Crestfall: Darkness Unveiled

Day 1

Sosuke sprinted through the forest, his legs barely keeping up with the chaos in his mind. Branches whipped at his face, roots threatened to trip him, but he didn't slow. He vaulted over fallen logs, tore through dense underbrush, and dodged the trees that blurred past him. The strength of a high-tier monster was far beyond what any of them had anticipated, and now the trio was scattered. The creature had chosen him as its target, leaving Sosuke with no choice but to deal with it alone.

"The forest is unpredictable."

Professor Aleron's warning echoed in his head. He hadn't realized just how true those words were.

Reaching the base of a rocky hillside, Sosuke scrambled upward, his arms burning as they hauled his body higher. His breath came in sharp gasps, but he didn't dare stop. At the top, he collapsed onto the ledge, chest heaving. For a fleeting second, he thought he'd escaped—until a deafening roar broke the silence.

A massive blast of energy erupted from the creature below, shattering the edge of the cliff. The ground crumbled beneath Sosuke's hands, and he dove forward just in time to avoid falling with it. He landed hard on the other side, rolling to a stop against a jagged rock.

For a moment, Sosuke lay there, wiping the sweat from his brow. He stared up at the dark canopy of trees, his chest still heaving. Please let them be okay. He pushed the thought away before it could take root.

"Come with me. You have to hurry!"

Sosuke's head snapped toward the voice. A cloaked figure stood partially hidden behind a tree, their face obscured by shadows.

"Who are you?" Sosuke demanded, forcing himself to his feet and leaning on his weapon for support.

The figure didn't answer. They simply gestured for him to follow before disappearing into the forest. Every instinct screamed at Sosuke to turn the other way, but something about the figure's urgency made him take a step forward—and then another. Against his better judgment, he followed.

The trek was silent, each step leading him deeper into unfamiliar terrain until they arrived at a small, makeshift camp. A shabby tent leaned to one side, and a steady campfire crackled in the center. The cloaked man sat on a log, motioning for Sosuke to take the seat across from him.

Sosuke hesitated but sat, gripping his katana tightly. His gaze bore into the stranger. "Answer my question. Who are you? And why did you help me?"

The man slowly raised his hands and pushed back his hood.

Sosuke's breath hitched. The face beneath was one he hadn't seen in years—one he'd thought he would never see again.

"It's been a while, son."

Sosuke shot to his feet, katana drawn in an instant. He pointed the blade at the man's face, his hands trembling with fury and disbelief. "You're not him! This forest is full of illusions, and I won't let it imitate my father!"

The man—his father—didn't flinch. He met Sosuke's anger with a calm gaze, his voice steady. "Sosuke, please. It's me." He poked at the fire with a stick, as if this were nothing more than a casual reunion. "Sit down. I'll explain… everything."

Sosuke's blade faltered, the tip lowering slightly. His breath shook, and for a long moment, he simply stood there. Finally, he let the katana fall to the ground and dropped onto the log, his body trembling as he glared at the man across from him.

"You have five minutes," Sosuke muttered, his voice hard despite the storm of emotions swirling within him.

Shuhei's voice was calm, deliberate, as though speaking too quickly might shatter the fragile moment between them. "I know what you remember, Sosuke. The day that beast attacked… it wasn't random. Someone sent it after me. I don't know why, but they wanted me dead. And they nearly succeeded." He paused, his eyes flickering to the fire. "It came so close. It left me broken, bleeding out in the forest. When I woke up, you were gone. And I thought I'd lost you, too."

Sosuke's fists clenched at his sides. His jaw tightened as he fought the wave of emotions threatening to spill over. "You woke up?" His voice cracked. "Then why didn't you come for me? Why didn't you look for me? I was alone, Dad. You just—what? Gave up?"

Shuhei's expression faltered, shame bleeding into his voice. "I didn't give up. I couldn't." He ran a hand through his hair, his fingers trembling slightly. "I was… dying, Sosuke. That thing's attack—it wasn't normal. It left something inside me, a kind of poison. I barely made it through the first few months. By the time I was strong enough to even move, to even think about finding you… you were gone. I had no way to track you, no leads. And if I brought whoever sent that beast after me to you? I couldn't take that risk. Not after everything you'd already lost."

