The cave felt like the gullet of a beast swallowing all light.
Each breath Yan Zhi took grew heavier, as if the air itself refused to enter his lungs. The shadow behind him was no longer a shapeless blur… it was taking form. Thick smoke coiled together into the shape of a beast—its fur rippling like black mist, its face featureless, save for a pair of faint crimson eyes locked onto him.
No footsteps echoed, yet the pressure at his back grew undeniable. Yan Zhi could feel—no, he knew—this thing wasn't a mere wild spirit. It was part of something older… something far more patient than time itself.
Tch… what is this?
A chill crawled from the soles of his feet up his spine. There was a pull inside his skull, like invisible threads trying to drag his soul out of his body.
[Warning: Personal shadows are not always loyal.]
The system's monotone voice rang in his ears.
"Even… my own shadow can betray me?" he muttered bitterly, muscles tightening. He had no techniques, no weapons—this wasn't even his original body. The only thing he had was the instinct to survive.
The shadow moved. No sound, no wind—yet the air trembled. Just as it drew within a step, a faint seal in the shape of glowing veins appeared across Yan Zhi's chest, like golden ink flowing beneath his skin. And then, another voice—not the system, but older, sharper—whispered into his ear.
"If you can't bind it now, you'll die before taking your first step."
There was no time to ask who it was. In the next blink, his vision went black—and he found himself standing somewhere else.
An endless ocean of darkness. Air so thick it felt like mud. And before him… the shadow, standing upright.
They didn't fight with fists or blades. This was a contest of pull and push—will against soul. The shadow tried to invade him, while Yan Zhi pulled back, clinging to one realization: the shadow beneath his own feet.
This shadow… belongs to me.
He focused on his breathing, feeling the pulse from his soles to the crown of his head. Bit by bit, the wild silhouette twisted, shrank, and tightened… until it became a thin humanoid shade standing quietly behind him.
Yan Zhi staggered as his consciousness returned to the cave. His breathing was ragged, sweat pouring down, every joint aching with exhaustion. It felt as though a piece of his life had been stolen.
[Shadow Binding – Success]
[First Shadow Vessel Slot Filled]
The system's calm tone made it sound trivial, as if this hadn't just been a fight for his life. Yan Zhi chuckled faintly—part relief, part fatigue.
But before he could plan his next move, something froze him in place. At the mouth of the cave… a hooded figure stood, unmoving, watching him. The face was hidden, but the gaze was sharp—too sharp—like they had been waiting for him all along.
---