THE LAST BELL

The Shadow keeper.

“Stay behind me, Chloe,” Axel whispered, his hand shaking as he held the broken blade in front of him.

From the dark corner of the ruined hall, the shadow moved. Its steps were slow, each one making the torches on the wall flicker. Then it stepped into the dim light.

Chloe gasped and held Axel’s arm tight. “Oh God… what is that?”

It was tall, almost touching the roof. Its eyes were hollow, glowing like dead embers. A crown of bone sat crooked on its head, and its voice was deep, echoing like many voices at once.

“I am the Keeper of Ravenswood,” it said. “I guard the curse. I guard the dead. And you, boy… You are the chosen blood.”

Axel felt his arm burn. He looked down and saw the black mark on his skin pulse like a living thing.

“No,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want this.”

The Keeper’s hollow eyes fixed on him. “Your blood was chosen long ago by the cult. You carry the key. Through you, the dead will rise.”

Chloe quickly stepped in front of Axel, spreading her arms wide. “You won’t touch him! You hear me? He’s not yours!”

The Keeper tilted its head, then laughed. It was not a normal laugh. It was broken, sharp, and cruel.

“You try to shield him,” it said, “but his fate was sealed before he was born. His blood will open the gates. Unless… he surrenders. If he accepts, I will give him power beyond any dream. He will command the horde. He will be master of the undead.”

Axel’s chest tightened. The thought of power, of ending all this pain, of never running again… it almost tempted him. But Chloe’s hand gripped his, pulling him back to reality.

“Don’t listen,” Chloe whispered, her eyes wet. “That thing is lying. You’re not like them, Axel. You’re better.”

The Keeper stepped closer. “Better? Or weaker? Look above you, boy. Even now, your friends are dying.”

From the upper floor, the sound of steel rang out. Ethan stood on the balcony, his glowing sword slicing through the infected. 

Each swing sent burning light across the walls. The zombies fell into pieces, shrieking as their bodies turned to ash.

Lena, hiding behind a broken pillar, looked up at him with wide eyes. “How… how is he doing that?”

Ethan’s face was pale, his jaw tight. “The sword… it knows what to do. I'll just hold on.”

But his arms shook, and blood dripped from a cut on his shoulder.

Far away, in the maze of dark halls, Evelyn ran, her breath short. She pushed the doors open, calling Axel’s name. “Axel! Where are you? Please, answer me!” Her heart pounded with fear. She thought of Rowan, of his strange words, and she wondered if bringing them here had doomed them all.

Back in the ruined hall, the Keeper spread its cloak. Shadows poured out like smoke, forming into thin, twisted figures with glowing eyes. They rushed at Axel and Chloe with inhuman screams.

Chloe screamed, pulling Axel back. “Run!”

But Axel froze. The mark on his arm burned hotter, brighter. His skin glowed with black fire. The shadows stopped in midair, hanging as if trapped in invisible chains.

The hall went silent. The Keeper’s eyes widened. Chloe stared at Axel in shock.

“Axel…” she whispered, “you stopped them.”

Axel looked at his arm, horrified. “I… I didn’t mean to.”

The shadows trembled, waiting for his command. For the first time, the Keeper smiled.

“Yes,” it said. “He is awakening. He is the master of the undead.”

“No!” Axel shouted, holding his head. “I don’t want this! I won’t be your puppet!”

The Keeper’s voice rolled like thunder. “It is not a choice. It is destiny.”

Chloe grabbed Axel’s face, forcing him to look at her. “Listen to me. You’re not a monster. You’re Axel. The boy who saved me when I was trapped. The boy who swore to protect us. That’s who you are. Don’t let this thing take you.”

Her lips trembled, but she pressed them against his. For a moment, the world was gone. Axel’s heart pounded, the fire in his arm dimming under her touch.

He kissed her back, desperate, holding her as if she were the only light left in the world.

The Keeper’s laugh broke the moment. “Love will not save you. Love will only destroy you.”

The shadows pulled back into the Keeper’s cloak. Its voice lowered. “Choose, boy. Serve me and live forever, or fight me and die screaming.”

Axel pulled Chloe behind him again. His voice was firm now. “I choose neither. I’ll make my own path.”

The Keeper tilted its head again. “Then you have chosen war.”

From above, Ethan shouted, “Axel! Get down!” He leapt from the balcony, his glowing sword striking the ground with a burst of light. The infected screamed and scattered.

But the Keeper was untouched. It raised one hand, and the light of Ethan’s sword dimmed. Ethan’s eyes widened. “What… what did it do?”

The Keeper whispered, “Light cannot kill shadow.”

Suddenly, the ground shook. The walls cracked, and more infected poured into the hall from broken doors. Evelyn ran in at that moment, nearly falling as she saw the scene.

“Axel!” she screamed.

The Keeper turned its gaze on her. “Another lamb. Another soul for the flock.”

Evelyn backed away, trembling. “No… not me…”

The shadows spread again, circling them all. Ethan raised his sword, Chloe held Axel’s arm, and Evelyn clutched her chest, whispering a prayer.

Axel’s mark flared once more, brighter than before. The shadows froze, then bent toward him like soldiers bowing to a king.

Everyone stared.

Ethan whispered, “Dear God… he controls them.”

Chloe’s grip tightened. “Axel… what’s happening to you?”

The Keeper stepped closer, its voice heavy with satisfaction. “At last. The king of shadows rises.”

Axel shook his head, tears stinging his eyes. “No… I’m not… I won’t be this…”

But inside, he felt the pull. The shadows obeyed him. The power was his.

He looked at Chloe, at Ethan, at Evelyn. They all stared at him with fear and hope mixed.

The Keeper’s final words cut through the silence. “Now tell me, Axel… will you lead the dead, or will you watch your friends be torn apart?”

The hall grew colder. The shadows waited for his answer.

Axel’s heart pounded as Chloe whispered his name. “Axel… what will you choose?”

Did Axel just become the master of the undead, or will he fight against the power pulling him in?