Noctis trembled with fear. River barely held back from retching. Vireya stared with anger.
Everyone was looking at the battlefield.
The emerald grass was soaked in blood.
Heads had been severed, bodies torn apart, weapons still clenched in the hands of the dead.
Dozens of shadows, some gigantic and human-sized, filled the field. Some were shapeless, others like small masses of mist. Among the formed shadows, some resembled beasts, others resembled people.
Only a few dozen humans had survived the battle. Some still fought on. Seeing the reinforcements had bolstered their courage — but the feeling was not mutual.
No one paid attention to the fallen. There was something everyone feared to look at. Even from a distance it was clearly visible.
It was larger than anything Noctis had ever seen. When he tried to look up at its head his neck hurt. The thing's body resembled a human's: two legs, two arms, one head. But there were no nose, mouth, or ears on its face. Only eyes — rows upon rows of glassy beads, darker than anything else.
Huge black chains circled its wrists and ankles. As the giant moved, the chains swung and shredded everything in their path.
A single step covered dozens of meters. Its footsteps made no sound and did not shake the ground; it moved like a shadow.
River stared at the giant for a few seconds. He gathered himself slowly, but the fear in his eyes was visible. He looked at the soldiers behind him, though he did not let the fear show in his voice.
"Pull yourselves together… Awakened, retrieve the wounded immediately. Ascended, protect them. Superiors, step forward and kill every approaching shadow. Help the other soldiers where needed. On my signal we withdraw from here."
The soldiers surged forward at once. River and Noctis dismounted. Vireya leapt down from her bear and joined them. The three of them advanced toward the approaching giant shadow in silence for a moment. The first to speak was the Crimson Commander.
"That thing's a Fourth Layer..." Vireya's voice was sharp, calm, but heavy. "You said we'd retreat, but if it reaches the kingdom, everything will burn."
River's brow furrowed as he glared at the giant shadow.
"Can you handle it alone, Vireya — Flame of the Holy Fire?"
The Crimson Commander stared at the creature for a few seconds, her expression unreadable.
"Yes, my lord... But it will take time. While I keep it busy, all of you run."
River met her gaze and gave a small nod.
Vireya mounted her bear again and charged toward the colossal shadow, the ground trembling beneath its weightless steps.
"What about us, River?" Noctis asked, scanning the chaos around them with unease.
River shrugged lightly.
"There's nothing we can do... If we enter that fight, we die."
Noctis stayed silent for a few seconds.
'How am I supposed to kill even one shadow?'
They watched the battlefield. Nearby soldiers stood guard to protect them. River soon ordered them to assist the wounded instead.
When they left, Noctis turned to him.
"When we first met, you told me: 'The ones in front die, the ones who command survive.'
Aren't you doing the same thing right now?"
River's face hardened.
"If no one commands, everyone dies."
Noctis gave him a strange look and turned back to the battlefield.
The screams of dying soldiers echoed in his ears.
Every time he looked at the shadows, the hunger inside him grew stronger. Within seconds, his soul began to stir.
He felt like he hadn't eaten in years. His breathing turned uneven.
'I can't take this...'
Slowly, he turned his head toward River's shadow.
It looked delicious.
River noticed the sudden change in Noctis's eyes — the eerie light flickering inside them. The aura he gave off was cold, almost predatory.
Without hesitation, River drew his sword and pointed it at him.
"Noctis, stay back."
Noctis stepped away slightly. The hatred radiating from the surrounding shadows fueled something deeper inside him — anger.
He could feel their eyes on him.
His instincts were screaming.
The hunger within his core was devouring him from the inside.
River shot him a strange, sharp look.
"You look like a monster."
Noctis ignored him, trying to stay calm.
Even with his vision clouded and instincts raging, he still knew the man before him was a prince. He struggled to silence his mind — to fight the hunger clawing at his thoughts.
The stranger his movements became, the harder River's gaze turned.
"Noctis… do you need a healer?"
Noctis shook his head with effort.
The sensation of being watched — and the gnawing hunger — grew stronger by the second. Then his instincts screamed. He turned his head sharply — locking eyes with a shadow.
It stood beside a soldier kneeling on the ground.
The man's eyes had turned black, his skin pale as bone. The shadow's two pitch-black eyes glared at Noctis. Inside, he felt both hatred and hunger twist together.
River noticed the creature too and shouted for the soldiers— but none reacted. The shadow suddenly slipped to the ground, flowing like water— and surged toward Noctis.
Acting purely on instinct, Noctis drew his chained sword. His mind fell silent; only hunger guided him. The shadow appeared beside his own and he swung wildly.
It was the size of an average man, armless,
its two long limbs ending in blade-like edges.
