The temple shook violently, dust falling from the ceiling in heavy clouds as the Forgotten One emerged in full. A towering mass of shadow, it rose like a storm incarnate, its form shifting between humanoid and monstrous. The torches that had once lit the chamber flickered and died, swallowed by its oppressive aura.
Gideon stood frozen for a heartbeat, gritting his teeth as his cursed mark flared with agonizing heat. His vision blurred, colors distorting around the edges, and for a moment he thought he might collapse. But then, Lilith's voice cut through the chaos like a lifeline.
"Papa!" she cried. "Don't give in!"
Her hand found his, small and trembling, but radiating warmth — human, grounding. It was enough.
Gideon's knees buckled slightly, but he straightened up and tightened his grip on his sword. "I'm okay," he said, though it was a lie. He could feel it now — the curse was no longer a distant shadow creeping through his soul. It was awake. Hungry.
Selene and Darius had already formed a defensive stance around Lilith, their weapons drawn and glowing faintly with arcane power.
"What the hell is that thing?" Selene muttered, eyes never leaving the writhing figure of the Forgotten One.
Darius's face was pale. "A remnant of the old world… a god, or something like one. Sealed away during the War of Veilfire. I thought the legends were just that. Legends."
"They usually are until they kill you," Selene replied grimly.
The Forgotten One's voice returned, more focused, almost calm — a quiet rage that shook the very stones of the temple. "You stand before eternity and brandish your steel like it matters. Mortals… always so brave in your ignorance."
Without warning, it struck.
Tendrils of darkness erupted from its chest, slamming into the ground where the group had stood only moments before. Darius shouted an incantation and threw up a barrier of flame, shielding them as they scattered. The attack seared the stone floor, leaving behind scorched marks that glowed red like dying embers.
Gideon surged forward. The cursed magic surged within him, answering the call of the darkness with eagerness. His blade became a conduit — ice and lightning crackled along its edge as he clashed with a tendril that slashed toward Lilith.
The blow knocked him back, pain radiating through his shoulder. But he kept his footing. He could feel the curse feeding on the energy around him, craving more — craving domination.
"Gideon!" Darius shouted. "You're drawing from it too fast! You'll lose yourself!"
"I don't have a choice!" Gideon shouted back. "He's not playing games!"
The Forgotten One's laugh rumbled through the temple. "You understand, Ghost Slayer. The curse was never a punishment. It is a legacy. My legacy."
Gideon faltered. "What are you saying?"
"I chose you," the shadow god said, stepping forward with unearthly grace. "Your ancestors were my vessel. You are merely the final link in the chain. You have been mine since birth."
A wave of nausea rolled over Gideon. Memories — or visions — flashed through his mind: a boy screaming under the light of a red moon, a ritual circle, and a shadow cloaked in silver fire placing a mark on a child's brow.
The truth hit him like a dagger.
He had never escaped his fate. The Ghost Slayer line was not one of saviors — it was a bloodline engineered to contain a god.
"No…" he whispered.
"Yes," the Forgotten One said, voice now a seductive whisper. "Embrace it, and I will make you whole. Fight it, and you will shatter."
Lilith stepped in front of him, eyes glowing faintly with spiritual light. "He's lying."
Gideon looked at her. "Lilith…"
"He's afraid of you. That's why he's trying to control you. You're not his vessel. You're his jailer."
Darius's eyes lit up with sudden realization. "She's right. That mark — it was created to contain him. The Ghost Slayers didn't serve him… they imprisoned him!"
Selene cursed. "That means if Gideon gives in—"
"He breaks the seal," Darius finished grimly.
The Forgotten One's form rippled with fury. The entire chamber darkened as the air seemed to freeze. "You would believe the words of children and fools? So be it."
With a deafening roar, it launched a barrage of tendrils in every direction.
Chaos erupted.
Selene leapt high, blades dancing as she cut through a wave of shadows that tried to engulf her. Darius chanted spells so quickly they blurred together, launching fire and arcane bolts at the core of the creature. Lilith, despite her fear, stood firm and summoned protective wards that glowed with blue spirit-light.
Gideon focused inward.
The curse burned within him like a wildfire, a tide pressing against a dam. He could give in — and gain unimaginable power. But at what cost?
He remembered the villages razed by cursed Ghost Slayers of the past. The bodies. The haunted eyes. He remembered the promise he had made when he first took up the blade: to protect the innocent, no matter the cost.
"No," he whispered.
He gripped the sword with both hands, pressing its hilt to the cursed mark on his chest.
"I am not your vessel."
A blinding light erupted from the blade as his magic surged in defiance. The cursed mark burned with searing intensity — not because it was taking control, but because Gideon was reclaiming it.
The shadow god screamed, reeling as if struck.
Darius gasped. "He's purging it!"
Selene shouted, "Now! Hit it with everything we've got!"
As Gideon held the sword steady, light poured out from his body, searing through the tendrils like sunlight through fog. Darius unleashed a final, devastating wave of arcane flame, and Selene drove both her blades into the creature's form with a battle cry.
Lilith, eyes brimming with tears, reached toward Gideon and placed her hand over his heart.
"Let me help, Papa."
Spirit energy surged from her into him — stabilizing, anchoring. For the first time since his mark had awoken, Gideon felt clarity. Balance.
Together, they were stronger.
The Forgotten One gave one last roar of fury — and fear.
And then, it was gone.
Its body collapsed into ash and shadow, vanishing into the cracks of the temple floor. The statues crumbled, and the runes around the chamber dimmed and fell silent.
The silence afterward was deafening.
Gideon collapsed to his knees, panting, drenched in sweat. The cursed mark was still there… but dimmer. Dormant.
Lilith fell beside him, hugging him tightly. "You did it. You beat him."
"No," Gideon whispered. "We did."
Selene sat down hard, wiping blood from her arm. "Remind me to never let you lead us into ancient death temples again."
Darius chuckled weakly, slumping against the wall. "That was… biblical."
Gideon looked around the broken chamber. The darkness was gone, but the scars remained. On the temple… and on him.
Darius turned toward him. "You realize what this means, don't you?"
Gideon nodded slowly. "The curse… it wasn't just a curse. It was a key. And if this thing was trying to escape…"
"There may be more," Darius said, his voice low. "Others like it. Sealed away. Waiting."
Gideon clenched his fists.
"Then we find them. And we end them."
Lilith looked up at him with wide, determined eyes. "Together?"
He smiled faintly. "Always."
And so, in the ruined depths of the ancient temple, beneath the shadow of a forgotten god, the group stood together — not as warriors, or cursed souls, but as a family bound by fire and darkness.
But far away, in a distant land where shadows clung like cobwebs and whispers filled the air, another presence stirred.
Watching.
Waiting.
And smiling.