ã€ŠShadow Incidentsã€‹


 Prologue

    When a human is born a shadow follows. From the day of their birth until the day of their passing, the shadow would always stay by the persons¡¯ side.

    But when a human dies¡ª Does it follow the vessel¡¯s soul to the afterlife? Or does it stay behind like the vessel that remains in the mortal plane¡­presume the latter if you will.

    A shadow left behind without their owner, where shall they go? If you say a living body then you¡¯re correct. When the human is at its lowest, a new shadow enters¡­

    ¡°What''s this?¡± the shadow thought to itself.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°I''m not alone in this body. There¡¯s two of us¡­ I must help this new vessel of mine.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What''s happening, am I doing it wrong?¡±

    The shadow, not knowing what to do, only worsens the human''s emotions; Leading them into further despair. Making them have foolish thoughts that''ll lead to their eventual downfall.

    When a shadow takes over a living body, one could say the human''s thought process is demented and follows nothing but instinct. Afterall there''s no way there could be room for two shadows on one''s body.

    Does the vessel follow the shadow? or the shadow follows the vessel. When the leader is weak, followers should take the lead.

    A world where the shadow of the dead finds a home, are they truly wicked? or are they just seeking a place to live?

 Chapter 1: Sudden Appearance

    ¡°I¡¯m free!¡±

    Finally after the  long struggle of continuous school work and projects, I can finally take a break and rest easy starting today.

    My name is Katsuragi Yuko, and today is the 3rd of March, my birthday!.

    I bought a really expensive cake today! It¡¯s a mango cake filled with vanilla frosting and garnished with cream and mangoes. I¡¯m finally able to treat myself after a long month''s work without feeling guilty of the price of this cake. I can finally taste the fruits of my labour¡­

    This is my first time buying a cake for myself, my parents died when I was only 9 years old. After that I needed to live for myself and grow up faster than most kids. I was forced to leave our apartment and was placed in an orphanage. The orphanage was kind enough to give me a place to stay, but I didn¡¯t really like the way they do things around there, so I ran away when I was 11 years old.

    Luckily enough a kind lady took me in and gave me a place to stay for a few years. But due to an unfortunate accident my adoptive parent died. It was a hard time for us back then. My adoptive parent has a daughter who works abroad. She was kind enough to become my guardian on paper so I wouldn¡¯t have to go back to the orphanage.

    She helped me take back my parents'' apartment. Aunt Hanako, our neighbour and also a friend of my parents, took care of me when I returned to our old home. She has a son named Takuya, whom I''m good friends with growing up. Whenever I needed help she would always be there for me. But of course I can¡¯t always depend on her, so I took some jobs here and there to support myself. She would always nag at me for working at such a young age but I guess she eventually stopped because I was too insistent.

    Now I¡¯m in my last week of being a high school student, I will soon graduate and start looking for a real job. Well, going to college is also an option, but I don¡¯t really have the money to pay for it by myself, I wouldn¡¯t want to trouble my guardian and aunt Hanako, especially now I¡¯m 18 years old, I¡¯m sure they would understand.

    ¡°This cake looks really delicious, I better go home fast..¡±

    I was walking on a rather busy street. It was a bright and sunny afternoon, I just got out of school and the weather is too perfect for me to not enjoy. I was carrying a really expensive cake that I saved up for a week. I can¡¯t wait to share it with my friends.

    I strolled down the busy street whilst shading my eyes from the harsh sun in its usual spot, shining with all its might. The birds happily chirped under the cool shade of the cherry blossom trees with their petals gently fluttering in the afternoon breeze and carried the sweet scent of my freshly bought mango cake. I closed my eyes for a brief moment to take in the peaceful atmosphere, the calmness and stillness of the moment almost felt like a dream.

    It was going fine until I opened my eyes and saw two shadow-like hands emerging from the shade of the trees. It was flailing around, attempting to grab passersby left and right. It was something that is definitely not normal. I was aghast that no one seemed to notice five squirming and almost transparent black looking hands emerging from the shadows.

    I quickly looked around hoping to see if someone else also noticed the bizarre hands, but no one seems to be aware of the situation. I was confused, Why am I the only one who seemed to notice it? Am I hallucinating? Questions had flooded in my head and I needed answers. I stared intently at the shadow hands and one hand managed to catch one of the feet of a passerby, the shadow-like hands looked like it was pulled out from the ground up. The emerging shadow was in the shape of a tall lanky figure, then it fuse itself unto the unknowing man.

    ¡°I cannot sweep that under the rug!¡±

    My curiosity had already reached its peak, I followed the man whom a shadow just merged into, completely forgetting the fact that I wanted to get home early. I followed him for about two minutes and for a second time I again came across a similar situation. A shadow caught the leg of a passerby woman and merged with her. I got distracted, I wanted to also follow the woman but following the man was something I decided on first.

    I continued following the man while taking a mental note on what the woman looked like. I turned back to face the man but he¡¯s already gone. I quickly ran to the direction where I last saw him. I caught up to the man and found him entering a murky looking street. It¡¯s definitely a street you¡¯d normally avoid entering, I stared in the distance, looking at the man as he entered the grey-tinted alleyway.

    ¡°Yuko,¡± I thought to myself. ¡°Perhaps our curiosity shouldn''t always come first.¡± I whispered trying to stop myself from continuing to follow the man. But it was too late, before I decided on what to do, my feet had already gone ahead and entered the suspicious street.

    The atmosphere was foggy and humid. It was littered with empty boxes and fallen trash bins that was creating a putrid smell. Part of me wanted to just turn back and pretend nothing had happened. I was having second thoughts but I decided to trust my gut and follow him..

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    He was already ahead of me so I had to run to catch up. But as soon as I started running I heard a deathly scream coming from upfront. I rushed to where the sound came from and people started running from behind who were minding their own business just a second ago. Not a moment later the street was packed with curious passersby who wanted to see what just happened. When the fog cleared the curious crowd let out a simultaneous gasp. The man I was following up till now has attacked an innocent beggar with a knife. Just from looking at the crime scene, the whole situation wasn''t planned. The man just attacked the beggar by just being unfortunate enough to be there. It didn''t make sense. Why would a nicely dressed man, wearing a business suit just go to a gloomy street and suddenly attack someone out of nowhere. While still being overwhelmed by what just happened, I noticed that the man was emitting a dark aura outside him.

    ¡°The shadow!¡±.

    I gasped with the realisation that it was the emerging shadow¡¯s doing. I hurried my way out of the crowd and sprinted towards the woman¡¯s direction. The woman whom I saw had the same case as the first man. I darted street by street looking for the woman with the shadow. I took a quick turn at the last street and finally saw a familiar figure. It''s the woman I was after. She didn''t look weird by any means, she looked normal, no dark aura in sight. I tried to compose myself and approached the woman, but not a moment later a huge force just struck the ground, like a giant boulder just crashed right before the woman.

    I was shielding my eyes from the dusty wind whilst taking a peek of what just happened. Instead of running away or giving an audible gasp, the woman was silent, she acted as if the surge of wind that just passed by her was nothing and carried on with her day. I was more confused than shocked.

    But forget that. What was that?  What just crashed before her? I stood in shock, speechless even.I took a step back afraid of what was about to emerge from the dust.

    Before us stood a staggering 20ft. tall Sapphire Dragon adorned with beautiful jewel accessories embedded on its armour. I was standing in awe, admiring the beautiful dragon in front of me.

    There was a man riding the dragon who was tall and rather good looking. He looked  pale and seemed close to my age. His hair is split in blue and grey. On one of his ears sparkled a small earring embedded with a deep blue crystal. He wore a neatly tied high ponytail with a braid on the side, hanging on his braid was a glowing dark blue orb with the same colour as his eyes. He was wearing an odd set of clothing, he wore a leather armour with gold linings. Below his armour was a flowy white buttoned down long sleeve, and a piece of light yellow scarf he used as a sash.

    As soon as I got a hold of the situation, the odd looking man already jumped off his dragon and landed in front of the woman who didn''t notice his appearance and continued on her way. The odd looking man clutched his waist, with his belt holding a scabbard with it being a ¡­katana?

    ¡°Hold up!¡± I came back to my senses. The odd man pulled out the katana from its sheet and quickly made a big swing at the woman¡¯s neck.

    ¡°STOP!¡± I yelled at the top of my lungs.

    But it was too late, his katana had hit the woman¡¯s neck. Afraid of what I might witness, I closed my eyes. But what happened next was more than shocking. Instead of her head flying away, she was looking behind her back, she looked directly at me, looking PERFECTLY fine! She¡¯s now staring at me¡ªno, Everyone in the street is staring at me like I¡¯m crazy.

    I realised that I was the only one who saw the giant dragon sitting in the middle of the road and a woman almost getting her neck sliced in half.

    I tried to think of a way to cover up the embarrassment at the moment, all eyes were on me and I stood there still overwhelmed with emotions.

    ¡°Oh.. haha wrong person..¡±

    I was never good at theatre but this might be my best performance yet! The whole street just shrugged and carried on with their life. Without questioning why I just screamed like that.

    "You... "

    The odd man whispered with a puzzled yet suspicious look on his face.

    I bolted away, I don''t know what I just witnessed but I''m not ready to be a part of that. My curiosity once again failed me and I needed to escape fast!  I couldn''t think of a way to escape the situation and make it seem like it was nothing, so I just ran the opposite way.

    That didn''t work out because the odd guy quickly got down from his dragon and chased after me. I quickly made a left turn onto a crowded street and bumped into someone. I quickly picked up her fallen bag, I couldn''t think much about it at the moment. I''m more concerned about the odd looking man who¡¯s about to kill me because I saw him. I was in a hurry, for a moment I thought that person¡¯s hands were unnaturally white, but I was too busy running so I didn''t think more about it.

    I have no idea what just happened, I don''t know what wrong I did, but the look on that guy''s face was enough for me to know that I should stay away from him. It''s as if I just saw something illegal.

    I ran for a while and noticed I wasn''t being chased anymore, I had a sigh of relief and walked to a nearby convenience store. I thought I should wait it out in case I''m still being followed. But as soon as I was about to enter, a huge gust of wind blew everything and next thing I know I''m being carried by a dragon four times my size!! The dragon carried me as if I was its food in its massive claws. I tried my best to stay calm because I know I shouldn''t do anything to make that dragon want to drop me.

    The dragon flapped its massive wings and we were instantly zooming 50 ft above ground. I looked up and called for the dragon¡¯s rider, the odd man just looked back at me and tried to say something, I didn¡¯t quite hear it because of the strong wind but it sounded important. I stayed still hoping not to get on the dragon¡¯s bad side, she might drop me so that¡¯s not good.