Sosuke's breath hitched, his shoulders trembling as anger and desperation warred within him. "You thought it was better to just disappear? You left me to fend for myself? After Mom—" His voice broke, the words catching in his throat. "You were all I had left."

Shuhei's gaze didn't waver, though the pain in his eyes deepened. "I didn't leave you, Sosuke. I didn't want to leave you. But you were strong. Your mother knew it; I knew it. If I came back and brought danger with me, I wouldn't just be losing you. I'd be destroy the future we created for you. Then I got trapped in this forest too…"

Sosuke lowered his head, his shoulders heaving. Tears slipped down his face, though he refused to look at Shuhei. His voice was barely a whisper, raw and unsteady. "I waited for you. I told myself you were still alive, that I'd find you when I was older, when I was strong enough to search. I knew you couldn't really be gone…" He covered his face with his hands, his sobs breaking free. Years of grief, hope, and anger flooded out of him, unstoppable. Shuhei stayed silent, letting the firelight cast long shadows between them as Sosuke's cries filled the air.

The loud roar of a beast filled the air. Massive, and quick footsteps reverberated throughout the forest. Shuhei's head snapped toward the source. "Sosuke, we have to go!" Sosuke jolted forward as the ground began to shake violently. Shuhei grabbed Sosuke by the arm in a hurry and yanked him. Sosuke managed to snatch back his katana from the ground just before fleeing.

The beast's cries grew closer and closer. They both knew it was a matter of time before they caught up. Sosuke glanced down at his father's hip. "Where's your sword?!"

Shuhei didn't respond for a moment. "My sword…?! It's gone!"

Sosuke's foot caught on a log, and he went sprawling. He hit the ground hard, his katana skidding out of reach. The haze of disbelief clouding his mind—the sheer impossibility of his father being alive—made him clumsy, unfocused. The tremors of the beast's approach grew stronger.

"Sosuke!" Shuhei yelled, halting and sprinting back into the fog. The world was a blur of gray mist and shaking earth. Shuhei grabbed Sosuke's arm and hauled him to his feet, his grip firm but trembling. "We don't have time! Hurry!"

Before they could take another step, the fog rippled, parting like a curtain. Out of the thick, suffocating gray, the beast emerged, massive and grotesque, its glowing eyes blazing like fire. It came so suddenly, so powerfully, that neither had time to react. The creature lunged, its maw opening wide. Sosuke's breath caught as the jagged teeth closed around Shuhei's arm.

A sickening crunch followed. Shuhei cried out, the sound cutting through Sosuke like a blade. The beast thrashed, dragging Shuhei to his knees, blood pouring from the wound. Sosuke froze, his katana in his hands but his body locked in place.

The scene unfolded in a blur, and Sosuke's mind reeled, a sickening sense of déjà vu clawing at him. The fog, the roars, the desperation—it was all the same. The same as that night. He saw his father falter, heard the same strain in his voice. Back then, he'd been just a boy, helpless and terrified. Back then, his father had told him to run.

Sosuke, let out a furious cry, one that shifted the beasts attention to him. The monster was slower, it moved slowly and calculated toward Sosuke at a distance. Sosuke could barely see it, but as it came into view, he got his first good look. It was massive compared to any human, its sinewy frame bristling with jagged spikes. It was mangled and covered in scars, like it had been attacked by something strong recently. Red eyes gleamed with a cruel, predatory intelligence, fixed squarely on Sosuke.

The creature stopped in its tracks and Sosuke could feel it staring it his eyes, looking at his soul. It leapt forward suddenly, reaching out its mangled arm for an attack. Sosuke's fist moved forward, preparing to hit back. His arm burst into streaks of blue thunder. His attack was faster, he connected with the monsters face, smashing it into multiple trees.

Sosuke didn't hesitate. As the creature recovered from his thunderous punch, he dashed forward, his body moving like a bolt of lightning. His fists crackled with energy, blue arcs of thunder streaking across his forearms as he closed the gap. The monster roared, shaking the trees around them, but Sosuke was faster.

He ducked under a wild swing of its mangled arm and landed a solid uppercut to its chest, sending sparks exploding across its dark, armored hide. The beast staggered backward, its claws scraping deep furrows into the dirt. Sosuke pressed the advantage, surging forward with another electrified strike. His fist collided with the creature's side, releasing a pulse of thunder that echoed through the forest.

