Room No. 1, North Wing, Third Floor.
Kael Alanto. Level 90.
The display board glinted my name like a warning above my door.
I punched the password in, the lock clicked, and I stepped inside.
My body was here, but my mind wasn't.
It was still in her room.
I dropped onto my chair, the leather creaking under my weight, and reached for the hidden bottle at the back of my desk. The burn of the wine didn't help. The taste was bitter, useless. Nothing calmed the storm in my head anymore.
I closed my eyes. The red thread pulsed once in my finger. My jaw clenched.
Fine...
If I couldn't be there, my shadows would.
I drew a breath, extended my hand, and the darkness answered. It swirled at my fingertips, pooling, shaping. The outline of a cat formed, black as ink, its eyes two tiny stars of silver.
"Go,"
I murmured. My voice was flat.
The shadow cat flicked its tail and dissolved into the floorboards, gone in a heartbeat.
That's the thing about my power--my shadows are not just weapons. They're me. Through them, I see. Through them, I feel. Through them, I can do anything.
I leaned back, one hand pressed over my eyes. Even across the hall, I could sense the faint impression of her room. Quiet. Warm. I braced myself for irritation, fear, anything.
Instead, I felt her sleeping.
Deep. Soundless. As if nothing had ever happened.
My teeth ground together.
Bang !!..
my fist hit the table, a dull, hollow sound. The bottle trembled, spilling a thin streak of red across my desk.
"Why aren't you afraid?" I muttered. "Stubborn weakling."
Then the thread burned.
My shadow cat's eyes widened inside my head.
Someone was there.
Her fear slammed into me like a wave--sharp, breathless, frantic. My own heartbeat spiked, unbidden. My shadow cat crouched, fur bristling.
Good. Let her fear something. Let her learn.
But then....
I felt my shadow move.
Not as I commanded. Not as I wanted.
It leapt.
I saw it through its eyes--the flash of claws, the dark streak across the room. My cat launched at the figure, claws extended, raking across the intruder's chest. It hissed like a living thing, not my tool. My power was protecting her without my permission.
"No," I hissed. My fingers curled around the edge of the desk. "No, don't...!"
But the shadow didn't listen.
A heartbeat later, the figure was gone. Just… gone. Dissolved into nothing. My shadow cat stood there, tail lashing.
Serie was safe. Unhurt. Confused.
I could feel her curiosity like static. Could she see it? Did she see my shadow creature vanish in front of her eyes? I couldn't tell. The link blurred. The cat's form began to flicker, then fade.
I yanked it back. The cat dissolved into black mist and rushed toward me. My room felt suddenly smaller, my anger hotter. I pressed my palms to my eyes.
Why ??
Why is my power protecting her?
I shoved the thought down and stood. My body wanted motion. I needed pain to drown the noise. Not training, not a bottle--something raw.
The darkness pooled again at my feet. This time, it rose bigger. Taller. A wolf made of shadow, muscle rippling under phantom fur, eyes like two moons.
"Run," I ordered. My voice was rough. "Run and catch me."
The wolf growled low, ready.
And then I was gone.
Regio Obscura wrapped around me like a storm, the path blurring into streaks of black and silver as I ran. My shadow wolf thundered behind me, claws on muddy path, breath on my neck.
Faster. Harder. I could almost feel its teeth at my back.
Faster!
Faster!!
Faster!!!.…..
If I stopped, I'd have to think.
----
I ran until dawn.
Only when the horizon bled pale light did my chest finally loosen, just a little. Enough to breathe. Enough to stop.
Back in my room, I showered, scrubbed away the sweat and shadows, and pulled on a black hoodie with the University crest stamped bold across the chest. Blue training pants. Hood up. Hands shoved in my pockets.
Normal.
Or at least, the closest I could get.
The canteen was already alive when I walked in...too much noise for morning, too much chatter. I spotted them instantly: Ruan and Ryuk, waving me over with half-finished plates.
"Finally," Ruan called, spoon pointing like a weapon. "Thought you died in your sleep."
I slid into the seat without comment, grabbed food, and ate.
As always, silence didn't last.
"So, about yesterday…" Ruan leaned across the table, grin sharp. "That girl. Serie Winston. You should've seen her. Weakling or not, she actually had the guts to talk back to me."
I froze mid-bite.
