perfect.
The Void Knight moves again.
I don't turn. I just jump.
The cold water slams into me, stealing the breath from my lungs. The current grabs me, hurling me downstream. I twist, trying to keep my head above water, but the river is unforgiving, battering me against unseen rocks.
Then—a pulse.
Not the river. The Void Knight.
I snap my head up—and see it.
Standing on the riverbank, spear raised. Watching me.
Then it moves its hand.
A single motion.
The water around me stirs.
Then something pulls me under.
Darkness.
The river drags me down, but the pull isn't natural. It's a force, something ancient and wrong, something bending the very fabric of the water itself.
I fight. I thrash, kicking toward the surface, but an invisible weight crushes me.
Drowning. I'm drowning.
No.
Not like this.
I reach inward. Toward the ember. Toward my power.
And this time, I don't hold back.
Pain ignites in my chest—but I welcome it. I drag the ember into myself, forcing it to burn.
And something answers.
The water around me stops.
Or rather—it obeys.
A pulse ripples outward. The weight vanishes. The current shifts.
And suddenly—I rise.
The river throws me upward, hurling me from its depths. I crash onto the riverbank, coughing, gasping, alive.
The Void Knight stands just feet away. Still. Waiting.
It felt it.
Felt what I just did.
I rise to my feet, my body trembling, the ember inside me still smoldering. That was real. That was mine.
The Void Knight tilts its head.
Then—for the first time—it speaks.
A voice like a dying star, deep and hollow.
"The Forsaken stirs."
Then it lifts its spear.
And lunges.
End of Chapter 5.
Asher has awakened a sliver of his lost power, and the Void Knight now knows it. Want me to continue with Chapter 6: First Kill, First Sigil?
i just realized I could be putting my remarks in authors thoughts damn