Vale's eyes widened as his concentration shattered.
For a moment, he simply stared, unable to focus again, his mind blank with shock. His hand trembled uncontrollably as the realization began to sink in.
"Did I just…?" he muttered, his voice barely audible.
He didn't know what had happened, but he had felt it. Deeply. Whatever it was, it hadn't been an accident. The energy had responded to him.
Slowly, Vale forced himself upright, his movements hurried and uneven. He stared down at his shaking hands, breath shallow, then swallowed hard.
'Try again.'
He closed his eyes.
This time, he focused more carefully. He reached outward with his senses, and almost immediately, the energies revealed themselves, countless threads and currents flowing invisibly through the air. Vale extended his hand, cautiously drawing the essence toward a single point.
He concentrated, not on force, but on intent.
The energy responded.
Vale's breath caught as a small, colorless light formed in his palm. It flickered softly, growing brighter as more energy gathered around it, drawn in by his will. His eyes widened in awe as the sensation intensified.
Then, his focus slipped.
Just for an instant.
That was all it took.
Pain exploded through his hand.
The light collapsed violently, and Vale screamed as his palm began to burn, not from heat, but from something far worse. His flesh was being erased, stripped away from reality itself. Skin vanished. Nerves screamed. The air around his hand warped unnaturally as the energy dissipated.
It took a heartbeat for his mind to catch up.
Then the pain hit fully.
Vale snarled and staggered to his feet, clutching his ruined hand to his chest. He rushed to his closet, every step agony, vision blurring as he gasped for breath.
"Where is it?" he growled aloud, panic creeping into his voice.
The closet door stood open.
August swooped forward instantly, landing on Vale's shoulder as his body began to glow a vivid, radiant green. The energy pulsed outward, and Vale cried out as sensation flooded back into his hand.
'It hurts.'
'God, it hurts.'
Bone reformed. Muscle knitted together. Skin grew back layer by agonizing layer. Vale dropped to his knees, gritting his teeth as he endured the pain, forcing himself not to scream.
After nearly a minute, the glow faded.
Vale collapsed backward, landing hard on the floor, chest heaving as pain continued to ripple through him in dull waves. August hopped down and stood beside him, watching silently.
Vale looked at the raven with exhausted eyes.
"Thanks, August," he murmured, reaching out to gently pet its head.
He pushed himself upright, wobbling slightly before regaining his balance, then sat on the edge of his bed. Ember and the other ravens approached quietly, sensing his distress.
Vale stared down at his hands. They were whole again, but still trembling.
"What was that…?" he whispered.
He clenched his fists and closed his eyes, trying to recall the sensation. Not just the energy, but himself. Something had felt… different. As if a part of his soul he didn't recognize had reached out and acted in his place.
Vale covered his mouth, eyes narrowing in thought.
Mirage.
The name surfaced unbidden. The wolf had known far more about planes and power than Vale ever had. Perhaps he could explain this, tell him what he had just awakened.
But Mirage was gone.
Vale clenched his teeth, thoughts spiraling as he sat awake for hours, turning the moment over again and again. Each answer only gave rise to more questions. Eventually, exhaustion forced clarity.
He had learned two things.
First: he could manipulate raw energy directly, if he focused hard enough.
Second: losing control came at a terrible cost. If the energy grew too large, too dense… it could kill him.
Vale lay back and stared at the ceiling, jaw tight.
Sleep eventually claimed him, pulling him down into darkness thick with unanswered questions.
The next morning, Vale woke before any of his companions.
Carefully, he sat up, mindful not to disturb Ember or the ravens. He blinked once, then froze.
At the center of the room stood a wolf.
Its fur was a depthless black, swallowing light itself. Piercing blue eyes stared directly at him, ancient, sharp, and terrifyingly calm. The presence alone was enough to make even the bravest warrior hesitate.
Vale's breath caught.
"H-how are you here?" he whispered, afraid to blink.
The wolf did not respond.
It simply watched him.
Vale finally blinked.
The wolf was gone.
The space where it had stood was empty.
Vale stood abruptly and approached the spot, circling it slowly, disbelief written across his face. His messy black hair fell over his eyes as he searched for any sign, any trace.
There was nothing.
After several moments, Vale exhaled deeply.
"…Am I hallucinating?" he muttered.
He turned away and opened his closet, pulling out his armor. As he did, Illu stirred and let out a soft caw, finally waking.
Vale glanced at the raven as he headed toward the bathroom.
"Yeah, yeah," he said quietly. "I'll only be gone a minute."
But unease lingered.
Mirage was gone.
Or maybe… he wasn't.
Vale entered the bathroom and turned the handle, letting hot water cascade from the showerhead. Steam began to rise almost immediately, filling the small room with warmth as he rested his hands on the edge of the sink.
His thoughts drifted back to the wolf.
'Mirage is a servant of Chimera…' he recalled.
"I need to talk to her," Vale said quietly to himself.
He lifted his gaze toward the mirror out of habit, then stopped.
There was no reflection.
There never was.
Vale lacked one, just as he lacked a shadow.
Or rather… he had lacked one.
His eyes slowly lowered.
A dark shape lay beneath his feet, stretching across the tiled floor, clear, defined, unmistakable.
A shadow.
Vale stared at it in silence, his breath hitching slightly.
"…Huh," he murmured.
After a moment, he spoke again, his voice cautious but curious.
"Hey," he said, hesitating briefly. "Do you belong to Evelyn?"
The shadow remained still.
Then, slowly, it shifted, forming the crude outline of a hand and raising a single thumb in affirmation. It could not speak, but the gesture was clear enough.
Vale exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So… you've been sent to protect me?" he asked.
The shadow turned slightly, as though angling its chin toward him, and nodded.
Vale raised an eyebrow, thinking. Then another question surfaced.
"Did you see the wolf too?" he asked. "Mirage."
The shadow was silent for several seconds.
Then it nodded, slowly.
Vale blinked once.
Then twice.
A smile crept across his face before he could stop it.
"So I didn't imagine it," he said softly.
Relief washed over him, warm and steady. For now, that was enough. If Mirage truly was watching him, waiting, then Vale would find him again. He would learn to master this strange new ability, to manipulate the raw essence of reality itself.
And when he succeeded…
He would meet the wolf once more.
He would meet Mirage again.
And finally, he would get the answers he had been searching for.
Vale let out a slow breath.
"Hopefully," he muttered.
He stepped into the shower, hot water pouring over him in thick streams, steam curling around his body. He closed his eyes and relaxed slightly, letting the heat soothe muscles still sore from the night before.
As he washed, his gaze drifted to his wrist.
The bone-like implant there had grown larger again.
Vale frowned slightly. He didn't know why, or what triggered its growth, but he hoped to learn soon. Aside from that, his body seemed unchanged. His metallic right arm remained intact, untouched by the disastrous energy backlash from earlier.
That, at least, was a relief.
'At least one arm is safe,' he thought grimly.
After finishing, Vale stepped out of the shower and brushed his teeth, then grabbed a towel and dried himself off. He pulled on part of his leather armor, fastening it loosely and allowing the rest to hang down his body for now, leaving his upper torso bare. Old scars traced his skin, silent reminders of battles already fought.
As he moved toward the door, he heard excited cawing from the other side.
"Yeah, yeah," Vale called out. "I'm coming, guys, don't-"
He opened the door.
And froze.
His eyes widened in both surprise and shock.
"…worry," he finished weakly.