"To recap," Kenji muttered, pacing the small, dusty room Lyra had brought him to.
There was a hidden sub-basement below her antique shop.
It was completely off the radar for power-signature detection.
"I'm not a hero. I'm not even a rogue vigilante. I'm a living weapon, a human anchor for an interdimensional threat. The villain is trying to use me like a doorbell. Fantastic. My life just keeps getting better."
He ran a hand through his hair, a laughless chuckle escaping him. The revelation had gutted him.
Lyra's calm, hurtful words crushed his angry pride and new sense of purpose. He wasn't wielding Shadowbane's power; he was containing its deadly legacy.
He felt cold, despite the clammy air, a chilling sensation emanating from his very core.
Lyra sat cross-legged on a worn rug. Her silver hair shimmered in the light of a flickering lamp. She watched him with her unsettling amber eyes.
"Despair is a favoured tool of the Corruption, Kenji. It seeks to consume you from within, making you fertile ground for its full manifestation."
Kenji stopped pacing.
"So, I'm supposed to just… feel good about this? About knowing I might just wake up one day and be the end of everything?"
He closed his eyes and pictured the grotesque Corrupted Ones twisting the innocent.
"What if I can't control it? What if I'm already… becoming him?"
"You are not Shadowbane," Lyra stated simply, her voice soft but firm.
"You are Kenji. And that makes all the difference. Shadowbane sought to control the Heart of the Eclipse. You, I believe, seek to contain it. That is your strength. Your humanity."
"My humanity," Kenji scoffed, gesturing vaguely at his body.
"The one that just helped me shoplift an apple? Real heroic." The bitter sarcasm was a shield, barely holding back the fear.
"Small acts of preservation are still acts of preservation," Lyra replied, unperturbed.
"Now, listen. The Heart of the Eclipse seeks to fully merge with this reality, using you as its conduit. Noxius, its progenitor, will eventually seek you out. We must prepare."
She unrolled a faded, intricate scroll across the dusty floor. It was covered in symbols even more ancient than Grima's entries.
"The ancient lore speaks of safeguards. Artifacts, rituals, and locations that can suppress the Blight. These are not merely game mechanics, Kenji. They are traces of real magic, left by mighty beings from Aethelgard's ancient past."
Kenji leaned closer, forcing his racing thoughts to focus.
"What kind of safeguards? What do I need to do?"
"Firstly, internal control," Lyra said, her gaze fixed on him.
"You must learn to recognize the Corruption's whispers. The temptations of power, the subtle urges to malice, to dominance. They will come from within you. You must push them back. Constantly."
Kenji felt a shiver. He felt brief waves of dark satisfaction. At times, a cruel efficiency took control.
He'd attributed it to the thrill of battle. It was the Corruption.
"How do I do that?" he asked, his voice low.
"Meditation," Lyra said.
"Focus on your humanity. On your purpose beyond mere power. We will begin with simple exercises. But more critically, we need external aid. The ancient Lumina Clerics knew how to purify and cleanse the tainted essence. They forged certain relics capable of reinforcing a vessel's control."
"Lumina Clerics?" Kenji repeated, recalling the bright, holy faction from Grima's journal.
"Their powers are the opposite of mine, aren't they? Light versus shadow."
"Precisely," Lyra confirmed.
"A dangerous alliance, but a necessary one. There is one known survivor, a hermit. His name is Eldrin. He was one of the last true Lumina Clerics in Aethelgard, dedicated to ancient rites."
"A hermit?" Kenji frowned.
"Great. So he's probably living in a cave somewhere, spitting prophecies."
"Not a cave," Lyra said, a faint smile touching her lips.
"A forgotten temple. Hidden in the northern mountains. He avoids contact. He despises darkness. He will not be easy to convince."
"Despises darkness?
"I'm really infused with the Heart of the Eclipse," Kenji said, touching his Shadow Brand.
"This is going to be a fun conversation."
His training shifted dramatically. Lyra led him through mental exercises. She made him face the dark urges that sometimes stirred inside him.
He felt a cold, detached urge to destroy something. He wanted to unleash his power. But he fought it.
He pushed it back with willpower, thinking of his family, his home, and the faces of those he had saved. It was exhausting, a constant battle within himself.
He learned to notice the small change in his energy. He felt a faint, internal hum when the Corruption tried to take control.
He also practised his Dark Knight skills with precision. He aimed to keep them free from any corrupting influence.
He focused on being efficient rather than destructive.
"You need to learn to use the shadow, Kenji," Lyra said one evening as she watched him practise Dark Slash.
"But not to let it consume you. Your power is a tool. The Corruption seeks to make it your master."
Days merged into a tough routine of inner battles, training hard, and planning with Lyra.
Outside, the news shared grim updates: "Enforcers are still looking for the 'Phantom Protector'... a strong power surge was found in the Western Sector... authorities warn everyone to be careful..."
Kenji knew his time was limited. Noxius was stirring. And he was the key. He looked at the ancient map Lyra had given him, marking the supposed location of Eldrin's temple.
It was far, treacherous, and likely guarded by natural or magical defenses.
"Right, the plan," Kenji said.
He looked at Lyra, his earlier despair now gone, replaced by grim determination.
"I go to the mountains. I find this ancient Lumina Cleric who probably wants to exorcise me on sight. And I convince him to help me contain the literal embodiment of darkness inside my body."
Lyra nodded, her gaze unwavering.
"Precisely. He is the last bastion of true purification magic. Without him, containment will be impossible."
Kenji sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Right. No pressure. And if he tries to purify me out of existence, you'll put up a good fight, right?" He forced a weak smile.
Lyra's expression remained serene.
"My primary function is to guide. Not to fight your battles, Kenji. Though I will observe your progress with keen interest."
Kenji looked at the map again, then at his glowing Shadow Brand. He was no longer just a norm who got lucky.
He was a vessel, a walking bomb, and a desperately needed weapon. The weight of it settled on him, heavy and cold.
"Alright, Eldrin, you old hermit," Kenji muttered, clenching his fist.
"You're about to meet your worst nightmare. And your only hope. This is a gamble. A desperate, insane gamble."
He looked at Lyra.
"But it's the only one I've got. This isn't about being a hero anymore. It's about survival. For everyone."