The days after Shadow's return passed slower than usual—soft, deliberate, and strangely peaceful. The endless blue of the forest sky carried a gentler tone now, and the air that once shimmered with tension had begun to feel like home.
Their cube shelter, once bare and minimal, had become something entirely new. With Aetherion's evolution and Solfang's awakened energy, the cube could now shift into a full-sized house, complete with walls that adjusted their warmth and texture depending on the time of day. It had windows that projected gentle sunlight, a kitchen lined with sleek, mana-powered utensils, even a bathroom with a self-cleaning pool that used condensed mist.
Aetherion called it "House Configuration: Comfort Protocol."
Solfang just called it "finally living like civilized people."
That morning, the house buzzed with quiet activity. The smell of cooked meat filled the air, smoke rising softly from the kitchen as Sera worked near the counter.
"Breakfast's ready soon," she said, her tone warm as she stirred a pot.
"Meat stew again?" Ryn's sleepy voice drifted from the hall, bow slung loosely over her shoulder.
"It's the only thing we have left after your late-night snacking," Sera replied without looking up.
Ryn frowned. "That's called survival testing."
Lena emerged from the training yard, greatsword balanced across her shoulders. "Survival testing my ass. You almost burned my tent when you roasted those rabbit things."
Ryn shot back, "That was experimental efficiency!"
"Efficiency my—"
"Girls," Rena interrupted, walking out in her training attire, sword tied to her waist. Her tone was calm, but her faint smile gave her away. "Eat first, argue later. We have training rotations today."
Ryn muttered something under her breath and sat. Lena grumbled but followed.
Sera sighed softly and poured stew into bowls. "You're all like sisters sometimes," she said, half amused, half tired.
Rena sat across from her, eyes slightly distant. "Maybe. But family fights keep us grounded."
At the corner of the room, half-hidden behind a table full of schematics, Shadow sat hunched over his notes, one hand absentmindedly turning a small gear in his fingers.
Ryn looked over. "You've been at that since dawn. What are you even building this time?"
Shadow glanced up, tone calm but softer than before. "Armor. The kind I wanted to make long ago."
"Armor again?" Lena blinked. "Didn't you just finish upgrading those gauntlets?"
Before he could answer, Solfang's voice rang out from the gauntlets resting on the table.
"Upgrading me is never enough. He's compensating for his lack of sleep."
Ryn snorted. "Did your weapon just roast you?"
Shadow sighed. "She's been doing that all week."
"Because someone keeps ignoring the 'recommended rest cycle.'"
Aetherion's calm, echoing tone joined in.
"Confirmed. Shadow's sleep average has decreased by forty percent since new forge construction."
Rena laughed softly. "He's working too hard again."
Shadow only smiled faintly, something he rarely used to do. "Habit."
---
Outside, the clearing shimmered with faint dew. Birds glided across the glowing treetops, and the mana crystals embedded in the nearby cliffs pulsed with soft light. The house's perimeter shield rippled as the morning breeze touched it, maintaining warmth inside and filtering mana particles for energy.
After breakfast, everyone naturally drifted into their own routines.
Rena's mornings began with silence. She always took the open field alone, sword in hand, eyes closed as she inhaled the forest air. Her sword danced in arcs that caught the light, each motion smoother than the last. She wasn't just training her body anymore—she was refining her spirit.
The memory of the Valkyrie shrine she'd once seen in her dream tugged faintly at her, a sign of what awaited her soon.
Lena spent her time smashing boulders near the waterfall. The sound of her strikes echoed through the valley, and despite her grumbling personality, she was driven. Every swing was deliberate, her muscles tightening, her stance becoming more grounded. She'd learned to channel her strength instead of simply relying on it.
Ryn used the high cliffs to train her agility. She leapt from one ledge to another, eyes glowing faint silver as she activated her Moonveil Cloak. Her arrows streaked through the air like streams of light, hitting moving leaves and passing insects mid-flight. She moved with grace and precision, though she still cursed quietly whenever she missed.
Sera, ever calm, took care of the balance. She maintained mana supplies, collected herbs, and refined essence stones that Shadow later used in forging. When the others returned from training, she healed their cuts and bruises without complaint.
And Shadow—he built.
---
The new forge Aetherion created wasn't an ordinary one. When Shadow first entered, it had manifested like a living heart of steel and flame—walls lined with floating metal runes, a forge core that pulsed with faint light, and tools that materialized as he thought of them.
"Aetherion," Shadow called as he walked in that morning, carrying crates of materials.
"Yes, Master Shadow."
"Activate Forger Mode. Begin material analysis."
"Acknowledged."
Light shimmered across the table as shards of obsidian, silver, and crystal floated into the air.
Solfang's voice chimed playfully.
"So, what's today's project? Another sleepless art piece?"
"Prototype armor, version three," Shadow replied.
"You've said that six times already."
