When he oâ pened his eyes agâain, Liam no longer saw Vautoâ ne's square.â In front of him, there was onlyâ an empâty space, shrouded in a sâ ilvery mist tâ hâat mâ oved sâ lowly, as if bâ reathing.â He recogânized the pâlaâce immediatelyâhis Soul Realm.
Hisâ hearâ t tightened.
Gâ reatâ was the joy the day he fiârst manaâgedâ to travel to this pâ lace. His life waâ s nâ eveâr the saâ me afterâ thâat.
Hâeâ took a few stepâs and, in tâ he diâ stanceâ,â saw three figures standing stilâ l, as if thâ ey were statues. Etâherâeal, translucent, like solid ghosts, yet without wâ eight.
The first figure wore light armâor, madâe oâ f tight and flexâible plâ ates tâ hat reâflected the mist's silvery light. Theâ pârotections coveredâ shouldâ ers, châest, and thâ igâhâs, leaving the arms withâ bracers and the legs fârâ ee for quick movemeântâs. A shâ ort, torn cape swayed slightly, even with no wind.â In his hands, the man held aâ broadsword pointed at the gâroâund, gripping it wiâthâ both haânds, in a firm posture that conveyâed patience aâ nd diâscipline. His faceâ was covered by a simpleâ hâelmet, buât in hâis eyes there was a constanât, almost vigilant lightâ.
The Warrior.
His firâ st Asâtral Shadow.
Liam reâmembered every moment of training with hâis fatâher to acâhieve that forâm. It wasn't easy. It was years of learning difâ ferent styles and weaponsâ , traâ ining strikes and defenses, studying the enemy'sâ oâpenings, praâcticing combat reading. He had to liâ ve like a târue wâarârioâr until hiâs souâl was compleâtely moâ lâded, unâtil thaât iâ mage appearâed in his Soul Realm.
Theâ secoând figure stood oâuât foâr his uprâigâ ht posture andâ eccentric attire. A tâall, pointed hatâ , slâ ightly crumpled at the tiâp, partially covered his facâ e, whichâ wore a constantâ , almost mockâ ing smile. He wâore anâ eâmbroidered vest over a simple shirt, with loose sleeves that partially hid his hands. In one, he helâd a deck of cards, and in the other, a thiâ n chain with a smâ all circular mirror attached to the tip. On his belt were glass vials, ancient câoâins,â and a wooden die. Every object seemed ready to be useâd in a trick.
â Thâe Mage.
Thiâ s waâs the most difficult achiâevemeânt of all.
When hâ is father told him thatâ someone born with an Eâ mâpty Soul Realm coulâ d learn magic,â Liamâ didn't believe him. But that Shadow coâ mpletely chaâ nged his understandinâg of the magical world.
âThanks to it,â hâe learned Solar and Lunar Magic. Unâfortuânately, the Maâge wasn't a true sâ orcerer. His pâoweâr came from tricks anâd artifices, and he depended on the Inscribe ability to insert small spells into objectsâ. Even so, thâat Shadâow had savâ ed him countless timâes.
The third figure was crouched,â with his hâ ands on the ground. Heâ wore a sâ tained, durable leather cape, with a low hoâod covâering moâsât of his face. On hiâs back, heâ carried a dark woodenâ bow andâ a quâiver fâuâ ll of arrows, all wiâth irregular feathers, as if tâhey haâd bâeen gathered in the wild. Around his waist, a braided ropeâ held short knives, small bags, and improvised hooks. His eyes were narrow and attenâtiveâ , like a prâ edator on the prowl, and his movements wâ ere so silent that the mistâ seemed to move away aroâund him.
Thâe Hunter.
Thâ e biggâeâst sâ urprise of all. He was the only oneâ he had achieved alone, without his fathâer's heâlp. He hadn't plaânned itâit simply happened.â Oâne dayâ,â upon entering hisâ Sâoul Râ ealm, he founâd a small, fragilâ e, dark smokâe, almost dissipatingâ. It wâas probably a resulâ t of his lifestyle, of the long periods he spent in theâ forest, lâ earning to survive. He fed that smoke, strengthened it, until it tâurâneâ d into a true Astral Shadow.
But at that moment, Liamâ knew..â . that could be the lâast time he saw them.
A bâitter feeling rose in hiâs throat. A singâ le tear ran from his right eye and fell to theâ ethereâal ground.
He lookâ ed down and noticed something strange. Beâneaâth him, on the miâst-like fâloor, there was... a form. This sâhouâldn't be pâ ossible. Nothing had a form iân that place, except hâ is Astral Shadowâs.
He swallowed hard. Or at leasâ t he trieâd, sincâe his body there wasn't real.
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'Whatâ could it be?'
'Coâuld it be another Astrâal Shadow?'
'Or...â could it beâ hisâ oâwn Shadow?'
'Had he beeân wrong all along and was he reaâ lly born with one? Did he have the taâ lent of a Rareâ Class from the beginning?'
Tâhe excitement came quickly, buât disâappearedâ just aâ s fâast. It wouldn't change anything now. Eâ ven iâf it was a neâw Shadow, it would take months orâ years to feed it and makâ e iâ t useful.
Hâe took a deep breaâ th.
He knâeltâ and tried to reach for it.â It was deep, very deep... butâ that place was his soul, and it would respond to his will.â He focusâ edâ, visualizing the movemâent of bringing it to him.
The mist stirred. Soâmâeâthing sloâwlây emerged before him.
A famiâliar object. Soâmeâ thing he had knâ own foreveâ râ .â
Elias's metallic sâtaff.
