The training hall was quiet, save for Clover's ragged breathing. His shirt clung to his back with sweat, his chest heaving as he stared at the orbs Ryker had conjured. Each one darted and zigzagged like angry hornets, pelting him with blasts of light whenever he slipped up.
Clover's arms burned from parrying too slow, and his legs wobbled from dodging too late. He stumbled backward and dropped to a knee. "You know," he gasped, "normal teachers have water bottles, snack breaks… sometimes hugs. Ever heard of those, Ryker?"Across the room, Ryker lowered his warding hand but didn't smile. His sharp features remained unmoved. "Kindness won't keep you alive.Nyx, his silver-furred lynx, prowled lazily at his side, tail flicking like a metronome. She sat down and yawned, flashing sharp teeth, then turned to Ryker with an expression that somehow read: You're overdoing it again.
Clover groaned. "Thank you, Nyx. Finally, someone agrees with me."
The lynx tilted her head and gave a slow, deliberate blink. Then, with a flick of her ears, she crouched and wiggled her haunches before leaping onto one of the unused pedestals. Tail high, she sprawled like a queen demanding tribute.
"See? Even your cat wants snacks,"Clover muttered.Not a cat," Ryker said, though his gaze softened just slightly.
Before Clover could fire back, the shard pulsed.It wasn't the faint throb of light it usually gave—it was violent this time. The silver-blue crystal at the center of the hall flared like a star about to collapse. Shadows bled across the walls, stretching long and jagged. The air thickened, and Clover's chest seized.
"Uh… Ryker?" Clover said carefully, eyes glued to the shard. "Is it supposed to do that?Ryker's jaw tightened. "No."
The shard rose, spinning faster and faster until the candles died with a hiss. From its glow spilled hollow-eyed silhouettes, their mouths open in soundless screams. They crawled along the walls and surged toward Clover.
"Oh, fantastic. The horror parade's back." Clover raised his fists, but when he reached for Aetherfang—nothing. The blade wasn't there.Ryker!"
"I see them," Ryker snapped, summoning a warding circle that held the first shadows at bay. But the strain showed on his face. "The seal is breaking. This shouldn't be possible."
"The seal?!" Clover shouted, dodging claws that swiped too close. "And you just… kept this thing here like it's a shiny paperweight?!"
The shard pulsed again, like a heartbeat. The shadows surged as one, whispering:
"Child of Aether… you cannot run.
Clover froze, the cold voice sinking into his bones. The room blurred until—
Light.Aetherfang appeared, suspended midair before him. The silver-blue blade pulsed as if alive, repelling the shadows.
Clover grabbed it without thinking. The moment his hand closed around the hilt, warmth coursed through him, and the whispers faltered.
From within the blade, a mischievous voice sighed in his mind.
"Honestly, Clover… you'd be shadow chow if it weren't for me."
Aurora.The spectral figure flickered into view, transparent and radiant in shades of light-blue and white. She leaned casually against the hovering blade like she owned it. Her golden eyes gleamed with amusement.
Clover nearly stumbled. "Aurora?! Now? Really?She smirked. "What? You thought I'd let you bumble around without me? Please. Someone has to keep you alive."
"Some guardian spirit you are—you waited until after the jump scare!
Aurora spun, her mantle of light rippling asshe peered at the writhing shadows. "Mm. Dramatic timing is everything. Besides…" She shot him a mischievous grin. "…you're cute when you panic.
Clover flushed. "I—I was not panicking!"
Nyx's tail thumped against the pedestal—once, twice—like a sarcastic drumroll. Then she licked a paw, unimpressed.
Aurora laughed. "See? Even the lynx agrees."Clover groaned. Oh, you've got to be kidding me. First Ryker's overpowered feline judge, now my sword's AI spirit is roasting me too. Fantastic."Before Ryker could intervene, the shard blazed brighter. The shadows screamed and collapsed into a single, towering shape—humanoid, faceless, armed with a blade that was a dark twin of Aetherfang.
Aurora's smile faded. She straightened, placing herself between Clover and the figure. Her glow flared hotter.
"Stay sharp. That… isn't just a shadow."
"What do you mean 'not just a shadow'?!" Clover demanded.Aurora's gaze hardened. "…That's what you could become.
The words hit harder than any strike. Clover stared at the looming figure as it raised its obsidian blade. His own hands trembled around Aetherfang.
