The three humans were walking deep into the forest. The trees in this part of the forest were paler and the mist was much thicker.
Darius took the front line, his sword resting casually on his shoulder. Riven was two steps behind him, her sword having been dismissed back to wherever she summoned it from.
She carried Zephyros on her back like a toddler. Apparently, he had a few injuries while battling with those Silkfang Howlers.
If not for the two people with him, he would have been dead by now. But what was he doing in a portal with monsters in the first place?
Zephyros glared at Darius with anger and adjusted his body on Riven's back. She didn't seem to be bothered with the fact that she was giving her own boyfriend a "piggyback ride." In fact, from Zeph's point of view, she seemed to like it, though she didn't show it. Her expression was still the same bored look.
After some time of walking, the team was edging closer to the Anchor. They could hear the howls growing louder and louder.
None of this seemed to bother Zephyros anymore. His mind had diverted back to the message a mysterious voice sent.
"Parasite…" he muttered.
Riven shrugged to alert him that she heard him, but she didn't say anything.
Even Zephyros cared less if she heard. He had problems of his own.
He had understood just one part of the parasite... not exactly understood. That was the part where he felt something leave his body and get restored.
In the case of parasitism, it involves two parties: the host and the parasite. The host serves as the vessel, the body, the soul, the spirit that carries the burden. The parasite is the leech, the unseen shadow that feeds upon the host's essence.
In other words, the host does all the work while the parasite benefits from it. The host doesn't benefit; it only weakens. This makes Zephyros the host to a parasite.
The part where Zephyros felt something leaving his body can be tagged as the weakness. But... that mysterious substance that left his body always came back.
This means the mysterious parasite was giving him back that substance, but for its own self-gains.
It was simple for a detective to understand that part. First, when he kills, the parasite gets stronger. But the more the host works, the more it weakens. That's when this mysterious parasite decided to turn parasitism into partial mutualism.
The parasite made sure Zephyros, the host, never weakened by quenching his energy with every single kill. It's like a circular chain.
Zeph killed, his energy weakened, the parasite strengthened, then gave the strength to Zephyros.
All in all, this was still in favor of the mysterious parasite, so it could be called partial mutualism.
But who or what is this parasite?
The thought gnawed at him, even as the fog grew thicker, even as the howls grew louder.
Just then, the forest shifted again.
Riven stopped, her grip on him tightening slightly before she eased him off her back and set him down gently against the trunk of a pale, gnarled tree.
"Stay put…" she murmured.
Zeph clenched his teeth. He hated the way she said it... calm, efficient, like telling a child to wait on the sidelines.
'Is she my mom or my girlfriend?'
He was about to protest when shadows began to emerge from the fog.
At first they looked like broken branches bending at strange angles. Then the mist peeled back, revealing pale, too many legs, jointed wrong, and ending in claws that dug into the earth.
Amber eyes glowed faintly in the haze. Their mandibles clicked, strands of sticky webbing trailing from their jaws.
'... Silkfang Howlers.'
A dozen at least, maybe more, prowling low to the ground. They weren't charging. They were circling, herding, pushing the three humans toward the deeper dark.
Darius finally shifted and lowered the sword from his shoulder, holding it with both hands. His expression changed from the usual nonchalant look. In its place was a sharp, serious gaze.
'... Looks like he's tired of this shit.'
"They're guarding the Anchor," Darius scoffed.
Riven said nothing, her sword flashing into her hand with a shimmer of light.
Zeph's pulse hammered in his ears as he pressed his back harder against the tree. He did not want to get involved this time. Whatever that parasite was doing to him wasn't good.
The first three Silkfangs lunged.
Just before they could get to Riven, two of the monsters fell to the ground, their bodies split into two. Darius's sword flashed and killed them in an instant.
The last one got to Riven but didn't even get the chance to attack the young woman. She just twisted her body and leaped over the monster. The moment she was on top of the monster, she thrust her blade deep into one of its eyes and dragged the sword by the pommel as she landed. The blade tore from the eye to the rear of the monster, splitting it in half.
