Coker didn't slept well after the mirror cracked. He tried to tell himself it was just a cheap mirror, or maybe the cold night air make it brittle. But he knew better. Something was changing. Not just in his shadow or power, but in him. His breath felt heavier. His steps made the floor creak even when he walked quiet. He looked in the water well and saw his eyes flicker dark for a second—only a second—but it was enough to make his chest tighten.
The next day, the academy had a "summoning showcase." A tradition held every year where the best beast tamers of each rank show off their contracts and control. Students from outside the capital even come to watch, and scouts from noble houses too. But this year, it felt more tense. Not because of excitement, but because of fear. Ever since that night when Coker summoned his shadow beast, the academy was no longer same. Rumors spread like wildfire. Some students said he made a pact with a demon. Others said his beast wasn't even real—it was just his soul cracking open like a broken gate. One student even said they saw the shadow beast eating another summon deep in the forest, but no body was found. Still, no one laughed at Coker anymore.
When he stepped into the summoning arena, people quieted like a spell had been cast. Even the birds stopped chirpin. Coker walked slow, hands in pockets, not out of disrespect but because his body felt heavier lately. Like the thing inside him was waking up more with each day. All around him, the crowd stared. Whispers again. Always whispers.
"That's him."
"Don't look in his eyes."
"Why is he here again?"
The stage had ten other students—all high ranked, shiny uniforms, perfect hair, and big proud beasts standing beside them. Fire lions. Thunder falcons. Ice snakes. One even had a rare Earthback Rhino with twin horns. But Coker? He stood alone. No beast in sight. Just his shadow.
The instructor, a stern woman named Madam Rinna, cleared her throat. "Next, Coker Vale. Rank E... apparently."
The crowd chuckled, but nervous. Rinna gave him a look. "If you have no summon, leave the stage."
Coker smiled a little. "He don't come when I call him," he said. "He come when he wants."
Madam Rinna frowned. "Then you're wasting our—"
The ground suddenly shook.
A hum, low and deep, rolled across the arena like thunder beneath the skin. Students backed away. Beasts growled. The fire lion roared but then yelped and backed off. Coker's shadow stretched longer than it should. The sun above was straight, but his shadow reached out like it wanted to touch everyone. And then something stepped out from it.
Not walked.
Stepped.
Like it had always been there, just waiting to enter the world again.
The thing had no eyes, but it saw. No mouth, but everyone heard its growl like it was inside their own chest. It wasn't big, but it felt like it took up all space. Like the sky was smaller now because it existed. Its body was made of black mist, shaped like a giant wolf, but its bones glowed under its skin like moonlight behind a stormcloud.
Students screamed. Some ran. One B rank beast fainted on the spot. Madam Rinna drew her staff, but then lowered it. She couldn't move her legs.
The shadow beast turned, slowly, and stared at her.
Not at her face. At her soul.
Coker stepped forward. "He don't like being called a waste," he said simply.
The beast growled again, but only Coker understood. Not in words, but feeling. It didn't come to protect him. It came to remind the world.
The instructor finally found her voice. "Dismiss it," she said, barely above a whisper.
Coker nodded. "Aight. He's done for now."
And just like that, the beast turned into smoke and sank into Coker's shadow again. Silence. People stared like they seen death and came back. Coker turned and walked off stage. Nobody clapped. But everyone watched.
That night, back in his room, he sat at the edge of the bed and listened. The wind was strong outside. Papers on his desk flapped like scared birds. The cracked mirror still sat against the wall, but now the crack looked bigger.
He saw it again.
Not the beast, but something else. A flicker in the glass. Not his face. Not the shadow beast either. But something older. A crown made of darkness. Teeth that smile even without a mouth. Something ancient. Something still trapped... but not for long.
Coker closed his eyes, trying to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come. Not fully. He slipped in and out of dreams. In one dream, he stood at the edge of a cliff. Thousands of beasts circled him. All of them roaring. Behind him was a gate, tall and black, covered in runes. His own body burned with black lines, glowing like ink in fire. He reached out and touched the gate. It pulsed. And then—
He woke up.
Sweating. Breathing hard. Chest tight. The mirror shattered completely now.
Outside, the moon had vanished. Not behind clouds. Just gone.
He stood, walked to the window, and looked out. Something moved in the forest. Not a beast. Not a person. Something huge. Crawling slowly. It left no footprints. But trees bowed to it. It wasn't coming to the academy. Not yet. It was just... watching.
The thing inside him whispered.
"Soon."
And Coker whispered back.
"I know."