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Shadowstone:Veil of Darkness

Md_fahad_Kashif
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Synopsis
In the quiet town of Dharvada, fifteen-year-olds Harun and Sahil live simple lives — until destiny tears open the veil of the ordinary. One night, Sahil dreams of whispering shadows and a voice crying in pain. By morning, his reality begins to blur. That same day, Harun’s grandfather appears with an ancient truth: > “The Dravillian Scantum has opened. You are old enough to face it.” Drawn by curiosity, the two friends step through a shimmering portal behind the temple — into a realm that bends light, time, and truth itself. Within the Scantum, they face the Bhramm Test, a trial that exposes one’s soul. Those who harbor greed are consumed; those who show compassion awaken the Dravillian Stone — the source of a new power. Harun’s kindness earns him the Stone of Lumina, radiant and pure. Sahil’s courage awakens the Stone of Wind Whisper, free yet fragile. Together they survive their first battle — a molten guardian that nearly costs them their lives. When they emerge, the world outside has changed forever. Out of 7,000 entrants, only 1,430 return alive — each carrying a unique Stone: fire, ice, darkness, time, nature, and more. An organization called AATMIK gathers the survivors. It trains “Risers” — warriors who wield their Dravillian power to maintain balance and undertake dangerous missions. Risers are ranked: > Chhaya → Deep → Tej → Vayu → Antariksh → Agya → Moksha (Weakest → Strongest; only seven Moksha exist in the world.) Harun rises as a Tej-rank Light Riser, while Sahil becomes a Vayu-rank Wind Riser. They form a small team with two others: Zoya (Deep Rank – Ice Stone) and Radha (Chhaya Rank – Forest Stone). Their first mission — the Bhouldera Cave Expedition — is classified as Deep-level, yet what waits inside is far beyond their rank. The cave breathes corruption; symbols burn on every wall. Within it lurks Gautam, a rogue Riser obsessed with forbidden power. His strength dwarfs theirs, but Harun’s light refuses to yield. After a brutal fight, Harun defeats Gautam — only for the fallen Riser to unleash the ancient being Azaldera, a sealed Dravillian Spirit of pure chaos. Azaldera’s presence devours light itself. The young team is overwhelmed. In a desperate moment, Zoya sacrifices herself, freezing the creature’s arm to protect Harun. Her last words fall like snow: > “You always shine too bright… Harun.” Her death shatters him. Moksha-level Risers arrive too late, sealing Azaldera again — but Harun’s spirit breaks beyond repair. Days fade into silence. Once radiant and kind, Harun withdraws from everyone. His light dims; his guilt grows. Sahil watches helplessly as his friend whispers to himself: > “If light can’t save… then what’s the point of shining?” Even Radha’s quiet care can’t reach him. What was once warmth becomes shadow — a slow, inward eclipse. Meanwhile, far away in the frozen peaks of Zarvath, a new storm gathers. Rohan, known to the world as the Crisislord, has collected the Seven Dravillian Stones: 1. Yosh — Stone of Raw Force 2. Mrityu — Stone of Death 3. Amrit — Stone of Immortality 4. Agnivaan — Stone of Fireblades 5. Kaalnetra — Stone of Time Vision 6. Zarqon — Stone of Darkness Control 7. Aetherium — Stone of Celestial Gravity With these, he bends reality itself. His eyes turn toward Harun — not out of hatred, but curiosity. For Rohan knows that when light falls, it births the purest darkness. As AATMIK scrambles to prepare for an inevitable war between light and shadow, Harun sits beneath a dim sky, haunted by Zoya’s voice and the echo of his own fading power. Somewhere within that silence, his light begins to twist — not dying, but transforming. And when it returns… the world will never be the same again.
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Chapter 1 - Shattered Dawn

The Ruined Capital where light forgot to return.

Smoke drifted like ghosts through the remains of a once-living city.

Concrete towers lay snapped in half, their steel ribs jutting out like broken bones.

