CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THREE – THE PRICE OF POWER

"I did," the voice replied, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Or rather, the dagger did. I am the spirit bound within it." Laura's hand hovered over the dagger, uncertainty clouding her features. "What are you?" "I am pain," the voice hissed. "I am suffering. I am the darkness that lives in the hearts of all beings. Take me, and you take all of that into yourself." Laura hesitated, her hand trembling. "I... I have to. To save my friends." "Such noble intentions," the voice mocked. "But are you prepared for the consequences?" Before Laura could respond, more growls echoed from the entrance to the room. The creatures had found her. "No time to think," Laura gasped, grabbing the dagger. The moment her fingers closed around the hilt, pain exploded behind her eyes. Visions flashed through her mind: cities burning, people screaming, blood flowing like rivers. She saw wars fought over centuries, plagues decimating populations, and the depths of human cruelty laid ba