The top-tier energy gem Rostova handed over matched a baseball's bulk, yet its value crushed five years of Leon's household income combined.
He looked at it beneath the dim glow of the lab's ceiling bulbs, as if gripping something ready to blow any second now.
"Well?" Rostova stood across the training mat, arms crossed. "You going to absorb it or just look at it lovingly?"
Leon shot her a look. "Last time I absorbed a crystal, my roommate thought I was dying of food poisoning."
"Then absorb it here. Where I can monitor."
Okay. Since watching his insides get fixed by a crowd sounded just perfect.
He sat with legs crossed, holding the crystal to his chest. Then breathed in deep. Yet stayed still.
Then let his Shadow Core absorb it.
The feeling hit fast, then hard. Power surged through him, bursting in like a cracked levee, wild stuff he sucked down without thinking. Sparks fired up inside, shifting gears, pulling it all together, changing shape.
[ ABSORBING HIGH-GRADE ENERGY CRYSTAL... ]
[ CORE CAPACITY EXPANDING... ]
[ 47/100 → 89/100 ]
[ SHADOW ENERGY: 15 out of 100 jumps to 32 out of 100 ]
"Fascinating." Rostova's voice seemed distant. "Your shadow is moving independently. That's not normal, even for Shadow-types."
Leon stood speechless. As the crystal melted into bright rays, it slipped through his palms filling his chest with a burning glow.
His [Shadow Step] flickered to life….
[ SHADOW STEP: LV. 1 → LV. 2 ]
[ RANGE BOOSTED FROM 5M TO 15M ]
[ Cooldown cut from 30 seconds down to just 15 ]
[ ESSENCE PRICE: 10 now drops to 8 ]
The crystal broke into tiny pieces. Then Leon dropped down, catching himself on both palms. Everything got blurry for a sec. The dark corners in the room seemed changed thicker, somehow pulling him in. Kinda felt like they were openings waiting, just there if he dared move closer.
"Vale. Focus." Rostova's boot tapped his shoulder. "Don't let the power overwhelm you. Core expansion causes temporary disorientation. Breathe."
He took a breath. Then everything started feeling steady again.
"How do you feel?"
"Like I drank lightning. Then got hit by a truck. Made of more lightning."
"Poetic." She offered her hand. Pulled him up. "You just absorbed in twenty minutes what takes most F-Ranks three months. Your core efficiency is abnormal. Extremely abnormal."
Leon stayed quiet. What was there to even reply? Sure, it's a mind-twisting setup stuck to my core. Totally ordinary, right?
Rostova studied him for a long moment. "The things moving in the shadows, Vale. The ones I mentioned before. They're not just watching anymore. They're testing. Probing. And you" she pointed at him, "you're like a beacon to them. Whatever power you have, they want it."
"What do you mean 'want it'?"
"The Evernight Alliance doesn't just kill. They collect. Vampires create thralls. Lycans build packs. And the truly ancient ones? They take what makes you special and make it theirs."
Her expression changed. "There's a reason powerful awakeners disappear near the borders. The Federation calls them casualties. We know better."
Leon's blood ran cold. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because when they come for you and i know they will, you need to be ready. Strong enough to fight. Smart enough to survive." She walked to a weapons rack, pulled down two practice swords. Tossed him one. "Now show me what you learned in that dungeon. Full combat assessment. Don't hold back."
They practiced together for a couple of hours.
Rostova ranked C-level. Tough through years of fights, no hesitation in her moves. Not one attack lacked sharp focus - each hit drove hard, despite using dull steel.
Leon threw it all at her - his [Analysis] reading her moves, [Lesser Agility] helping him shift quick, [Shadow Step] bailing him out when she boxed him in. Yet she adjusted quicker than practice bots ever did. Hit hard whenever he slipped. Used every pause against him.
He lost. Repeatedly.
Once more," she'd mutter - each moment. Not just once, but always right after.
Leon was nearly done for by the finish. Though his stamina had improved, letting him push through, pain still hit hard - like fire in his bones. Still, he dragged on, each step sharp, heavy, raw.
"Better." Rostova wasn't even breathing hard. "You're learning to fight smart instead of desperate. But you still hesitate before using your shadow abilities. That hesitation will get you killed."