It had legs, but no face.
If Noctis had time to study it, perhaps it wouldn't have unsettled him so deeply.
The ink-black creature lunged.
It clearly lacked a core, yet its movements marked it as one of the Decayed.
Noctis slashed toward it, but the thing melted into the ground— flattening into an ordinary shadow that darted toward his own. He kept moving. River shouted orders again, but no one listened.
Giving up, River unsheathed his own sword and approached. The blade shimmered like silver; even its aura made it clear— it was a holy weapon.
Noctis didn't care.
The shadow rose from the ground again.
He charged at it, driven by hunger.
When he swung, the creature sidestepped—
yet he had already anticipated it. He turned his wrist and struck.
Pain sliced through his chest as his breastplate cracked. The shadow had grazed him— but he'd severed one of its arms.
The black limb fell, then seeped into the ground, merging with his own shadow.
And when it did— Noctis felt the same thrill as tasting food after endless starvation. He devoured that sensation greedily.
His blank face now looked faintly satisfied.
The shadow quivered — as if screaming silently in agony.
While River watched with a twisted expression, he saw its attention fixed entirely on Noctis — and decided to strike.
Noctis lunged forward.
From behind, River charged as well.
The shadow melted into the ground and flowed toward the prince's exposed shadow.
River's eyes went wide.
The instant the two shadows merged, he collapsed to his knees, his sword slipping from his grasp.
Before Noctis could understand what happened, River's eyes turned black.
Thick, dark tears streamed down his face, leaving deep streaks across his skin.
His bronze complexion drained of color until it turned pale white.
His mouth hung open, but no sound came out.
The sight shocked Noctis back to his senses.
Without thinking, he rushed forward.
Since the creature had fused with River's shadow, he didn't know what to do — only that his instincts screamed at him to act.
When he reached it, he dropped his sword.
He could feel his core releasing unstable essence that surged into his hands.
It burned — painfully — yet it filled him with raw, unnatural strength.
He wasn't thinking anymore.
His eyes moved with pure hunger.
He lunged at the two shadows intertwined on the ground.
Acting on instinct, he pressed his hand against the soil — grabbed hold of the dark mass — and tore it free.
Then, like a starving beast, he shoved it into his mouth.
The shadow writhed, thrashing in silence as if screaming.
But Noctis kept devouring it, driven only by hunger.
River's expression froze.
His blackened eyes flickered — and when the shadow finally pulled away from him, his body went limp.
He collapsed motionless, chest still.
The shadow in Noctis's grasp twitched, then stopped moving.
The trembling of his core slowly subsided.
And from deep within, a calm and beautiful voice echoed:
[ You have slain a shadow. ]
[ The shadow is being devoured. ]
[ Your soul has grown stronger. ]
[ A reward has been granted. ]
Moments later, Noctis fell to his knees, panting heavily. A strange sense of satisfaction filled him.
Less than a minute passed before he forced himself to stand.
When his gaze met River's lifeless form, his mind snapped back. He screamed for help — his voice raw and desperate — but no one turned to look at him.
'I know you can hear me.'
Noctis frowned and quickly ran to River's side.
River's eyes were pitch black. His skin had turned pale white, and there was a strange expression frozen on his face. Noctis felt a wave of nausea rise in his chest.
When he placed his hand on River's neck, he realized there was no heartbeat. River was dead.
Noctis's expression darkened as he tried to steady his breathing. The feeling of being watched lingered, but nothing seemed to approach him.
Only the screams of soldiers echoed in the distance.
He couldn't bring himself to look at River's face. Slowly, he reached out and closed his eyes. A deep sense of guilt stirred inside him.
After a few silent seconds, Noctis removed the dagger the Commander had given him and placed it beside River's body. His grip tightened around the chain-wrapped sword.
As he took a deep breath, his dull eyes gleamed faintly.
A blazing vortex of fire was spiraling toward the enormous shadow's face, the one covered with hundreds of glass-like black eyes.
The colossal being raised its chained arm to shield itself. Thick, black liquid dripped from its limb, raining down upon the soldiers below.
Noctis's gaze shifted to the dagger beside him.
The dagger shimmered and trembled lightly—then vanished.
He turned his head again. Behind the Crimson Commander, dozens of weapons materialized—
swords, spears, daggers, and several sharp, unknown tools Noctis couldn't even name.
The giant shadow lifted its foot, as if preparing to crush an insect beneath it.
The weapons began to glow, taking on the color of molten metal. Sparks ignited, bursting into searing flames. The chained black foot came crashing down faster than before. Yet Vireya didn't move an inch.