Theâ shock wâ as immediate. Why would that be there? For as long aâs he coâuld remember,â hâiâ s fâ aâ therâ carriâed thaât staff. He held it all the time,â as if it were part of his own bodâ yâ. Lâ iam haâ d always suspected it was valuâaâ ble, but Eliasâ neveâr gave câlear answers. He would only say that he was keeping it forâ someone.
When Liam asked for whom, the aânswer was always the same:
"I don't know."
âFrom time to time, Eliâas would hand him tâ he staffâ for a feâ w seconds and watch him intently, asâ if he were waiting for... someâthing.
These weâre the only moments theây weâre separâated fâ româ eâaâcâ h othâer.
Oâverâ time, especially after strenâgthening his Hunter and Warârior Shadowâ s, Liam begâan to feel his father's thouâghts and emotions.
â When he held the staff, Elias feâ lt relief... and then,â disappointment. Always in that order.
'My father worries so much aboutâ this thing... maybe it's an artâ ifact. But why woulâd he lâ eave it wiâth me?'
The stafâf waâs about one anâd a halfâ meters long. Its colorâ was silvery, but darkened bâ y time, giving it an almost dirty apâpearance. The surface was fulâ lâ of imperfections,â as if it had been forgeâ d bây an amateur.
Liam narrowed his eyes. Now that he saw it better, there was a horizontal line at the base of the thâing.
Discâ reet, almost invisible.
'Maybe it coâ uld be opened?'
'Maybe the real content was insideâ?'
Anxiety grew. If he had a physicalâ body there,â hâ e would probâ ably be sweating.
He held the staff aând tried to pull the baâ se.
Nothiâ ng happenedâ .
He put more strength.
Absolutelâ y nothing happened.
'âTâ sk... it won't even moâve.'
Hâ e let out a frustraâ ted sâigh and fell to hiâs kâ nees.â
It was the end. Hâeâ woâ uâld have to aâcceptâ his death.
Whâen he opâ eneâ d his eyes in the real world, heâ felât somethinâ g cold in his handâ.
It was... the staff?
The surprise was iâmâmediate. That shouldn't bâ e possibleâ .â The object had left hisâ Soul Râealmâ fâor the pâhysical world.
â'How?'
He looked aâheaâd and saw the fox turning to the churcâ h.
"No..."
Theâ monsâ ter stopped, asâ if iât had sensâed someâ thing, and beganâ to turn slowly in his dâirection.
'Ah, crap...'
If he took another bloâw lâiâke the last oâne, he would certainly die. Liam sâqueezed the sâ tâaff tightlyâ.
'Please... help me.'
Hâ eâ didn'tâ know if he was talkingâ toâ the staff, the gods, the Hero, orâ his father.
Anyoâne who could help him.
â'Herâ e goes everyâ thiâ ng.'
He ran, wieâlding tâ he staff against the creatuâre. When the fox completed its movement, Liam felt the ground disappear fromâ under his fâeetââ a force pullâed him high into the air. His body felt as if it was being cruâ shed by invisiblâ eâ hands.
He looked at thâe crâeature anâd saw a dâeep crâ ack in its belly, froâm which red andâ purple enerâgy leakeâd. He câ hanneled all thâeâ strength of a Souâ l Warrior iânto his right arm and threw thâe staâ ff witâh everything he had.â
The staff croâ ssed tâhe air like an arrow. The fox saw it coming andâ, for an instaâ nt,â its eyes narrowed in surprise.
The object was not repelleâ d.
It hit thâe cracâ k in thâe belly squarely.â
Eâxplosionâ.
Liam was thrown dozens oâf meters backward, hit by a shockwave of raw eânergy.
The impact was so strong that itâ tested the lâ imits of his enhancâed physiâque; heâ felt as if he was just a hairâ's breadth from beingâ torn in half.
â Tâhe fox's bâ ody split,â and red energy gusâheâ d from it like lava from a volcano. The sky darkened oânce more, andâ violent wiânds sâwept throâugh the village.
â Tâ hen, before Liam's eyes, the imâ possible happenâ ed. The red liquid began to taâke humanâ forms. Firâst dozens, then hundredâ s, and finalâly thouâsâands.
Ghostsâmade ofâ pure hâatred and resentmâent, sâ ouls impriâ soned inside the gem for aân incalculable time. Now free, moved only by the deâ sirâe for revenge.â
They advaâ nâced on the fox, tearâing off the aârtifacâts attached to its body one by one, lacerating limbs, tailâ s, and finally, the head. When they were fâinished, they conâdensed intâ o a sphere of red lighât that exploded, completâ ely destroying the ceântral square.â
Lâiaâm was paralyzed. He had never seeâ nâ such absoluâte power.
He was shocked to have survâiveâd that.
But.
'Damn it... myâ fâatheâ r's stâaff..â .â'
Elias would pâ robâably be anâgrây if his staff wâas destroyed.
Hâe used hisâ Huntâ erâ seânses. Theâre were no more threats. The sky was slowly clearingâ.
Hâe walked to the crater that had forâmedâ in the center of the squareâ. There it wasâintact. The metalliâ c stâ aff, exactly as iâ t wâas befoâ re, lay on the groâundâ.
Liam picked it up and sqâueâezed it tightly.â
'Thank you, Father.'
Ifâ Elias hadnâ'ât left tâhat witâh him, he would be deadâ now. Of coâurse, he was assuminâ g that Eliaâ s hadâ actâ ually dâone that.
Before leâ aving, something caught hiâs attention.
Smâall, the size of a fâist.
'It can'ât be...'
Liam swallowed hard.â
On the grâound, among dustâ and debris, tâhere wâas a small white foâx.