“Uh…”

  His eyes stared bleakly at the screen.

  Blue blood dripped from the deep gashes in his chest.

  His breathing was ragged.

  His sword lay shattered.

  Raven dropped to his knees.

  He did it. He had singlehandedly defeated the Were-vampire.

  It was brutal, but he won.

  This wasn’t the first time Raven had defeated a creature with shadow abilities, but it was the first time he fought one head-on, alone.

  He had spent too much time and energy in that battle. His goal was the dungeon, to reach it and rescue his sister, regardless of the orders given to him.

  He forced himself to stand and continue forward.

  After only a few steps, his legs gave out.

  He slipped and fell flat onto the snow.

  Fatigue crushed him.

  Blood loss was becoming critical.

  His eyes drifted back to the screen.

  His lips were dry.

  “Evolution… huh…” he muttered weakly.

  “Yes.”

  A deep, searing pain surged through his body.

  Power from an unknown source swelled violently within him, flooding every crevice of his being. It felt as though his body was being torn apart and rebuilt at the same time.

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  The pain was unbearable.

  Raven screamed at the top of his lungs.

  He tried to hold it in, the area was far from safe, Were-vampires still lurked nearby, but the sound tore out of him involuntarily.

  Elsewhere,

  Ears twitched.

  Sniff… sniff.

  A Were-vampire’s nose flared as it caught a strange scent.

  Its ears shifted, picking up sounds unheard by others.

  Golden-yellow eyes shimmered menacingly.

  Teeth bared.

  It growled

  Then launched itself into the air in a massive leap.

  ....

  Raven continued writhing in agony, until the pain suddenly began to fade.

  A chime rang inside his mind.

  Raven felt revitalized.

  Energy surged back into him. His wounds healed completely, no scars remained.

  He could feel it. New power coursed through his body. He was undeniably stronger than he had been just minutes ago.

  His profile had changed.

  His abilities had evolved.

  Even his title was different.

  He moved to inspect them—

  BOOM!

  Something crashed down from the sky like a falling star, sending snow and debris flying.

  At the center of the impact crater stood a dark-furred Were-vampire.

  Its golden-yellow eyes shifted from Raven...

  ...to the corpse of the fallen Were-vampire.

  It growled.

  Then,

  “Aaahwoooo!”

  With a single swipe of its arm, turbulent wind erupted.

  Raven was flung across the snow.

  He skidded to a stop and tried to rise.

  Then froze.

  Eyes wide.

  Mouth hanging open.

  The Were-vampire was devouring its dead counterpart.

  Bones crunched.

  Flesh tore.

  Blood smeared its maw.

  “It’s… cannibalizing?”

  Raven knew he had to escape, fast. Once it finished its meal, he would be next.

  This one was stronger. Far stronger than the one he’d just defeated.

  Then,

  Something felt off.

  His shadow felt… different.

  Almost alien.

  A grin slowly formed on the shadow’s face, near mischievous.

  Raven’s breath caught.

  He wasn’t smiling.

  The shadow was.

  Raven felt stunned.

  Unreal.

  His shadow had gained consciousness, capable of independent thought.

  He raised a hand.

  The shadow waved back.

  Raven scoffed softly.

  It felt as though he’d always had a companion, one who could only speak now.

  “You want a name, buddy?”

  The shadow nodded.

  “Alright… Since I’m Raven, I’ll call you Crow. You like it?”

  The shadow nodded again.

  ...

  A growl snapped them both back to reality.

  Golden-yellow eyes stared at them hungrily.

  In the blink of an eye,

  The beast was in front of him.

  Claw raised to strike

  CRASH!

  A massive dark mallet slammed into the Were-vampire, sending it flying.

  “Are you alright, Raven?” Saeyeon asked, walking up beside him.

  “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  Two dark portals opened in the air.

  Camila and Fenrir dropped out, landing hard in the snow.

  “A little warning would’ve been nice, Saeyeon,” Camila muttered.

  “Aaahwooo!”

  The Were-vampire charged again.

  “What an ugly looking thing,” Camila said flatly.

  Then more appeared.

  One.

  Three.

  Five.

  Soon, ten Were-vampires emerged, surrounding the four of them.

  “All of them are hostile,” Raven muttered.

  “Be careful,” Saeyeon warned. “These beasts possess multiple abilities and skills.”