    How did I know the dragon is a she? Well if you¡¯re getting carried by a dragon 600ft. up in the air, you¡¯re bound to look up right?

 Chapter 2: A Family

    ¡°Put me down!!¡± I yelled at the top of my lungs.

    If I make any more movements, I know the dragon will drop me without hesitation.

    I tried my best to get a glance at the odd man¡¯s face without moving my lower half but failed miserably because of the strong wind blasting against my face.

    Finally the dragon slowed down and the odd man finally said something¡­ It was faint.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡° Wait why¡ª-¡° I yelped.

    Before I could finish my sentence the dragon threw me mid air and barrelled below me. I was too stunned to even move but somehow landed safely on top of the dragon, just behind its rider.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± He asked.

    ¡°...Yuko¡± I mumbled, trying to get a sense of the situation.

    ¡°Haruki¡± replied the odd man and proceeded to stay silent for a while.

    I expect Haruki to be his name.

    I looked around in a daze. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I thought to myself.

    Panic started to kick in and I was feeling butterflies in my stomach. I was finally getting a hold of the situation.

    The dragon flew higher and higher and I realised that I¡¯m being kidnapped!

    ¡°Hey, where are you taking me?¡± I tried to gather myself calmly.

    ¡°Home¡±

    ¡°¡­But my home is¡­ down below us¡±.

    I noticed he wasn¡¯t up for anymore conversation, so I kept the questions for later. I couldn¡¯t really do something to escape since I am¡­7 km above ground!

    A few minutes of silence went by and Haruki¡¯s dragon started to fly slowly as if we reached our destination.

    ¡­Maybe I''m wrong. Because what''s this? I don''t see anything, it¡¯s just clouds and the evening horizon.

    ¡°Say Emfan¨¬sou.¡±

    ¡°Em..fani..sou??¡± I recited with confusion.

    ¡°That should work for you since you¡¯re one of us¡±

    ¡°What do you mean-¡°

    Before I could finish my sentence a huge blinding light flared in the distance and a floating city just faded into existence. I couldn¡¯t believe what I''m seeing. In the middle stood a gigantic island the size of a city and four slightly smaller islands, just half its size.

    Surrounding these five islands were dozens of tiny floating islands. Some were the size of a small plot of land and some were the size of football fields.

    On the Largest island in the middle stood big white buildings, houses, manors, and more structures you can see in a regular city.  These structures have beautiful white columns and elegant statues. Some buildings were designed with massive columns and reddish triangular roofs. It''s almost as if I was transported into ancient Greece.

    There are temples, market places, shopping districts, stadiums and more. Along the building there are marble roads leading from place to place and beside every path were perfectly groomed flower bushes and small trees.  Even though it was already night time I could see all the corners of the place because of its ample amount of street lights.

    Throughout the island there were grand manors that are dotted around the city. Even in an aerial view they definitely stand out amongst the other buildings. For one, they occupy a lot of land and two, they look more refined and expensive than the other houses. The manors had intricate marble columns lined with gold and gems as centrepieces, complete with gardens and fountains with expensive white statues around them.

    In the middle of the central island there was a great hill where a massive magnificent looking building stood its place. It has a similar architecture like the buildings below it, but this particular building is more grander and bigger than the manors. It''s a giant castle-like structure, and it''s what you''d think of when you imagine what Mount Olympus would look like.

    The more I looked closer, the more islands I noticed. I saw lots of small islands floating around, which were about the size of a small plot of land. Some of them had houses and some had grand manors on their own private island away from the city.

    Not one of the empty islands was dark. All of them have at least one street light illuminating the whole island.

    Beside the largest central island were four medium sized islands, they were big in size but much smaller compared to the largest island.

    One island stood white small houses covering the side of a hill with domed and triangular roofs. I recognised the buildings and it looked like the city I saw on a travel magazine. If I remember correctly the city that was mentioned was called Santorini Greece. The island was full of small houses that are so close to each other, you almost can''t see the ground of the place.

    The second island is a vast farmland. From afar I saw all sorts of plants. There were fruit bearing trees, wheat, and vegetables that could definitely supply the whole city. There are barns and ponds for aquaculture, and also a few houses dotted around the place.

    Of course it was also covered in lamps. Every nook and cranny of the farmland was covered with light.

    The third floating island is located on the very top of all islands. It was covered with magnificent trees of different shades and species, as if an abundant part of a massive forest was uprooted and placed on top of a floating city.

    In the middle of this glorious forest is a giant oak mother tree that is surrounded by a magnificent river. You can see the giant branches illuminated in the darkness with colourful hanging lamps made with giant crystals of different shades. At the edge of the floating forest you can see a glorious waterfall that connects to the other island¡¯s waterways.

    The fourth island stood one giant building about 50 metres tall, with massive columns on its size and a roof with the colour of crimson.

    The building itself was spectacular, the inside must be huge, The interior of that building must be elaborate with lots of chambers and rooms, because of its height and width.

    Around the giant building stood massive pillar-like mountains that looked like giant rocks stacked on one another. The four giant rock towers surrounding the giant building had structures on top of them and are only connected with a skinny wooden rope bridge.

    Every island was covered with light sources, every structure was visible under the night sky because of the lights. Not a single part of the islands are dark, even the sides of the mountains are covered with light.

    I was overwhelmed by the magnificent view, it''s almost as if I was transported in a fantasy world, I couldn''t believe my eyes. I was mesmerised by the sight and felt as if time had stopped.

    I glanced at Huruki to see his reaction but it seems he was already aware of the floating city¡¯s existence.

    While I was still admiring the incredible city view,, Haruki landed us on a small island with a singular street lamp, just enough for his sapphire dragon to rest. I asked Haruki what''s going on and why he took me here, but he was silent. He stood there for a good five minutes before finally deciding to speak up.

    ¡°This is the city of Euryphaessa, and I¡¯d like to ask you a few questions, but before that we need to go somewhere more private.¡±

    ¡°Follow me¡± He gestured.

    Haruki climbed up his dragon and held his hand. We flew off to a little island in the distance, not too far from the main island.  In it stood an old tower with a box sized building beside it that looks like a storage room with a balcony. In front of the tower stood a short circular shaped building with white columns inside surrounding it like a veranda. We landed in the neatly trimmed lawn where I saw a working mechanical lawn mower trimming the lawn without anyone guiding it!

    I looked around and saw other little contraptions moving on their own. Automatic flying sheers shaping the bushes, Mechanical gnomes watering the plants, mechanical butterflies flying about in the midnight lawn. It was a weird thing to witness, besides the fact that it¡¯s the middle of the night, all the automatons seemed to be powered by a glowing blue gem embedded in their bodies.

    I turned to see Haruki¡¯s reaction and he was also as surprised as I was, well not really surprised but more of a disgruntled face. He whispered something like ¡°this old man..¡± in a sighing tone, and then he yelled-

    ¡°Hey old man! Your pets are up again!

    ¡°Yuko, this is the only place you¡¯ll see these automatons, please get used to it. I swear the whole city is more normal.¡±

    Not a moment later an old scruffy man with a long white beard and balding hair burst out from the entrance of the circular building. He was covered in soot and wearing an off white chiton, which was also covered in muck. He was wearing a belt with a different assortment of tools hanging from it, his hair was untidy and looked like he hadn''t slept in days.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Ah Drats, not again!¡± Yelled the old man and then held out his arm towards the automatons.

    And I saw it, I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes.

    The moment he held out his arm, I saw little specks of light emerging out from the blue gems. Slowly, the glow of the blue gems faded and the automatons collapsed in their place. Haruki was not pleased but the old man was laughing.

    Haruki sighed

    ¡°Old man, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been working all this time and forgot to shut down these guys ever since I left?¡±

    The old man jokingly asked ¡°When did you leave?¡± He was giggling under his breath and I saw Haruki face palmed in disbelief.

    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, I¡¯m kidding¡± giggled the old man.

    ¡°I forgot to shut them down this morning when old Kars came to visit, don¡¯t look at me like that¡±

    ¡°But old Kars visited you yesterday,¡± Haruki replied with a tired tone.

    ¡°Oh, oops.¡±

    I stood there half laughing and glancing at the giggling old man and Haruki crossed armed in disappointment.

    ¡°Anyways, old man,¡± said Haruki trying to change the conversation.

    ¡°I brought this guy here to meet you¡±

    The old man was stunned as if he saw a ghost.

    I didn¡¯t understand what Haruki meant but the old man seemed to get it. He hurriedly fixed his hair and urged us to come in. He quickly picked up some mechanical parts lying on the floor and  pushed aside what looked like unfinished contraptions, and led us to sit down on a somewhat burned sofa. The inside was messy and full of cluttered mechanical parts, it didn''t look unpleasant by any means but it looked sorta cool and ingenious.

    It was a sight to see, different kinds of cool looking contraptions both finished and unfinished lying around. There were mechanical robots that looked like animals and insects, dozens of mechanical parts hanging on the wall; pulleys, gears, bearings, and other parts I don''t know.

    We sat down and I noticed the old man doesn¡¯t have a shadow like Haruki. I stayed quiet about it though, maybe they¡¯ll explain eventually? I thought .

    The old man waved his hand and pointed at a self heating kettle. A blue gemstone embedded in the kettle glowed bright blue and the kettle started heating up.

    Haruki clears his throat and starts speaking.

    ¡°Yuko, this is my grandfather, Chron.¡±

    Old man Chron seemed worried about something. There was silence for a few seconds, but then I finally had the courage to ask Haruki what¡¯s going on.

    ¡°So.. why am I here?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You were so adamant on bringing me here, telling me you have so many questions but you haven¡¯t asked me one bit. Can someone please explain to me what¡¯s going on.¡±

    I didn¡¯t care to think that I might¡¯ve been kidnapped here because in my mind all I could think of is why am I here, I could¡¯ve been back home celebrating my birthday, eating a whole cake by myself. But instead I¡¯ve been dragged into this place I never knew existed.

    I bowed my head thinking that was rude of me then a few more moments of silence went on. Until the old man finally spoke up to break the silence. He was a little reluctant at first but then made up his mind. His eyes were watery and gave me a relieved yet sad look.

    ¡°You look so much like your father, Yuko¡­¡±

    I felt conflicted about his sudden compliment. No one ever mentioned anything about my dad because I grew up an orphan, no one knows what my parents looked like.

