Chapter 20 - Chapter XIX – The Moment He Slipped

Eryndor didn't make it far after the fight before something inside him started going seriously off—like the seal on his chest wasn't just cracking, it was losing its grip—and out of nowhere, the pressure hit him hard, dropping him to one knee as his vision blurred and the world around him went dead quiet, almost like everything was backing away from him; then for a few terrifying seconds, he slipped, not just losing control but letting go, and when he stood back up, it wasn't fully him anymore—his eyes empty, his movements too smooth, too calm, like something ancient was looking through him, and just by existing, he drained the life out of a nearby creature without even touching it, the mountain itself starting to crack under his presence as a cold, simple thought settled in his mind—everything here is small—and the worst part was how natural it felt, how easy, like this was what he was meant to be, until suddenly Mei Lin's voice cut through that silence, calling his name and shaking something loose inside him, and even though the pressure around him should've crushed her, she kept walking toward him, stubborn as ever, telling him he wasn't that thing, that he was still himself, but when she got too close, the power reacted on instinct and blasted outward, throwing her back hard across the ground, and that single moment snapped him out of it—his breath coming back sharp, his eyes clearing as the darkness collapsed and reality rushed in again—leaving him frozen in place, staring at her in shock as the truth hit him like a punch to the chest: that wasn't just power slipping, that was something else taking over, and what scared him the most wasn't how strong it was… but that for those few seconds, it didn't feel wrong at all.