I Awakened The Shadow System

Chapter 5. The Rival’s Suspicion

Inside the combat hall, the students sparred under the cold eye of Instructor Varis. Steel clanged. Sparks flew.

Kane Drayden wasn’t sparring. He was staring. At Liam Cross. From across the room, Kane watched as Liam moved with uncanny precision. 

His steps flowed, his dodges were almost pre-planned, as if he knew where every strike would land before it happened. It didn’t make sense. “He’s faster than last week,” Kane muttered.

Rhea glanced up from her corner seat. “Maybe he’s just training harder.”

Kane’s voice sharpened. “No. He’s different. Something changed after the Rift Beast attack.”

Rhea sighed. “You’re seeing ghosts.”

“Maybe,” he said quietly, “but I don’t like ghosts I can’t control.”

He rose and walked toward Liam’s sparring ring. Every head turned. “Let me have a round with him,” Kane said.

The instructor hesitated. “We’re not scheduled, ”

“I insist.” His tone brooked no refusal.

Liam wiped sweat from his brow. “What’s this, Drayden? Looking for another easy win?”

Kane’s grin was all blade. “Just curious to see how the ‘Null’ moves these days.”

The crowd whispered, hungry for blood. The whistle blew. Kane attacked first, light crackling from his fists. 

Liam dodged left, but Kane was faster this time. His light spear grazed Liam’s arm, burning through cloth. Liam gritted his teeth, smoke rising from the wound. Kane smirked. “Still too slow.”

Then Liam moved. One blink, and he wasn’t there anymore. He reappeared behind Kane, a faint shimmer of black air trailing him. Gasps erupted from the crowd. Kane froze mid-swing. “What,  how?”

Liam said nothing. His eyes flashed grey-violet for just a moment before he stepped back, lowering his stance. Instructor Varis slammed his staff on the floor. “Enough! Both of you stand down!”

The fight ended, but Kane’s fury didn’t. He’d seen it, that impossible step. The same blur he saw on the night of the attack.

After class, he cornered Rhea outside the hall. Rain fell softly, the world smelling of steel and ash. “You saw it,” Kane said flatly.

Rhea didn’t answer. “Don’t pretend you didn’t.”

Her voice was calm. “He’s not your enemy, Kane.”

“Then what is he?” Kane snapped. “Because that was no normal movement. No human moves like that.”

Rhea’s eyes flicked toward the academy tower. “Maybe you should stop looking for monsters everywhere. It’ll eat you alive.”

Kane’s jaw clenched. “You think I’m jealous?”

“Are you?” she asked.

He laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. “Jealous? Of him?” His light flickered, faint and dangerous.

“No, Rhea. I’m curious. Power doesn’t appear out of nowhere. And whatever’s giving it to him… I’ll expose it.”

He walked away before she could answer, his footsteps echoing down the hall like war drums.

…

Liam sat on the edge of his bed, arm bandaged where Kane’s attack had burned him. He whispered, “System… can you heal?”

[Minor Regeneration activated.]

The skin beneath the bandage cooled, sealing smooth within seconds. He stared at it in awe, and fear. “If anyone saw this…”

[Exposure risk: 32%.]

He frowned. “Then stop glowing every time you talk.”

The System didn’t respond. Instead, new text appeared: [Quest Update: Avoid detection for the next 72 hours. Observation source: Kane Drayden.]

Liam’s pulse spiked. “He’s watching me?”

[Confirmed.]

His hands tightened around the pendant. “Then he’ll find nothing.”

The next day, the academy buzzed with talk of the spar. “The Null almost beat Kane!”

“Did you see how he moved? It was like he teleported!”

Kane heard every word. His temper frayed with each whisper. By lunch, he slammed his tray onto the table beside his best friend, Eron. “They think he’s a hero now,” Kane growled. “One trick, and they forget who he is.”

Eron hesitated. “Maybe he’s not as weak as.”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Kane snapped. “He’s hiding something. I’ll prove it.”

“How?”

