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Rise of the Tamer ( Bound by the Beast) Episode 140: The Eclipse Ascendant
The air inside the cave seemed to vibrate with an unnatural energy, every breath that Ethan took feeling heavier, more suffocating. The figure in front of him, veiled in shadows, carried a presence so dark, so overwhelming, that it seemed it would twist the very fabric of the world. It was as if the storm outside had found a vessel, and this was the culmination of every nightmare that had tormented the world."You think you can stop me, Summoner?" The figure's voice boomed, cold and chilling, as if the very ground beneath them trembled in fear, as the cavern walls reverberated from the sound. Dark energy emanating from it had strengthened; swirling masses of shadows distorted the cave's interior. Its eyes were burning with an infernal light, hot as a thousand lost souls.Ethan tightened his grip on his sword. His heart thudded in his chest as he felt the weight of the words settle into him. This was no ordinary opponent. This was the force behind everything, the one pulling all the st
Rise of the Tamer ( Bound by the Beast) Episode 141: The Last Piece
The cave roared as the ground shuddered beneath Ethan's feet. The searing light that had torn through the darkness pulsed, flooding the cave with such brightness that the shadows couldn't even be glimpsed. Ethan's heart raced as he labored to propel himself up, his battered body thudding and bruising against the jagged ground where he lay, beaten in the last round of the fight.He could hardly see the form pushing out of the shine, a figure so huge, so immense, that it seemed to foreshorten the very cave itself. The air was positively imponderable with anticipation, and Ethan's breath caught in his chest as he tried to make sense of this overpowering presence."What is that?" Lysara whispered, her voice filled with awe and fear.The form took shape in the light, a towering creature of pure energy and unleashed power. Its body was light and shadow, a creature of fire and ice, with an aura emanating as if it were born of raw strength. It was beautiful and frightening, able to conjure up
Rise of the Tamer ( Bound by the Beast) Episode 142: The Final Convergence
The figure before Ethan and his friends stood in stark contrast to the chaos that had enveloped the cave. It was radiant, an ethereal being of pure light that seemed to distort reality itself. Its form was both human and divine, a silhouette of power that held the promise of salvation, yet also carried the weight of an unspeakable responsibility.Ethan's heart was pounding at the sight, and he couldn't tear his gaze away. "Who… who are you?" he managed to ask, but his voice didn't rise over a whisper anymore, full of awe and questioning.His eyes looked into the creature's. Bright, piercing eyes, yet those of a most ancient time filled with a contradictory warmth. "I am the Last One," the creature went on to state, its deep, resonating voice echoing thousands of years behind it. "The one meant to bring an end to all this. This final key against the Eclipse itself."Lysara stepped forward, her staff crackling with residual energy. "The Last One? But… but you were just a legend! A myth
Rise of the Tamer ( Bound by the Beast) Episode 143: The Rising Light
The cave shuddered in terror as the dark figure closed in, its presence suffocating and overpowering. The wall was crumbling under the weight of its power; shadows spun like a living nightmare around Ethan and his companions. But they stood firm, with the light of their resolve unwavering. The battle had already raged for far too long, and now the final act was upon them.Ethan's sword had a brilliant golden glow coursing through it, more vibrant than ever before. His body was aching, all his strength seeping away with every passing moment, but he could feel something stirring within him a power that had been lying dormant, waiting for the right moment to awaken. His fingers closed tighter and tighter around the hilt of his blade, his voice a whisper but full of resolve."We end this here," Ethan said, his voice a steady calm in the face of the growing chaos.Lysara's staff crackled with ancient energy as she stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the dark figure that had brought such dev
Rise of the Tamer ( Bound by the Beast) Episode 144: The Invisible Enemy
The cave trembled under the weight of the growing darkness. The explosive roar that had consumed the space sent a wave of cold fear washing over Ethan and his companions. The earth cracked, and a chilling wind blew through the depths, whipping up dust and debris. Ethan's heart pounded in his chest as he steadied himself on the shifting ground. Every instinct screamed at him to retreat, but he knew there was no escaping this.The dark figure's form had grown larger, more ominous, as if the very fabric of the cave itself had bowed to its will. The air felt heavy with its malevolent energy, and the shadows seemed to pulse, alive with a sinister hunger.Ethan's golden sword flickered feebly in his grasp, the brilliance that lay inside of it striving hard to continue burning against the encroaching shadows. He felt his body slowly draining the last vestiges of his remaining energy. His determination, however, was still intact."This can't be how it ends," Ethan muttered in a tired tone, de
Rise of the Tamer ( Bound by the Beast) Episode 145: The Radiant One Rises
Bright light forced its way out of the newly appeared body and washed through the cavern, cutting away through shadows that had threatened to devour everything alive. Ethan blinked, trying to cut back the blinding brightness. His heart raced, and he felt that pressure of darkness receding, but the battle was far from over.The Eternal One, its shape a writhing tangle of shadow and force, spat fury and slunk into the cave's depths, as if to escape the light. "No!" it screamed, its voice booming within the cave's very walls. "You can't halt what is now moving! The Eclipse can never be unstirred!"Ethan's heart pounded in his chest as he struggled to concentrate on the figure before them. The light that burst forth from it was like some alive thing, white and blinding. It was a being of great power, despite being dimmed to half of its potential by the extreme brightness. It seemed to pulse with energy; Ethan could feel it.Not human.The body of the figure was a shimmering, molten gold,
Rise of the Tamer ( Bound by the Beast) Episode 146 The Eclipse Released
The cave shuddered, and a low growl of anger rumbled through the stone as Ethan stood amidst the ruin of their battle. The light off his sword pulsed, and the dim, shadowy remains that once thrived now fled fitfully into darkness. Sweat saturated his brow, and his chest shuddered in ragged, gasping heaves. Still, in that air of their victory over the Eternal One lay a new and ominous presence it was heavy and suffocating, and it was unmistakable.The golden form of the Radiant One shone beside him. Its placidity was such an oddity among the tumult in the air that it could well have been called a contradiction in terms. "The shadows retreat for the present," it spoke, quiet as thunder. "But be aware, Ethan: the darkness beaten back will surely return, but the heart of the Eclipse beats on.Ethan gripped his blade tighter, its light dimming a little as he tried to steady himself. "What does that mean? If the Eternal One is gone, why do I still feel it feel that it's not over?"The Radia
Rise of the Tamer ( Bound by the Beast) Episode 147: The force within
The darkness surged forward, consuming the air with its malignant presence. Ethan stood at the center of the storm, battered and bruised from the earlier battle with the creature. His breath came in ragged gasps, the weight of exhaustion pulling at his limbs. But there was no time to rest. No time to hesitate. The true eclipse was rising before him, its shadow blocking out the very light of the world.The creature the bringer of this nightmarish force towered over him, its contorted grin opening wider as the massive shadow that lay behind began to coalesce fully. Ethan could feel it, a presence dark and vastly more powerful than anything he'd ever encountered. The air vibrated with the pulsing of the Eclipse's heart, and Ethan knew, if they were not going to act now, everything would be lost.Lysara stood beside him, her staff crackling with energy, her eyes wide with fear but full of determination. "Ethan, we can't hold it back for much longer," she said, her voice strained. "The Ecl
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Episode 182: The Fractured Oath
The battlefield was wrong.It hadn't just changed it had been rewritten.Asha knew it in her bones, in the air she breathed, in the way time itself dragged between each heartbeat. The world was still here, but it was cracked at the edges, as if something huge had gnawed on its shape and spat it back out.The Hollow Crown was no more. The occupant of the throne had departed, but its departure was worse than its arrival.For it had left behind something.Ethan.Asha's fingers still throbbed where he had held them.The black was receding from his eyes, but not all the way, as if whatever had attempted to take him had only rested, waiting for the moment when it could drive its teeth in deeper.He wasn't talking.He was observing.Observing the throne. Observing the void where the thing had sat.Observing his own hands, as if he didn't know if they were still his.Asha pushed aside her discomfort and stepped closer."Ethan"A breath. A flash of movement.She wasn't aware of him getting up,
Episode 181: The Hollow Crown
Darkness bore down on the world.It wasn't lack of light. It wasn't even the press of shadow.This was more than that. This was old. A hollow that didn't just devour it recalled.And Asha was suffocating in it.She tried to breathe, her lungs spasming, but there was nothing only the overwhelming feeling of being observed. The battlefield was gone. The Architect of Graves was gone. Raven, Cain, and Yveth all gone to the black.But Ethan remained.Somewhere.She could not see him, could not hear him, but she felt him like a distant, fading heartbeat being consumed inch by inch.And the throne.The thing seated upon the throne.It breathed through the darkness."Did you think you were the first?"Asha gritted her teeth, pushing her feet onto something nearly solid. The emptiness writhed beneath her, curving in slow, ravenous spirals. The scream that had ripped through reality a moment before still rang in her bones. It had been more than sound it had stripped something from her, somethin
Episode 180: The Throne of Forgotten Names
The world was breaking.Not in body alone, not in land alone in memory itself.It was happening; Asha could feel it, her thoughts fraying at the edges, unraveling like some old tapestry being picked piece by piece by piece. What was she forgetting? What had she already lost? Her own name tasted heavy in her mouth, as though it was at best half hers.And yet the Architect of Graves stood, unchanged, untroubled, unblemished, and its being was a chasm in the fabric of reality.Ethan remained on his knees, breathless, his body warring with reality.The black chains that had bound him before were gone but only because they’d been replaced by something worse.The very shadow he cast had turned against him.It slithered up his body like ink, like living tar, sliding beneath his skin, staining his veins.His fingers trembled, his breath hitched, and for the first time since Asha had met him, he looked frail.Defiance had always been his strength.His will, unbreakable.But now?Now something
Episode 179: The Lament of Hollow Thrones
The world had ended.And yet worse was already on the way.Asha was breathing hard and scrambling up off the ground, the field of battle a tangled, unrecognizable wreck. Colors that didn’t exist churned in the sky above, the very air shredding itself as if in rebellion against reality itself.The Nameless Choir, by contrast, had smashed the order of things to flinders, a song out of tune digging into the very bones of reality and unraveling them, one thread at a time.Yveth loomed a thing of infinite hunger, its zillions of teeth grinding together as it feasted upon the world itself. But now even it hesitated, its impossible form quaking under the weight of something even it could not comprehend.Ethan, or what's left of him, stood recklessly before it. And the voice it was speaking in strange languages, a new tongue he once knew, but each word had been swallowed whole, replaced by the buzz of death, the rumble of hell.Asha had witnessed him cheat death before. She had witnessed him
Episode 178: The Maw of Perdition
The world was broken.Asha could still taste ash in the air, thick and acrid, clinging to the insides of her lungs like something alive. The battlefield if it could still be called that was no more than broken earth and bleeding sky, a wound rent in the very fabric of reality.The cuneiform figure had done something to Ethan, something that couldn't be explained. He was standing, yes, breathing, yes, but incorrectly.The void had taken him.And now it was looking at him through them.Cain remained rigid with the sword trembling in his hands.His face was ashen, and he was panting in short, coarse breaths.Even Raven, the ghost of them all, was the only one to be unnaturally still, her fingers flitting along the hem of her cloak as though she’d just be giving up on this place and leaving.But Asha could not move.She could only stare at Ethan at what had once been Ethan.His formerly recognizable features had contorted, the planes and angles of his face darkened by a thing moving under
Episode 177: The Hollow Crown the Ashen Reckoning
The sky bled ruin.Colors with no place in this world twisted through the heavens, putrescent violets and rotting blacks that twisted like wounds in the seat of reality.But the battlefield, already a Sargasso Sea of lost flesh and cracked subsoil and the hush of final embers, trembled under something formless, merciless, only hungry.Asha stumbled, dragging a streak of blood from her brow, the air heavy with the decay that made her lungs hurt. Cain was still rising to his feet, his sword a useless tremor in his shaking hands. Raven, always the specter, had already melted into the dark, cold and observing. Calculating.And then there was Ethan.Or what was left of him.He stood at the center of the slaughter, his body cloaked in writhing coils of silver and black, his eyes those twin eclipses alight with something beyond human understanding. He avoided looking at his friends. He did not acknowledge their pleading, horrified stares.He was staring into the face of the Warden of Ash.A
Episode 176: The Hollow Crown
The Eclipse DevoursAn ancient, hollow, endless howl cracked the sky.The ground shuddered under the weight of the battlefield.It was no mere sound it was a force, a vibration that slithered under the skin, coiled around the bones, and whispered in the ears of those who caught its unseen gaze.Asha’s breath hitched.Shit, she thought, as she gripped the useless hilts of her snapped daggers tighter, her mind spinning.That sound… It wasn’t Ethan.Cain was spitting blood onto the parched earth as he pulled himself upright.His muscles shrieked, but his instincts shrieked louder move, fight, survive.But how the fuck were they supposed to fight that?Ethan or what remained of him stood frozen there, head thrown back, silver-black chains slithering around his arms like live creatures.There was not even a hint of recognition in his face, no flash of familiarity.Just a slow, spooky smile as his monstrous eyes glimmered like twin eclipses.And then… he spoke."He comes."The ground split
Episode 175: The Awakening of the Heir
The Space Between Life and DeathEthan floated.Weightless. Silent.Suspended in the infinite black between existence and oblivion.His body was gone, shed like an old husk.What was left was something different.Something unfinished.A resounding voice echoed through the void. Smooth.Cold. Familiar."Still fighting, even now?"Ethan’s mind stirred.His soul was heartlessly chained, rattling now, deep and powerful and dark-run purgatorial energy coursing through it, each pulse sending blinding pain clean through him.Then he saw him.Silver eyes fall like dying stars of the Eclipsed King at the center of all the void.Ethan’s teeth clenched, battling against the pain, summoning himself his shape flickered, uncertain, a golden glow fighting against the black webbing that invaded his arms.“You’re in my head,” Ethan rumbled, his voice hoarse. "Get the hell out."The king just tilted his head and smirked."Oh, Ethan. This is not your head anymore.”The abyss shook.And with that, Ethan
Episode 174: Chains of the Fallen
The AftermathOn the battlefield, it was like the calm before the storm.From broken soil, smoke curled.The sounds of battle faded, leaving behind a heavy silence as the air hung with the burden of recent events.Ethan lurched forward, gasping for air like a wounded animal.His limbs throbbed with pain, every vein still coursing with the lingering power of the fusion.Every fiber of his being told him he ought to be dead.And yet he stood.He had survived.Yet something within him felt … off.He shook not just because of the immense effort but also for something deeper, something that could not be seen.Cain sat hunched over near him, a hand pressed against his chest where the abyssal tendrils had grasped him just moments before.His skin was still dark in places, veins blackened from lingering corruption.Asha pressed against a broken edge, panting.Blood still ran from her shoulder, but her violet eyes were glued to the spot where the Eclipsed King had disappeared.Raven, always th
