Night settled over Lunareth like a silver blanket, soft and quiet. The elven city rarely slept, but it always rested peacefully. Lanterns glowed with gentle blue flames, and crystal towers shimmered under moonlight.
Shoko walked through one of the palace courtyards, hands in his pockets. He needed fresh air. His magic still pulsed inside him in ways he didn't fully understand. It felt like another heartbeat under his skin.
He stopped and looked up at the huge moon. "I have to control this," he whispered. "I can't let it control me."
A sudden crackle of energy snapped through the air.
Shoko froze.
The trees at the far end of the courtyard trembled. Birds exploded into the sky. A ripple of dark magic surged through the ground like a shockwave. Shoko's hair lifted slightly, reacting to the pressure.
This magic felt wrong.
It felt familiar.
He whispered, "The Hunter's… energy?"
Another crack sounded, louder this time, like a branch snapping under enormous weight.
Shoko took a step forward, then another. His heart raced, but his feet kept moving.
This was bravery. Not the lack of fear, but moving through it anyway.
A figure stumbled out from the trees. At first Shoko thought it was just an injured elf, but then he saw the jagged corruption crawling across their skin, veins turning black.
Dark magic.
The same kind Ariandel had warned him about.
The corrupted elf fell to their knees with a choked gasp. "Help… someone… run…"
Shoko ran toward them.
The corrupted elf shook violently. "It's coming… the creature… from the ruins… it followed us…"
Shoko's breath caught. Something huge moved in the darkness behind the trees.
Branches cracked.
A low growl echoed across the courtyard.
Shoko stepped in front of the elf.
His voice trembled, but he forced himself to speak. "You're safe. I'll protect you."
A pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the shadows.
Then the creature stepped out.
It was massive, easily twice Shoko's height. A body like a twisted wolf, but stretched and warped, as if someone had pulled the animal apart and stitched it with dark magic. Its fur shimmered with black mist. Its teeth dripped with corruption.
The beast snarled at Shoko.
Shoko swallowed hard. His entire body warned him to run, but he planted his feet.
"No," he told himself. "I won't run."
The threads inside him stirred.
The creature lunged at him.
Shoko's hands shot forward on instinct.
Threads erupted from his fingertips, dozens of silver lines that crossed and wove into a barrier. The beast smashed into it with a thunderous crash. The barrier bent but didn't break.
Shoko slid backward several feet, boots scraping across the stone.
He gritted his teeth. "I can hold it… I can hold it…"
The beast clawed at the barrier, tearing into the glowing threads. Shoko's arms shook under the pressure, but he didn't let go.
Footsteps rushed toward him.
"Shoko!" Ariandel's voice shouted.
Ariandel and Elyndra appeared at the courtyard entrance. Ariandel raised her staff instantly, magic flaring. Elyndra's eyes widened in shock as she saw the barrier Shoko was holding.
Ariandel shouted, "Get back!"
But Shoko didn't move.
"I can do it," he said. "I can handle this."
"Shoko, that creature is infused with corrupted mana. You cannot stand alone," Ariandel said, panic in her voice.
Shoko shook his head. "If I run from danger now, then everything I've worked for means nothing."
The beast slammed against the barrier again. Cracks formed in the glowing threads.
Shoko growled under his breath, forcing new threads outward, reinforcing the barrier.
Ariandel's eyes widened. "He is controlling that much at once…"
Elyndra whispered, "He's changed. Even his aura is different."
The creature snarled and leapt back, preparing a final attack.
Shoko breathed deeply and whispered to himself, "Brave… be brave…"
The moment the beast lunged again, Shoko released his barrier and sent his threads outward like a spear.
They wrapped around the creature's legs, chest, and neck. The beast roared, thrashing violently. Shoko dug his heels into the ground, veins bulging in his arms.
"I said… stop!"
His threads tightened, glowing brighter and brighter until they sliced into the corrupted mana coating the creature. Dark mist burst from the beast's wounds.
Ariandel raised her staff. "Shoko, hold it steady!"
Shoko shouted, "I've got it!"
She unleashed a burst of pure cleansing magic.
The blast struck the creature. It howled as the corruption evaporated from its body. Shoko's threads dissolved the last of the dark magic holding it together, and the beast collapsed, turning to ash.
Silence fell across the courtyard.
Shoko stood still, panting. His hands shook from exhaustion. Sweat dripped down his face, but his eyes stayed sharp.
Ariandel rushed over and grabbed his shoulders. "Shoko! Are you hurt?"
He shook his head. "I'm fine. Just tired."
Ariandel pulled him into a tight hug, surprising him. "Don't ever do that again. Not alone."
Shoko stiffened, then slowly relaxed in her embrace. "I'm sorry. I just… needed to prove it to myself."
Elyndra approached slowly, eyes filled with awe. "You didn't just prove something to yourself. You proved something to all of us."
Shoko looked down at his hands. The silver threads shimmered faintly, with that same new golden tint as before.
He whispered, "I felt something guiding me again."
Ariandel's expression shifted. "Guiding you?"
Shoko nodded. "Like… someone was helping me. Or teaching me."
Elyndra gasped softly. She recognized the pattern. The same pattern she saw in the story she remembered from her past life.
But she said nothing.
Shoko looked toward the moonlit trees. For a second, he thought he saw a faint, transparent silhouette watching him from afar.
Wings.
A masked face.
White and gold light.
Then it vanished.
Shoko whispered, "It's him again."
Ariandel placed a hand on his back. "Who?"
Shoko took a long breath and shook his head. "Someone I need to understand. Someone connected to my magic."
Ariandel pulled him close again. "Whatever is happening, you are not alone."
Elyndra nodded. "Not ever."
Shoko exhaled slowly.
He was trembling, but not from fear.
From excitement.
He had faced his first true battle.
And he had won.
The first thread of war had been woven.
And the masked figure was watching.
Waiting.