"I didn't have enough focus before. Now I do."
"Oh great, he's serious again," Aetherion sighed.
Shadow smirked, faint amusement flickering in his tone. "You two make good background noise."
"We're your emotional support, thank you very much," Solfang replied.
He began hammering the molten metal, each strike ringing through the room. Sparks danced across his arms, glowing faintly against his dark eyes. Every hit released a pulse of resonance through the forge—his soul connecting to the material.
As the days passed, he spent hours studying combinations of mana flows and resonance frequencies. When Rena and the others trained outside, they could hear the rhythmic clangs echoing from within—steady, relentless, alive.
Sera often stopped by in the evenings to bring him food or check his temperature when he forgot to rest. Ryn would sometimes sneak in just to tease him. Lena would drag him out if he overworked.
The Shadow of before might've stayed silent or brushed them off. But now, he talked.
He thanked Sera.
He joked with Ryn.
He even let Lena win an argument once.
The change didn't go unnoticed.
---
By the third week, the forge room had evolved again. Aetherion integrated an alchemy chamber beside it, and the base gained new defenses.
"New function unlocked," Aetherion announced one morning. "Forger's Hall operational."
It wasn't just a room—it was a network of constructs. The walls shimmered with glyphs that could smelt, temper, and fuse materials autonomously under Shadow's guidance. The ceiling vents released cooling mist, while the heat was contained in core sigils.
Solfang floated midair, inspecting the glowing core.
"Huh. You're really building your dream workshop, huh?"
"Maybe I am," Shadow said quietly, tightening his gloves.
"For what?"
"For the future. For the others."
Solfang went silent for a while, then spoke with rare sincerity.
"You've changed, Shadow. Not just your strength. Your heart's... warmer."
He paused his hammer mid-swing, lips curving slightly. "Guess some of it rubbed off from you all."
The forge glowed brighter at those words.
---
Afternoons were reserved for exploration and gathering.
The group divided into pairs—Rena and Ryn usually took the forest perimeter, Lena and Sera gathered minerals, while Shadow moved between them, studying new monster materials.
The beasts here were strange, infused with ambient mana that warped their bodies. Some had crystalline scales, others burned with faint luminescence. They weren't overly dangerous for the team now, but strong enough to serve as good practice.
Shadow occasionally tested his new skills in real combat. The way his mana and emotions synchronized through Soul Resonance made his movements sharper, faster, and more instinctive.
When night fell, they'd return with bags of ingredients and hunt spoils.
---
Evenings became their favorite time.
Aetherion adjusted the house's lighting to soft amber, the walls humming faintly. They sat around the wooden table near the hearth, eating together while Solfang and Aetherion sometimes bickered in the background.
Lena always tried to grab the biggest meat first. Ryn always pretended she didn't care but snatched her portion faster than anyone else. Sera lectured both about "proper manners." Rena quietly smiled, playing mediator.
Shadow, sitting at the edge of the table, would watch them all with quiet contentment. For once, there was no rush to fight, no looming danger—just the rare calm of shared peace.
Sometimes, he joined in on the conversation—awkwardly at first, but slowly, his tone carried more warmth. His voice no longer sounded detached or distant. The others noticed.
"Shadow," Rena said one evening, sipping her tea, "you're different lately."
He looked up, confused. "Different?"
Ryn smirked. "You talk. That's new."
Lena grinned. "And you actually smile."
He blinked, realizing he was, in fact, smiling. "...Can't a person enjoy the quiet once in a while?"
Sera chuckled softly. "You're growing, that's all."
The group laughed. Even Solfang chimed in with,
"He's becoming human again."
---
Late one night, when everyone had gone to sleep, Shadow returned to the forge.
The armor was nearly done—a sleek, dark exosuit with faintly glowing blue lines that pulsed with mana. Its form resembled an assassin's silhouette yet had the elegance of a knight's plating.
Solfang and Aetherion floated nearby, silent for once, watching as Shadow placed the finishing plate.
He exhaled. "Done."
"So... what'll you call it?" Solfang asked softly.
"Still thinking."
"Typical."
Aetherion hummed. "The resonance is perfect. Your emotional frequency stabilized during the process. Impressive."
He smiled faintly, wiping sweat from his brow. "Maybe it's because I finally stopped running from myself."
Silence lingered—then Solfang spoke, tone almost proud.
"Took you long enough, partner."
The forge dimmed as he turned off the heat. The armor shimmered one last time before resting still on the table.
Shadow stood there for a long while, gazing at it. Then he whispered, almost to himself,
"Let's see where this path takes us next."
Outside, the forest lights flickered as the wind shifted.
The month of stillness was ending.
The balance they had built, the peace they had found—it was only the calm before the next awakening.
And far beyond the treeline, faint violet light began to pulse from the mountainside shrine, resonating with Rena's mana.
Her turn had come.