Here
The world beyond the cave felt... different.
The air was heavier, as if the shadows he had absorbed now lingered around him like invisible armor. Graxion's steps were silent, his breathing calm, yet the echo of what he'd endured still pulsed behind his eyes.
> You were not the only one…
That whisper, the last thing he heard from the Watchers, wouldn't leave him. He had always believed his curse was unique. That he alone bore the burden of the shadows. But now, doubt gnawed at him. If there were others like him—where were they?
He didn't have to wait long to find out.
As he reached a clearing between crumbling ruins, the sky dimmed unnaturally, though the sun had not yet set. A low hum vibrated in the ground. Then, like bleeding ink on parchment, shadows peeled away from the earth to form three humanoid figures.
Each cloaked in writhing darkness. Each wearing a mask made of bone.
Graxion tensed, his hand tightening around the hilt of his blade.
> "You feel it too, don't you?" the tallest one spoke. His voice was smooth, almost too smooth—like velvet hiding a dagger. "The change within. The hunger."
> "Who are you?" Graxion asked.
> "We are what you were meant to become," the second said—a female voice, distorted but calm. "Before you clung to your human sorrow."
> "We are the Shadowbound," the third growled. "And you... you are late."
The system chimed.
> [New Entities Identified: Shadowbound - Tier Ω]
Caution: Allied affiliation undetermined. Proceed with strategic dialogue.
Graxion didn't lower his weapon. "Allied or not, I don't take orders from masked corpses."
The first Shadowbound chuckled. "We were once like you—scared, confused, resisting the call of the dark. Until we realized: the shadow doesn't consume—it reveals."
> "Reveals what?" Graxion asked.
> "The truth," said the woman. "That light was always a lie. That power is born in pain. That our world, and yours, are already dying. But with the shadow… we live on."
They raised their hands. The shadows around them pulsed and took shape—living weapons formed from regret and memory. One held a sword that screamed. Another summoned a serpent made of stitched screams.
Graxion took a step back. "So what? You're here to kill me?"
> "Not yet," the first one said. "We're here to test you. Like we were tested."
The ground split open.
Black chains erupted from beneath, wrapping around Graxion's limbs, yanking him down.
> [You have entered a Shadow Duel: Trial of Kin]
Note: Shadow Duels are absolute. No outside intervention allowed.
Win: Unlock hidden branch of the Shadow Core.
Lose: Assimilation into the Collective. Identity erased.
> "Wonderful," Graxion muttered. "Shadow cult hazing ritual. Just what I needed."
In the blink of an eye, the three vanished—only to reappear as afterimages around him, moving too fast to track. They attacked in perfect sync—blades, shadows, illusions. Graxion fought with all he had, parrying, countering, warping his shadow into spikes and shields.
But they were stronger.
Smarter.
They had experience—something he still lacked.
And yet, something changed.
Every strike they landed triggered a memory. Every wound opened a moment in his mind: his mother's lullaby, his father's stern gaze, his sister's laughter. His pain was rooted in love, not just loss.
And that gave him something they had long since buried:
Hope.
He screamed—not in pain, but defiance—and unleashed Eclipse Devour, pulling the shadows around them into a vortex. The dueling arena collapsed, and the three staggered, their powers dimming as his surged.
The system roared.
> [Shadow Duel: Victory Confirmed]
You have unlocked: Shadow Core - Branch II: "Remnant Flame"
New Passive: Resilient Will – Shadow resistance increases the more memories you preserve.
Note: You remain yourself. For now.
When the dust settled, only one of the Shadowbound remained standing.
The woman.
She removed her mask.
Her face was pale, her eyes empty—but tears clung to her lashes.
> "You still remember," she whispered. "Then maybe… you still have a chance."
Before he could respond, she vanished into mist.
And Graxion was left alone—stronger, more haunted, and with a truth now impossible to ignore:
He was not alone. But the others were no longer human.