Zeph could only watch. His fists clenched, nails biting into his palms, frustration eating at him.
Just like before, more Silkfangs lunged at the humans. Fortunately, none were getting to Zephyros... this time. He was already hiding on a branch of the tree, making himself unseen from the monsters at any cost while also watching the battle.
At some point, Darius and Riven were already getting tired. The number of monsters wasn't decreasing. When one died, another one replaced it.
Just then, Riven did something amusing and terrifying that left Zephyros's mouth wide open.
After decapitating one of the Howlers, Riven found her way to the middle of the battle, leaving the Howlers for Darius to handle.
"Hey... Stop..." Darius yelled, as if knowing what she wanted to do.
On getting to the center, she shut her eyes and bit her lips as if something was biting her from inside. It was almost the same feeling Zephyros felt from the mysterious parasite.
Unlike Zephyros, the pain wasn't limiting. Then something amazing and unbelievable happened.
Her shadow turned into eight, swaying on the ground. They then slowly elongated around the area of battle.
Slowly, the shadows on the forest floor deepened and thickened, spreading outward in a wave of pure darkness. Unlike natural shadows, this was oppressive, dense, and suffocating. It was almost... evil.
The darkness expanded quickly, covering the area where the Silkfang Howlers prowled. The mist itself seemed to recoil from it, as if the forest recognized the weight of Riven's power. Zephyros, pressed against the tree, felt the oppressive force first on his skin, then in his chest, like a physical hand squeezing him.
His heart skipped beats as he immediately pressed his back against the bark of the tree.
'... What kind... of ability is this?' he groaned.
Now he knew the flames earlier were from the sword and not from her. But this discovery only led to a more menacing and oppressive ability.
The Howlers were also oppressed by the shadow. The shadow had engulfed the whole battle area, limiting their movements and obscuring their vision. It was almost comical if it weren't terrifying... like the shadows were invisible walls guiding them where they could go... and where they couldn't.
... While still imposing a heavy, almost unbearable presence.
Even Darius seemed to be affected by the shadow. But unlike the monsters and Zephyros, he was still able to move, if not too swiftly. It must have been that he was either used to it or was stronger and could resist her shadow ability by a fraction. Or maybe it was a combination of both. Still, her ability took an effect on him, slowing his movements down.
He moved with renewed focus, striking only when Riven's shadow funneled the Howlers perfectly into his path. The darkness didn't kill, but it dominated the whole area... at least five meters or less.
Zephyros's stomach knotted. He pressed his back harder against the tree, trying to keep himself small, trying to understand what was happening.
Riven was standing in the middle of all this, calm, like she was just...meditating? Her eyes were closed. She wasn't swinging her sword, but she didn't need to. The shadows did everything: blocking paths, slowing movements, pushing the Howlers exactly where she wanted.
It was terrifying and brilliant at the same time. The monsters weren't attacking her, but they couldn't do anything else. Every step they took was forced out of sheer resolve. So they either stumbled or fell, which made Darius's job easier.
Zephyros's eyes widened. This wasn't about power... it was about control.
This... this was environmental control at its best, if not at its peak.
She didn't just fight the monsters; she made the whole battlefield hers. And she did it without even looking like she was trying.
Zephyros's stomach churned. Awe, fear, frustration... and something else... jealousy.
How could she look so effortless, so bored, while he felt like he was suffocating just watching? Every monster she didn't even touch faltered and fell. Every strike Darius made was guided, forced, and perfected by the shadows.
Minutes passed. Darius's and Riven's shadows moved almost as one. The shadows slowed, guided, corralled, and finally trapped the Howlers, making them fall like dominoes. Zephyros swallowed hard, his heart racing. He could feel the weight of it all, the heaviness of the darkness pressing down on him. It was as oppressive as earlier.