Kane’s eyes gleamed. “The same way my father exposed traitors in the war, by lighting their secrets until they burn.”

In the evening at the old gymnasium, Liam trained again. His fists struck the air, leaving faint trails of black light. The System hummed in rhythm with his heartbeat.

[Skill upgraded: Shadow Step Lv.3]

[Speed +2]

He whispered, “I could beat him now.”

[Caution. Revealing full ability will accelerate instability.]

“I don’t care. He won’t stop until one of us breaks.”

[Then be the one who doesn’t.]

He smiled grimly. “I intend to.”

Unseen in the rafters, Kane crouched in the darkness, watching every move. When Liam blinked out of sight and reappeared across the room, Kane’s fists clenched so hard they bled.

“Impossible…” he whispered. “He’s using a System.”

Lightning flickered outside, flashing across Kane’s face, part awe, part fury. “If he thinks he can hide power like that under my nose,” he muttered, “then I’ll rip it out of him myself.”

…

Rhea found Liam sitting alone by the fire, hands clasped tightly. “You’ve been avoiding me,” she said softly.

He looked up, tired. “Because every time you’re near, you look like you’re deciding whether to trust me or turn me in.”

She sat across from him. “Maybe I’m trying to decide if you’ll survive this place.”

He gave a faint smile. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

Her tone sharpened. “I watched you fight last night. The way you moved, it wasn’t human. That kind of power comes with a cost, Liam.”

He met her eyes. “Everything does.”

Rhea hesitated, lowering her voice. “The Headmaster told me something about ancient Systems. One of them… destroyed an entire city before it was sealed away.”

Liam’s hand tightened around the pendant. “Then maybe you should stay away from me.”

She didn’t move. “Maybe I should. But I won’t.”

Silence stretched. Their eyes met, storm against storm. Then the dorm door creaked open.

Kane stood there, face unreadable. “Touching,” he said coolly. “The phantom and his guardian angel.”

Rhea rose. “You don’t have to keep doing this, Kane.”

He ignored her, eyes locked on Liam. “You think hiding behind her will save you? I’ll expose you soon. Everyone will see what you really are.”

Liam stood, voice low. “Maybe I should save you the trouble.”

For a heartbeat, light and shadow flared between them, dancing like fire and smoke. Then Rhea’s voice sliced through the tension. “Stop it! Both of you!”

The energy broke. Kane’s lip curled. “Enjoy your peace while it lasts, Cross. The next time we meet, I won’t be aiming for a spar.”

He left without another word. Rhea exhaled shakily. “He’s serious. He’ll do something reckless.”

Liam’s expression hardened. “Then I’ll be ready.”

…

The rain had stopped again, leaving the world eerily quiet. Liam stood beneath the stars, pendant glowing faintly.

[Observation still active.]

[Enemy intent rising.]

He whispered, “Kane.”

The System’s tone deepened: [Conflict inevitable. Prepare.]

Wind swept through his hair. He closed his eyes, remembering his father’s voice, rough and proud. “Cross men never run from a fight, boy. But they choose which one is worth dying for.”

He opened his eyes again. “Then I’ll fight for my right to exist.”

The System pulsed brighter: [Quest Updated: Survive the next 3 days. Avoid detection.]

A faint sound broke the silence, the crunch of gravel. Liam turned sharply, and saw a golden shimmer vanish behind the stairwell. Kane. Watching him.

The System flashed red: [Warning: Host compromised. Observer proximity, 5 meters.]

[Initiate concealment? Y/N]

Liam’s heartbeat thundered. He whispered, “Do it.”

The air folded in on itself. Shadows crawled over his body until he vanished completely.

Kane stepped onto the roof, eyes scanning the empty space. He frowned. “Strange… I could swear I heard him up here.”

Behind him, unseen, Liam stood in the darkness, silent, unseen, heart burning with anger and fear.

The System whispered softly in his ear: [Observation counter-initiated. Tracking observer: Kane Drayden.]

Liam’s eyes glowed faintly violet in the dark. He whispered back, “Then watch him for me.”