I was drifting in vast darkness.
It wasn't empty—not truly. Every sense I had was alive, humming. A gentle tingle ran through my nervous system, spreading outward until I couldn't tell where I ended and the dark began. There was no weight. No pain. Just completeness.
I felt like I belonged there.
Like I was everything—and nothing—at the same time.
Then realization struck like lightning.
I gasped and lurched forward, the sensation tearing away as if I'd been pulled from deep water. My feet hit stone hard, breath ripping from my lungs as I stumbled up the final steps and back into the stairwell.
"Sare—"
She was already on her feet.
"What took you so long?" she demanded. Her fists were clenched at her sides, sweat streaking down her face despite the cold stone air. "Did something happen?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, tilting my head, forcing a shrug that felt far heavier than it should've. "I came back as soon as I could."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You were gone for almost thirty minutes."
My breath caught.
"Thirty…?" I echoed, my head snapping back slightly. The darkness pressed against my thoughts, distant now but unmistakably familiar. It felt like moments. Maybe less.
The Shadow realm…
"I was only there a little while," I said quietly. "At least, that's how it felt."
Sare didn't respond right away. Her jaw tightened, and that alone unsettled me more than her words ever could.
"Anyway," I added, shaking the thought loose, "what's next? The monster's body is still right outside that door."
She studied me—really studied me—and whatever she saw made her decision instant.
"You'll open the door," she said. "I'll retrieve the body."
I frowned. "I can—"
"You don't have the strength to fight," she cut in.
She was right.
The truth hit harder than any blow. Sweat soaked my back. My breathing was uneven, every inhale shallow and sharp. My muscles trembled with the effort of simply standing upright, legs burning as if I'd already run miles.
I wanted to drop right there.
And we hadn't even fought anything yet.
I nodded and pushed the door open.
Sare moved instantly—slipping past me with her spear already in hand. The moment she crossed the threshold, the sound hit me. Metal crashing against metal. The echo of blades striking in the dark beyond the doorway, sharp and relentless.
Shadow knights.
A thought slipped in uninvited, cold and heavy.
How long are we supposed to survive here?
If Trace and I are already injured… how do we even make it to the city?
"Asher!"
I snapped back to reality just as Sare shouted my name.
"Close it—now!"
I lunged for the door, muscles screaming as I forced it shut. The stone slab scraped loudly against the floor—
Too slow.
One of the shadow knights slipped through before the gap sealed.
Low-ranking.
But not mindless.
It straightened immediately, blade rising as it took a proper fighting stance.
I dropped to one knee as the door slammed shut behind it, the impact rattling through my bones. My shadow burst free from the ground beside me, rising defensively, placing itself between the knight and my exposed form.
Sare turned back in an instant, spear leveling.
She struck first.
The spear drove forward with precision—but the knight blocked, steel ringing through the chamber. It twisted, swinging its blade toward my shadow—
The attack passed straight through it.
The knight adjusted immediately.
Its blade flicked low instead.
Pain exploded up my leg.
I gasped as the edge caught me just above the knee—a shallow cut. Minor. The kind of wound that shouldn't have mattered.
But paired with the deep injury still burning in my chest, it was agony.
It felt like my nerves were flayed open—like millions of tiny scratches tearing through me all at once, unending, merciless. My vision swam as my body locked up, refusing to obey.
I was useless.
Pinned down by my own injuries, breath ragged, limbs trembling—I could do nothing but rely on Sare and my shadow to keep me alive.
I unsheathed Midnight and, without hesitation, tossed it to my shadow.
Steel met darkness seamlessly.
My shadow caught the blade mid-motion, and together with Sare, they pressed the hollow creature back. Blows traded in rapid succession—metal ringing, shadows snapping in and out of existence. Watching them, one thought kept repeating in my mind.
It's a miracle we survived the guardian.
We shouldn't have lived through that battle. Not with the state we were in. Not with me like this.
Sare moved with impossible grace. Despite the length of her spear, she wielded it like an extension of her body—each step light, each strike precise. There was a rhythm to her movements, like a dance practiced a thousand times over.