    I always knew I looked a lot like my dad. My mom always mentioned I¡¯m a spitting image of him when he was younger. She would often take pictures of our family and I kept them as my most prized treasures. My dad has dark red and our features are mostly the same. The only things I got from my mom are her golden amber eyes and her smile.

    ¡°Yuko, do you know who your parents are?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking for their names? Yes, of course i know them, Kojin Katsuragi is the name of my dad and-¡°

    Before I could finish my sentence, Haruki and old man Chron''s started watering up.

    ¡°Thalia¡­ is my mom¡± I said while questioning myself if I had said something wrong.

    I asked what¡¯s wrong, but then not a moment later the old man jumped out of his seat and hugged me.

    ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± He cried out with tears flowing down his cheeks. I glanced at Haruki who had looked away with a faint smile on his serious face.

    ¡°Yuko it is you. My dear grandson, Thank the Goddess!¡­¡±

    I was surprised by the sudden reactions of the two, old man Chron is my grandfather, then who is Haruki to me?..

    I didn¡¯t notice it but I felt tears streaking down my cheeks. I didn¡¯t know how to react after knowing that I had a family all this time. Throughout my life, I lived only knowing my mom and dad as my only family members, when they died I was all alone and orphaned.

    I didn¡¯t think of anything else. I just closed my eyes and hugged the man claiming to be my grandfather. Maybe deep down I was still yearning for people whom I could call family.

    Old man Chron gently retreated from our hug and wiped his face wet with tears.

    ¡°You¡¯re probably confused right now Yuko, these people who you just met have claimed to be your family, this is something that we should¡¯ve done earlier. We deeply apologise that it took this long¡­¡± said the old man while wiping his tears away.

    I sat there in shock with my face still wet with tears.

    ¡°Old man¡± said Haruki

    ¡°I think it¡¯s right to tell Yuko what is going on right now.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right¡±

    ¡°Yuko.. your dad is my son and Haruki here is your cousin.¡± He looked at Haruki, and Haruki nodded in exchange, urging him to go on.

    ¡°Your mom was the Princess of this land and your dad is the Great General of the Euryphaessa soldiers, he¡¯s an established general and the strongest fighter to ever live..¡±

    ¡°The whole nation celebrated when they announced a baby is on the way. Everything was going well until the spirit of the oracle in this nation showed up in the midst of the celebration and foretold a prophecy of our nation.¡±

    ¡°What is the Spirit of the oracle?¡± I thought but I couldn''t bring myself to speak, so I kept it to myself.

    I looked at Haruki, expecting something but I didn¡¯t know how to act. Haruki looked more serious than normal, which made the situation a lot more dire than it is now.

    ¡°What¡¯s the prophecy?¡± i asked

    Old mad Chron recited in a dream-like voice.

    ¡°A child of darkness shall be born,

    When the day is covered by the shadow of dawn.

    A child who wields the power of twilight,

    The one who will join dark and light.

    A friend of the shadows, a soldier of the light,

    An enemy of those who were cursed by the goddess of sight.

    When the shadow grows darker,

    the wrath of lost souls shall no longer linger.

    The city of light will be in great danger,

    By the hands of the souls of those who seek the goddess¡¯ anger.

    The child of darkness will walk a lonely path,

    A price to save the innocent, in exchange for death.

    A journey of loss and regret,

    To fulfil a promise one did not forget..¡±

    I stared blankly for a while, trying to process what my grandfather just said.

    ¡°According to our scholars, the oracle said that you will unite Euryphaessa and shadows. She said you will help the shadows find their way.¡± Explained Haruki.

    ¡°Me and the old man here and both shadows-less. As you can see, We are called Euryphaessans, people who are born without shadows and can use light magic granted by our Goddess Theia. Our people have a long history of wars with the shadows, you see.

    When the oracle announced that in the future you will help the shadows, this caused an uproar. Even though it was clearly said that you¡¯ll help the city avoid destruction, they still can''t get over the fact you¡¯ll help the shadows¡±

    ¡°My parents were exiled.¡± I noticed both of them were trying not to say it but I understood it from their story.

    ¡°Yes,¡± the old man said with a sad tone.

    ¡°At first we tried to think of it as a way to end the long running war between the two sides by finally achieving coexistence but when you were born¡­. We couldn¡¯t sway the people¡¯s opinion anymore, because you were born with a shadow.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Yuko, this is probably not a good topic to talk about right when you just got here-¡°

    ¡°No,¡± I paused.

    ¡°Please continue, I want to know the truth.¡±

    ¡°The people think of the shadows as something disgraceful and impure, no one could think of any other reason as to why you would have a shadow other than you being cursed.¡± Haruki explained with his head down, he had a heavy sorrowful tone.

    ¡°Haruki¡± the old man called.

    Let me explain this part, you had nothing to do with your Uncle¡¯s fate.¡±

    Old man Chron patted Haruki¡¯s head and began to explain.

    ¡°Yuko, it¡¯s my fault, because of my lack of power back then I couldn¡¯t even be of help when your Father needed it most. Back then I just retired from my position as a Colonel but I didn''t have a good reputation. I stood before everyone but I was ignored and scorned. I¡¯m so sorry Yuko¡­¡±

    The old man bowed with his head down on the floor as a way to apologise,

    I wished I had done something to at least comfort him but I stood l there in silence with thoughts swirling in my head.

    This cheery Old man Chron had a bad reputation as a soldier? My mom and dad are both famous and I never knew about it.

    ¡°When they left we were able to stay in contact with them for a few years. Thalia would often send us letters about their living conditions, how you¡¯ve grown up to be a smart kid¡­how they were so proud of you, Yuko¡±

    Tears once again fell from my eyes¡­ Old man Chron gave me a weeping smile and patted my head. I couldn''t say anything and just continued crying.

    ¡°It was going well,¡° Old man Chron continued.

    ¡°Until a few months later the letters suddenly stopped and we lost contact with your parents. I was already retired as a soldier so I couldn''t go down and look for them. The letters your mom wrote had no address on it for some reason too. I tried asking for help from the connections I had but no one was able to find them. As soon as Haruki became a soldier, he was able to get down to the human plane, and has been searching for your family''s whereabouts ever since.¡±

    Old man Chron¡¯s voice turned feeble and his expression grew darker, he continued¡­

    ¡°Until a few years later, the gems from the accessories and equipment your parents left behind suddenly faded¡­¡±

    I looked at Haruki with a confused expression. ¡°What does he mean?¡±

    ¡°The gems are where we store the powers that we got from the light. When there¡¯s daylight we can freely fight as we please because of the light from the sun. But when it''s night there¡¯s little to no light, that''s why we store our light powers in gems to be able to fight. But when the owner of the gem dies the powers die along with it¡­ There are special cases where the owner can leave their powers in the gems even when they die. Such cases can only happen with their first gem. It is special because it''s the very first gem used to store their power on. Their first gem is mostly worn by the owner all the time and stores most of their light powers on it.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Haruki continued¡­ ¡°Any other gems that they use will automatically fade the moment of their death. That is why we were able to find out about what happened to your parents.¡±

    ¡°That is right¡± Old man Chron carried on with his story. ¡°When we saw your late parents'' gems fade we immediately knew that they''d died. But with you on the other hand¡­ we had no way of knowing whether you had died with them or not. That is why we never lost hope. That¡¯s why Haruki flew off with you the moment he saw you.¡±

 Chapter 3: The Forgotten Smile

    I woke up in a dimly lit and unfamiliar bedroom. The room looked rustic with wooden furniture, brown blankets and off white sheets. It¡¯s a small cramped bedroom with wooden floorings and walls. The room was full of dusty books and painting canvas that are covered with white sheets. I gently stood up to open the sealed window to let the morning breeze enter this dust filled room.

    I opened the windows and there I saw the wonderful city view of Euryphaessa.

    ¡°It was not a dream after all¡± I thought to myself.

    Birds flying in the open sky, above the magnificent floating islands layered with houses of white columns and reddish roofs, along with the fresh morning dew glistening in a rainbow hue along with the sunshine rays, gently illuminating the dawn filled morning

    I was taken aback from the dreamlike view.

    I glanced at the dusty covered canvas and wondered what type of art an artist from this world can create.

    As I began to approach the hidden canvas, I heard a knock in the door.

    ¡°Come in¡±

    And there entered a pale man with grey and blue hair tied in a ponytail. He has a braid on the right side of his hair and hanging on it was a deep ocean blue orb that has the same colour as his eyes.

    He was wearing a simple loose white long sleeve polo and brown slacks accompanied with a black pair of shoes.

    That man is Haruki, and he is my cousin.

    ¡°Yuko-san, Good morning i bought us some breakfast¡± Haruki said with a blank yet welcoming face.

    He brought freshly baked bread paired with marmalade and hot milk. We sat together and quietly ate our breakfast.

    ¡°What happened yesterday?¡± I asked

    Haruki looked up with a mouthful of bread.

    ¡°After we told you everything you were in a daze and fell asleep in the sofa, we brought you up here to sleep because we don¡¯t know where you live¡±

    ¡°I see¡±

    A few moments of silence went by. Haruki is really not a talkative person and I on the other hand had so much to ask, but I stayed silent and focused on my meal.

    ¡°You were curious about the painting?¡± Haruki asked with a straightforward tone. I think he also noticed the situation is a bit too silent.

    I looked up and replied that I was.

    Haruki stood up to uncover the painting. He revealed a painting of a beautiful young woman in a white dress holding a bouquet of white flowers. She has a small face and bright orange eyes with golden hair that was elegantly tied in a half updo, laced with precious ivory coloured gems and a beautiful flower ornament that was glowing in white. She wore a familiar smile that made me feel warm inside, as if I was in her embrace. Her warm and cheery expression reminded me of an angel who I only see in my dreams.

    ¡°That¡¯s Aunt Thalia.¡± Haruki uttered.

    ¡°Mom..¡±

    Growing up I knew my mom was the prettiest woman to have ever lived, but I never saw portraits of her when she was young. The childhood memories that I almost forgot came flashing back to me. I was lying down on my mom¡¯s lap while watching my dad cook¡­ It was a beautiful memory.

    ¡°Your dad painted it,¡± said Haruki. He always loved painting, but he couldn¡¯t pursue it when he became a soldier. When he rose through ranks, he started painting again. My dad said it''s because your mom inspired him¡­¡±

    My dad loved painting?¡­ I never knew. I always thought of him as a dorky kind of guy. He always made my mom laugh, I never knew he liked painting, let alone a former knight.