The air reeked of ash, blood, and something else the faint metallic tang of power.

What used to be streets were now nothing but trenches of molten glass,

and the wind carried the sound of collapsing metal like echoes of dying gods.

A single figure walked through the haze.

Slow. Barefoot. The asphalt cracked under every step he took,

dark mist leaking from his skin like steam from a dying forge.

His eyes glowed faintly not bright, not pure but a trembling hue of violet laced with black.

In his hand, a weapon that didn't belong in this world

a scythe shaped like the crescent of a void, its edge humming, alive, whispering.

Each whisper felt like a heartbeat.

And there across the fractured plaza

another figure stood, surrounded by the faint swirl of green and silver light.

Dust danced around him, drawn to the silent pull of wind bending to his will.

He looked exhausted, blood on his lips, a tear on his sleeve,

but his eyes… still carried that defiant fire.

The two of them faced each other

the only two left breathing in a city that had already given up.

No names.

No words.

Just silence heavy, cruel, and absolute.

Then the wind shifted.

The man with the scythe tilted his head slightly,

the dark mist around him twitching as if it could smell defiance.

The other clenched his fists, twin blades forming from the air itself,

shimmering like glass caught in a storm.

"So this is what it's come to…"

The voice was calm, but cracked. "You killed them all… didn't you?"

No reply — just a low, distorted breath from the scythe-wielder.

A sound that didn't feel human.

The wind user's jaw tightened.

"You can still stop this. I know you can hear me."

For a heartbeat, the mist flickered — like something deep inside hesitated.

Then, just as quickly, it turned violent again.

Black tendrils burst around him,

the ground beneath his feet splitting apart,

glowing faintly purple as energy bled through the cracks.

A single word escaped the wind-user's mouth — half sigh, half prayer.

"Damn it…"

And then — the world moved.

The scythe came down in an arc of darkness,

cutting through the air like the scream of the earth itself.

The wind-user dodged, his blades crossing, sparks of light colliding with shards of void.

The impact rippled through the ruins —

sending waves of dust, glass, and memory across the broken city.

A storm was born.

Each swing of the scythe shattered walls.

Each slash of wind carved through smoke.

The city became a battlefield between shadow and gale,

between two souls who once fought side by side — now tearing each other apart.

Somewhere in the chaos,

the wind-user shouted —

not out of anger, but desperation.

"You weren't supposed to be this… You weren't supposed to become this!"

The scythe-wielder didn't answer.

His voice came out fractured — two tones overlapping.

"You… should have stayed away."

The words carried pain, but also something deeper — fear.

The kind of fear that doesn't belong to the living.

The air trembled.

Every step of the scythe-wielder tore fragments of reality into nothingness.

Debris hovered midair, caught between fear and the raw pull of power.

The wind-user's blades moved faster, slicing not just at the void but at memories shards of laughter, echoes of battles long past.

Each clash sent a shockwave through the city, rattling the skeletons of buildings that had survived centuries.

"Stop… just stop this madness!"

The voice cracked, raw, carrying the weight of betrayal.

He lunged forward, twin blades spinning, cutting streaks of green into the purple haze.

The scythe-wielder didn't dodge. He let the attacks hit — and laughed.

A hollow, twisted sound that twisted the very air.

"Madness?" he whispered, voice a chorus of shadows. "This… is clarity."

Their movements blurred. Time fractured around them — one moment a swing, the next a battlefield shattered, glass raining from skies that no longer existed.

Wind carved tunnels through smoke, but shadows were faster.

The city itself seemed to mourn — steel groaning, streets buckling, fires dancing in patterns that mirrored the fight.

The wind-user faltered for a split second.

A flash of recognition — a pattern in the darkness he knew.

He screamed, not at the pain, but at the inevitability.

"Harun… this isn't you!"

The scythe twitched in response, almost human.

A jagged smile formed under the mist, and the violet eyes gleamed, colder than ice and sharper than despair.

