Chapter 25 — The Mark in the Shadow
The night came fast after they left the burning town. Too fast.
Kael walked ahead of the small column of survivors, his boots sinking into the mud of the forest path. The air was unnaturally still. No insects. No wind. Only the sound of trudging feet.
SIDE broke the silence. —You've got a problem.
"I always do."
—This one's bigger. Your shadow's… wrong.
Kael stopped. The torchlight behind him spilled his silhouette onto the ground — except it wasn't matching him anymore. The head tilted the other way. The arms hung lower.
And then, it smiled.
The noble carrying the torch yelped, stumbling back. "What—what is—"
Kael stepped forward, and the shadow realigned, as if nothing had happened. His voice was low. "Forget it."
SIDE didn't sound convinced. —That's not a trick you've learned. That's the Demon God leaving fingerprints on your soul.
Kael kept walking. "Then I'll scrape them off."
The forest broke into a clearing where a carcass lay — a dire wolf, its ribs splayed open, the meat cleanly gone. No blood, no scent. Just absence.
The noble muttered a prayer. Kael crouched, tracing the wound edges. Cold radiated from it, colder than the rift's touch.
From the treeline, pale eyes blinked. One. Then four. Then twelve. The shadows between the trees thickened, forming hunched shapes with too-long limbs.
SIDE's tone sharpened. —Marked beasts. They can smell the Demon God's attention on you.
The first one lunged. Kael met it mid-air, sword singing through the dark. The cut didn't spill blood — instead, black mist bled from the wound, curling toward his blade before sinking into it.
[SIDE SYSTEM ALERT]
Shadow Infusion +5%
New Skill: Predator's Claim — Slain corrupted beasts yield 2x Darkness Energy.
Kael's lips tightened. "Guess I'm a beacon now."
The next wave came faster — claws flashing, teeth snapping. Kael moved through them like flowing steel, using spatial flickers to break their formation, his sword trailing shadow arcs that carved glowing lines into the night.
When the last fell, dissolving into ash, the clearing was silent again. The nobles stared, pale and wide-eyed.
Kael wiped the blade on the grass. "We move."
Behind him, his shadow lingered in place for a heartbeat too long before following.
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