Chapter Nine: Step of Shadows
The chapter began in the heart of the Kingdom of Peace…
Specifically, inside the palace of King Frendg.
The king sat on his towering throne, carved from black stone and inlaid with silver. His features were rigid, as if sculpted from ancient rock. His eyes were sharp, bearing the weight of decisions that could only be made in moments of destiny.
Before him stood the advisor, bowing in respect.
The king spoke in a low, yet piercing voice:
“I have a plan… a plan that will benefit us in two ways. From the tournament… and in retrieving Enzo… and that sword. It might even succeed in capturing that man.”
The advisor lifted his head slightly. “What is it, Your Majesty?”
The king replied without hesitation:
“First… summon all the competitors who participated in the tournament. Even the ones who lost.”
The advisor froze for a moment. “All of them… Your Majesty?”
The king’s gaze sharpened. “Just summon them.”
“As you command.”
The advisor bowed and swiftly left the hall.
An hour passed… perhaps two.
The advisor returned and entered the hall once again.
“My king… they are all present. Except Blazer… and Enzo.”
The king remained silent for a brief moment, then said,
“Let them enter.”
The advisor raised his voice: “Enter!”
The six competitors stepped in together:
Sauden.
Rose.
Shikakern.
Shin.
Ray.
San.
They moved with measured steps and bowed on their knees in respect.
The king studied them long and hard, as if weighing their souls rather than their bodies.
Then he spoke in a grave voice, tinged with challenge:
“You six… I am sending you on a special mission. A mission that will determine your fate… instead of the tournament.”
A heavy silence fell.
“This is not a competitive round. Not a display of strength. It is a mission of rescue… and assessment. Each of you will be under observation.”
They exchanged glances.
The king continued:
“Death is present… in abundance.”
None of their faces flinched.
“You will be monitored through the Reflection Crystal. A special committee will report on each of you. I know you have trained. I know you have grown stronger. But true strength only reveals itself in the face of danger.”
He leaned forward slightly on his throne, his voice rising:
“You are from the Second Serwois Tribe. You are the children of the Kingdom of Peace. Defend it with your lives… just as it once defended you against the great kingdoms!”
Then he shouted:
“Are you ready?!”
They all answered in one voice, strong and unwavering:
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Silence fell again…
Broken by San, who asked with a faint smile,
“Where exactly are we heading, Your Majesty?”
The king looked at him directly.
“After tracking the monsters… and the man, it appears he has a laboratory… or an underground fortress. What lies within… unknown. Its secrets… unknown. You must head southeast.”
He added coldly:
“Anyone who obstructs your path… kill them.”
“Understood,” they said in unison.
“Move out immediately.”
They left the hall with steady steps.
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The advisor remained with the king.
“Do you not think you rushed, Your Majesty?”
The king gave a faint, almost invisible smile.
“No. I am putting them to the test. Danger reveals truth. Fear exposes what hides within them.”
Then he added in a lower voice:
“And I want to retrieve that boy… Enzo. I want to uncover the story of that sword. I suspect it is the Sacred Sword… and I want to know what that man hides from us.”
“And Blazer? And the sage?” asked the advisor.
“The cursed aura is being extracted from Blazer’s body using the sage’s device. It won’t take long, as I was told,” replied the advisor.
“Good. When it’s done… bring him to me,” said the king firmly.
The scene shifted to the path of the mission.
The six walked southeast. The land grew more barren, the air heavier.
Shikakern spoke with overconfidence.
Sauden remained silent.
Ray observed everything.
Shin followed behind.
Rose watched the skies.
San smiled quietly.
Rose suddenly spoke without looking at them:
“I’ll activate my aura… to analyze the area.”
Then she glanced at Sauden:
“Focus on close-range defense. We don’t know what may appear.”
“No problem,” he replied briefly.
They continued on their path.
The scene shifted… to the mysterious man.
He sat on a stone chair in a dark underground chamber. Black candles surrounded him, their shadows writhing on the walls like living creatures.
He chuckled slowly, low and deliberate.
“So… they’ve come to retrieve the boy.”
He raised his head slightly.
“Cursed is the King Frendg…”
His laughter echoed through the depths.
Back to the team:
Ray stopped atop a rocky hill. The others stayed behind him.
“Do you see this land?” he asked.
“Yes,” they replied.
“Beneath it… lies the hiding place of that man.”
A moment of silence.
“We are now in a real battle. We do not know how many monsters he has. Each of you knows the destruction a single one can cause.”
Their gazes sharpened.
“Each monster possesses a different power. The place we enter… is mysterious, for a mysterious man.”
Ray, calm yet aware of the danger, asked:
“Are you ready?”
“Yes!” came the unified reply.
They leapt from the hill as one.
They approached a massive cave opening that led deep underground.
Upon entering, at first, everything seemed normal…
Their footsteps echoed across the damp stone floor. Their breaths bounced off the deep walls. The air was cold, but not enough to alarm them.