"You always called me that… now say it to my face."

The wind-user froze. Heart sinking.

This was no longer a friend he could save.

This… was something born from their own scars, something he had nurtured in shadows without knowing it.

They clashed again — faster, heavier.

Concrete pillars splintered. Shattered glass sprayed like silver rain.

The air itself seemed to scream in protest.

And amidst the storm, the wind-user felt something break inside him — the bond, the hope, the last thread of who they once were.

"No… I won't lose you. Not like this…"

The scythe descended, a silent promise of oblivion.

The wind-user tried to block, tried to hold onto the past, but the scythe wasn't just a weapon.

It was the culmination of rage, betrayal, and every choice made in the shadows.

The impact shattered his guard, splintering bones, shattering resolve.

He fell.

Dust, ash, and fragments of memory swirled around him like a funeral pyre.

The scythe-wielder paused, faint flicker of hesitation in his eyes — as if the tiniest part of him still remembered.

But that spark was swallowed by darkness.

"You… should have stayed away."

The wind-user coughed, blood mixing with rain from broken skies.

Through cracked lips, he whispered a name — not out of fear, but sorrow:

"Sahil…"

Silence answered.

The city held its breath.

Every fallen tower, every broken street, every dying ember of light — witnessing the fracture of two souls that once burned as one.

Sahil fell to his knees.

Blood ran down his face, mixing with ash, sweat, and the grime of a city that had already given up.

His blades — his last connection to power lay shattered at his side, jagged pieces glinting faintly in the dim light.

He gasped, wind rasping past torn lungs, and looked up.

Harun stood there.

Not just standing — dominating. The dark mist danced around him, curling like smoke with a life of its own, eyes glowing violet, sharp, and endless.

The scythe hummed, alive, whispering like the city itself had a heartbeat.

Sahil tried to rise. Tried to gather the last ounce of strength.

The wind refused him. His arms trembled. Every breath screamed weakness.

"No… not… not like this…"

Harun tilted his head slightly, the faintest flicker of recognition in his eyes.

"Sahil…" His voice was calm, but cold. "You really… tried."

Pain shot through Sahil's chest. Memories of battles, laughter, friendship — all twisted in a heartbeat into ash.

He coughed, choked, and then, almost as if clinging to life itself, whispered:

"I… I'm… Sahil…"

The words fell like stones in the silence.

Harun's lips curved slightly, not in joy, not in cruelty — but something darker. Respect? Sadness? Triumph? All tangled together.

"Sahil…" he repeated softly. "I remember. And yet… you lost."

The scythe rose. A slow, deliberate movement.

The shadows stretched. The ground beneath Sahil quivered.

He knew the end had come. Could feel it in every shattered bone, every failing heartbeat.

Harun advanced, not rushing, not careless just inevitable.

And then, the scythe swept in a whisper of darkness.

Sahil's body hit the ground.

Pain exploded, every nerve screaming. The wind stilled.

He tried to push himself up, tried to fight one last time, but even his own will faltered.

"This… isn't… over…" he gasped.

Harun crouched slightly, letting the weight of the moment sink in.

"It is," he said. "This… is the Shattered Dawn."

Sahil lay there, broken, defeated — the name of his identity the last thing he gave to the world.

Harun stood over him, the scythe resting lightly on the cracked asphalt.

A single beam of pale light cut through the smoke, glinting on his violet eyes, on the weapon that had just rewritten fate.

The city was silent.

Towers groaned. Ash drifted. Fires guttered weakly in the distance.

And Harun… remained. Alone. Victorious. Terrifying. Immortal in that frozen moment.

Sahil coughed, whispered again, faintly:

"…Harun…"

" this.. who's.. killing me its.. its.. no one.. else.. but my.. idiot.. bestfriend..."

But there was no reply.

Just the quiet, heavy breath of a city that had witnessed the Shattered Dawn.

Fadeout.