The shard pulsed once more—and the floor ripped away.
Clover fell into a starless void. Aurora flickered beside him, her light steady even as the world fractured. The dark figure descended too, wings of shadow spreading wide.Ryker and Nyx were gone. The hall was gone.
It was just Clover, Aurora, and the darkness.
Aurora's voice cut through the silence, firm yet playful at the edges. "Well, Clover Yeager… time to see what you're really made of."
The figure charged.
Aurora raised her hand, golden sparks racing across her fingers. "Stay behind meClover grit his teeth and raised Aetherfang anyway. "Not happening.
The void roared as light and shadow collide
And everything went black.Aurora raised her hand, golden sparks racing across her fingers. "Stay behind me!"
Clover grit his teeth and raised Aetherfang anyway. "Not happening."
The void roared as light and shadow collided
And everything went black.But just before the darkness swallowed him, Clover heard a whisper—faint, cold, and unmistakable:Yeager… we are the same."The voice grew louder, splitting into many, echoing inside his skull.
"Your blade is mine… your soul is mine…"
Clover gasped, trying to push it out, but the words wrapped around him like chains.
And then—one last hiss, sharp enough to freeze his blood:
"Soon… you'll beg me to take over."
The voice grew louder, splitting into many, echoing inside his skull.
"Your blade is mine… your soul is mine…"
Clover gasped, trying to push it out, but the words wrapped around him like chains.
And then—one last hiss, sharp enough to freeze his blood:
"Soon… you'll beg me to take over.
The void shuddered violently, like glass about to break. Aetherfang trembled in his grip, its silver glow flickering as if fighting against the darkness crawling up his arm.
Clover's knuckles whitened. "N-No… you're not me!"Aurora's form flared brighter, stepping between Clover and the shadows. Her translucent figure looked fierce now, golden and blue light interwoven, her eyes sharp as steel.
"Hold on, Clover! Don't let it inside!" she cried, voice ringing like a bell through the void.But the shadows surged, dozens of clawed hands reaching out of the black figure behind her. Their whispers overlapped, maddening, inescapable:"One day… you'll swing the blade in my name
Aurora spun, her mantle of light bursting outward, cutting the hands to smoke. She turned back to him, urgency in her gaze.
"Wake up, Clover! Before it roots itself in you—"
The last thing he saw was Aurora's light straining against the tide of shadow, her form cracking like glass under pressure.Then—silence.
Clover's eyes snapped open. He was back on Ryker's floor, chest heaving, Aetherfang glowing faintly above him in the air.
Nyx sat crouched nearby, tail flicking, silver eyes narrowed at him like she already knew what he'd seen And from the shard, faint but unmistakable, the whisper lingered—
"…we are the same…"
The last thing he saw was Aurora's light straining against the tide of shadow, her form cracking like glass under pressure.
Then—silence Clover's eyes snapped open. He was back on Ryker's floor, chest heaving, Aetherfang glowing faintly above him in the air.
Nyx crouched nearby, tail flicking, silver eyes narrowed at him like she already knew what he'd seen.But something was off.
For a heartbeat—just one—Clover wasn't sure if he was still in the void. The training room's walls rippled like water, and behind him, Ryker's silhouette loomed larger than life, cloaked in a storm of power Clover had never felt before.
"Control it," Ryker's voice echoed, but it sounded doubled—half from the real world, half from the void. His blade gleamed with ancient runes, and shadows dared not cross its glow.Aurora flickered into sight again, hovering just above Aetherfang, her form shifting between mischievous grin and deadly seriousness. "Tsk, tsk, Clover. You nearly let it bite you. Lucky for you… you've got me." Her golden-blue eyes narrowed as the void cracked again around them.
Clover staggered back, heart hammering. "…Am I awake or not?
Aurora only smirked faintly, tilting her head. "Both.The void shivered—then shattered like glass.Clover gasped, clutching his chest as the world snapped fully back into Ryker's dimly lit home. Aurora was gone, Aetherfang hovered silently, and Ryker and Nyx stood watching him.But faintly… just faintly… Clover could still hear Aurora's voice, whispering in his ear:
"Don't fall asleep too soon, Clover Yeager. The fun's just starting.
And behind her playful tone, the shadow's hiss returned—"…we are the same