189 COMING OF THE SHADOW
Damen was cutting across the dunes toward Fortress Myrone when his senses picked up two … human.
"Soldiers? Why would soldiers from the fortress come here?" he thought, quickly accelerating towards the source. "They must be under attack."
He soon caught sight of the battlefield.
The ground was littered with charred husks of Sun Scorpions, dozens of them. His eyes narrowed. "Impossible. They can't be killed in daylight…"
Then he saw it… the Deacon of Ra, towering over the corpses, its claws glowing with molten energy.
There was no hesitation. Damen vanished in a burst of lightning.
He reappeared right in front of the creature, grabbed its neck, and with a single twist—crack!—snapped it clean. The Deacon's body hit the sand, shaking the ground.
"Target neutralized," Damen muttered, dusting off his hands.
But then he froze.
Two familiar figures stood behind the corpse, both staring wide-eyed at him.
"Fiancé! I've found you at last!" Cyara shouted, running forward.
"Damen, my love!" Eryn cried, sprinting right after her.
The two collided halfway, shoving each other aside in their rush to reach him.
Damen blinked, speechless.
"What the…" he muttered, looking from one to the other. "This is not what I expected. First time I come back to Fortress Myrone in a year, and I walk straight into… this?"
He sighed, rubbing his temple. "I fight alien bosses for a year and somehow this is still harder to deal with."
-----
Damen returned to Fortress Myrone for the first time in a year…bringing with him Eryn and Cyara, both exhausted but radiant from their journey.
The news of his return spread through the fortress like wildfire.
When Liorea heard it, she dropped everything and ran to the gates.
"Boss…" she breathed, seeing him standing there under the twin suns.
He turned, surprised. "Liorea, I didn't expect to see you here."
Before he could say more, she threw herself into his arms, tears streaking her cheeks. "It's been a year…"
Eryn and Cyara quickly rushed forward too, not to be outdone. "Fiancé!" "Damen, my love!" they shouted almost in unison, each grabbing an arm.
"Damnit, that's enough, you guys," he muttered, pulling free with a sigh.
Then a deep, familiar laugh echoed through entrance.
Lord Nicaesa emerged from the shadows of the gate and clasped Damen in a firm embrace. "Welcome home, my boy."
They shared a brief moment of silence before Liorea spoke, her voice steady now. "So… what's the plan, now that you're back?"
Damen exhaled slowly. "Liorea, you… Eryn and Cyara should return to Silver City first. I'll follow."
"What? No way!" Cyara protested. "You're not running off again. You left us once already!"
"It's safer if you go ahead," Damen said, his tone firm but gentle. "And don't tell anyone you found me here. I don't want them using you to track me down."
Lord Nicaesa frowned. "What's your problem with the new leaders of Liberty City?"
Damen hesitated for a moment before answering. "They want me to become their new ruler."
"What?" Liorea said, stunned. "You mean… the new Queen and her council? Why did you refuse?"
He nodded. "They don't want a leader…they want a puppet. And I'm not interested in being that."
Eryn stepped closer, her voice soft but insistent. "Then when will you return? I… I have something important to tell you." she realized it wasn't convenient for her to talk about her problem in front of the others especially Cyara.
"Me too," Cyara added quickly.
Damen gave a faint smile. "Don't worry. I won't take long. I'll be trailing you in secret."
That night, they held a small celebration for his return with music, laughter, and stories of the past year. But under the glow of the fortress torches, Damen's eyes were already on the horizon.
By dawn, Eryn, Cyara, and Liorea were on their way back to Liberty City.
Damen stood at the walls, watching them depart.
----
After his friends returned to Silver City, Damen made his way back to the fortress training complex. The air inside the lab was sterile and cold, filled with the hum of machines and the faint scent of iron.
Lieutenant Kalmer came to him as Damen entered. "Damen why are you requesting a blood transfusion? What's going on?"
Damen paused, considering whether to lie… but decided against it.
"You deserve the truth, Kalmer," he said quietly. "I've been stricken by the curse of the Blue Blood."
The lieutenant froze. "The Blue Blood? That's…impossible. That curse kills! How…"
"Relax," Damen interrupted, raising a hand. "I've already found a way to suppress it."
He rolled up his sleeve as he spoke. "A full transfusion dilutes the tainted cells. What's removed can be condensed into Bloodstones. The curse couldn't be removed but through extraction, I can turn it into strength."
Kalmer blinked, struggling to process what he was hearing. "That's… that's revolutionary. I'll have to record this. If our soldiers ever contract it…"
"Then they'll have a chance to survive," Damen said.
The lieutenant set up the transfusion.
Tubes filled with faintly glowing crimson liquid connected to the machine. For half an hour, the steady pulse of the pumps echoed through the chamber.
When it was done, Kalmer checked the readings.
"Vitals are perfect," he said in disbelief. "Your blood pressure's stable, neural output within normal range… It's like you were never infected."
Damen smiled faintly. "I told you. I found the cure."
Kalmer studied him closely. "Don't tell me all your powers…the lightning, the regeneration, the armor…comes from that alien blood."
Damen's smile deepened. "Partly," he admitted.
After Kalmer left to file his report, Damen sat alone and quietly opened his own system panel.
Name: Damen Dark
Strength Rank: BB Meta Rank: BBB Blood Rank: BBB
Strength: 1773 | Charm: 1871 | Meta: 1925 | Command: 1926 | Blood: 2710 | Armor: 9498
He nodded to himself.
His Blood Rank had settled at BBB again… a stable and manageable rank. His armor was still at Rank AA, which was nearly indestructible.
This was the correct balance he needed.
Any stronger, and the curse might resurface. Any weaker, and he wouldn't survive what was coming next.
-----
Damen was preparing to leave Fortress Myrone when the alarm sirens began to wail across the desert. The sky itself seemed to darken, a crimson haze swallowing the horizon.
He stopped mid-step… he could feel it. A deep, oppressive aura rolling like thunder across the sands.
The alien horde was coming again. But this time… something far worse was leading them.
Moments later, Lord Nicaesa called an emergency conference in the command chamber. The air was thick with static and fear. Dozens of officers and soldiers gathered around the holographic map, watching the red blips moving steadily toward their position.
"This time it's different," Lord Nicaesa said gravely. "The Shadow of Anubis has appeared."
A ripple of shock spread through the room.
"The Shadow of Anubis?" one officer stammered. "An S-Rank alien god? Why would he come here?"
"We don't know," Captain Green replied, his jaw tight. "But our rationing of the artillery must have signaled weakness. They're testing our real strength again."
Another soldier slammed his fist on the table. "Lord Nicaesa, we need to prepare the defenses now. If the Shadow himself is leading this wave, the outer shields won't last an hour!"
Normally, when the Shadow of Anubis appeared, only Lord Nicaesa himself would be able to stand against it. Every man in the fortress knew that.
But this time, Nicaesa didn't move.
Instead, a slow, knowing smile crept across his face.
"No," he said. "This time, Damen will face him."