By the time Alex regained himself, he found the left portion of his body to be covered in darkness with a black pool underneath his feet.
Blinking repeatedly, he tried to make sense of what was happening before a wave of memories struck him, bringing him up to speed on current affairs.
He looked ahead to find several fleshy tentacles held back by dark tendrils.
In the distance, the source of the tentacles, the amorphous fleshy mass was expanding.
"Nyx," Alex called out softly.
A few seconds passed before the voice was heard.
"What’s going on?... Didn’t you say the darkness in my psyche would only act when I have a strong desire and I’m unable to fulfill it?"
It also serves as my anchor with you.
"... What is that thing?" Alex acutely noticed that whatever that fleshy mass was, it wasn’t as simple as a creature of the abyss.
Nyx remained silent for a prolonged period before they softly replied.
Curiosity kills the cat.
"...Noted." Alex sensed the worry in Nyx’s voice.
It was surprising since he considered Nyx to be the god of Eventide.
Did the mass of flesh have something to do with Nyx’s current state?
Alex was curious but not too much that it would cost him his life.
Taking a deep breath, he sensibly took a step back.
Now we work together to destroy that abomination.
I cannot directly descend so I give you full control of my darkness and how it works. You may use it as you please.
"This does not change our former arrangements?"
...Is that important now?
It doesn’t. Evernight will remain your domain, I shall not override it.
"Good enough." Alex nodded in satisfaction. "Let’s begin."
A moment later, Alex felt tremendous power fill his body while also feeling his connection with Evernight grow fainter.
Frowning deeply, he ensured to keep that connection so as not to get lost in the ecstasy of the power that Nyx imbued him with.
At the same time, knowledge of Nyx’s darkness flooded his mind causing him to feel briefly disoriented.
All this took place in a fraction of a second and by the time he recovered, Alex noticed that the amorphous fleshy mass had increased in size again.
"I have to finish this quickly," Alex muttered as he clenched his fist.
The dark tendrils reacted to his action, destroying the fleshy tentacles that it held before falling back into the pool of darkness.
"So this is a Miracle." Alex slowly made his way forward, his gaze trained on the monstrosity that still hadn’t stopped growing.
’Does it intend to keep growing until it has swallowed everything?’ The thought crossed Alex’s mind as he kept walking.
Stepping into a certain range, the amorphous fleshy mass noticed his presence and quickly attacked.
Several tentacles shot out, moving at speeds unbecoming of their disgusting nature.
However, Alex remained calm as he watched them approach.
"You would be troublesome if left to grow but for now... you are prey and..." he trailed off as he raised his palm before adding most chillingly. "I am the hunter."
Like a wave, Darkness rushed forward and swallowed everything in its path.
A terrifying screech escaped the amorphous fleshy mass from somewhere but it didn’t stop the darkness from devouring it without mercy.
As it struggled and fought back, Alex merely watched with an expressionless look on his face.
Stuck in the darkness, the amorphous fleshy mass was broken down and destroyed but surprisingly, it still didn’t stop growing.
It seemed like the speed at which it was being eaten was slower than the rate at which it grew.
The clash between the two forces quickly entered a lull.
It felt like a virus that sought to infect everything, with a proliferation rate that made it easy to threaten entire worlds with enough time.
Was this truly a product of the Abyss?
Fear slowly grew in Alex’s heart at the thought.
But as quick as the emotion began to cloud his judgment, a serene calm came over his soul.
Was it wise to fear the unknown?
Maybe... but as long as it remained unknown, allowing it to rule one’s judgment would only lead to unsavory results.
For now, focus on what was and not what would be... Alex muttered as he converged his thoughts.
Since devouring it won’t work, he decided on a different approach.
Clenching his fist, he spoke softly. "Begone."
Space around the amorphous mass collapsed and, encircling it, a darkness that had no end.
As it slowly entered the void, the amorphous fleshy mass tried to reenter Eventide but Alex prepared for such an action.
Several dark tendrils wrapped around it from different angles, holding it in place.
A horrifying gaze zeroed in on Alex from somewhere out there, causing him to freeze in place.
Just then, Nyx rose from his shadow.
There was no response as the gaze disappeared and the amorphous fleshy mass fell into the void, never to be seen again.
Nyx’s smile died down as they muttered.
Quite an unfortunate mess.
As they slowly fell back into Alex’s shadow, they passed a hand over his face.
By the time Alex came to... the battle was over and from the looks of it, he was the last man standing.
"What... just happened?" For some reason, he was unable to remember what happened after the amorphous fleshy mass was held in place by dark tendrils.
Then, Nyx’s voice resounded in his head.
Do not attempt to recall that memory, otherwise, you will undoubtedly lose your mind.
Alex frowned. "Just how much danger does this world hold?"
Enough... more than enough.
"Take your domain with you."
As the darkness left Alex’s control, his connection with Evernight grew once again, becoming the dominant force in his psyche.
Sighing heavily, Alex remarked. "That should be enough danger for one day, no?"
In a flash of pulsating black and white, he disappeared from the crater where BoneHaven once stood, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth.