Douluo Dalu:Shards of Fate

The academy was silent as the night deepened, the faint glow of the moon casting long shadows through the narrow windows of Ryo's room. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Ryo closed his eyes, slowing his breathing until the outside world faded. Within moments, his consciousness descended into the vast, familiar void of his spiritual sea.

The Pangu Box hovered at the center, radiating its faint purple glow. Its surface was alive with shifting carvings, ancient and indecipherable. The void surrounding the box pulsed with a heavy, oppressive energy—the lingering remnant of Shendu's disintegration.

The dark aura coiled faintly in the air, its presence suffocating and dense, like smoke that refused to dissipate. Ryo's crimson eyes narrowed as he focused on it, his mind already dissecting the possibilities. He didn't move closer. He merely observed.

"Residual energy from Shendu," Ryo thought, his gaze sharp. "But not just any energy. It's unstable. Too dense to be dormant."

He studied the aura's faint movements. It writhed like a living thing, its edges curling inwards, pulsing as though waiting for something. It felt incomplete, chaotic—without purpose. But it wasn't dispersing, and that alone made it dangerous.

Ryo sat still, letting his thoughts race.

"This is the essence of a demon," he calculated, his mental focus unshaken. "It's possible to absorb it. Shendu's fire manipulation and talisman knowledge could be of use. But… absorbing energy of this nature could also destabilize my spiritual sea. At worst, it could overpower me entirely."

He didn't flinch, though his gaze grew colder. Risks like this couldn't be ignored.

"If it's too violent, it might break free and reform Shendu," Ryo reasoned, glancing at the faint ripples emanating from the Pangu Box. "If I try to expel it, it could damage my spiritual sea. That would set me back entirely. But if I leave it unchecked—"

Before Ryo could finish his analysis, the dark aura surged violently, breaking its stillness. The void trembled under the pressure as the energy coiled together like a serpent, forming a spiraling mass. The oppressive force doubled, and the faint shape of Shendu's statue began to take form within the aura.

Ryo's eyes narrowed, his muscles tensing. The energy wasn't waiting for him—it was acting on its own.

"It's trying to resurrect him," Ryo deduced instantly. The aura's chaotic movements were no longer aimless; they were gathering, condensing, trying to recreate the demon's shattered body.

The flames coiling around the forming figure of Shendu intensified, the heat in the void climbing rapidly. Sparks crackled in the air as the shape became more defined—a dragon-like head, coiled limbs, and a faintly glowing set of runes etched into its chest. The carving on the Pangu Box responded in kind, glowing brighter as if feeding the energy's effort.

"I don't have a choice."

Ryo stood within the void, his expression cold but determined. He reached forward, drawing the chaotic energy toward himself. If it continued, it would break free from the void, and Shendu would reform, stronger than before. Absorbing it was a risk, but allowing Shendu's resurrection was guaranteed destruction.

As his hands met the spiraling mass, the energy lashed out, striking him like a whip. Pain tore through his body, sharp and searing, but Ryo didn't release his grip. He forced the energy inward, directing it into the depths of his spiritual sea. The aura resisted violently, twisting and thrashing as if alive, clawing at his very being.

Each pulse of the energy burned through him, his muscles screaming under the strain. His breathing grew ragged, his mental focus flickering under the sheer pressure of the aura's malice. The fragments of Shendu's essence carried more than just power—they carried the demon's rage, his defiance, his refusal to die.

"Calm it. Control it." Ryo's thoughts remained focused, his calculation unshaken even as the pain tore through him.

He shifted his mental focus, pulling the aura into his core and binding it with the threads of his spiritual sea. The flames roared in protest, but Ryo didn't falter. Slowly, the violent movements of the energy began to subside, the spiraling mass collapsing inward as it yielded to his will.

Finally, the aura sank into his core, its oppressive presence no longer tearing at him. Ryo exhaled slowly, his body trembling as he regained control. The air in the void was still, though faint traces of heat lingered.

Shendu's knowledge began to unfold within Ryo's mind, fragmentary and incomplete, but undeniable. Symbols and patterns etched themselves into his thoughts—talisman formations glowing with firelight, their lines sharp and precise. Alongside them came the foundational understanding of flame manipulation: the movement of heat, the control of intensity, the creation of destruction.

It was power, raw and dangerous, but it wasn't enough.

"Knowledge without experience," Ryo murmured. "It's not complete. This is only a foundation."

He turned his gaze toward the Pangu Box. The oppressive glow of its surface had dimmed slightly, but it still pulsed faintly, its carvings shifting. Within its depths, the figures of the other demons stirred faintly.

Po Kong, the Mountain Demon, loomed like a shadow, her voice a constant rumble in the void. "When will we be freed?" she repeated, her words unchanging, echoing endlessly.

Tso Lan, the Sky Demon, sat in silent meditation, his eyes closed as his vast aura radiated outward. Though he didn't speak, his presence was heavier than the others, a silent promise of overwhelming strength.

Dikui, the Earth Demon, struck the edges of his prison with fists that cracked mountains, his roars shaking the box with every blow.

Tchang Zu's thunderous curses filled the void, the Lightning Demon's rage pouring forth in a storm of incoherent words and violent energy.

Ryo's crimson eyes scanned them one by one, his gaze cold and calculating. He noted their strengths, their movements, and their positions, committing them to memory.

"They're waiting," he thought. "But not passively. They're testing their prisons."

His attention shifted to the Book of Ages. The faintly glowing artifact hovered beside the Pangu Box, its surface shimmering with the light of ancient runes. Ryo reached out, and as his fingers brushed the book, its form materialized in the real world, floating silently above his lap.

High above the academy, the stars shifted. One by one, streaks of light arced across the night sky, each crashing into the earth in a distant, unknown region. The quiet night was momentarily lit by the falling stars, but the world remained unaware of what had just begun.

Ryo opened his eyes, his body trembling faintly from the strain of the aura he had absorbed. His breathing was ragged, his skin slick with sweat, but his gaze was steady. The stars had fallen, the energy had been tamed, and his path was clearer than ever.

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Comment your thoughts

With panku box being unlocked demons will enter the world of Soul Land,Each will have a backstory created by ryo it will affect the timeline and change the past.

What do you think of this?