"I'm trying to...."
"Hide? Too late for that. Half the instructors know something's off about you. Damian Horne's father has been asking questions. And the Federation's Intelligence Division has your name flagged."
She sat on a training bench, gestured for him to join. "The only way forward is through. Get stronger. Faster. Become too valuable to disappear."
"And if I can't?"
"Then you run. Far and fast. Take your family and vanish into the outer territories." Her voice went quiet. "I've helped others do it. When the alternative was worse."
The weight dropped onto Leon's back. Because she'd sneaked folks across borders - saved them before the Federation could act. No one knew the count. Or how regularly it happened.
"Why do you stay?" Leon asked. "If you hate what they do?"
"Because someone needs to be here. To catch the ones falling through the cracks. To give kids like you a fighting chance." She stood. "Now go. You've got class in six hours. Try to sleep."
Leon dragged himself into his room around two a.m. Luckily, Chen wasn't awake but his datapad kept flashing like crazy.
Three messages.
ELARA: Hey, you alright? Last time I spotted you was at med check. Tomorrow's session is Combat Theory. Word is Kovacs isn't happy.
Mom says your siblings are thinking of you. When you get a sec, give them a ring. She's got your back.
Unknown caller: Nice work out there in Shadow Grove. Let's chat - DH
DH. Damian Horne.
What on earth was he after?
Leon wiped the message away. No big deal anyway. Let Damian take a hike.
He opened the system menu right away.
[ LEON VALE - LEVEL 1 ]
[ SHADOW CORE: AWAKENED ]
[ CORE ENERGY: 89/100 ]
[ SHADOW ESSENCE: 32/100 ]
[ STATS: ]
STR: 11 (+3)
AGL: 17 (+5)
END: 9 (+3)
INT: 10
[ SKILLS: ]
• Shadow Extraction (Lv.1)
• Shadow Step (Lv.2)
• Lesser Agility (Passive)
• Eyes of the Night (Passive)
• Analysis (Passive)
[ QUEST: PATH OF SHADOW ]
PROGRESS: 6/10 SHADOWS EXTRACTED
[ WARNING: FOREIGN OBSERVATION DETECTED ]
[ MASKING PROTOCOL: ACTIVE ]
One final heads-up. He's out there - still keeping an eye... just biding his time.
Leon shut down the screen. Then he lay there, hoping to drift off.
Failed.
He stayed up instead, eyes open, watching his shadow stretch across the ceiling. Not quite right - too long for the dim glow around him. Creeping slowly into spots where night felt heavier. Sliding where blackness gathered most.
His phone vibrated, video call waiting. It was his mom calling, outta nowhere.
He nearly left it ringing. She shouldn't catch him this way - drained, jumpy, not himself. Still, shame pushed through.
Her face showed up on the display - worn, yet grinning. Back there, the two kids bickering over some little thing.
"Leon! You look terrible."
"I'm serious. Are you eating? Sleeping?"
"Academy's intense. I'm managing."
She smiled. "Your father wants to talk later. Something about training advice. And the girls made you something, hold on..."
The twins popped into view, pushing their faces close. While one waved the drawing, the other grinned sideways. A messy sketch showed Leon battling some creature. Behind him, tiny people - meant to be relatives - jumped around happily.
"It's you being a hero!" Maya announced.
"We're gonna hang it in our room," Lily added. "So everyone knows our brother's awesome."
"Thanks, guys. I love it."
They chatted another ten minutes. Nothing special. Talk about classes. What's up at school. Her mom's fresh gig. How Dad's rehab is going. Just everyday things, moving forward even though he's gone.
Once the call was over, Leon noticed how far apart they really were. She stayed in a place that's calm, everyday, real. He stuck to his side, dark corners, hidden truths, stuff staring from beyond.
He had no way to turn around. So he kept moving ahead.
His shadow grew farther along the wall.
[ INTEGRATION PROGRESS: 96% ]
Close to done. No matter what it was, he'd almost turned into it.
In that far-off throne room beyond time, the crowned person shifted closer - keeping an eye out, every single moment.
"Growing stronger, little heir. Good. You'll need it."
The glow vanished. Yet the alert stayed.
Something was coming.
Leon didn't know at all whether he'd be prepared by then.