    Haruki and I slowly opened up to each other, we both told our stories and he told me stories of my parents¡­. How hard working my dad was and how he¡¯s the most powerful fighter to have ever lived. And my mom, who''s the most beautiful and strongest princess in the continent. Both my parents were impressive.

    Haruki also told me about the Euryphaessa Academy that¡¯s located on one of the four giant islands. He¡¯s a 3rd year student there and is tasked to patrol the human plane and eliminate corrupted shadows, like the one with the lady I saw yesterday. Time went by pretty fast and it¡¯s already time for me to go home.

    While on our way home, we rode Haruki¡¯s dragon.. this time Haruki took the initiative to speak,

    ¡°Yuko-san¡±

    ¡°Stop calling me Yuko-san, it feels like I¡¯m way older than you¡±

    ¡°Ah okay,¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you went through a lot of things back in the human plane and you''re probably mad at us for not being able to help you when you were in need¡­¡±

    ¡°Haruki you know that¡¯s not-¡°

    ¡°Yuko..¡± Haruki cut me off and looked at me with hopeful eyes.

    ¡°If you ever decide to come back here, we will always welcome you with open arms. After all you belong with us, so please think about it¡±

    ¡°I will¡­¡± I told him whilst looking at the beautiful sunset view, shining upon us..

    The grounds came closer and closer, and the cars the size of ants are now in view.

    I asked Haruki one last time about the shadows I saw this morning.

    ¡°Haruki, If I was a Eurypaessan, how come I never saw a shadow until now?¡±

    Haruki looked at me and replied..

    ¡°Euryphaessans are born without the ability to see shadows, but as we grow older and get exposed to light magic, our inner eye will naturally open. Well other instances involve meditating, when  we reach a state of peace and calmness,  our inner eye will open.¡±

    While I turned to leave Haruki called out to me and threw a sheathed dagger towards me. The dagger has gold linings on its sheath and handle with blue jewels embedded on it. I caught it and asked why he was giving it to me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡±, Haruki told me in a rush, while his dragon began to spread  her wings.

    ¡°Normal people won¡¯t be able to see it so you can take it anywhere with you. It¡¯s a blade made of light, you might need it if you ever encounter a rogue shadow.¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Haruki flew away with his dragon in the distance. I placed the dagger in my pocket and headed back home.

    Time passed like a blur, and before everything sank in to me I was already at home.

    I sank into my bed and started reflecting.

    Euryphaessa is a magic city floating in the sky. People from there don''t have shadows and have the ability to control light. All that was made possible because they worship the goddess Theia, goddess of sight and the divine light. They get their light powers from the morning light and they store it in their jewellery, that¡¯s why Haruki has a orb accessory in his hair and lots of gems with him.

    As I pondered on what shocking things had happened so far, I realised I saw the hidden shadows because I reached a state of peacefulness yesterday, to think after all my life, yesterday was the most peaceful experience I had in my 18 years of living¡­

    I recollected my thoughts and remembered that tomorrow I have classes. I quickly arranged my stuff for tomorrow and prepared the books I needed. I lay down on my wooden single bed and glanced at my bedside table, Where a jewellery passed down from my mom is located. I always kept it there, every time I look at the flower jewellery I always remember my mom and feel peace. The jewellery is a beautiful lily shaped hair ornament lined with silver and gold with ivory coloured crystals embedded on it that made it glow under my darkened room.

    I held the jewellery in my arms and thought of my mother.. ¡°She was a Princess from a beautiful nation and was exiled for me to live.¡±

    My dad sometimes called her ¡°your majesty¡±, I always thought he was joking around, I never knew it was actually true. Mom gave this jewellery to me right before mom and dad left. She gave it to me right before they died.. as if she knew something was going to happen.

    As my mind began to drift away and fall asleep, I finally remembered what else was bugging my mind..¡±My mango cake..¡± I uttered in a low voice.

    A lot of things happened yesterday that I completely forgot about my birthday cake.

    That night I had a dream. I was sitting under a magnificent willow tree and I was surrounded with beautiful fields of flowers in different shades. I glanced at the distance and saw a beautiful shadow-less woman in a white summer dress approaching me. She was wearing a giant hat decorated with white ribbons and held a basket full of flowers of different assortment. That woman is my mom, her golden hair was gently flowing in the morning breeze along with her beautiful white dress. She sat by my side and gave me the warmest smile that could melt even the thousand year snow.. She looked at me with her bright orange eyes that were glistening like a gem under the clear blue sky.

    ¡°Mom¡­¡± I uttered whilst being in a daze.

    My mom gave me the warmest smile and a kiss on the cheek.

    ¡°You¡¯ve finally made it. I was waiting for years, you know?¡±

    ¡°Mom- i¡­¡±

    My mom gave me a light chuckle. Her laugh that I almost forgot, a laugh so beautiful like an angel singing the most mesmerising tune.

    ¡°Just kidding¡­ my little boy Yuko, you¡¯ve grown up so much. I¡¯m sorry we left you so early, we¡¯re sorry¡­¡±

    My mom hugged me so tight with tears streaming down from her rosy cheeks. She didn¡¯t age, she still looked like she was the last time I saw her.

    I hugged her back and she hug me tighter

    ¡°Mom, it wasn¡¯t you or dad¡¯s fault, stop blaming yourselves¡­ you and dad fought every single day, battling shadows just to stay with me¡±

    She let out a soft whimper

    ¡°You knew?¡±

    ¡°I met Haruki¡±

    I was emotional, I was only 9 when they left. Everyday for the past 9 years I have longed to hug my mother like this¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but cry.

    ¡°Yuko¡­¡± she left the embrace

    ¡°Yuko I would love for this moment to last but sadly time is the essence, I¡¯m afraid my power won¡¯t last for long¡±

    I understood what she meant and wiped my tears.

    ¡°You¡¯ve grown so strong Yuko, Your dad and I are so proud of you¡­¡± she paused for a bit and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Now Yuko, this right now is not a dream, maybe you¡¯ve already figured it out since you¡¯ve already met your cousin¡±

    I nodded and let my mom continue

    ¡°When we were about to die, I left all my remaining powers into my main ornament. That''s why I¡¯m able to talk right now, this is my remaining consciousness and the last of my powers. When you meet her, be sure to thank her for fulfilling my last wish.¡±

    ¡°Her?¡±

    ¡°Alright, enough chatter. Yuko if you have any questions, ask me now¡±

    I sat there quite still, my thoughts swirling in my head. All these questions for the past 9 years are finally going to be answered, but what should I ask?

    I looked at my mom¡¯s angelic expression and made up my mind

    ¡°Who killed you and dad?¡±

    My mom¡¯s expression hardened

    ¡°I never thought you¡¯d ask something like that¡­ If I tell you, will you seek out revenge?¡±

    I avoided her willful gaze and looked and the basket of flowers in the ground

    My mom let out a sigh

    ¡°I did promise you I¡¯ll tell you everything¡­¡±

    My mom hesitated but decided to speak

    ¡°We were ambushed, your dad and I were not ready for it. We thought we had everything prepared, but your dad¡¯s mortal enemy had other plans in mind. Your dad and i were trying to save an innocent life but we were overwhelmed by shadows and the Headless Liar showed up¡±

    Tears swelled from my mothers eyes and her face glowed with a light tinge of red.

    ¡°Your dad fought with his life, and saved the innocent boy. But we couldn¡¯t escape the shadows'' fury¡­and died. We had someone with us, a little girl. She was helping us escape but with our situation, it wasn¡¯t possible. I hope she didn¡¯t blame herself for our loss and grew up well. When you eventually meet her one day, I want you to protect her with everything you have, she¡¯s a strong child, I¡¯m really happy she was there for us during our final moments.¡±

    I continued to stare at the flower basket while holding back the urge to hug my mom and stay with her forever.

    ¡°Yuko¡­¡± she called with a serious face.

    My mom stood up and walked upfront, viewing the mountains in the distance.

    ¡°The shadows are not the enemy, that¡¯s what me and your dad set out and died to achieve. The real enemies are the thieves who steal the souls of the living. Shadows are just the remnants of souls who are looking for a place to live. I trust that you know what this means, Yuko.¡±

    I nodded and sat in silence trying to take in everything my dear mother had said.

    My mom looked at me and gave me a sad but willful smile.

    ¡°Your dad and I wanted to give you a normal life. Away from the prophecies, away from the judgeful eyes and the hateful people who oppose us.¡±

    ¡°Then why didn''t you just leave me in the human plane and stay at Euryphaessa where you both are safe?¡±

    I finally said the words I¡¯ve been meaning to say.

    ¡°You and dad would have survived and lived to see me, Haruki told me that no Euryphaessan can stay in the human plane for too long because they will constantly be under attack by shadows and evil¡­ you could¡¯ve survived¡­ I would¡¯ve understood if you just left me here and told me the reason, I would be happy to know that my parents are safe and not constantly suffering to stay alive!¡±

    I did it, I raised my voice in front of my mom. I cried, the things I would trade just to have my parents back¡­ I just want them to stay alive. My parents are far too important than me, they have helped so many people but abandoned them all just for me.

    My mom hugged me, I could feel her warmth on me.

    She pushed me whilst still holding my shoulders and made me look at her face to face

    ¡°Yuko, Me and your dad, know more than anyone how it feels like to have no parent present in their life. They¡¯re alive but they¡¯re not truly there, that is the last thing we want you to live with. That''s the life me and your dad grew up in, we never wanted you to experience that. I had everything I could¡¯ve ever wanted, but my parents are too busy to enjoy them with me. Your dad had nothing, he was abandoned by his parents. You met your grandpa Chron right? Don¡¯t think differently of him, that was the past, he¡¯s a changed man, I just wish that my father had thought of following his lead.¡±

    She let go of me and picked up her basket.

    ¡°We love you Yuko, a parent''s love is never explainable, We just want you to have the best life we can give, It was cut short but I wish that you enjoyed it...¡±

    She reached out her hand and left me a beautiful white lily. She turned around and began to walk away into the distance

    ¡°Mom! Don¡¯t go¡­¡±

    ¡°Whatever choice you decide on¡­ Your dad and I will always support you. We love you, Yuko. And I hope you forgive us for leaving you too early¡­¡±

    I held out my hand trying to reach my mom¡­

    ¡°Mom!-¡°

    I stood up, awake¡­ gasping for air with tears streaking down from my face.

    ¡°It was a dream¡­ My mom visited me in my dreams, using the last bit of her powers. Mom and Dad sacrificed their life just to give me a normal life, and it¡¯s up to me to decide what to do with it.¡± I looked down and saw the beautiful lily shaped ornament that looked exactly like the flower my mom left me in my dream and caressed it. I went back to sleep after that.

