Noctem

As they moved past the corpse of the slain kraken, an enormous cathedral–like structure of obsidian loomed over in the distance, rising from the murky waters with several spires vanishing into the starless night above.

The tenebrous knight who had been still throughout the entire journey, with the exception of slaying any monster which got close to the boat, paused to regard the towering structure of the obsidian temple with silent reverence as their boat approached shore.

The black boat—now a bit cracked and worn, glided up to a jagged obsidian platform, which led to the entrance of the black temple, where a potent, otherworldly divinity premanated the atmosphere, garnering a dreadful expression on the faces of the shadow and the eccentric wizard.

Aries cautiously disembarked first, followed by Eren who was carrying the unconscious boy within his hands. The knight was the last of them to get down from the boat, before their sail which seemed like it was made out of black wood, dispersed into a mist of darkness.

An eerie silence lingered in the atmosphere, only broken by the subtle sound of dripping water from their clothes and the distant crash of waves against the rocks.

The eccentric wizard casted a wary glance at the temple before muttering softly

" That's weird, since when did churches become this... Eerie."

'Why do I feel this uneasy though?.. something feels very wrong.' He pondered inwardly, but his expression remained somber.

Aries seemed a little bit disturbed, it was obvious that he didn't like whatever feeling he was experiencing at the moment but there was nothing he could do to change it.

It was infuriating to say the least, the more seconds went by, the more naked he felt without his shadows, it wasn't something he was accustomed to, neither was it something he could get used to.

Although the shadow wasn't known to display much emotions, he was still a sentimental being with a will or at least a purpose, so just like other creatures he was able to experience various emotions, it wasn't just at the degree the others felt it... After all he was merely a fragment of the real thing.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in his surrounding, however unlike before, his expression was taut, betraying the facade of calmness he wore.

"Don't let your guard down."

He frowned

"It feels like we're being watched."

Eren didn't say anything, or rather he had nothing to say, not once since they arrived did he ever let his guard down, he had already noticed it as well.

Although it was faint, almost non-existent, he could still tell that he was being watched by something or someone, however he wasn't particularly interested in knowing who or what it was.

Gods knew what he could encounter next in this realm, a calamity class monster? Or a divine level humanoid creature, whatever it was, he'd rather not find out.

'Ignorance is bliss they say... I guess whoever came up with that was right.'

The tenebrous knight strode ahead, walking towards the towering door of the dark temple, while his onyx gauntlets emanated wisps of ominous purple energy, swirling and pulsing as though it were alive.

A slight tremor, ran through the temple as the archaic runes engraved on the huge door of the obsidian cathedral lit up with the same ominous energy the knight had just manifested a few seconds ago.

The huge door of the tenebrous temple creaked open, revealing the interior part of the dark sanctuary which was covered in true darkness. Its air was oppressive, dense and suffocating carrying the authority of something malevolent and ancient, its floors were like obsidian glass, smooth and even, almost transparent like a mirror, but the wizard and the shadow didn't dare look down to see what lay beneath the dark floors.

Both of them were of the same mind, the instant they stepped into the temple's interior their minds had been screaming for them not to look beneath the floors of the temple no matter what, and they knew better than to ignore a gut feeling like that in this gods forsaken realm.

As they delved deeper, pale purple flames flickered to life along the edge of the temple walls, illuminating the dark halls with an ominous purple glow, which was surprising in and of itself.

It was a sanctuary of darkness so they never expected even a semblance of light considering how dark the realm was.

They continued walking until they left the halls of the sanctuary and approached a large room at the top of the dark cathedral.

Eren paused, visibly pale as he stared at something within the room with wide eyes, even Aries became stiff the moment he entered the room.

At the far end of the room, there was a huge black altar adorned with silver runes which Eren, despite the array of knowledge contained within him, couldn't decipher.

He and Aries remained rooted to the ground, unable to move despite trying. It was like they were frozen, however it wasn't anything like that. The divinity and oppressive authority of tenebrae was much more potent in this very room than the rest. The moment they stepped in there, they were rendered unable to move because tenebrae willed it.

The knight took the unconscious boy from the hands of the wizard and walked towards the altar without hesitation, his footfalls were as silent as an assassin's, despite the clinking sound of his onyx armor

He placed the unconscious child on the black altar before retrieving a pitch-black ceremonial dagger which devoured even the faintest glimmer of light. Its blade was laced with an absurd amount of divinity, making the room frigid and frightening.

"May the darkness become one with you, spawn of my master." He intoned, his voice reverberating throughout the serene halls.

The black dagger came down on Nox in one swift motion, impaling the heart of the unconscious child yet no blood was spilled, rather the malevolent darkness in the room swirled, coalescing into dark tendrils that flowed through the wound and into his veins, tainting his very being.

Within his unconscious mind, Nox felt a cold burning agony as the darkness traveled through his arteries, creating nether pathways while breaking down and reforging his entire body structure. He tried to scream but no sound left his lips, he wanted to fight it but his body didn't listen to him.

The darkness coursed through him, reaching every corner of his being, and as it did, his muscles tightened while his bones became extremely solid, it felt like torture, knowing your entire body was being reforged yet you couldn't do a single thing about it.

An array of thoughts clouded his mind but most of them were filled with self loathing and blame... Blame for trusting the wizard who offered to help him when he knew next to nothing about the strange sorcerer.

The process of the succession ritual was nothing short of dreadful, it was pure torture, yet amidst the pain, there was a peculiar comfort, the feeling was strangely nostalgic, like a mother's embrace which he'd longed for, however it was a completely different feeling, something entirely new, yet it wasn't a bad one.

Something shifted inside the dark void, followed by a melodious voice which carried within it an ancient feel.

"Child, you long for revenge against those who have taken from you, yet fate can be quite a cruel element at times.

A broken soul, from a different timeline and a mixed breed between both cursed races, your existence is a threat to the gods as your kind are the only ones proven to bypass the laws of those children playing deities. I have given you what you require to trample over them, use my element as you see fit, for I shall watch you every step of the way as you bring ruin to those abominable gods who have chosen to break the balance of the world."

It spoke again, this time a little distant.

"I tenebris, bestow upon you my authority, my divinity and absolute dominion over my element... Grow stronger and return to claim your rightful place, my child, noctis.. prince of nocturne."

As soon as those words were spoken, his heart stopped beating and the last of the temple's darkness poured into him turning the veins beneath his pale skin black, which glowed faintly with an unholy light before dimming and returning to its usual state.

The tenebrous knight carefully removed the dagger from Nox's chest, making the unconscious child convulse wildly, however the knight remained impassive and unfeeling to this scene, instead he turned his head slightly before issuing a command.

"Take him and submerge him in the blood of our brethren."

In the next second two dark figures emerged from the temple's floor, lifting up the child's limp form, before exiting to the hidden room behind the altar.

Eren could only grit his teeth and watch as they took Nox away, unable to do anything under the chilling intent of tenebrae.