Zephyros bit his lips, trying to resist but ended up coughing out blood. Who was he to try and resist? Even an Ordained, who was the leader of a Conclave, was slowed down by the shadows, so who the hell was he to think he could resist his girlfriend's ability?
When the last Howler fell, the shadows slowly pulled back, coiling around Riven like obedient animals. She opened her eyes, bored as ever, brushing a strand of hair aside.
Zephyros's knees almost buckled.
The Silkfang Howlers were all dead except for the...
For the time being, Zephyros breathed a sigh of relief, but that relief didn't last long.
Riven caught him staring at her, but instead of her usual boredom or sigh, she, for the first time since Le Wei had transmigrated as Zephyros Milnar either last night or today—he didn't know— but that wasn't the issue... for the first time, Riven... smiled at him.
Her smile was beautiful; the shadow even seemed to be making her more beautiful. This... this was his girlfriend, and he had thought Jia would be his spouse... but eventually she died.
'... I hope this one won't die...'
But, truly speaking from Zephyros's point of view, who could kill such a being? That ability had everything you needed from a fighter: strength and oppression.
Zephyros sagged against the tree, knees trembling, hands gripping the bark. His chest heaved. He felt relief, yes... but mostly a cold, gnawing awe.
His fists clenched. A part of him wanted to jump on her and ask for another piggyback. Another part wanted to crawl out of the shadows entirely. And the most humiliating part?
He couldn't stop staring at her.
'She's terrifying. And... beautiful. Damn it.'
"You could have lost your whole energy using your shadow ability. Why not just summon Shade... or whatever that thing's name was?" Darius asked, his voice burning with anger. A concerned anger, though.
'What is Shade?' Zephyros was confused. He wanted to ask, but then Riven pointed at him on the tree.
"Shade would not have gotten to him on time."
'Huh? What is she saying?'
Zephyros turned his head around to take a look, and then he saw it. He was terrified and almost fell off the tree. How had he not noticed it?
Right above him on another branch and also at his back were two Howlers... frozen?
The shadow that fell on him protected him by killing these monsters. So the shadow wasn't only dominating, it was also deadly. He was also in the shadow, so why didn't he die?
Did Riven use another trick on these Howlers? Or was it the work of the parasite that protected him?
'... Mysteries... mysteries... mysteries... I love it...'
Darius shook his head, and then a small green bottle, a piece of white clothing used to cover the liquid in it, appeared in his hand.
"I got this from the last portal. You'll need your energy for the Anchor."
She collected it and drank it, then walked towards the tree. Standing under it, she stretched her hands wide up, gesturing to Zephyros to jump down.
Understanding what she meant, Zeph frowned and hissed.
"I'll never in my life jump into the arms of my girlfriend... Never..."
Riven just tilted her head, and her cheeks started burning red.
"Ermmm... I didn't think of it that way... If you... don't want to jump, it's fine..."
'Wow... so submissive... waifu material.' Zephyros, no... Le Wei grinned.
Come to think of it, she gave him a piggyback ride earlier. He sighed and reluctantly jumped down from the tree into his girlfriend's arms.
She caught him and carried him like a baby, her smile widening.
"Such an honor... thanks..."
Zephyros nodded, embarrassed, and immediately came down from her arms. But a sharp pain ran across his legs, making him almost fall. Riven was there to save the day as she just caught him by the shoulder, and without warning he was already on her back.
He couldn't argue.
After drinking the rest of the healing potion, Zephyros felt a surge run through his body, and his legs were already feeling better. Not like he wanted to climb off Riven's back yet.
'My girlfriend is perfect... My brother is cool... What could possibly go wrong...'
****
Some time later, a sixteen-year-old boy with messy white and black hair stood at the back of a large rock that looked like a cave, his face filled with horror and fear.
In his sight were a teenage girl clad in a gray and silver-like armor, age of sixteen, and a young man, who looked to be the age of nineteen. They were busy running and circling a colossus the size of a truck, made out of metal and fur.
It wasn't really a metal and fur colossus; it was a larger Silkfang Howler... the Anchor.