After a long and exhausting day, Sunny had finally completed his induction ceremony. All that remained was to collapse into bed and sleep for what felt like a week.
But first—he had something important to try.
There was still the matter of his shadow.
Sunny was certain that his shadow was capable of far more than silently following him around. After all, the Spell had described it as an invaluable helper. Now it was up to him to figure out exactly what Shadow Control could do.
As with most Aspects, some kind of instinctual understanding lived buried in his subconscious—whether gifted by the Spell or something inherent to every Awakened, Sunny didn't know. What he did know was that he had to feel for it, draw it out, and learn to use it.
He closed his eyes, concentrating on the strange connection between body and spirit. Then he gave a simple command.
The shadow shifted.
It copied his motions exactly—a mirror of limbs and slight delays. He went through a series of movements: raising an arm, twisting a foot, stretching out his fingers.
With each motion, the sensation of control grew clearer. More fluid. More natural.
Soon, it was as effortless as walking or breathing.
The shadow felt like a part of his body now.
Satisfied with this first step, Sunny gave a new command.
The shadow peeled itself away from his shoes, slinking across the floor and stopping on the other side of the room. Then it turned, facing him with something that looked eerily like silent mockery.
Sunny blinked. He had no shadow now.
"This is not scientific at all," he muttered, amused.
But then again, science had never applied well to anything involving the Spell.
As the shadow moved, a strange feeling bloomed in his mind. His perception seemed to split—one part still tethered to his body, the other somehow nested in the shadow. With effort, he shifted his focus to the second source.
His vision blurred. Then reformed.
"Whoa!" Sunny exclaimed.
"Whoa!" he heard again—but from the other side of the room.
He stared, mind whirring.
Two images now existed in his head—one of his shadow, standing at the far end of the room, staring at him. The other was of a pale young man sitting wide-eyed in a chair.
That's me.
He raised a hand. The young man did the same.
I can see through my shadow…
Sunny sat still, stunned. An ability like this? It had so many applications.
With [Child of Shadows] giving him stealth in darkness and [Shadow Control] letting him scout from afar, he was practically built for espionage.
A perfect spy.
And spies, Sunny reminded himself, were not just informants—they were ambushers. Silent killers who struck from the dark with precision. Knowing a target's weaknesses turned a blade into a scalpel.
…Not that Sunny intended to assassinate anyone.
Not yet anyway.
His Aspect didn't exactly enhance his fighting ability yet.
Still, the possibilities thrilled him.
Let's test it.
He gave the shadow a command.
With exaggerated reluctance, the shadow bowed low, then slithered smoothly under the door and into the hallway.
Sunny closed his eyes, focusing fully on the second vision.
He watched as the shadow glided from one patch of darkness to another. With careful timing and positioning, it became almost invisible. He passed several other Sleepers in the hall, eavesdropping on dull conversations, moving forward.
Eventually, the shadow stopped at a corner. On the left, the elevators. On the right, the corridor leading to the girls' dorms.
Immediately, dangerous thoughts popped into Sunny's head.
Oh my…
With this ability, it would be so easy to fall into depravity.
Thinking of Jill and her fascinating and charming beauty or...
Cassie, with her, she wouldn't even know if the shadow is directly in front of her, watching her.
But—no, for moral reasons and frankly, though bothered and tempted, Sunny really dislikes such things, after all if he starts doing the same thing as that of those that kidnapped Avi, how could he ever face her ever again?
Besides if asked, even asked jokingly-whether he had ever done something that he shouldn't have done-he really needed the ability to truthfully say "I didn't do anything."
So… I probably shouldn't, right?
Right?
Of course you shouldn't! Don't even think about it!
With a heavy sigh and much regret(not really), Sunny directed the shadow away.
Instead, he had it hide in the shadow of a passing Sleeper. When the student stepped into the elevator, the shadow merged with him and rode down unnoticed.
Moments later, something caught Sunny's eye.
Two figures slipped around a corner with practiced stealth.
Jack and Jill?
Even from the shadow's distance, their silhouettes were unmistakable. Sunny's shadow crept after them, flitting from shade to shade.
They didn't head to the common rooms or training halls. Instead, they moved toward the edge of the Academy complex.
And then—they did something strange.
Rather than using the gate, they stopped by a low section of the perimeter wall. One of them pulled out a cord-like object. A rope? They attached it to a fixed point, tested its tension, then scaled the wall like professionals.
Sunny's eyes widened.
That's… not allowed.
He tried to follow them—but his vision blurred. A headache pierced his temple.
Too far. His control over the shadow was fading.
A few seconds later, the connection severed.
Back in his room, Sunny opened his eyes, gasping.
He sat in stunned silence, mind racing.
Jack and Jill were sneaking out of the Academy. Climbing walls. Using ropes.
Who were they meeting? Why the secrecy?
Sunny leaned back in his chair, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
He may not be strong yet.
But in the game of shadows, he was already dangerous.