Good.Then you get **all three full, highly developed sequels**—three chapters of 8, each unfolding a different path of Jacob's fate.Each is long, dark, intense, and narratively coherent.--

# **CHAPTER 8A — "Fighting the Shadow of the Forest"**

*(Continuation of Plot 7A — Jacob Accepts the Creature's Gift)*

The Shadow struck Argo with the force of a storm, but the dog avoided the attack, rolling sideways and snarling with a fury Jacob had never seen in him. The ally threw the blade with practiced precision—it passed through the creature as if through smoke.

The Shadow didn't even move.

But he jumped back the moment Jacob took a step forward.

As if he were afraid of **him**.

Jacob felt the light within him pulse. Instinctively, he touched the ground with his hand. He felt a cold pulse beneath his fingers—and a moment later, the ground around the shadow began to tremble.

The ally stared in stunned silence.

"You… control its energy!"

"She teaches me," Jacob replied. "Or… uses it."

The shadow roared, a voice like many voices at once.

**"BEARER…"**

**"RETURN HER TO ME."**

"I won't give you anything."

Jakub raised his hand—and light burst from it in a pulsating wave that struck the shadow and scattered it like smoke.

But the shadow immediately began to gather itself back.

"You can't destroy it," the ally said. "It's like an echo!"

"It's not the target," Jacob replied.

### **The True Enemy**

The shadow gathered itself completely and began to take on an increasingly humanoid shape.

It extended its fingers—this time, long, like spears.

“It attacks because it's guarding something,” Jacob muttered. “There's something in this forest.”

“Or someone,” the ally added.

Argo leaped forward and grabbed the shadow by the forearm. To everyone's horror, he actually grabbed it.

As if the shadow had now taken on a physical form.

At that same moment, Jacob saw a **vision**:

Forest.

Light.

Two opponents—a creature from the clearing and something higher, shrouded in the light of warped space.

And that “something” said:

**“When it finds its host, others will come for it.”**

Jacob understood.

The shadow was a *scout*.

And the real hunters were just coming.

When the vision faded, Jacob looked at his ally.

“This forest won't withstand this fight. We have to get it out.”

“The shadow?”

“No.” **Me.**

Argo barked briefly.

The sound sounded like agreement.

--

# **CHAPTER 8B — “Revenge of the Cave”**

*(Continuation of thread 7B — Jacob refused and became a target)*

The forest grew darker and darker. Even though it was midday, the sky above them looked like it was just before a storm, though there wasn't a single cloud.

The ally stopped, pressing his ear to the ground.

“Do you hear that?”

“Nothing.”

“Exactly. The forest… stopped breathing.”

Argo's fur bristled and he began to moan as if sensing something terrifying.

Suddenly, a dozen meters away, the ground cracked, and arms emerged—long, pale, thin like those of old men, but with the strength of iron. Each arm bore runes burned into its skin.

The ally backed away.

“These are not her servants.”

“I know.”

“These are… her **victims**.”

### **A Corpse Without a Face**

Something that might once have been human, but now was merely a human shape, emerged from the earth.

The face was smooth—no eyes, no mouth.

But the energy of the cave pulsed around him.

Jakub knew:

This was a creature born from the cave’s anger when someone defied its will.

Argo lunged at the creature, but was recoiled from it as if from a stone.

The creature raised its hand.

All the trees began to rustle.

The ally shouted:

“She wants to teleport you!”

“She will try,” Jacob replied.

The earth beneath his feet began to tremble as if alive.

Lines of light flowed from the soil, wrapping around his calves.

Jakub kicked the energy as if it were a physical rope.

It shattered.

The faceless creature began to approach quickly, too quickly.

The ally screamed:

"Jakub! Another wave!"

More figures rose from the ground—women, men, children—all faceless, all walking in unison.

The creature from the cave wanted to force him back.

And it knew he wouldn't go alone.

"Argo! With me!" shouted Jakub.

The dog ran up, whimpering. Jakub patted his head.

"I won't give you up. To anyone."

As the waves of faceless creatures surged forward simultaneously, the forest shrieked like a being split into pieces.

--

# **CHAPTER 8C — "Duel with the Doppelganger"**

*(Continuation of Plot 7C — Jakub vs. the Dark Copy)*

The other Jakub strode forward like a shadow torn from its own body.

Each step he took caused the grass to wilt and the air to cool.

Argo lunged first, but the doppelganger deflected him with a single movement of his hand, as if the dog were merely the wind.

The ally ran up behind him, but the Other Jacob grabbed him by the throat.

"Let him go!" Jacob shouted.

The doppelganger cocked his head.

"WHY?"

"Because you don't decide."

"I AM YOU."

Jakub moved forward. The doppelganger threw the ally away, who landed on the ground a dozen meters away.

The two Jacobs faced each other.

The real Jacob saw the doppelganger's every move.

He looked at himself in a mirror—but black, distorted, full of hatred.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"YOUR LIFE."

"Why?"

"BECAUSE IT'S BETTER THAN MINE."

The doppelganger moved first—quickly, as if entering the space between seconds. Jacob jumped back, but the doppelganger anticipated this, grabbing his wrist and throwing him against a tree.

Argo lunged again, bit the doppelganger's arm—and recoiled in horror.

Because the doppelganger tasted… like emptiness.

Jakub jumped up and lunged toward him.

The doppelganger grinned.

"THE LONGER I EXIST, THE LESS OF YOU LEFT."

"You are not me."

"NOT YET."

All the shadows in the clearing began to converge on the doppelganger.

His body began to grow, gaining mass, as if drawing energy from the forest itself.

The ally shouted:

"He grows at your expense! You must weaken him before it's too late!"

Jakub clenched his fists.

"So I must defeat him… defeat myself… before he defeats me."

The doppelganger roared, and the clearing was plunged into darkness.

--

# If you want, I can write now:

### ✔ **CHAPTER 9A – Jacob leaves the forest before the Hunters arrive**

### ✔ **CHAPTER 9B – The creature tries to drag Jacob into the cave by force**

### ✔ **CHAPTER 9C – The Jacob vs. Jacob Duel: The Fight for the Only Life Possible**

Or I could write **all three at once**, as before.

**Which path do we continue with – A, B, C or all of them?**