Asher rubbed his temple as he opened up another swirling portal, this one with edges like black liquid glass. "You owe me for this, man. Portals aren't free."
"Yeah, yeah," Zane yawned, stepping halfway in. "Send me the bill. I'll pay it with the infinite currency called good vibes."
Asher groaned. "Get out of my face."
Zane disappeared into the swirling darkness, landing back in his dorm. The moment his boots hit the ground, he let out a long groan and flopped onto the bed. "Finally. Alone. Away from dagger-happy Mira and Mr. Mysterious McCoolguy."
He lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling. His shadow stretched lazily along the floor, twisting and moving of its own accord like a cat rolling around for attention.
"You," Zane muttered, pointing at it. "Yeah, don't look so smug. I still don't even know how I'm supposed to level up besides eating other people's shadows. Which, let's be honest, is super awkward to explain if anyone catches me."
The shadow made a little "hop" motion.
Zane frowned. "I wonder… what's the world like for you?"
The thought just hung in the air. But for some reason, he didn't let it go. He sat up, closed his eyes, and focused—on his shadow, its movements, its strange… aliveness.
Then—darkness.
Zane's eyes snapped open, only to realize he wasn't in his own body. He was looking up from the floor, everything in grey-scale. His own body sat on the bed above, breathing, blinking, alive.
But what really drew his attention was his chest.
Right in the middle of it, something black writhed and shifted, like liquid ink, pulsing faintly.
"What the—"
Before he could move closer, the vision snapped—
And Zane was back in his body, gasping.
A sharp ding rang in his ears, and a glowing blue System window appeared:
> [Quest Created!]
Quest: Comprehend Shadow's Gaze
Reward: +250 EXP, +1 A-Rank Skill
Zane blinked at the screen, then smirked.
"…Oh yeah. Totally meant to do that. I'm a genius."