 Chapter 4: My Path to Take

    I woke up feeling hazy from last night. In my hand is a beautiful lily shaped hair ornament. I probably fell asleep while hugging it. The once faint glow of the crystal ornament that gently illuminated my dark room was now gone. After my dream last night the remaining powers of my mother in that jewellery vanished and were used up so that my mom could talk to me once more.

    Yesterday was crazy. I met my cousin who lives in a floating city called Euryphaessa, and introduced me to my grandpa. He told me everything there is to know about our world. The  most unbelievable part was that every Euryphaessan possesses light powers, granted by the goddess of sight and divine light. I''m still shocked to have learned that magic actually exists in our world and that shadows have a mind on their own.

    I was recounting all my memories from the past two days whilst getting ready for school. I glanced at my phone to check the time.

    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯ll be late!¡±

    I took a loaf of bread in my pantry, smeared it with some peanut butter  and left my apartment in a hurry.

    There was a gentle breeze in the air, along with some cherry blossoms fluttering down from the trees as I headed my way to school.

    There was a boy my age with black pointy hair waiting for me in front of the gate. He hadn''t noticed me approaching him because his nose was stuck on a book he was reading, but as I approached him closer he looked up and greeted me good morning. I alway try to tiptoe when I''m near him to give him  a quick scare but he always notices my presence whenever I''m near him.

    ¡®One day i¡¯ll get you, just you wait.¡±

    Hoshiro gave me a vacant stare and mumbled ¡°okay¡±.

    He¡¯s an unemotional fellow, that guy. He''s full of mysteries but he¡¯ll alway care about everyone around him.

    We were entering the school gate when a guy with flat black hair rushed behind us and leaped towards Hoshiro¡¯s back.

    ¡®Hoshiro!¡± Phil shouted with glee.

    ¡°You have been ignoring my messages since last week! After we celebrated Yuko¡¯s birthday at the cafe you just left!! I¡¯m getting sad now, you know?¡± Phil said with a sad pout on his face.

    Phil is the son of a big company owner, you can say he¡¯s a bit spoiled and has a big heart for animals.

    ¡°You were texting me every 30-minutes, I have my own life you know?¡± Hoshiro said with an annoyed tone.

    ¡°Ehh, you¡¯ve probably just been reading books this whole weekend, Where¡¯s the fun in that!¡±

    ¡°Hoshiro¡¯s been working out a lot these days, did you not know?¡± I said to Phil whilst trying to lift him out of Hoshiro¡¯s back.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been working out? Why? I thought you¡¯re going to med school, What¡¯s the point of working out?¡±

    ¡°And when did I say I¡¯m going to med school? I have other plans and I need a good physique for that.¡±

    ¡°Then who¡¯s going to med school?¡± Phil looked at me.

    ¡°No, why would you think that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me¡±

    A girl with long blue hair who was standing in our classroom door waiting for the three of us. Her name is Elanor, El was a foreign transfer student when we started high school. She used to sleep a lot during lectures but always gets top scores on every exam, well she¡¯s always second because Hoshiro always takes the first spot.

    These guys are my only friends besides Takuya, my childhood friend and the son of Aunt Hanako, my kind neighbour. My life became so much better when I met them. It''s a shame we¡¯ve only become friends for 2 years and now all of us will be leaving high school to continue our studies for our future careers.

    ¡°Speaking of which, What¡¯s your future plans Yuko?¡± El, uttered trying to change the topic of conversation.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought of it yet¡±

    The four of us sat in the furthest corner of our classroom beside the sunlit window. The gentle breeze hit our noses with delight, and Phil gently leaned on Hoshiro¡¯s shoulder while he continued reading.

    ¡°You wanted to start working after high school right? You know if you just ask I could ask my dad to support you for your college. He always liked you because you¡¯re hardworking, i know he won¡¯t mind¡±

    ¡°Thanks Phil for saying that, but you know I don''t want to ask help from others, especially your father.¡±

    El sighed and sat at Phil and Hoshiro¡¯s table, while I sat across them. She gave me a stern look ¡°But Yuko, if you keep denying help from others you¡¯ll really overwork yourself.¡±

    ¡°Guys, Yuko has other plans¡± Hoshiro mumbled whilst his nose was still on his book.

    Phil asked what Hoshiro meant by it because I have never mentioned other plans other than working.

    ¡°Something happened recently, right Yuko? You have a different look in your eyes.¡± Hoshiro looked up and stared me straight in the eyes.

    Hoshiro is a quiet guy but when he speaks, it looks like he can read your thoughts.

    ¡°Actually there is¡­¡± I started in a low voice.

    El and Phil moved closer and Hoshiro put down his book.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I met my cousin this weekend¡±

    ¡°Yuko, that''s good to hear! Then does that mean you found your relatives?¡± El said with an ecstatic look on her face.

    ¡°Yes, He brought be to our hometown and i met my Grandpa¡±

    ¡°Then does that mean you¡¯ll be staying in your hometown after highschool?¡± Phil started.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s holding you back?¡± Hoshiro moved closer.

    ¡°I just found out the reason why we moved here from my grandpa. He told me the reason we moved here was because my parents wanted me to have a normal life growing up. Let¡¯s say my parents were famous in that place and someone told the people there that¡­¡±

    The three of them moved closer.

    ¡°That I was cursed. That¡¯s why they moved here so that I can grow up normally.¡±

    ¡°Cursed? You don¡¯t look cursed to me.¡± Phil said worriedly

    ¡°You know you shouldn¡¯t believe in every fortune teller''s words, all of them are fakes¡± El said with a determined look.

    ¡°Oi oi, El.¡± Phil stopped to hush El. ¡°You can¡¯t say that¡±

    El gave Phil a shrug and continued.

    ¡°There¡¯s probably more to it than that, you just can¡¯t tell us right Yuko?¡±

    ¡°Yeah..¡± I said with a quiet tone.

    There was silence for a while¡­

    ¡°When you visited your hometown¡­ Did you like the place?¡± Hoshiro started.

    ¡°Yeah, I did like it. It''s a big city and has lots of interesting stories.¡±

    ¡°Then why are you hesitating?¡± Phil asked

    ¡°My parents¡­ they left the city for me to have a normal life, I don¡¯t want my parents'' efforts to go to waste just because I want a different life.¡±

    The four sat in silence as I began to ponder on what my parents would say if they were here.

    ¡°Yuko¡±, Hoshiro said in a soft voice.

    The sun beamed gently at our table. El¡¯s blue hair glistened in the sunlight and Phil¡¯s eagerness to listen made me focus more on what Hoshiro has to say.

    ¡°I don''t know much about the details of your parents death, but the way you talked about them in the past i know they¡¯re good parents. Yuko, they died to give you a life where you¡¯ll be free to choose your own path. They want you to decide on your own and not be forced into something you never wanted. It¡¯s a sacrifice your parents made for you and not for their own¡ª¡°

    The school bell made all of us jolt on our seats.

    ¡°That scared me!¡± Cried Phil.

    ¡°Just remember Hoshiro, whatever happens you can count on us for help!¡± El said hurryingly and rushed to her seat.

    With the loud ring signalling the start of our classes, our teacher entered the room not a moment later and with that our morning classes began.

    Classes continued like normal. Finals have already passed and the teachers are just filling their curriculum. Our graduation is in 3 days so the class atmosphere is a bit melancholy yet a bit excited for the new chapter of our lives.

    I glanced around to look for Takuya but he¡¯s nowhere to be seen. Hoshiro, who¡¯s seated behind me noticed my predicament and somehow read my thoughts. He shook his head from left to right implying that he hadn''t seen Takuya. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Classes ended and I asked Hoshiro if he knew something.

    When it comes to looking for something or someone, you can always count on Hoshiro for finding them. When I ask him how he¡¯s able to do that he always answers the same thing, ¡°Because I have sensitive senses¡±. I don¡¯t really understand, but then again that¡¯s Hoshiro for you.

    ¡°Hoshiro, have you seen Takuya?¡± I asked him whilst packing my notes.

    ¡°Takuya didn¡¯t attend school today, but I saw him yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Yeah? Where was he?¡±

    ¡°I saw him in the local convenience store near my house, I wanted to approach him and ask why¡¯s he in the area but I stopped¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°He reeked of hospital, I thought he might not be up for answering my questions so i left without greeting him.¡±

    I stood there in silence, because of my crazy weekend I didn¡¯t have time to check up on him.

    ¡°You look like you have no idea what happened,¡± Hoshiro started.

    ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t¡­ tell the others i left¡±

    ¡°Yup, will do. Stay safe Yuko¡±

    I gave Hoshiro a smile and left the school in a hurry. Hoshiro¡¯s house is on another street further from ours, it¡¯s the nearest hospital from our house, so I understand why Takuya was there. I wasn¡¯t sure whether to check Takuya¡¯s house first or just run straight to the hospital. I scrambled to get out of the school and ran as fast as I could to the nearest hospital.

    I was nearing our house when I noticed a familiar figure, there stood a skinny boy with jet black hair reaching his shoulders. Whenever I see him outside school he¡¯s always sporting a plain loose t-shirt that always looked too big for him and he pairs it with any random pants he could find. That is my friend Takuya, he¡¯s someone everyone can get along well with, even Hoshiro who is a total introvert praised Takuya for his character.

    Takuya and I have been friends ever since we moved in this neighbourhood, we were always together when my parents were not around and we would always play in his house. His mom Aunt Hanako is the sweetest person you''ll ever meet. She would always bake us delicious pastries of all sorts and let me take them home for my parents to eat. When my mom and dad passed away she took me in as her own and made sure I was living well.

    When I heard Takuya was seen near a hospital my heart dropped. There could be many possibilities why he could be there but the thought that Aunt Hanako might be the reason made my heart feel heavy as if something was thuggin onto it.

    I called Takuya across the street but he didn¡¯t hear me. He was out of it. He looked like he hadn''t slept for days, he was very pale, his shirt was all wrinkled up and his eyes looked colourless and empty. It was painful to see the usually cheerful Takuya looked so depressed. I found myself shaking while on the verge of tears, I strengthened myself and approached Takuya. He was walking with his head down and seemed to be deep in thought.

    That moment something clicked in me. I remember my cousin Haruki mentioned that shadows are more attracted to depressed people because they can easily enter that person¡¯s shadow and control them because their mental stability is too weak. By waiting for that opportune moment they can easily consume their soul.

    I stared closely at Takuya¡¯s shadow which seemed darker than usual. I clenched my pocket where I felt a dagger inside it. I was rushing to school this morning. I forgot I brought the dagger Haruki gave me. I pulled the jewelled dagger out of my pocket and unsheathed it.

    For a moment I admired the blade. It was indeed made of solid light that was clearly visible to the naked eye. I tried to touch the surface of the blade but my finger just went through it. I remembered the first time I saw Haruki. He looked as if he beheaded a human with his katana made of light but the blade just went through the person and the rogue shadow was beheaded instead.

    I approached Takuya even closer and clenched the dagger in my left hand. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should kill the rogue shadow or not. I remember Haruki telling me that even rogue shadows were once human. That thought didn¡¯t sit well with me, killing a shadow who has the capability of thinking, it felt like they shouldn¡¯t be killed so easily. I know shadows killed my parents but, what if there¡¯s more to that. This shadow probably has nothing to do with my parents death, killing them just doesn''t seem right to me.

    Unsure of what to do I tried to reach out my free hand towards Takuya, while doing so I unknowingly stepped on his shadow and for whatever reason, the rogue shadow was dragged behind while Takuya continued to move forward. The shadow somehow got stuck and was forcibly pulled out. I lifted up my foot and the poor shadow squirmed away like a fish released in water.

    I had no idea how any of that just happened. Without thinking I hurriedly pocketed the dagger and ran towards Takuya. I placed my arm around his shoulders and greeted him. He lifted his head up and colour was somehow back in his eyes. The atmosphere around him was lighter and a lot less darker.

    ¡°Oh Yuko you¡¯re here¡± Takuya answered with a tired tone.

    Of Course he would still sound depressed, it¡¯s not like getting rid of the shadow would get rid of his worries.

    ¡°I was worried about you, Takuya. I heard you were at the hospital from Hoshiro, "What happened?¡±

    ¡°Yaku!!¡±

    Takuya burst into tears as if a heavy stream was suddenly unplugged from his eyes. He was sobbing ferociously as he slumped into the ground. I comforted Takuya as he continued to weep in sadness.

    Even though we''re the same age, I know Takuya is a lot younger mentally especially when he grew up always being by his mom¡¯s care.

    ¡°Mom slipped on the stairs, her head was full of blood, and has to undergo surgery. The surgery was successful but she hasn''t woken up yet. The doctor said to think positively but it has been two days¡­ in scared Yaku, what if she never wakes up? What am I gonna do?¡±

    My heart dropped when I heard the news. Aunt Hanako is the kindest person I ever met, and to think something bad like this has happened to her makes me feel terrible.

    I took a deep breath whilst my eyes were being reddened by tears. And spoke¡­

    ¡°Takuya¡­ sometimes life gives you sadness, it can''t always be happy, but right now Takuya, you shouldn¡¯t let yourself go. The doctor said she¡¯s gonna be fine, dont worry too much your mom will wake up soon, think of what Aunt Hanako will feel if she sees you in this state. Get yourself together Takuya¡­Come, let¡¯s go visit your mom.¡±

    I grabbed Takuya¡¯s shoulder and heaved him up. It¡¯s only been two days and he¡¯s already as thin as a skeleton. I quickly tidied up and we both went to the hospital.

    It was a bright sunny day, in contrast to the current mood right now¡ªthe sun is annoyingly bright.

    I¡¯ve never had the chance to visit a hospital in my life, this is my first time. And for some unknown reason something feels different than usual. I keep getting this feeling that something is wrong.

    As I entered the dimly lit hospital lobby, I gazed around in the gloomiest atmosphere that ever existed. Not one ray of sunshine penetrated the depressing chambers the hospital displays. Faces of sorrow and misery echoed the dark blue chambers of the hospital lobby. I felt the darkness pulsating unto me, as if I was at the very heart of darkness itself. The shadows grew darker as I walked further into the hospital wing. Doors with sad colours behind them rediated with melancholy as I walked through them.

    I passed by a room whose door was wide open exposing a girl in white robes sat across an empty bed, her head was looking downwards and made her hair cover her whole face. For a moment I thought I was seeing a ghost until a nurse called out to her and she got up. As the girl walked past me, I got a morbid feeling that sent shivers down my spine. Her under eyes are darkened, probably because of lack of sleep and nights of crying. She emitted an aura similar to the people I met who were consumed by shadows, but in her case, she looked like she was at the final stages of being overtaken by the shadows.

    Takuya entered the room where his mother is located. I quickly made an excuse to rush out and look for the girl. I retraced my steps in hopes to find the girl but all hope was lost when I got back to the abandoned room with no sight of the girl in white.

    I pondered to myself and had a sudden rush of thought¡ªit clicked to me. A girl who is depressed and is undergoing immense grief¡­ I paused for a while and rushed to the rooftop.

    There I spotted the girl in white with tears streaming down her face. She is standing on the half wall that was on edge of the 7th floor rooftop of the district hospital. I didn¡¯t know what to do. I never thought there would be a time where I needed to stop someone from taking their life.

    ¡°Should I rush in and grab her?¡­ no, that¡¯s too risky she might jump. What if I talk to her?¡­I don''t think that¡¯s possible.¡± Haruki told me that when a shadow fully consumes a human there is no hope for communication with the original person. But what if she¡¯s still there? I thought to myself. I quickly thought of a way to get her down, I tried to call her but no response. I scratched my head in frustration, what can I do to save her? I screamed in my mind not knowing what to do¡­

    While looking down I noticed a faint glow in my pocket. Haruki¡¯s dagger, I don''t want to stab her! I thought to myself and remembered how I freed Takuya. I searched for the girl¡¯s shadow casting down the hospital rooftop amidst the golden sunset. I crouched and slowly went for her shadow. Without any second thought I grabbed the shadow like my life depended on it and pulled as hard as I could. The girl was pulled back at an alarming rate and crashed down onto the cemented floors.

    Shivers crawled down my spine as I saw a glimpse of her face. Her face was morphed with horror and her mouth and eyes were blackened by the shadow. Dark aura radiated around her. As if she was burning with flames of darkness. She screamed with bloody murder and rushed towards me with fury in her eyes. I dodged her punch and she first landed on the concrete wall.

    There was a bone crushing sound as her fist hit the crumbling wall. There I saw her bones protruding out from her bloody arm, her left arm was left bleeding all over but the girl in white didn¡¯t seem to care. She still viciously attacked me and rushed for a punch. Her movements were awkward yet forced, as if she was being controlled by another being from the inside. Her movements didn¡¯t seem to take her physical state into account apart from her broken arm, all her movements were all over the place and her aggression was pushing her body past its limits. Arms stretched like rubber and high kicks that ripped her skin apart. I needed to stop her quickly before she killed herself. She grabbed a box full of broken glass shards and mercilessly flinged it towards me. I couldn¡¯t dodge in time, the shards were everywhere. I looked behind me and didn¡¯t think twice.

    I had no other option but to jump off the building. I had no other choice. I would be a pincushion for glass shards if i didn''t. I jumped and readied myself to grab the ledge.

    ¡°Of course I wouldn¡¯t jump without a plan.¡± I whispered to myself¡­

    But I lied. I don¡¯t have a plan

    My hand nearly missed but I made it. I was dangling off the edge of the 7 floored hospital. The glass shards that should¡¯ve hit me fell on the empty lot behind the hospital. I quickly pulled up and climbed up only to see the girl in front of my face with blood and sweat dripping down her face and hair that looks like a rat¡¯s nest. I dropped in a panic but she swiftly grabbed my hand and rushed me up. The girl pulled me up with all her might and threw me over her head then body slammed me on the ground. I grovelled in pain as I hit the concrete floors. I couldn¡¯t move my body from the pain. I felt a sharp pain in my rib area and a cold sensation on the back of my head.

    I saw the girl in white limping towards me. I willed my body to move but failed. I felt a shiver down my spine as the girl quickly rushed in with a broken piece of glass ready to stab me without mercy. I used all my strength to move but the girl was faster. With all my strength I tried to dodge her attack and readied myself for an impact.

    Screams of fury echoed through the rooftops but then a familiar figure bursted out from the door and tackled the girl in white just before she had landed her attack on me.

    Hoshiro, my best friend, tackled the blood drenched girl without hesitation and held her down as she struggled to escape his grasp. I¡¯ve never seen Hoshiro engage in fights before but I know he has a history in combat.

    Moments later I heard more footsteps rushing towards us. It was El and Phil scrambling towards me with worried faces.

    ¡°Take me to the girl.¡± I said with a struggling voice.

    The two were bursting out in a panic and I couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying.

    ¡°Do what he says!!¡± A stern yell echoed throughout the rooftop.

    Hoshiro understood the situation and immediately ordered the two to bring me closer to the girl.

    I struggled to lift my arm up. I was in pain and I felt blood dripping down my neck. But I persevered and took a deep breath and readied myself to pull out the evil shadow.

    I sensed the confused stare of my friends as I placed my hand on the struggling girl¡¯s arm. I clenched my fist and felt my hands go into the girl''s body and dragged the shadow out. My friends'' eyes widened with shock as they couldn¡¯t believe what they just witnessed. The evil shadow was out of her body and was flailing in my hands. I felt my consciousness wavering, and just as I was about to pass out I saw a dragon flying in the distance.

    Hoshiro carried me and ran through the halls in a rush with blood dripping down his hands. I was able to gain a bit of conscience and saw Hoshiro¡¯s worried face. I glanced towards my left and saw Phil carrying the girl in white. People stared in horror as we passed by the dark hallways. I felt immense despair and misery as we traverse the gloomy corridors.

    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± The weird unexplainable feeling I was sensing since I entered this hospital. This very place is a hotbed of shadows that seeks a human host. The hospital is full of people who are in deep sorrow and regret because of the countless deaths that happen here everyday.

    ¡°No wonder the shadows are darker here¡± I thought to myself. I thought I was just seeing things differently because of yesterdays¡¯ incident, I should¡¯ve thought that this is something that¡¯s bound to happen.

 Chapter 5: A New Life Begins

    I woke up with a blinding light across my face. I''m on a hospital bed with bandages all over my body. I glanced through the window and noticed it was dark outside.

    El and Phil were sleeping next to each other on the sofa. Their clothes have a bit of blood on them. They seemed to have been with me this whole time.

    In the corner of the room I saw a familiar figure. Legs crossed with his hair tied up in a ponytail of blue and grey, was my cousin, Haruki. He was reading a magazine but he noticed my gaze and quickly went to my side to talk.

    ¡°Before you ask me about it, I am invisible right now. So if you want to talk, do it quietly so your friends won''t wake up¡± Haruki said with a low voice.

    ¡°Your friend with the spiky black hair went out to buy food and clothes for your friends, he should be here at any moment.¡± Haruki added.

    ¡°How long have I passed out?¡± I whispered.

    ¡°About 3 hours. The doctors said you¡¯ll wake up tomorrow but I used a healing gem to speed up your recovery. We can¡¯t have you out here for too long, it''s a bit dangerous for us to stay in the hospital you see, you just experienced it first hand. And your friends are planning to stay here until you wake up. You don¡¯t want to trouble them right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Thank you.¡± I thanked Haruki and just before I was about to ask him about the girl. The door slided slowly and Hoshiro appeared, Carrying four bento boxes and a plastic bag with what seemed like water bottles and clothes.

    ¡°Oh Yaku, you¡¯re awake, The doctor said you¡¯d wake up tomorrow. Good thing I bought you food just in case.¡± Hoshiro started with a relieved tone. He woke up El and Phil who were napping silently on the sofa.

    El and Phil were crying and hugging me as we all had our dinner. Haruki went out a while ago and said he¡¯ll come back tomorrow.

    ¡°By the way¡± I started. This hospital room doesn¡¯t look cheap. I don¡¯t have money to pay for all this.

    ¡°Don''t worry, We talked to your guardian, we were worried because we thought we won¡¯t be able to contact her because she''s overseas but she picked up pretty quickly. She said you shouldn¡¯t worry about the bills and just focus on healing.¡± El replied.

    ¡°Yeah don''t worry about anything Yaku¡± Phil cheered with a smile.

    We ate our dinner silently after that and time passed by like a blur. My friends weren¡¯t asking about what happened, but I noticed from their eyes darting in my direction, hesitant on whether they should ask or not. Especially Phil, I noticed him holding back and is dying to bring it up. I have a good guess that Hoshiro forbade them to talk about it, he¡¯s always thinking about people¡¯s feelings.

    I let out a sigh and they all looked at me with worry in their eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± El started.

    ¡°You guys don''t have to hold back. You can ask me about what happened.¡±

    The three looked at each other with resolution in their eyes and asked me about the fight I had at the rooftop.

    I hesitated for a moment, contemplating on whether I should tell them the truth or not. My friends meant the world to me and they¡¯re all I got, so I told them. I told them about the floating city of Euryphaessa, the reason my family lived here, and the enemies we called shadows.

    They were perplexed and found everything I said hard to believe. Afterall how could I prove that Euryphaessa exists? The only evidence I had was the girl who acted like she¡¯s possessed by an evil spirit.

    Hoshiro looked at me with an analytical gaze. I have no idea what is running through his head right now. Phil and El were the same, and looked at each other with sceptic faces.

    ¡°You guys don''t believe me, I know it¡¯s hard but listen-¡±

    Yaku, it¡¯s hard to believe what you¡¯re saying but as your friend, we know you wont lie about this stuff.

    ¡°The doctors couldn¡¯t believe it when they saw Maria acting like that, with your side of the story, it makes things easier to understand.¡±

    ¡°Maria is the name of the girl that attacked you, the hospital won''t press charges because they saw everything that happened on camera, they believe you just tried to help her get down but you got attacked in return¡± Hoshiro spoke.

    ¡°It¡¯s sad that we can¡¯t do anything for her right now, we just need to wait for her recovery, but hopefully she gets well soon,¡± El added.

    ¡°Actually,¡± Hoshiro paused. ¡°I just visited Maria, for some miracle her condition has stabilised. When she first got admitted her condition was so bad, and now she¡¯s steadily recovering, so you shouldn¡¯t stress too much Yaku, I know you won''t rest well if things take a bad turn.¡±

    I smiled in relief and realised Haruki might¡¯ve also used a healing gem on her. I¡¯m guessing this type of incident happens a lot so they made relief measures for these types of cases.

    Soon after the doctor came and did some minor checks on my condition. They were astonished by my recovery speed and soon after they told me I can be discharged by tomorrow. I told El and Phil to go home and Hoshiro stayed to keep me company. I told him lots of times that I can handle myself but he insisted.

    Morning soon came and I was discharged from the hospital. Hoshiro left to go to school while I was left at home thinking about what I should do now.

    The things that happened yesterday were terrible, and the thought that it can happen to my friends as well is frightening. If I hadn¡¯t found Takuya sooner he might¡¯ve fallen victim to a shadow''s fury too.

    My parents were also fighters, did they experience this too that¡¯s why they chose to fight?

    I went through my parents'' stuff. When they died, I made sure no one would touch their stuff. When I came back from my adoptive parents¡¯ place and was able to live here again, I kept their bedroom as it is. I still occasionally clean their room and sometimes I would go to my dads table just to study there.

    My parents identity here is normal, My dad worked as a watch mechanic as far as i know. He has trinkets of old and new watches on his table and drawers upon drawers of watch parts. I remembered I would watch him fix watches until I fell asleep on his table. When i saw my grandfather¡¯s work i immediately thought of my dad, he got his talent as a mechanic because of my grandfather.

    My mom worked as an interior designer. She was famous in our community and a lot of people really liked her work. I would guess she has designed more than hundreds of homes including all the rooms in this apartment complex.

    Both my parents were really talented in their works and to think they had such stories about their past makes me wonder if I really know who my parents really are.

    I rested my head on the table and noticed a closet door cracked open. I headed there and I closed it but noticed the floorboard underneath was slightly loose. I thought that since my parents had such backgrounds, a secret hiding spot won''t be surprising. I knelt down and inspected the said floorboard and lifted it open. It had a reddish brown wooden box that looked like an old treasure chest. The box that was unlocked so I was able to get into it pretty easily. I was ecstatic. What if there¡¯s weapons here, or gems with my dad¡¯s light powers inside it.

    I gently opened the wooden box and was greeted with nothing. It was empty except for a singular letter addressed to someone I never heard of. Judging by the date when it was written It seemed to have been written before my parents died. The contents of the box might¡¯ve been something my dad took with him when they left.

    I opened the letter and read what was inside¡­

    Dear Raizen

    The shadows are growing stronger by the day, especially the headless liar. I feel that he¡¯ll soon come after me and my family. That''s why I¡¯m writing this letter now in case something happens.

    Me and Thalia are blending in with the land dwellers quite nicely and my son Yaku is growing up comfortably. I hope that this time of our life continues but my heart belongs in battle and I could not sit still. I am worried for my son, we never told him anything about Euryphaessa and If the time I¡¯m dreading comes to be, I¡¯m scared of my son¡¯s future. So I¡¯m asking you to teach my son everything I taught you in the past. I know it¡¯s too much to ask but I beg of you, if he¡¯s really the child of prophecy he¡¯ll come to know about Euryphaessa on his own and eventually fulfil his destiny. I know you¡¯re not great at teaching but please do it for a father¡¯s wish for his son to have a chance at his future battles. I know you¡¯re the only one who¡¯ll be able to help him. So please consider taking him in as your student.

    Before I go , I''ll give you this information I just found out about recently. The headless liar is but a mere puppet. The puppeteer is someone who lives in Euryphaessa. This is heavy information and will cause chaos if I let others know now, but I have no idea on who it could be. I might find some more leads tomorrow but for now this is all that I have.

    From your old master, Kojin.

    I closed my eyes and began to ponder. The prophecy I was destined to. It¡¯s starting to come at me without me realising. Like my dad said, if the prophecy weren¡¯t true I wouldn¡¯t come to know about Euryphaessa¡­

    This letter that contained important information that could possibly help the whole nation was left to eat dust in my dads old room. A letter he was supposed to send but failed to do so because of the accident.

    I looked at the outside of the letter once again and was reminded by the letters my mom always made¡­ Come to think of it. When I first met my grandfather, Old man Chron, he mentioned that the letters that my mom always sent suddenly stopped, and then they found out they had died a few years after that messages had stopped.

    ¡°Something doesn¡¯t add up¡± I thought to myself. For one, I remember I would always see my mom write letters to someone along with my dad. I never asked who they were sending too, I always thought it was something work related. They write their letters every week even though I never saw a response to their letter. They sent those letters consistently until they died.

    This last letter that my dad failed to send¡­ If he did manage to send it, would it have fallen to the wrong hands?

    So was there someone intercepting the letters? Or is it just some weird coincidence? Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    If I¡¯m correct, Raizen is a former student of my dad. If sending this letter to him helps the nation it¡¯ll make my parents'' death not go in vain. If it is, then I must send this letter to him personally. But with that, I¡¯ll be accepting the prophecy that¡¯s ahead of me.

    Prophecy or not, I don¡¯t want my parents'' hard sacrifice to go to waste. I¡¯ll tell Old man Chron about the letters later, for now I need to prepare.

    I understand my dad a bit more. They wanted me to have a normal life, but if the prophecy really comes true he still wants to help me in some way.

    I raised up my head with my eyes lit with resolve. I took my mop and cleaned the whole house. And as soon as I realised it, it was already dusk.

    I went to the rooftop and watched the golden sunset with tints of purple and magenta. There I witnessed the most beautiful sunset one could ever see. Glistening in its golden hue I looked down and saw the world in front of me. Bustling with life, not knowing about the dark forces that disrupts their peace without them realising. I clenched the golden dagger that¡¯s still in my left pocket and I finally made up my mind.

    ¡°Haruki!¡± I yelled on the top of my lungs. I have no idea how to contact that guy, I only know that he¡¯ll be patrolling at this time of day.

    ¡°Haruki! I¡¯m ready to face my destiny!¡± I screamed again.

    ¡°So you¡¯re ready to go to Euryphaessa?¡± a familiar voice suddenly appeared without warning. It was Haruki.

    I nodded and told him that after my high school graduation tomorrow, I¡¯ll move out and live in Euryphaessa.

    The next day came and it¡¯s my last day in school. I brought Haruki with me as my guardian. I told Haruki I just wanted him to meet my friends before I leave, but to be honest I just wanted to experience a family member walking with me during my graduation.

    We entered my classroom and I saw my friends getting ready for the ceremony. We¡¯re all wearing our uniforms but I can see their character shine by the way they dress.

    Phil has freshly trimmed hair but still as flat as ever. He wore his graduation robes a bit untidily but thanks to El fixing it for him, he won''t get scolded by his mom later. On the other hand El was prepared down to her choice of shoes, which looked to be brand new. Her hair was neatly tied in an elegant bun and she wore makeup that greatly emphasises her features. Hoshiro was the same, he was dressed neatly with his ironed graduation robes and his hair is less spiky than usual, it looked like he had styled it for today.

