Edward's words left Raiyan deeply unsettled. Without hesitation, Edward jumped down from the rock, and Raiyan followed.
Their footsteps echoed through the chamber as Edward approached the puddle of water, moving slowly but cautiously. He glanced upward, trying to find the source of the light—but of course, there was none.
Raiyan looked around. All he could see were rocks, dirt, and small insects crawling out of holes. A rat scurried across his path, prompting an exasperated groan.
"Tch, this place is giving me the creeps. Hey Edward, let's get go—"
He stopped. Edward was staring into the water, transfixed, almost mesmerized. He sat down beside it, his eyes sparkling unnaturally, as if caught in some illusion. His eyes were sparkling unnaturally, his mouth open and wide.
"...Edward?" Raiyan called out.
No response. Edward's head leaned dangerously close to the surface.
Raiyan's eyes widened in alarm, realizing he might fall in. He starting running towards him, but realized he was too far. Without thinking, he picked up a pebble and threw it, hitting Edward squarely on the head. Edward jerked back, breaking the trance and stumbling away from the water, visibly shaken.
"What were you thinking, you idiot?" Raiyan half-yelled, torn between concern and frustration.
He turned toward the water and froze..
A figure stared back at him. It was a woman—or rather, a mirrored illusion of one—with silver eyes, a face like liquid, and a watery, blue-hued body. She locked eyes with Raiyan, and he was instantly ensnared in a dreamlike state. She looked hauntingly similar to Constance. His mind remained conscious, but his body moved involuntarily, drawn toward the water.
A sharp slap brought him back to reality. Raiyan's cheek stung as he snapped out of the trance.
"Oi, what the hell was that for?" he said, rubbing his cheek.
"We're even," Edward muttered. "It's a water spirit. Probably meant to lure people in and drown them. Possibly takes the image of the one you sort of are thinking about too much. Don't look at it."
Raiyan averted his eyes, shaking his head. I've heard of this... female water spirits that trap men and drown them. From Russian folklore... Rusalka, I think?
Before Edward could respond, Raiyan turned his head and froze again..
In a split second, a shadowy figure with glowing purple eyes appeared right in front of him. Simultaneously, he was yanked backward by his collar—likely by Edward. Everything happened too fast to process, in a blink of an eye.
Oh? Wow...Why does this..feel familiar? Like this has happened before... but when?
Time returned to normal. The shadowy figure missed its mark, crashing into the wall. Edward had pulled him aside just in time.
Edward fixed his coat and muttered, "A Shadow." He glanced at Raiyan. "Can you fight?"
A double-edged sword materialized in a flash and fell to the ground beside Raiyan. Summoning Magic.
"...Yes." Raiyan stood up, gripping the sword. A strange emotion surged within him—not fear, not hesitation, but hatred. Hatred for Shadows. His mind flashed to Max's screams, his distorted form.
Huh? What...am I doing? I shouldn't get emotionally involved. It only leads to regret... Just avoid trouble, and if it persists. Deal with it, Raiyan.
The Shadow lunged at Edward, but Edward moved faster—just barely. Or so Raiyan thought.
By intentionally delaying his dodge, Edward closed the distance and knocked the Shadow off balance, forcing it into the puddle, precisely where the mysterious light fell. A smart but risky move.
Edward raised his hand. Force magic activated—an elemental blend of Wind and Ground magic. It pinned the Shadow in the water. The creature shrieked, a sound like a woman and an owl screaming in unison.
He used incantation-less summoning magic... and now incantation-less this magic? This guy's a beast.
"Guess you didn't need my help," Raiyan said, stepping beside him.
Edward didn't reply, focused on maintaining the Force magic. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but his face remained calm, blank.
Splat.
Time seemed to stop.
Blood sprayed across Raiyan's clothes. His eyes widened, and his confident expression vanished. His smile faded. The Shadow, now in front of Edward, had driven its claw deep into his chest. Edward spat blood.
Memories of Max's transformation flashed in Raiyan's mind. His agony. His distortion.
No... is he.. going to become like that too? No..
No.
No.
"NO!"Raiyan screamed.
A shockwave burst from him, a ripple of mana exploding outward, forming... black lightning? It crackled violently, throwing the Shadow across the chamber and slamming it into the wall.
Edward was flung back too, groaning as he crashed against a stone, clutching his wound.
Raiyan stared at his hands in disbelief. Did... I do that? How?
Is the system.. alive?
He shook his head and ran towards Edward. "Mr. Edward! Are you okay?" he cried out, kneeling beside him.
"Don't worry, I can heal myself... though it'll drain most of my mana." Edward's eyes never left the Shadow. He gritted his teeth, realizing the situation.
The Shadow's neck, twisted unnaturally, snapped back into place with a grotesque crack. It writhed and locked its eyes on them again. It was gross, for any human. Ironically, not for the ones present there, due to their familiarity with the entities called Shadow.
Edward grunted. Raiyan stood, positioning himself defensively.
"Go ahead and heal yourself, Mr. Edward," Raiyan said.
"No."
"Huh?" Raiyan glanced back at him.
"I thought drowning it in the Light would kill it—or at least knock it out. Clearly not. We can't kill it. But... there are alternatives." Edward's voice was strained but steady.
"Just buy me five minutes. Minimum. I can do something."
Raiyan was hit with a wave of emotion. Someone was depending on him. Trusting him. Someone hopeful about him. It was a distant feeling. A close feeling.
A happy feeling.
He took a deep breath, locking eyes with the Shadow. Its eerie purple gaze met his steady brown eyes. He got into position, his hand firmly gripping his sword.
"Roger."