Jason's heart was beating at an abnormal pace.
Sharp terror stabbed through Jason's chest as he watched the shadow draw closer. The shadow wasn't just an ordinary shadow formed from light and darkness. The shadow had form, had substance, had a real and threatening presence.
Jason stepped back several paces, his feet stumbling over scattered brick debris. He almost fell but managed to maintain his balance by swinging his arms to the side. His head still glowed brightly, the golden light illuminating the area around him and making the black shadow even more visible.
"What is that? What is that?" Jason screamed, his voice trembling with fear.
The shadow continued to move closer. The movement was slow but certain, like something that knew there was no escape from it. Jason could hear sounds as the shadow moved. Sounds like cloth being dragged, or perhaps more like wind whispering.
Jason wanted to run, wanted to leave this alley and return to his boring normal life. But his feet seemed rooted to the ground. His body couldn't move. Only his head continued to shine, and cold sweat continued to pour down his forehead.
The voice in his head appeared again, but this time it sounded more urgent, more important: "Don't run, Jason. You have power. Use that power."
"But I don't know how!" Jason yelled back, speaking to a voice he couldn't see.
"Trust your instincts. Trust the crown. The crown will guide your hand."
Jason looked at his hands. The transparent light still flowed across its surface, like a layer of living light. Hands that had only worked on Excel sheets and typed reports now felt different. Felt full of contained energy, energy searching for a way out.
The shadow was now much closer. Jason could see its silhouette more clearly. Its shape was humanoid, like a human figure, but without clear facial features. It was just a dark shape, like someone photographed in such dark conditions that only their silhouette was visible.
Jason raised his hand. He didn't know why he was doing it. Maybe because of instinct, or maybe because the voice in his head gave an irresistible command. His right hand rose in front, palm facing toward the approaching shadow.
"Go away!" Jason screamed, his voice full of panic and desperation.
In one second, something happened.
Incredible heat appeared in the middle of Jason's palm. The heat came suddenly, like someone had started a fire within his skin. Jason screamed from surprise, not from pain, because the heat actually felt... pleasant. Pleasant in a mysterious way, pleasant in a way that made Jason's adrenaline spike drastically.
And then a fireball appeared.
A small fireball, about the size of a tennis ball, glowing with bright orange and red colors. The fireball emerged from Jason's palm, hovering in front of him like an object with its own will. The fire moved slowly, very slowly, like a ball thrown by a baby, but the fire was real, the fire was strong, the fire was full of energy.
Jason's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had just created a fireball from his own hand. He, a 32-year-old man working in accounting, who had never done anything spectacular in his life, had just conjured fire from his palm.
"Oh God, oh God, oh God," Jason spoke hurriedly, eyes wide open.
The fireball continued moving closer to the black shadow. The fire's movement was like someone walking casually, not in a hurry, not rushing. But as the fireball approached the black shadow, the shadow screamed.
The shadow screamed with a sound that couldn't be described in words. The sound was like a combination of a human's agonized scream and wind blowing hard. The sound cut through the air of the alley and made Jason's ears ring.
The shadow suddenly moved backward.
The small fireball hit the spot where the shadow had been before. The fire exploded with a loud sound, creating a small but significant explosion. The remaining brick debris scattered in various directions from the explosion. The smell of fire and sulfur began to waft through the alley.
But the shadow didn't disappear. It just moved back, still in the alley, still approaching but further away than before.
Jason was still shocked, his breathing coming and going rapidly. His heart was pounding as if it would burst out of his chest. His head still glowed brightly, and now the bald head shone with a slightly brighter color, as a response to the use of magic power he had just performed.
"That... that really happened?" Jason spoke to himself, his eyes still fixed on the shadow.
The voice in his head sounded again, but this time it sounded slightly calmer, slightly more satisfied: "Good, Jason. You have successfully performed your first magic. You have found a way to use the crown's power."
"But what is that? What is that creature?" Jason asked, his hand still in a ready position, wanting to make sure he could conjure a fireball again if needed.
"That is a shadow monster. A creature born from darkness, from fear, from things people are afraid of at night. They are a threat to this city. They are the reason why the crown chose you."
Jason couldn't process all that information quickly. Too much was happening in such a short time. This morning he was just a boring ordinary office worker. Now he was someone who could conjure fireballs. Now he was someone who could fight shadow monsters. Now he was someone chosen by the crown to save the city.
Very crazy. Very illogical. But very real.
The shadow began to move again. This time the movement was faster, more aggressive, more angry. The shadow was no longer a relaxed creature, but one trying to get Jason. The shadow moved toward Jason with increasing speed.
"Hurry, Jason! Again!" the voice in his head screamed.
Jason closed his eyes for a second, trying to focus. He imagined the same heat as before, heat that rose from within his body. He imagined energy flowing through his hands, energy that wanted to escape, energy that wanted to be released.
He opened his eyes and raised his hand again.
The heat appeared again. This time the heat felt easier to summon, easier to control. A larger fireball emerged from Jason's palm, this time the size of a human head. The fire glowed brighter, more red, more dangerous.
Jason threw the fireball without much thought.
The fireball launched with much greater speed than before, streaking through the air with a trail of flame behind it. The shadow tried to avoid it, moving to the side with very fast movement, but the fireball followed its motion.
The fireball hit the alley wall behind the shadow. A bigger explosion occurred, shaking the entire alley. Brick debris fell from above. The wall already damaged from the previous explosion crumbled further. Parts of the alley wall began piling on top of the shadow.
The shadow screamed again, the sound louder, angrier. The shadow rushed forward with amazing speed, leaving dark trails in the air as it moved.
Jason stepped back again, trying to maintain distance between himself and the creature. His head shone even brighter now, the golden light almost blinding. Jason's bald head looked like a light bulb glowing at maximum intensity.
The shadow reached Jason. It extended its arm, the dark arm moving toward Jason's neck.
Jason raised both hands together. He didn't know why he was doing it, but instinct told him this was the right time. Incredible heat appeared from both palms. Two fireballs appeared, one in each hand.
"No!" Jason screamed as he thrust both hands toward the shadow.
Two fireballs launched together, forming a beautiful arc as they streaked through the air. The shadow couldn't avoid it this time. Both fireballs hit the shadow's body perfectly.
The second explosion occurred, this time stronger than before. Bright light flooded the alley, fire spread in all directions. Jason felt his body thrown backward, slammed into the brick debris still lying on the alley floor.
Jason fell hard. His breathing was ragged. His head still glowed, but its light had diminished, faded compared to before. His body felt tired, very tired.
The shadow was still moving.
Through the smoke and flames still burning in the air, Jason could see the shadow still approaching him. The shadow looked bigger now, or maybe Jason just felt smaller because he had fallen. The shadow left fire trails behind it as it moved, the fire from Jason's fireball explosions wasn't enough to destroy it.
"Not enough," Jason whispered, new fear beginning to creep through his body.
The shadow opened its mouth. The mouth opened very wide, far wider than any human mouth should be able to open. Within it was perfect darkness, darkness that felt like it would swallow Jason and everything around it.
"This is the end," Jason whispered his final words, his eyes closed, waiting for the final attack.