    I called my friends and introduced them to my cousin, Haruki. ¡°Everyone This is my cousin Haruki¡±.

    They all welcomed him with great delight and introduced themselves one by one.

    ¡°Have we met before?¡± Hoshiro has a suspicious look on his face. I know Hoshiro has sensitive senses so he might¡¯ve sensed Haruki when he was in the same room as us. I thought Hoshiro would just talk to Haruki for a little and leave but I didn¡¯t expect them to be interested in talking with each other. Hoshiro was eager to talk to Haruki, in fact Phil, and El had already left and they were still talking. They seemed to have clicked and had found something in common with each other.

    I went to a corner and wore my graduation robes. I glanced at Haruki and Hoshiro¡¯s direction facing the front door. Without warning, I saw a glimpse of a dark aura. Haruki seemed to have noticed it too and left his conversation with Hoshiro. Hoshiro seemed to have understood what was happening and called me to follow Haruki.

    We barely managed to follow Haruki rushing down the hallway, but eventually caught up as they entered an isolated laboratory full of unused glass beakers and flasks, some of which are broken and covered in dust. We peeked our heads in to see what''s going on and we saw Haruki face to face with a student we don¡¯t know. He seemed to be a graduating student the same year as us.

    ¡°That guy¡­¡± Hoshiro mumbled with a serious tone. ¡°He¡¯s the top second guy from section C. I know him because he has always come in second in everything he does. He must have been fed up from always getting top second in his class despite all the effort he does. That guy¡¯s parents were yelling at him earlier, I guess he¡¯s being pressured. I don¡¯t see it, but I feel that there¡¯s a dark force surrounding him¡± The way Hoshiro spoke, Haruki must''ve told him about the Shadows and Euryphaessa.

    The guy had an intense expression and he also had a rope. From what I can tell, I think he¡¯s about to hang himself. Because of Hoshiro¡¯s great sense of hearing I was able to get what¡¯s going on based on what he¡¯s telling me.

    I was right the guy wants to quietly kill himself, that¡¯s why he went to this secluded area of the school.

    ¡°Stop this.¡± Haruki commanded the guy with a serious tone¡°

    ¡°What will you do? Kill me? My life is already over.¡± pleaded the guy.

    ¡°That bastard stole all my chances of getting 1st place. I worked my ass off so hard until my glasses doubled their grade, until my hair was burned from the candle light when I accidentally fell asleep while studying. My family is poor and have no way of paying for my future studies. All because of that bastard my scholarship was denied!!!  Stupid bastard doesn''t even take anything seriously! He¡¯s a narcissist and is so full of himself.¡± The student cried in agony, heavy drops of tears fell on the ground and he knelt deeply with his forehead touching the ground.

    ¡°I can''t do this anymore, I want to die!¡±

    With his final scream of anguish, he slammed his head on the ground as if finally giving up from his long suffering. Ready to accept the faith that awaits him. But as soon as his last wail left his breath, an immediate attack followed from his fists to Haruki¡¯s face. He stood up so fast with his fist tightly clenched and punched Haruki with great force in the direction of his face. Haruki didn¡¯t feel the need to dodge the punch; instead, he just moved his head slightly to the left and evaded his attack effortlessly. This angered the shadow, and caused it to bombarded Haruki with punches in all directions.

    ¡°Why does he keep dodging and not attacking?¡± I spoke my thoughts out loud

    He¡¯s waiting for an opening¡± Hoshiro replied

    He¡¯s a pretty easy opponent I thought to myself¡¯ I mean he¡¯s just charging without any notion of protecting himself.

    Last time when Haruki beheaded that lady when we first met, He beheaded her so easily. The guy is just hurting himself by thrashing around and attacking with his full strength.

    ¡°Look at the shadow¡­¡± Hoshiro wishepred with decisiveness in his voice.

    I wondered¡­ yeah, i know Haruki is targeting the shadow that¡¯s possessing the student¡­ but how¡­I looked at the silhouette of the guy and saw two shadows.

    I see what¡¯s going on¡­ Haruki is being careful to not slice up the original shadow. The lady wasn''t moving around so much like this guy, that¡¯s why Haruki was able to free her so easily.

    From what I can tell, The real shadow is always moving according to the direction of the light, like how a normal shadow always does. While the shadow who¡¯s trying to possess him remains in one direction.

    That explains why Haruki is not attacking right away; he''s waiting for the opportune moment to attack.

    The student charged at Haruki in all directions without pausing to catch his breath. Sweat dripped all over his face but that didn''t stop him. He crashed at tables and glass cabinets, knocking beakers off their shelves, smashing them on the ground. Shards scattered across the floor, yet it didn''t stop the student. The shadow was using all its strength to catch Haruki but he evaded all his attempts. Haruki was being careful to not hurt the poor student, but he couldn''t control the shadow''s path of destruction. The helpless student slipped on one of the shards and fell face first on the broken glass. Blood and sweat dripped across his face and yet he didn''t stop.

    Haruki. Pulled out his sword.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the blade?¡± I thought to myself.

    I looked at Hoshiro and he had the same confused expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s just the hilt?¡± He uttered with confusion.

    Haruki extended his bladeless katana and placed his right hand on the beginning of the invisible blade.

    He stood beside the window where the sunlight beamed the strongest, and a flash of condensed light blazed on the hilt of his katana, forming a blade so bright, it illuminated the whole laboratory.

    The shadow writhed in agony like a dog with rabies touching water.

    With his final attempt to attack Haruki, the shadow seized all the glass shards around him and started throwing them in Haruki''s direction.

    Haruki deflected the shards with ease while slowly approaching the shadow¡ªSpecks of blood covered glass flew around the place but that didn''t stop the shadow from attacking.

    The shadow was pushed back against the wall, with the sunlight directly hitting him from his nine. Two shadows emerged from the boys¡¯ body; One was following the sunlight¡¯s direction and the other remained still on his rear.

    Until finally with one final swoop, Haruki slashed his katana in the students neck and a beheaded shadow fell out of his body and slowly disintegrated into thin air.

    I looked at an aghast Hoshiro who seemed like he didn¡¯t see the shadow who disintegrated but instead just saw Haruki slashed his katana at a person but didn¡¯t cause any damage.

    The battle was over and the student fainted in front of Haruki with blood and sweat all over him. Bruises and scar was covering the poor boy¡¯s whole body and his face was swollen to beyond recognition.

    Me and Hoshiro decided it was time to get out of hiding and come to Haruki¡¯s aid. He seemed to have known we were hiding and asked us to help him clean the place up.

    Haruki pulled out a small green gem in his pocket and crushed it into pieces. A flowing green light emerged from the gem and Haruki was able to control it, and directed the flowing light into the boy¡¯s wounded body and the light slowly began to heal the boy¡¯s cuts and bruises.

    He took out another gem with the colour ___ and it fixed the boy¡¯s ripped up and dirty clothes and turned it looking brand new.

    When we finished clearing the place up, Haruki put all the broken glasses and equipment into one corner. He took out a ___ gem, crushed it, and the light he directed into the debris made them glow so bright and made them vanish into thin air.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t repair it like the clothes?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I can only repair clothes, any other inanimate objects are impossible.

    Haruki went back to the boy who was sleeping soundly and took out another gem.

    ¡°This is to remove his memory of the fight. I can only remove recent memories, but his sadness will still remain. Without the shadow¡¯s interference he should be able to get past his troubles. I¡¯ll place a marker on him incase he becomes suicidal again.¡±

    To think, for a Euryphaessan soldier. Their fights aren¡¯t over even when they are successful in eliminating the shadows¡­ their fights are never ending.

    ¡°Is there no real solution to this situation?¡± Hoshiro asked with concern. He already knows about the existence of Euryphaessa so he would probably already know about the shadows as well.

    I looked at Haruki expecting an answer.

    ¡°Our people have been looking for a better way for hundreds of years¡­ this is the best we can do to minimise the damage.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Silence soon followed the room. Both Hoshiro and I are in deep thought. Afterall, is there no other way to help the people? Is killing the shadow the only solution? Another one might just come back.

    I was in deep thought for a while and without me realising time had already passed and the graduation ceremony had finally begun.

    I was sitting next to El and Phil who knew nothing of what had happened in the laboratory.

    Hoshiro was there up in the podium giving his graduation speech and I saw all my classmates listening to him in earnest. Some are crying and some are smiling from happiness. I didn¡¯t know Hoshiro could give a wonderful speech full of heart and emotions.

    ¡°I helped him write that speech.¡± El blurted out with a grin.

    ¡°Ahh no wonder it has emotions.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that emotionless bloke¡¯s first draft of that speech had zero emotions. An AI could write a better speech with emotions than him.¡± El added with disappointment.

    ¡°Hey, we know letting out emotions is not Hoshiro¡¯s strong suit,¡± Phil replied, trying to back Hoshiro up.

    The three of us laughed and cheered on Hoshiro as he finished his speech.

    And there I am climbing up the podium and receiving my diplomas, with a family member.

    And with that my high school life was finally over. I bid my goodbyes to everyone I''m close with, including my friends.

    They weren¡¯t so fond about me leaving, especially Phil who was crying and clinging on my shoulders.

    ¡°Phil, it''s not like I¡¯m leaving forever.¡±

    ¡°Still, you¡¯ve always wanted to find your relatives, and now you''ve found them and you''re going to live with them. I''m just happy¡­¡±

    I think I understand where Phil is coming from¡­ He¡¯s not crying because I¡¯m leaving, he¡¯s crying because he knows how much this moment means to me.

    ¡°Thanks Phil. Don''t worry I¡¯ll come and visit you guys when I can.¡±

    ¡°Promise?¡±

    ¡°Promise.¡±

    The three of us all hugged each other and said our goodbyes. After talking to my friends, Haruki and I went back to my apartment and started packing my luggage.

    I didn''t bring that much stuff because I don¡¯t plan on selling our home anytime soon. This is the only thing that reminds me of my parents, I don''t want to leave my memory just because I¡¯m moving out.

    Sundown was approaching and we needed to be back to Euryphaessa according to Haruki. Seems like he couldn¡¯t find anyone who would take his patrol shift.

    We went out and climbed to the rooftop where we saw the sun soon taking his rest. Haruki whistled to call upon his sapphire blue dragon.

    Not a moment later his dragon appeared in the distance and swiftly landed leaving no delay to our journey. We gently climbed up the dragon¡¯s back and flew off to the sunset.