Then—
A change in sensation.
No sound…
No wind…
Even the drops of water from the ceiling stopped.
Ray raised his hand in a signal for silence.
Shikakern muttered:
“What now—”
But he didn’t finish.
From the darkness behind, above, and beneath…
Six small black masses separated from the void.
They didn’t walk.
They didn’t crawl.
They slid across the void.
In an instant—
Each latched onto one of them. Small, featureless, eyeless… a smooth black surface that absorbed light.
Sauden tried to pull his off—
But it felt weightless.
Rose tried to analyze its aura—
But found none.
Shin stepped back—
And in the next moment…
The world vanished.
It was not gradual.
Not a fading awareness.
But a sharp cut from reality.
Sauden opened his eyes.
A stone chamber enclosed him.
High walls, no windows.
A rough floor.
No apparent door.
He breathed slowly.
He looked at the black creature clinging to his shoulder.
He reached out—
Grabbed it—
And crushed it.
It made no sound.
It did not scream.
It turned to black dust… then disappeared.
But he felt something.
A faint tremor in the walls.
In another chamber—
Rose stood in the center.
The room was circular, the ceiling high.
The inscriptions on the walls slowly moved, as if observing her.
She looked at the creature attached to her arm.
“You are not a transport… you are a key,” she whispered.
She released a precise pulse from her aura—
And the creature silently exploded.
The inscriptions on the wall glowed for a brief moment.
Shin was breathing rapidly.
“No… no… no…”
The room was too narrow.
The ceiling too low.
The black creature began to move over the floor.
He screamed and grabbed it with both hands—
And slammed it repeatedly until it disintegrated.
He sat panting.
Then a sound.
A knock. From behind the wall.
Shikakern laughed:
“You separated us?! Even better!”
He tore his creature apart with his bare hands, as if it were cloth.
The ground beneath him cracked slightly.
“Come then!”
Ray didn’t move immediately.
He observed.
The black creature pulsed slowly, like a small heart.
“Isolation mechanism… individual test,” he said quietly.
He pressed two fingers on it—
And it disintegrated without resistance.
At the same moment…
A thin line appeared on the wall ahead.
San…
Smiled.
“So, this is how you want to start…”
He observed the creature longer than the others.
“You do not scare me.”
Then he released a short burst of energy—
Tearing the creature into black shards that evaporated into the air.
The darkness in his room… deepened.
And at that very moment—
In all the rooms…
A door appeared.
Not an ordinary door.
A fleshy, stone-like mass… opening slowly, as if it were a mouth opening for the first time in centuries.
Air heavier than the shadow itself poured out.
Steps.
Grinding sounds.
Breaths not human.
Sauden drew his weapon.
Rose closed her eyes briefly, analyzing the incoming presence.
Shikakern grinned savagely.
Shin froze… but did not run this time.
Ray planted his foot firmly.
San tilted his head slightly, curiosity overcoming caution.
And from each door…
Something different entered.
In Sauden’s room:
A tall, armless creature, its body covered with slowly spinning bone blades.
In Shikakern’s room:
A massive beast, nearly filling the chamber, its skin stony and its eyes glowing with blood.
In Ray’s room:
A calm, steady being, holding a black sword almost identical to Enzo’s.
In Rose’s room:
The door opened slowly…
A massive spider-like creature, black, made of interwoven human bones.
Eight long legs dug into the ground, each ending with a sharp claw.
In the center… a human face without skin.
Eyes wide open, unblinking.
From its mouth came a soft whisper:
“I see you…”
It moved with sudden speed, climbing walls, disappearing into shadows.
It did not attack directly.
It vanished… then reappeared behind her.
Rose’s room became a hunting ground.
In Shin’s room:
The darkness weighed heavier.
A tall, thin creature emerged. Limbs unnaturally long.
Its head tilted at an unnatural angle.
Featureless face… except for two small glowing red eyes.
Suddenly—
Its mouth split open entirely, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
It let out a piercing scream that cut through Shin’s ears.
It lunged at him with unnatural speed, moving on all fours at times, on two legs at others.
The room didn’t feel smaller, yet the distance between him and the monster vanished instantly.
In San’s room:
The ground shook violently.
A massive beast, larger than Shikakern’s, emerged.
Its body covered in thick black armor, like living metal.
Four enormous arms, each ending with claws the size of a human head.
Its head resembled a dragon’s… but wingless.
Its yellow eyes glowed.
It stood before San.
Then—
It slammed the ground with its fist.
The entire chamber shook.
The floor cracked beneath San’s feet.
The monster did not speak.
It did not roar.
It merely bent slightly…
Then charged forward with immense force, smashing stone in its path.
This was no test of mind.
No internal fear.
This was direct combat against a beast beyond size and strength.
The depths trembled.
Far away…
The mysterious man smiled.
“Let’s see… how many steps you can take in the shadow.”
End of Chapter Nine
