---
The sky... changed.
Not just dark—it rotted.
Clouds churned like they were boiling sideways. Cracks split across the ground, leaking thick black fog that coiled like hungry fingers searching for prey.
> "Okay. This world just leveled up from 'weird but cool' to 'we're all gonna die' real quick."
Inside me, the Seed of Lumina pulsed wildly.
Not pain exactly—more like a fire alarm in my soul.
> [Dimensional Anomaly Detected.]
[New Entity Manifesting: Fragment of Umbra]
[Class: Corrupted Dimensional Entity – Level: ???]
[Status: Hostile – Feeds on Light]
> "FEEDS ON LIGHT? That feels aggressively personal."
---
It emerged from the fog.
A shape—wrong in every direction.
Like smoke wearing broken glass. Pieces of it didn't connect. Reality around it recoiled, like even the world didn't want to touch this thing.
And me? I was a Level 5 glow-worm with attitude issues.
> "Cool. I'm basically a nightlight facing a black hole."
But instead of panic, something else stirred inside me.
A voice—not external, not divine. Just... mine, but deeper.
> [Seed of Lumina – Resonance Triggered]
[Skill Activated: Lumen Weave Lv. 1]
[Analyzing ambient energy threads… Connecting...]
I saw them.
Fine threads of light, flowing invisibly through the air like spiritual silk.
And I could pull them.
---
I focused—not on fear, but the weave.
I reached out (mentally; still no hands) and tugged one of the threads.
> [Skill Used: Lumen Weave – Basic Mode: Light Pulse]
[Effect: Minor Burst – Area Disruption]
A flash of light exploded in front of me. Small, but enough.
The Umbra shrieked—a sound like glass breaking in reverse.
> "Oh? You don't like that? Well buddy, I've got more."
---
It surged at me, all tendrils and shadow.
I dodged—wiggled, actually—just in time.
> [Vibratory Sensory Node Activated]
[Enemy motion: Anticipated – 84% Accuracy]
> "Radar mucus for the win!"
I sprayed a line of acid for good measure, then reached again.
This time, I shaped the light differently.
> [Lumen Weave – Bind Mode Activated]
[Light Thread Bind: Effective against Shadow Affinity]
Three glowing threads snapped forward—wrapping around parts of the Umbra's form.
It froze, twitching violently.
> "Gotcha. Time for holy worm justice."
I launched myself onto the shadow mass, spraying acid and activating the one skill I never thought I'd use on cosmic darkness:
> [Absorb Essence – Engaged]
[Attempting to devour Umbra fragment…]
---
...And it was very different.
Absorbing a bug was like eating undercooked meat.
This? This was like licking electricity wrapped in dread.
> [Warning: Shadow Energy Rejecting Assimilation]
[Seed of Lumina: Countermeasure Engaged]
[Conversion Success: 31%]
My entire body vibrated like a cracked tuning fork.
Light clashed with shadow inside me.
> "Mental note: never eat corrupted entities raw again. Ever."
Still—I didn't let go.
And finally, the thing broke. It unraveled—like mist pulled apart by dawn.
> [Fragment of Umbra – Defeated]
[Level Up: 5 → 6]
[New Skill Gained: Shadow Trace (limited)]
[Seed of Lumina: Stabilized]
---
I collapsed.
Slimy. Trembling. But alive.
> "I just... fought a dimensional corruption."
> "And won. With glow-strings and acid spit."
> "...Damn. I'm kind of awesome."
---
Then, the voice returned.
The glowing entity from before—the light spirit, or jellyfish ghost, or whatever it was.
> "You turned shadow into light. Few can."
> "Yeah, well... sometimes all it takes is survival instinct and a healthy dose of sarcasm."
> "Your journey begins, Lucien. But the light... has chosen you."
> "Wait. I've been chosen? I'm the chosen worm??"
For a moment, I laughed.
Yeah.
Still a larva. Still slimy.
But not powerless.
Not anymore.
---
To be continued…