"She's annoying, but…" he smirked, shaking his head. "Nasty guts. I'll give her that."
His voice sounded pissed. His face didn't.
He looked impressed.
Something inside me snapped tight, ready to break. I forced it down, ignored it, shoved the heat back into my gut.
I cleared my throat. "Forget her. Tell me about the next level-up trial."
Ryuk looked up from his bread, eyebrows climbing. "Oh? You finally care?"
"I didn't know it was today," I muttered.
Ruan barked a laugh. "That's because you ditched early last time. Don't think we didn't notice."
Ryuk smirked, shaking his head. "Yeah. You ran off. I covered your ass, took your place for the rest of the formalities."
I exhaled slow. "Thanks, man. I wasn't..."
Ryuk cut me off with a hand raised. "Kael saying thanks? Insane. Are you feverish?"
Ruan burst out laughing, nearly choking on his fruit. Ryuk joined in.
"F**k off," I muttered.
But the corner of my mouth twitched, and before I knew it, I was laughing with them.
Just boys talking. Pretending the world wasn't waiting to crush us.
When the plates were empty, we shoved back our chairs and headed for the training ground.
And the storm in my chest started rising again.
We left the canteen together, the laughter already fading as we stepped into the cold morning air.
We were the first to reach the training ground.
Empty arena. Frost still on the rails. Third-years started drifting in one by one after us until the stands filled with uniforms and muted voices.
Professor Leo stood at the center, his cloak snapping in the wind like a banner. "Today," his voice carried across the ground, "you'll fight each other--hand to hand. No powers. Whoever wins advances one level. Whoever loses returns to training."
A ripple of excitement and dread rolled through the students. One hundred and fifty-four third-years. Match after match. The sequence would be assigned at random.
It wasn't difficult for me normally but this wasn't normally. Ruan, Ryuk, and I were on the same page. It meant sooner or later we'd be paired against each other.
Professor Leo began calling names.
Today, my bracket had ten opponents. Win ten, move forward. Simple.
The crowd buzzed. One hundred and fifty-four third-years.
The ground beneath my boots vibrated as Allen-Level 64-charged. His stance was too wide. His guard, sloppy.
I let him come.
The first punch whistled past my ear. I shifted, smooth as shadow. His follow-up jab met nothing but air.
"Too slow," I muttered.
My fist snapped forward, burying into his ribs with a dull crack. He folded instantly, breath torn out of his lungs. One hook to the jaw finished it,his body hit the floor with a thud.
Two minutes. Done.
The next one rushed in swinging like a hammer. Wrong move. I ducked, slipped under his strike, and drove my knee into his gut. He gagged, collapsing forward. My elbow smashed into the back of his neck. Out cold.
Third opponent tried kicks. Good form, bad timing. I caught his ankle midair, twisted hard, and slammed him into the ground face-first.
By the fifth fight, the crowd stopped cheering. By the seventh, they just watched in silence.
Blood streaked my knuckles. My breath was steady. My heart wasn't even racing.
Then Emilia stepped in. Level 68.
Different.
She didn't lunge recklessly. She circled. Patient. Her eyes sharp, calculating. Her punches cut the air with precision, and for the first time that day, I actually had to move.
She slipped past my guard, light as air, forcing me to step back. Gasps from the crowd followed each near miss. Not once did she touch me but the edge of her skill pressed close. Too close...
Then the thread burned.
Serie...!!
My head snapped toward the stands before I could stop it.
And Emilia's fist nearly caught my chin.
The crowd roared--an "ohhh" rolling like thunder.
Anger surged hot.
I moved faster than thought. My fist exploded forward, crashing into her face. The impact cracked across the arena like a whip. Emilia flew back, hitting the mat hard. Out cold.
Silence.
I stood over her, chest heaving, fists still clenched. I should've felt proud. I should've felt powerful.
Instead, I felt her eyes on me.
Serie winston !!
On my half-bared skin, my sweat, my scars. The chill ran down my back, my ring finger burning hotter, tugging at me to turn. To look.
But I didn't.
I couldn't.
I stepped back from the ring, ready to leave, when Professor Leo's voice cut across the ground.
"Kael," he called. "You're done early. The rest of your matches will continue tomorrow. Come with me,help me with the first years."
My stomach dropped.
Shit!!
I'd have to face her again.
My body, my mind--messed up all over again.