Anska's journey is one of shadows and survival. Born into a thieves' guild, she honed her skills in stealth and lockpicking, gaining the nickname "Shadow." But her fate takes a dark turn when a cursed sword binds her to an ancient demon, corrupting her body and soul.
After a massacre framed on her, she is exiled, wandering until she finds refuge in Devine City, where she continues her life as a thief for hire—haunted by her past, yet driven by the shadows.
Old Version
[design not final]
The Beginning of the End
Anska stared at the sword—massive, ancient, and impossibly heavy. It towered over her, its blade embedded deep in the earth. No one else had been able to move it, not even a fraction. A bond had formed between her and the demon imprisoned within it, and now, the sword responded to her alone.
Gripping the hilt, she felt the demon's presence swirling inside her, coiling around her thoughts like a whispering shadow. To everyone else, the sword was a burden of crushing weight, but for Anska, it moved effortlessly in her hands. She swung it with ease, a deadly extension of herself.
Her eye throbbed as it always did, the empty socket a constant reminder of the price she had paid. That eye—her eye—was now slotted into the sword’s hilt, pulsing with a dim, eerie glow, a mark of the pact she hadn’t meant to make.
But deep down, she knew the sword wasn’t truly hers. It belonged to the demon. It was just waiting for the right moment, to take more than just her eye.
Someday, she might break free. Someday, she might snap the blade in two and wield its fractured halves in defiance of the pact she had never wanted. Or maybe she will fall victim to the demon and continue living as its eternal puppet.
Becoming a Shadow
The cloak felt weightless as Anska draped it over her shoulders, its fabric smooth and dark as midnight. The moment it touched her skin, the shadows around her stirred, almost as if they recognized her.
With a single thought, the cloak responded. It rippled and tightened around her form, drawing her into itself. Anska’s body began to dissolve, her limbs turning into wisps of darkness until she was no longer human, but a creature born of shadow.
She moved effortlessly, slipping into the blackness that clung to every corner. In this form, she was weightless, silent, unseen. The shadows welcomed her, bent to her will, allowing her to pass through them as if she were one of them. She could blend into any dark space, disappear entirely, and reappear with deadly precision.
Her pulse quickened as she reformed, stepping back into the dim light. The cloak, once again just fabric, rested lightly on her back, its power subdued but still present. Anska knew that this artifact had come at a cost—its divine origin meant its gifts were not given freely. But for now, it granted her something extraordinary: the ability to become one with the shadows, to move unseen, and to strike without a trace.
possible corruption levels
To be continued...