The massive foot struck, crushing the ground as though stepping on a helpless ant. Noctis's eyes widened.
For a few seconds, the enormous shadow trembled. A bright, burning hole appeared around its knee, from which crimson flames poured like liquid fire. Through the fiery wound emerged the weapons— and then, the Crimson Commander herself.
Her scarlet hair shone brighter than ever. Noctis saw her eyes blazing with light.
She clung to the giant's body, raised one hand, and pulled a flaming sword from the air beside her. The moment she gripped it, she dashed upward with explosive speed, slashing through the shadow's torso in a glowing, burning line.
The black mass dissolved into liquid darkness as its form merged with the crimson blaze.
The towering shadow turned its faceless head toward her. Vireya had already reached the area where its ribs should have been.
The shadow swung an arm to strike her down—
but Vireya unleashed the burning weapons in a storm of fiery arcs.
She didn't stop. She kept running upward—each step bursting with heat and light.
Tendrils appeared in her path, but she sliced through them as if they were nothing.
She reached the creature's chest and stopped, turning her gaze toward the side where hundreds of eyes stared. The glassy black orbs looked at her blankly.
Vireya tightened her grip on the sword.
The crimson flames surging from it grew fiercer.
She pulled the blade to her side and waited for a few seconds. Sparks burst from her body.
The sparks became small flames.
The flames grew and grew until the woman herself was burning in molten fire.
The colossal shadow tilted its head slightly and raised its arm to shield its face.
The Crimson Woman swung her sword horizontally. The flames spreading from the blade shot toward the creature's neck.
The giant extended its arm to defend itself, but it was useless. The crimson fire sliced through the massive arm as if it were air. Wherever the flames touched the shadow, black droplets formed and dripped down.
The scarlet blaze rushed toward the neck.
The shadow created countless barriers, but none of them worked. The burning edge struck hard against its neck. The giant staggered backward.
The flames severed the black neck completely.
Its head was no longer attached to its body.
Hundreds of eyes scattered into the air before crashing to the ground one after another.
The giant's body trembled and shook as it began to collapse. The Crimson Woman leapt downward.
Everything had happened within a single minute.
Noctis watched in awe and terror.
'So these are supposed to be lowered to my level?'
Most of the nearby shadows had been slain.
The ones close to Noctis turned their gaze toward him. He felt fear grip his heart—he wanted to run.
But his soul didn't want to escape.
It wanted to devour the shadows.
Noctis cursed under his breath.
He knew his Core was, at least slightly, full.
Noctis looked around and saw several soldiers killing the wounded who were writhing on the ground. Some soldiers were even fighting each other. No one seemed to care that their prince was dead.
'What... are they doing?'
When Noctis's instincts surged, he turned his head. A pair of black glass-like eyes were staring straight at him. He held his aching chest — the armor was almost shattered. The deer emblem had fallen to the ground. The rest of the armor only weighed him down.
As the shadow darted toward him, Noctis drew his chained sword. The shadow paused for a brief moment, but then kept advancing. Its form was cloudy — like a living mist. Toward what seemed to be its center, the density grew thicker.
When his core trembled, Noctis slammed his feet against the ground. As the shadow lunged, he felt a crushing pressure weighing on him — for a moment, it felt as if boiling water had been poured over his body.
The mist-like shadow suddenly evaporated.
Noctis turned toward the source of the burning energy he felt in his bones. There stood a woman with flame-like crimson hair and eyes glowing with molten light. Her turquoise armor contrasted beautifully with her fiery presence.
The Crimson Commander walked forward, her steps slow and heavy. She looked down at River, who lay motionless on the ground — killed by a shadow, that much was clear.
Her expression was calm, but a faint sadness lingered in her eyes. She bent slightly and held River's hand for a few seconds. When she opened her eyes again, she looked at Noctis.
Her voice was devoid of emotion.
"Why didn't you call the soldiers?"
Cold sweat ran down Noctis's back.
He stood in silence as if his tongue had frozen.
After a few seconds, he spoke without meeting her gaze.
"I did... He did too, but no one came.
Just moments ago, some of them started fighting each other."
Vireya rose to her feet and looked toward the soldiers. Within seconds, a single word escaped her lips — its heat burned Noctis more than fire.
"Go."
Noctis said nothing.
With a frightened expression, he turned away and began to run. His pace quickened, and he soon forgot the pain in his chest. He clumsily stripped off his armor and threw it aside. Within minutes, he had left the battlefield far behind.
The air around him grew warmer.
The sound of battle had vanished.
In the silent meadow, the only thing Noctis could feel was heat. A sense of guilt lingered within him, yet in that moment, he was numb to everything — focused only on survival.