The moment the command reached it, Shadow, which had remained concealed in the darkness throughout, stepped out of it.
The moment it did, the atmosphere of the laboratory, already heavy and solemn, became something colder. Something darker.
The workers who had not dared to breathe in the Duke's presence had seemed relieved by the success of their task. They were already preparing to tidy the space, ready to slip away quietly. They never imagined they wouldn't even have the time to do so. That something like this would appear before them.
Most of them were ordinary people, but some were F-ranks, and a handful had reached E-rank, placed there as guards more than anything else.
They were the first to notice the anomaly. It didn't take long to find its source.
Their gazes landed on the corner where Shadow had been concealed for the entire duration, and the moment their eyes settled there, they felt their souls tremble.
