The narrow path reeks of fresh blood.
The crimson moon drenched everything in red, turning the world into something unreal perhaps it was just a dream, or more likely, a bad one from the shelter.
The blood felt warm. But those memories? Not his at all. Yet whatever sat in his chest, once hollow now held something.
[THREE SHADOWS EXTRACTED]
[SHADOW ESSENCE: 15/100]
[ANALYZING HOST INTEGRATION...]
"Leon." His father's voice cut through "We need to move. Now."
Maya took hold of his arm. Her fingers were tiny. But firm somehow. "Hey, older sibling - your eyes don't shine no more."
That jolted him awake. Blinking fast, Leon shoved the strange thoughts into a shadowy spot, somewhere he might face them someday. Or just leave forever. His sisters watched him closely, wearing looks completely new to him. The awkward sort.
I'm fine," he said, his tone scratchy. "Are you injured?"
"No, but...."
Later," Dad said, cutting her short while checking the alley's edge. In case more Enforcers are moving through here once again.
Leon stared at his palms - still, no tremor. Weird how that unsettled him way more than panic would've; this icy control, like borrowing a stranger's nerves. He'd been freaked out just moments earlier. At the moment, though, he sensed a sharp edge in himself.
Incorrect. That wasn't right.
"Dad, what do I do ?"
"Hide it." Dad's mechanical fingers gripped his shoulder, cold even through the jacket. Steel in his voice. "Whatever happened, whatever that thing is, you bury it deep. Don't tell anyone. Not Mom. Not friends. Especially not the Federation."
"But...."
"No." Harder now. "Federation doesn't give power for free. They find out you've got something they can't classify? Lab. Dissection. Best case, black ops program. You disappear."
The heaviness landed in Leon's stomach hard, sudden. He'd seen those reports before - odd cases pulled into shadow groups without titles. Scientists writing about gene shifts, later gone quiet. That friendly face of the Federation? Full of hidden blades.
The system pulsed:
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: SHADOW EXTRACTION]
[PASSIVE SKILL: LESSER AGILITY]
[STATS UPDATED]
```
╔════════════════════════╗
║ LEON VALE - LVL 1. ║
║ SHADOW CORE (AWAKENED) ║
║ ║
║ STR: 8 (with +3) ║
AGL: 12 +5
║ END: 6. ║
║INT: 10. ║
║ SKILLS: ║
║ • Shadow Extraction. ║
║ • Lesser Agility. ║
╚════════════════════════╝
```
The screen went dark. Then came back on, shaky.
Figures. Only figures. Yet Leon sensed it in his gut, less weight, quicker moves. His muscles buzzing, charged by something not meant to be his. Shadows seemed sharper these days, somehow realer. Darkness had layers now, shades he'd missed completely.
"Can you move?" Dad asked.
Leon gave a quick nod, then moved ahead without hesitation.
The vision struck - sharp, sudden, like a blow right between the eyes.
Throne room. Black stone walls. Signs that sting your eyes. Red moon visible through broken arched windows, way bigger than it should be. Sitting there - someone on the throne.
Armor blacker than night. A crown made of bent steel, sucking in every ray. His eyes - faded suns - locked onto Leon through years and miles.
As it talked, its voice left marks deep inside him.
"So... an heir awakens. How delicious."
Leon sucked in air, tripped sideways - slammed against brick. His sight split apart, jagged pieces fading.
Brother! Lily yanked his sleeve.
"I'm fine, just dizzy."
Dad seemed doubtful yet a yell from far off stopped questions dead.
They moved.
Leon's quick moves let him keep up without trying - way too easily. His body flowed smooth, like it wasn't even struggling. That shouldn't happen for a guy stuck at F-Rank just hours ago.
Dad saw how he kept watching Leon move around.
The shelter's just up ahead. While Fed workers guide people in, their expressions stay steady - though you can see the worry underneath.
