Volkin said, "Prepare yourself."
And that... was the last thing I heard clearly before the world dissolved into a symphony of pain and silver light.
I blinked—and in that fraction of a second, the majestic wolf deity standing before me vanished. He didn't run; he simply ceased to be there, replaced by a whisper of displaced air. My freshly honed instincts, born from fifteen days of paranoid survival, screamed a warning. I threw myself to the side, a clumsy, desperate roll that was more falling than dodging.
A silver blur streaked past where my head had been, the snap of powerful jaws echoing in the clearing. The wind from his passage alone was enough to sting my cheeks.
Before I could even scramble back to my feet, the world twisted again.
CRACK!
An unbearable, explosive pain erupted in my shoulder as something slammed into me from behind. It felt less like a paw and more like a battering ram. The bone snapped with a sickening sound that I felt more than heard. A strangled cry was ripped from my throat as I was launched airborne, my body a helpless projectile. My back slammed into a thick, ancient tree with enough force to send a shower of bark and splinters into the air. My ribs screamed in protest, and the world swam in a nauseating haze of black and red.
'System, a little help?!' I screamed mentally, my thoughts a frantic, pain-filled jumble.
[Assistance unavailable. Please enjoy the beating.] The System's voice was as calm and detached as ever.
'ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!'
But it wasn't a joke. This wasn't a test or a spar. This was an execution. Volkin didn't attack like a wild beast, driven by hunger or rage. He fought like a predator playing with its prey, a master swordsman disassembling a novice. He wasn't going for the kill—not yet. He was going for the slow, humiliating, and absolute breakdown of my body and my will.
He vanished again. My instincts, now screaming at a fever pitch, forced my battered body to move. I rolled, the movement agonizing on my broken shoulder, barely dodging another silver streak that tore a deep gouge in the earth where my neck had been moments before.
My heart thundered against my fractured ribs. My lungs were wheezing, struggling to draw air. I coughed, a wet, ragged sound, and saw a spray of crimson hit the dirt.
'He's fast… he's too fast. E-Rank my ass! This thing is a walking calamity!'
I tried to retaliate, to fight back against the silver storm.
'Shadow Bind!'
I thrust a trembling hand forward, pouring mana into the spell. Black, ethereal tendrils lashed out from my shadow—but Volkin was already behind me. A heavy paw slammed into my back, driving the air from my lungs and sending me rolling through the mud like a discarded toy.
'Shadow Bomb!'
Boom—the sphere of darkness detonated right in front of me as I tried to get a lock on his blurring form. A pathetic puff of smoke. It did minor damage to him, a slight singe on his silver fur. It did significant damage to me, the backlash rattling my already broken frame.
I gasped, my arms trembling, one eye swelling shut. The world was a dizzying, painful mess.
'Shadow Creation!'
I tried to form a spear, a shield, anything. But my vision blurred again, and I collapsed mid-chant, the spell failing. The spear I'd envisioned turned into a pathetic little stick of shadow, barely a foot long. Volkin, with a look of what I could only describe as profound disappointment, trotted over, bit the shadow-stick, and used it to smack me across the face like I was some budget villain in a low-budget cartoon.
'System, seriously, this isn't a spar—it's an execution! Do something!'
[Did you want a participation trophy, too? Perhaps a ribbon for 'Best Effort'?]
Volkin stood above me now, a looming silhouette against the dim forest light. His silver fur gleamed under the canopy, and his molten gold eyes were filled with a cold, weary disappointment.
[You are not worthy,] his voice echoed in my mind, a final, damning judgment.
Then he lunged, a silver comet aimed straight for my heart.
And that was it.
Everything went black.
And then… I breathed.
The pain was gone. Instantly. My shattered shoulder felt whole, my broken ribs knitted back together, the cuts and bruises vanished. Mana, raw and untamed, surged inside me like a storm finally unleashed, a roaring inferno where before there had been only sputtering embers. I blinked, my vision clearing, and found myself standing in the middle of a smoldering crater. The trees around me had been snapped in half, the ground torn apart as if it had been nuked.
And at my feet… was Volkin.
His magnificent silver form was still, his golden eyes vacant. A single, clean wound pierced his heart.
He was dead.
'WHAT. THE. HELL?!'
[System override activated. Threat to host's existence has been neutralized. 1 of 3 takeover privileges used.]
'You WHAT?!' I screamed, my voice cracking with disbelief.
[You were so hopeless I had no choice,] the System replied, its tone infuriatingly calm. [Your combat IQ dropped to single digits mid-fight. Your movements were inefficient. Your spell-casting was pathetic. My former master would have wept. Honestly, I'm surprised Volkin didn't just leave out of sheer pity.]
'But… he's dead! My cheat familiar! My fluffy, legendary, moon-blessed wolf!!'
[Correction: *You* killed him. Under my control. Using skills and mana manipulation far beyond your current comprehension.]
I dropped to my knees, the strength leaving my legs. All that hype. All that buildup. All my plans for a powerful, loyal companion. Gone. Turned to ash by my own incompetence.
'No rewards?! You murdered him with my body and I get nothing?!'
DING!
A new screen, brighter than the last, flashed before my eyes.
[New Innate Skill Unlocked: Shadow Army]
[Description: A unique application of your Shadow Affinity. Absorb the soul of a being within one minute of its death to summon a shadow-construct of equal strength. The shadow familiar grows stronger alongside you, its potential scaling with your own until its original power is fully restored. Note: Soul absorption is only possible within 60 seconds of death. This is a one-time opportunity per soul.]
My head snapped up. My heart hammered against my ribs.
'WAIT—That means I can still bring him back?! As a shadow?!'
[Correct. Estimated time left before the soul dissipates: 10 seconds. And counting.]
I didn't think. I didn't hesitate. I scrambled forward, sprinting toward Volkin's body like a lunatic, my hands outstretched.
'ABSORB VOLKIN!!' I roared in my mind, pouring every ounce of my will into the command.
Darkness erupted from my palms—not the weak, smoky wisps from before, but thick, inky tendrils of living shadow. They wrapped around Volkin's corpse, pulsing with a hungry, violet light. They pulsed once… then again… and finally, with a sound like tearing silk, they ripped the shimmering, golden essence of his soul from his body and spiraled into my chest.
My veins burned with an icy fire. My heart raced, trying to keep up with the sudden influx of power. My own shadow, cast long on the crater floor, howled as Volkin's powerful essence fused with it, becoming a part of me.
I gasped, my mind reeling as I felt his soul flicker within me—confused, then calm, and then… a wave of pure, unadulterated loyalty washed over me.
[Familiar Registered: Volkin (Silver Moon Wolf) has been added to your Shadow Army.]
'Holy crap… I'm the necromancer version of a Pokémon trainer.'
The adrenaline faded, and the full weight of the battle, the near-death experience, and the sudden surge of power crashed down on me. I collapsed onto my back, panting, my chest heaving. I stared up at the canopy of leaves swaying gently above me, the last rays of sunlight filtering through.
My bones were healed. My mana was full. And now… I had a legendary familiar bound to my very shadow.
'I don't care if I die tomorrow... that was badass.'
[You still might.]
'Shut up, System. Let me have this win.'