Shadow Weaver: Sole Heir Of The Night

"So this is corrupted space..."

Standing at the edge of a narrow observation window in their space shuttle, Zeke rested one hand against the cold glass, his eyes fixed on the endless expanse beyond. What lay before him could barely be called space anymore. It was something else entirely. Something wrong.

Fragments of planets drifted like broken bones across the void. Some were cracked open, their hollow interiors exposed like rotting flesh. Others still retained their spherical shape, but their surfaces were warped, twisted into grotesque landscapes that defied natural law. Blackened oceans hung unnaturally still, mountains curved inward like claws, and entire continents seemed to breathe faintly, as though the planets themselves had become something alive... and sick.

"This is corrupted space..." he repeated under his breath, the words heavier the second time.

Corruption did not arrive all at once. It began quietly, almost gently. A living being would change, just slightly at first. A shift in instinct. A flicker in the eyes. Then it spread. From one creature to another. From blood to blood, flesh to flesh, until entire ecosystems fell into its grasp.

When no life remained to consume, it did not stop.

It turned to the planet itself.

Mountains bent. Rivers reversed. The very crust of the world warped under its influence. In the final stages, even the planetary core would succumb, turning into a pulsating, unstable mass that radiated decay into the surrounding void.

This... this was that stage.

This was corruption in its most advanced and terrifying form.

"Aren’t you afraid that if you stare at it too much, some crazy monster will fly out and attack you?"

The voice came from behind, casual, almost amused.

Zeke didn’t turn immediately. He already knew who it was.

"Afraid?" he finally replied, a bitter smirk forming on his lips as he glanced over his shoulder. "When I have the great Burning Sun beside me? Of course not."

The old man leaned lazily against the inner wall of the shuttle, flames flickering faintly across his skin like a living aura. His presence alone seemed to distort the air, heat bending light in subtle ripples.

"Hehe... Burning Sun, huh?" he chuckled. "Has a nice ring to it."

It wasn’t just a name.

The flame Enzo had given him had long since revealed its nature. It called itself the Great Sun Burning Flame, a source of power that defied simple classification. It was not just fire. It was something more.

A fusion of machinery, life, and destruction laws.

An impossible meld.

Even now, the old man had yet to fully comprehend it, let alone master it. The flame responded to him, yes, but there were layers within it that remained sealed, as though waiting for something... or someone.

And that boy.

Enzo.

Where exactly had he found such a thing?

The question lingered, irritating in its persistence.

"We are approaching Varo. Please, we need safe passage."

The pilot’s voice cut through the atmosphere of the room. He didn’t dare turn fully, only glancing nervously through the corner of his eye toward Raven and the others.

Pilots like him were rare.

Most people relied on weave technology to jump between planets, skipping across space in controlled bursts. But for deep travel, especially into regions like this, traditional piloting was still necessary. It required skill, precision, and a willingness to risk one’s life.

Because out here, there were no guarantees.

He worked under contract with the Freedom Party, well paid, well protected.

At least, that’s what he had thought.

He hadn’t signed up to dive this deep into corrupted space.

"That’s my cue," the old man said with a grin.

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked toward the airlock.

A moment later, the chamber hissed open, and he stepped out into the void as if it were nothing more than a gentle breeze.

Then he appeared atop the ship’s helm.

And the world changed.

Flames erupted from his body, not wild or chaotic, but controlled. Dense. Heavy. They burned with an intensity that seemed to press against reality itself, a miniature sun brought into existence.

As the ship descended, his presence became a beacon.

A warning.

Below, the dark surface of Varo came into view. The planet was devoid of natural light, its surface swallowed in an endless night broken only by distant starlight. Yet even that faint glow struggled to reach the ground, as though the atmosphere itself rejected illumination.

Then they came.

From every direction, shapes began to move.

Corrupted creatures.

Hundreds of them.

Thousands.

Drawn by the radiant energy descending from the sky like a falling star.

The weaker ones rushed forward without hesitation, driven by instinct and hunger. But as they drew closer, something shifted. Their movements slowed. Their bodies trembled.

Fear.

Raw, uncontrollable fear.

One by one, they faltered. Some skidded to a halt. Others turned abruptly, fleeing in the opposite direction with panicked cries.

Whatever was coming...

It was far beyond them.

Woosh.

The ship came to a sudden halt, hovering briefly before settling onto a jagged hill of blackened stone. The ground was charred, littered with coal-like fragments that crunched under invisible pressure.

"Welcome to Varo, king world."

The Burning Sun stepped down onto the surface, his boots meeting the corrupted earth with a dull thud. His gaze swept across the horizon.

Endless.

Barren.

Completely consumed.

This planet was beyond saving.

"This whole planet stinks," Leon muttered as he disembarked, wrinkling his nose.

Without wasting time, he knelt slightly, placing his hand against the ground. The surrounding rocks began to tremble before rising, reshaping themselves into crude but sturdy golems. One after another, they formed a defensive perimeter around the group.

You could never be too careful in a place like this.

Even with him here.

"Owww... shiny!!"

Leon blinked.

By the time he looked up, the Burning Sun was gone.

No warning.

No explanation.

Just... gone.

A streak of light in the distance was all that remained, rapidly vanishing into the horizon.

"...What?" someone muttered.

The confusion barely had time to settle.

Because the next moment—

A chorus of guttural roars erupted from all directions.

The ground shook.

The air thickened.

From the darkness, countless corrupted creatures surged forward, their eyes locked onto the group.

And this time...

They weren’t stopping.

It hit them all at once.

They were only safe because of him.

"Fuck!!"

There was no hesitation.

No debate.

They ran.

All of them.

Straight in the direction the Burning Sun had disappeared, abandoning their position as the tide of corruption swallowed the hill behind them.

Above, the ship had already lifted back into the sky, retreating to a safe distance.

Leaving them below.

Alone.

With the monsters closing in.