After the employer finished his passionate speech and everyone dispersed back to their tasks, I too returned to my usual routine: carrying heavy crates from one side of the yard to the wagon, cleaning metal tools caked with battle dust, arranging equipment in the small adjacent storage room.
But even though my body was busy, my mind was adrift elsewhere.
I couldn't forget that scene… the day that the strange beast emerged from between the trees, breathing like a volcano and roaring like something straight out of a nightmare. That day, when I saw Knox step forward calmly, and that very moment when he pulled out a black sword from nothingness — as if it were forged from darkness itself. Then he moved with such grace and deadly stillness, it felt like shadows were dancing around him. To this day, I still don't fully understand what happened, but I knew then: what he did wasn't ordinary.
So, once I finished my tasks, I decided to go to him directly. He was sitting at the edge of the wagon, sharpening his small dagger. I approached him hesitantly, but my resolve pushed me to speak.
I said:
"Knox… do you remember the day you fought that strange beast?"
He looked up at me slowly, his dark eyes revealing little. Then he replied calmly:
"Yes, I remember it well."
I hesitated for a second, then continued:
"I saw you pull out a black sword from nowhere. I've been wondering ever since… what kind of power is that?"
A brief silence fell. He stopped sharpening his dagger and leaned back against the wagon, gazing at the gray sky now slowly blanketed by the evening clouds.
He spoke in a soft voice, but one that carried a hint of pride:
"My ability is called Shadow Containment… I can control the shadows around me and turn them into physical forms. Weapons, walls, sometimes even copies of myself. To me, shadow isn't just darkness… it's raw material."
A cold bead of sweat slid down my back, even though the weather wasn't warm. I hadn't known abilities could be this intricate… or this beautiful. How can someone hide within a shadow, or forge a blade out of it?
I stared at him for a while, silent, then gave a faint smile. Suddenly, I felt a weight in my chest… not from the crates I had carried all day, but from a question that had haunted me since I arrived in this world:
Will I ever have an ability like that?
I looked at my hands… at my empty palms, and remembered the first day I entered this world. Back then, all I had were ten dollars, a dead phone, and a pen. And now? I still had only one thing—willpower.
But… would that ever be enough?
---
…After Knox finished speaking, I stood up in silence and left him to watch the evening shadows. I was still mesmerized by his ability, but my curiosity was far from satisfied.
I had seen Luxian too that day—fighting like a madman, arrogant, yet undeniably skilled. Light had surrounded him as if the sun had decided to dwell inside his body, and he looked like a mythical knight straight out of an old story—but told in the language of this strange world. I couldn't forget how a blinding light exploded around him, and then a glowing sword appeared in his hand, radiating unbearable heat. How did he do that? Was that also a unique ability?
I looked around and saw him sitting on a tree stump by the roadside, relaxed as if he carried no burdens at all. He leaned back with his hands behind his head, watching the sunset with a gaze full of quiet confidence.
I walked toward him and opened my mouth to speak—but he beat me to it, saying with a mocking tone:
"Oh… it's you. Came to ask about my ability too?"
I froze a little, but he continued before I could reply:
"Well… of course someone like you would be shocked when he see my ability. Honestly, I'm surprised that you didn't faint on the spot."
He chuckled lightly, then straightened up, and looked at me with eyes that shimmered with something strange — the kind of gleam only found in someone who knows exactly what he has… and is proud of it.
He said:
"My ability is called Blade of Radiance. It's all about manipulating light. I can ignite it, shape it, turn it into whatever I want. But what I enjoy most… is turning it into a sword."
He raised his right hand, as if calling for something, then said quietly:
"Like this."
And in an instant, a soft glow flickered in the air. Then a sword materialized in his hand, gleaming with light — like a frozen sunbeam. The blade was white, its edges pulsing with radiant energy, as if it had a life of its own.
"Pretty similar to Knox's, right?"
He said it with a smile, then added with a subtle touch of arrogance:
"But mine is stronger. Light is faster than shadow, harsher… and more beautiful."
I kept staring at the sword, stunned by the beauty of the light — its clarity , its strength and serenity at once. I couldn't deny one thing…
Luxian may be arrogant…
But he certainly had a reason to be.
He suddenly dismissed the sword, as if the light had vanished from existence, then said:
"Don't worry. Maybe something will awaken in you one day. And if it doesn't… maybe your ability is just being able to endure all this."
He gave a sarcastic half-smile, then returned to his relaxed position.
As for me, I remained standing there, caught between awe, confusion, and maybe… a bit of hidden envy. Two powers—one of shadow, one of light.
And me? I still have no ability .
But despite everything, deep inside me…
There was still a small flicker of hope.