"Die already!" Sosuke spat, his voice trembling with a mix of adrenaline and fury. The monster stumbled, but its glowing red eyes never left his.

The creature retaliated, swiping its massive arm toward him in a blur of motion. Sosuke sidestepped, the wind from the swing brushing past him. Before the beast could recover, he crouched low and swept his leg out, crackling with lightning, striking its knee. There was a sickening crunch, and the monster let out a guttural cry as it fell to one leg.

Sosuke didn't stop. His fists became a flurry of strikes, each one charged with thunderous energy that sent shockwaves rippling through the air. Sparks danced in every direction as he pounded the creature's head and torso, forcing it further and further back. It tried to counter, lashing out with clawed hands, but Sosuke weaved through its attacks with precision.

The tide of the battle seemed entirely in his favor—until it wasn't.

The monster's growl deepened, and its body began to radiate an ominous crimson glow. Sosuke hesitated for a split second, his instincts screaming a warning. The creature's movements changed, suddenly sharper, faster. With a guttural snarl, it lunged at Sosuke, its claws glowing with the same crimson energy.

Sosuke barely managed to block with his arms crossed in front of him, but the impact was devastating. The force of the strike sent him skidding back, his feet digging trenches into the ground as he fought to stay upright. His arms throbbed with pain, the lightning around them flickering weakly.

"What the hell?" Sosuke muttered, staring at the beast. It stood taller now, its wounds seemingly healing as the red glow intensified.

The creature charged again, faster than before. Sosuke tried to dodge, but its claws raked across his side, tearing through his shirt and drawing blood. He gritted his teeth and retaliated, summoning all the power he could muster. He thrust his hand forward, a blinding bolt of lightning shooting out and slamming into the creature's chest. The beast stumbled but didn't fall.

Before Sosuke could prepare another attack, the monster was on him. Its clawed hand struck him in the stomach, lifting him off the ground and slamming him into a tree. The air was forced from his lungs, and his vision blurred for a moment. He struggled to move, but the creature didn't give him a chance. Its massive fist came down, and Sosuke barely rolled out of the way as the tree trunk splintered under the blow.

Sosuke scrambled to his feet, his body aching. His lightning surged again, but it was weaker now, his energy draining quickly. The monster loomed over him, its red eyes burning with a malevolent light. It lunged, and Sosuke braced himself for the inevitable

A flash of steel and a roar of thunder interrupted the beast's attack. Sosuke blinked, and in an instant, Shuhei was there, his blade slicing clean through the creature's arm. The severed limb hit the ground with a sickening thud, and the monster howled in pain.

"Get back, Sosuke!" Shuhei shouted, his voice sharp and commanding.

Sosuke stumbled backward, clutching his injured side as Shuhei stepped between him and the beast. Shuhei's sword glowed faintly with the same blue lightning as Sosuke's, and his movements were impossibly fast. He ducked under the monster's wild swings, his blade cutting precise, deadly arcs through the air.

The creature roared and lunged at Shuhei, but he sidestepped with ease, slashing across its chest in a fluid motion. Sparks erupted from the wound, and the beast staggered, its strength faltering under the onslaught. Shuhei pressed forward, his strikes relentless. Each swing of his sword sent waves of lightning coursing through the monster's body, forcing it back step by step.

Sosuke watched in awe, his chest tightening. He had never seen his father fight like this before, with such grace and power. For a moment, he forgot the pain in his side, forgot the fear coursing through him. All he could do was watch as Shuhei pushed the beast to its limit. Didn't he lose his sword? Sosuke thought.

But the fight wasn't over. The creature, despite its wounds, let out a final, enraged roar. Its body glowed brighter, its remaining arm raised to strike. Shuhei didn't flinch. He raised his sword high, lightning surging along the blade, and brought it down in a powerful, arcing strike.

The blade connected with the creature's head, splitting it cleanly in two. The crimson glow faded instantly, and the beast's body collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap. Shuhei stood over it, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.

Sosuke staggered forward, his knees threatening to give out. "Dad…" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Shuhei turned to him, his expression softening. "You're okay," he said, placing a hand on Sosuke's shoulder. "That's all that matters."

Sosuke's legs buckled, and he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face as the adrenaline drained away. Shuhei knelt beside him, pulling him into a tight embrace.