Book One – Chapter 10

THE DARKNESS enveloping Midnight resonated with her presence, melding seamlessly with her ebony fur, infiltrating and intertwining with her very essence. She embraced it, feeding it with her energy, and as the darkness withdrew, satiated, it moved with a purpose, pulling her along its sinuous path. Midnight followed and led at the same time; allowing the darkness to draw her through the mountain tunnels, while simultaneously feeding those strands of darkness that lay in the direction she desired.

In the depths of the Albweiss Mountains, Midnight traversed winding tunnels with a grace born of growing familiarity. Her newfound mastery over darkness unveiled concealed alcoves and clandestine paths, with the darkness guiding her through minute openings in the rock that defied the constraints of a purely physical being.

Midnight revelled in the exploration. The manifold paths formed complex web of darkness, resounding with the distant echoes of water droplets and the faint traces of the mountain’s breath. At times, she encountered inhabitants of the tunnels — creatures adapted to the perpetual absence of light. Some acknowledged her presence, offering their venom when asked. She took what they provided, assimilating their essence into her own.

Initially, enduring the transformative process proved to be a formidable challenge, yet it was a pain that Midnight learned to not only endure but embrace. When she imbibed the venom, her heart both shivered with the strain and raced with anticipation. It compelled her body contort and twist, yet it also instigated the change and growth she desired. Midnight sought the pain because it embodied her desire to become a creature of venom — a being of heightened senses where her mind, sight, hearing, and feeling all intensified in unison. The venom wrought change, expanding the boundaries of darkness within her, and extending her very essence into the all-encompassing nothing that surrounded her.

With each immersion into the transformative ritual, as Midnight imbibed more and delved deeper into the awareness and abilities birthed from the pain, the pulsating rhythm of darkness resonated more powerfully within her. Simultaneously, her senses grew more attuned to the ancient heartbeat of the mountains, echoing through the stone. The air grew colder, and the scent of damp rock enveloped her, a reminder that she delved into the very core of the Albweiss Mountains. The lightless tunnels responded to her presence, unveiling and shaping new pathways, exposing both foreign presences as well as those that inherently belonged.