SAI SHINU
"Now you choose. Do it, or do not." His words echoed, heavy and final.
For a moment, doubt gnawed at me. But I already knew the answer. Everything I had endured—every battle, every loss, every betrayal—had led me here.
I crossed my legs, palms facing each other. My breathing slowed, steady. Inhale. Exhale. My thoughts sharpened to a single point: absorb light and darkness together.
At first, it felt forced, unnatural. But slowly… it became second nature. Like drinking in the rhythm of the world itself.
My companion remained silent, watching. Then, finally, a whisper: "Now… let it go."
I understood. Let the light fade. Hold only the darkness.
I obeyed.
My senses told me I was drinking light still, but in truth, I was absorbing darkness—easily, naturally, as if it belonged to me.
"You're doing well," he murmured.
Time passed in silence. Then unease struck. Sweat beaded on my face. My chest tightened, crushed between invisible hands.
And then—blackness.
I collapsed.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn't in my bed. I stood in a place strangely familiar, though I had never been there before.
A lone figure waited ahead, dagger in hand. I stepped toward him—just as he stabbed the blade into his chest, the same way I had done years ago.
The ground turned black. I fell. Endless, airless, weightless. Falling and floating at once, through an abyss without end.
And then—I awoke.
I was on my bed, breath sharp in my lungs. I moved my hands, flexed my legs. My body felt whole. Stronger. My vision—clearer than it had ever been.
"Congratulations. You've done it."
I turned. My companion sat, as always, on the sofa.
"You really like that spot, huh?" I muttered.
"I can't even feel comfort anymore," he replied, dryly.
"What happened after I passed out?" I asked, staring at my palms.
"Nothing. You just slept for two days." His voice was calm, almost indifferent.
I swallowed. "Now what?"
"Now," he said, "you test what you've gained."
I left the house and ran into the forest. My blood sang with a strange new energy.
A goat grazed by a stone. Perfect.
I drew my white sword from the inventory, pointing it toward the beast. "Astral Gate, Act One."
The world froze. Time itself stopped.
The floor turned stark white. The air became thick with shadow. Only I and the goat remained in motion.
I vanished in a whisper of shadow step, reappearing behind it. My blade traced the air, slashing lightly across its leg.
"Crimson Rift."
Darkness surged through me, violent and alive, concentrated in my chest. I watched as the goat's leg began to unmake itself—flesh unraveling, dissolving, and where it vanished, roses bloomed. Black, purple, crimson. Roses born from nothing.
I felt the weight of the ability. Terrifying. Beautiful.