A dancing princess of war.
My shadow was different.
Where Sare flowed, he vanished.
He slipped in and out of the shadow dive with frightening speed, appearing only long enough to strike before dissolving back into darkness. Efficient. Silent. An assassin shaped by instinct rather than form.
Different.
Yet perfectly in sync.
After a final exchange, Sare spun the spear over her back and drove it forward in a sharp, decisive thrust. The hollow creature convulsed—its movements locking as paralysis set in.
My shadow surged upward from the darkness.
One clean motion.
The blade flashed once.
The creature's head separated from its body and hit the stone floor with a dull, final sound.
Perfect.
Terrifying.
I had watched the entire fight.
That was all I had done—watch.
If I had been alone, I would be dead.
The thought settled deep in my chest, heavier than the pain.
I need to be better.
Not stronger.
Not faster.
I need to exude death.
The Voice spoke.
Echo acquired: Knight.
Death Shards received.
I felt the familiar pull as the shards settled.
Thirteen.
Thirteen out of a thousand.
"That's it?" I muttered. "All that trouble… for an Aberrant rank?"
The Voice continued, indifferent as ever.
Shadow Knight defeated.
Rank: Aberrant.
Soul Shards acquired: Seven.
Seven.
Enough for Trace and Sare.
A slow grin crossed my face as my shadow returned to me, dissolving back into the ground at my feet. Sare noticed immediately.
"What?" she asked, hands lifting slightly, motioning toward my expression.
Using Midnight as a cane—and with the added strength from the shadow—I pushed myself upright. Every movement hurt, but I stayed standing.
"I got an Echo," I said.
That caught her attention.
As the shadow energy fully left the knight's body, the armor collapsed inward, dissolving into smoke. What remained beneath it made my brows knit together.
A pig.
Just… a normal pig.
"That doesn't make sense," I said slowly. "My Echo is a knight. And we definitely weren't fighting a pig."
Sare stared at it for only a moment before grabbing the carcass by the legs.
"Doesn't matter," she said. "We're cooking it."
She turned and started back down the hall as if that settled everything.
I followed behind her, limping heavily, using Midnight for support.
When we returned, Trace was awake.
She looked up sharply when she saw us. "What happened?"
"Food," I said simply, gesturing toward Sare.
My legs finally gave out. I let myself drop onto the cold stone floor of the hall and lay flat on my back, staring up at the ceiling as the pain caught up with me.
"Are you okay, Asher?" Trace asked softly as she sat down beside me.
Her movement pulled my attention without effort. All I could see was her as she leaned into my vision, blocking out the stone ceiling above. The tension in her shoulders hadn't faded yet, like she was still braced for something to go wrong.
"I'm fine," I said, giving a small shrug. It felt heavier than it should have. "I didn't even fight, to be honest. Just a cut on my knee." I exhaled slowly. "I'm mostly just tired. The last battle took more out of me than I thought."
Trace didn't look convinced.
She studied me for a long moment, eyes searching my face as if she were trying to find something I wasn't saying. A frown formed, faint but unmistakable.
"Forget it," I added quickly, before she could press. "I jumped in front of you back there. That was my call."
Her head shook, sharp and immediate.
"No," she said. "Don't do that."
I blinked, caught off guard.
"Don't brush it off like it doesn't matter," she continued. "You say you didn't fight, but you still put yourself in danger." Her gaze flicked down toward my leg, then back to my face. "And you came back with… that."
She gestured vaguely toward where Sare had taken the body.
"A pig," she said flatly. "What do you mean you didn't fight?"
I let out a quiet breath and leaned my head back against the stone.
"It's a long story," I said. "And I don't think I understand it well enough to explain it yet." I paused, the words catching in my throat. "Things aren't working the way I expect them to."
Trace was silent for a moment.
Then she shifted closer—not touching me, but close enough that I could feel the warmth of her presence.
"Then you don't have to explain it right now," she said. "Just… don't pretend you're fine when you're not."
I closed my eyes.
"…Okay."