Vale household - three kids plus one adult," Mom said at the gate.
The guard checked their ID chips without really looking. "Go to Sector C, head left for medical stuff if you've got to."
They moved with the crowd fleeing the area. Leon stayed low, eyes darting at each officer nearby. Everything felt hushed now, yet that new weight lingered behind his thoughts - something foreign, not there before dawn.
[INTEGRATION PROGRESS: 47%]
[WARNING: SHADOW ESSENCE UNSTABLE]
[RECOMMENDATION: ADDITIONAL EXTRACTION REQUIRED]
Leon's blood turned icy. Another pickup mission. Fresh deaths piling up. The Hounds acted like rabid animals before. But what if now the system sent him after something sharper? Something capable of chasing him instead?
Sector C, once a parking lot, now packed with cots and survival gear. Smelled like sweat and old panic - way too crowded. Leon's group staked out a nook near the back. Kids huddled close, dropped into sleep fast.
Sleep," Mom called out, stepping into view. She glanced at Leon, then at Dad, her voice quiet now. "We'll chat again soon."
Leon was on his bed, eyes stuck to the gray roof above. All around, quiet talks hummed between people. A screen nearby murmured headlines under a faint glow
"confirmed casualties sectors 4, 7, 9"
"unprecedented Crimson Moon intensity"
"possible Eclipse Zone formation eastern barrier"
He ignored it. His thoughts drifted, locked onto the weight stuck inside him. Power had come by nightfall. His sisters were safe now.
The memories wouldn't disappear. Instead, they stayed put - crisp and clear inside his head, like saved records. Each chase the Hounds ever made. Each death that followed. That wild rush of pleasure wasn't really him, yet it stuck around, blending into how he felt, even when he didn't ask for it.
[INTEGRATION PROGRESS: 63%]
He opened the system just by thinking. Then went further in. Blocked areas showed up dimmed, with creepy labels
[ARMY OF SHADOWS - LOCKED]
[MONARCH'S DOMAIN - LOCKED]
[ETERNAL SERVITUDE - LOCKED]
This thing had dreams. Huge ones. Because Leon? He was merely step one.
New notification appeared:
[QUEST AVAILABLE: PATH OF SHADOW]
[OBJECTIVE: EXTRACT 10 SHADOWS (3/10)]
[REWARD: SKILL EVOLUTION]
[TIME LIMIT: NONE]
One after another, seven still left. Take down seven others. That idea ought to've sickened him. But instead, a sharp wait gripped his stomach. A feeling slipped in from somewhere else.
"Big brother?"
Maya rested on her side, elbow holding her up. Her gaze stayed steady - wise beyond years. One moment blurred into the next.
"Yeah?"
"When you fought them... you weren't scared."
Not a question.
"Maya"
"I won't tell. Neither will Lily. We know what happens to different people." Her voice dropped. "But are you still you? Or did something else wake up?"
The question cut further than any claw a Hound had. Leon tried to calm her down - assure her it was all the same now. Yet that old chase flavor stayed sharp on his tongue. A chill lingered too, like something staring out from behind his thoughts.
I'm still the same person," he told himself. Hoping that's actually how it was. Just… different now
Maya glanced his way then gave a small nod before settling back onto the bed.
Yet Leon kept his eyes open, staring at shapes sliding over the ceiling. The setup had woken up senses he never knew existed. Each outline sharper now, each shade of black clear in a manner that made no sense.
Somewhere past those shelter walls, the Crimson Moon poured its red glow into the night. Not just one shadow - others lingered. Hunting wasn't done yet.
More power.
Leon shut his eyes, yet no rest arrived. Inside, the system throbbed - steady, like a rhythm beneath his breath.
[INTEGRATION PROGRESS: 81%]
[SHADOW EXTRACTION SYSTEM SYNCHRONIZED]
[WELCOME, SHADOW MONARCH'S HEIR]
[YOUR HUNT BEGINS NOW]