16 Luxnevia

Lightless day +19

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Nyx was the young woman in high heels who had arrived to check the scene following the death of the guardian at my high school. My rising strength had most likely drew her in… That was why she had bombarded me with inquiries, inquiring as to how I had warned the English teacher. She must have known right then and there that I wasn’t ordinary person. She went to the hospital after that.

I had no idea how Nyx had discovered that I had the ability to steal shadows. All I knew was that I had powerful adversaries and that I needed to be ready for the worst. They knew everything there was to know about me. And I had no idea who they were.

I need to understand more about them and this world in general.

The thrashing delivered by the winged beasts had taken me almost a month to recover from. I had healed completely, despite being half of this world and practically eternal … but it had taken a long time. And what had gotten me through it all? What is my desire to live? Is there a desire to return to the human realm? Is it possible that I’ll never see Kerry again? Or my mom, for that matter.

$py had come back with some wonderful news. He’d discovered where my shadow was held.

"So this is where the thief of my shadow has its refuge…"

Surrounded by my mist, I saw a towering structure as well as the city that around it. The city had been constructed on a landmass that fought to keep the light. Newcomers were deterred from entering the city by a swampy forest filled with massive trees with trunks measuring at least six meters in circumference.

Years had faded a sign that read: "Luxneville, the Royal Seat of Luxnevia, welcomes you. The law of dominance applies." The words were etched between the heads of two winged monsters.

"Luxnevia? What is the nature of this realm?"

"A world off-limits to the vast bulk of Arum’s worlds," $py answered dryly.

"Do you have anything more to say? You’re quite chatty."

A cold rope wrapped itself around my wrist. In a bracelet with a crystal in the center, $py had changed.

I picked up bits of talk while remaining invisible in the thick of the crowd. Several individuals were huddled together, shouting about a tournament that will start in three days. Competitors of various species had already gathered around a big arena enclosed by steel gates.

A saffron glow emanated from the four-sided gem. When I tapped it with the palm of my hand, the crystal began to flicker slightly, which I took as a location indication.

I surveyed the surroundings.

Just above the tall skyscraper that pointed straight up into the sky, a signal that matched the crystal’s light signal was flickering.

I took the left path, resigned, and knew I’d arrived when the signal light flickered.

No one was more determined than me to get a shadow; the last of Lighthill to risk his life by entering this closed world.

I let out an expletive and teleported to the balcony that surrounded the highest tower’s top-level apartments.

A spell had been cast to guard the entry, but I was unconcerned about this protection. I discovered I could get around these gimmicks.

I moved beyond the glass doors into a vast living room, shattering into a mist like a ghost. The darkness of the space did not prevent me from recognizing the lavish design perfectly, but the disorder ruined everything. The carpet was surrounded by mountains of clothes piled on the chairs, recliners, and pairs of shoes.

A magnificent four-poster bed was located in another room, where a woman was sleeping. Her black hair was strewn across the bed, as if she had slumped over and not moved.

My wrist was constricted by the band. The gem shone brightly.

"You frightened me," muttered a voice from the room I’d come to a halt in front of.

Seen. Wasn’t I supposed to be invisible?

"At long last, you arrived," the voice continued to speak, and I noticed that it was smiling as it spoke.

My heart skipped a beat.

"You were here in fact!"

"I am, indeed. I had a feeling you’d come after me. The others also."

"What about the others?"

"Of course. The other shadows. We’re all delighted to see you."

I felt thousands of fingertips skim my shoulders as it spoke.

I almost screamed, but I forced myself to hold back my fists.

"What went wrong? What brings you all here?"

I stated as I took a look around.

Because there were so many shadows, I couldn’t make out each one. I felt as if I was on a basketball floor with tens of thousands of fans watching from the stands.

I was shrinking and shrinking. My shadow was having a good time. I smiled when I heard it’s crystalline laughter and remembered Kerry’s shadow.

"It’s here as well," my shadow said, moving to the other corner and returning with a smaller shadow.

Kerry’s shadow jumped on my neck and quickly backed away, intimidated.

My shadow laughed when I blushed.

I took a seat on the floor, as did the shadows nearby, while those further away stood or sat halfway.

Before I began, I cleared my throat. I reddened a bit more.

I coughed twice in a row and said:

"I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you. I damaged you because you put all your trust in me. This should serve as a warning to you," I added, raising my voice to a higher pitch. "Don’t trust someone like that, blindly…" I continued as the bracelet tightened on my wrist.

"We can’t do anything else," a voice whispered, "We don’t have anyone."

"Don’t endanger your life by betting on just anyone. You might wind up with someone who is even worse than me. A person who…" I shook my swollen wrist and sighed. "Someone who has the ability to enslave and exploit you. You’ve come here because of me, and I swear I’ll do all in my power to get you back home."

As I tried to untangle the bracelet from my wrist, I crossed my hands behind my back.

The environment was a bit more laid-back, but I still didn’t feel as if I had their full trust. There was still a long way to go.

"I came here to assist you in getting out of this situation. If you wish to keep up with me."

Kerry’s shadow approached rapidly and grabbed my hand. Other shadows approached cautiously, one by one, followed by smaller groups.

In front of me, my shadow remained. I extended my hand, and my shadow took it and softly squeezed it.