Storm of Shadows

Chapter 9

Alan paused in front of the door, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. He braced himself for whatever might be lurking on the other side. It couldn’t be a dragon… right? Or perhaps some terrifying monster far more dangerous than anything he had encountered in his previous life?

In a place like this, where reality often defied logic, nothing seemed too far-fetched and considering everything that had happened since his death, he couldn’t rule out any possibility.

‘I have to leave this place,’ he thought, the determination hardening within him. ‘No one said anything was easy.’

He had already come this far. Turning back now wouldn’t solve anything.

“What dost thou wait for?” his companion whispered urgently, his eyes darting around as if expecting an enemy to leap out of the shadows at any moment. “Thou didst bring us here. We should see this matter to its end.”

Alan glanced at him, trying to mask his own anxiety. The man’s nervousness was contagious, and Alan was starting to regret allowing him to come along.

He was supposed to be focused on the trials ahead, not babysitting a frightened stranger.

‘How am I supposed to protect myself and look after him at the same time?’

Taking a deep breath, he responded, “We don’t know what’s behind this door. It could be dangerous. Stay out here, and I’ll handle whatever’s inside.”

The man shook his head.

Despite the fear in his eyes, his expression became surprisingly firm. “Thou knowest not what lies within either. This is precisely the situation where ‘two heads are better than one’ doth apply. Thou needest me.”

Alan scrutinized him from head to toe.

The man was pale, thin, and visibly shaken. He didn’t look particularly strong or capable, but then again, Alan wasn’t exactly an impressive figure himself.

He had been a scrawny E-rank Hunter whom even ordinary monsters could overpower. Compared to the stronger Hunters, he looked like someone who could be knocked to the ground with a single push.

Perhaps there was more to this stranger than met the eye.

Alan exhaled slowly before reaching for the door.

“Fine. But don’t expect me to save you if something goes wrong.”

He pushed it open.

The hinges groaned, and the heavy red door swung inward, revealing a vast chamber.

Alan stepped inside and immediately stopped.

At the center of the room stood an ornate altar. Hovering above it was a fiery crystal, radiating a warm, brilliant glow that illuminated the entire chamber.

Alan’s eyes squinted at the sight of it. “A relic?”

The unknown man beside Alan let out a startled gasp. “I recognize this! I can scarce believe it… ‘tis real! I have only read of it in legends…”

Alan turned toward him, his patience already wearing thin.

“What in the world is it?”

The man barely seemed to hear the irritation in his voice. His eyes remained fixed on the crystal, filled with awe and disbelief.

“’Tis the Shade Crystal,” he explained. “A mystical gemstone said to shimmer with an inner shadow. It appears that Lord Sorrowshade hath kept it hidden here for himself.”

Alan frowned, his curiosity piqued. He turned his gaze back to the crystal, intrigued by its beauty.

Its fiery glow seemed to contain something darker beneath the surface, a shadow that moved within the light rather than being cast by it.

He had heard stories about relics before, but he had never seen one up close.

‘It shimmers with an inner shadow?’

He studied the gemstone more carefully, trying to understand its purpose.

“Wait a minute. Are you saying it absorbs light and creates shadows?”

His eyes widened slightly as a possibility occurred to him.

“Could this be what’s keeping the people on the island trapped in that state of despair? The sadness, the lifeless expressions, the way nobody seems capable of feeling anything else…”

He looked toward the crystal again.

“I see what it does. It draws in the light around it and traps everyone in darkness and sorrow.”

The unknown man stared at him with open admiration.

“Verily, thou art most sharp. ’Tis impressive how swiftly thou hast discerned the truth. Indeed, thou art correct. The tales speak of the Shade Crystal as a relic that saps the light and hope from those near it, leaving them in ceaseless gloom.”

He paused, then continued eagerly.

“If we take it, we may be able to free the people from its influence. Since we are already here, we ought to act. Thou shouldst take the crystal.”

Alan blinked.

‘Thou? Thou? That means me, right?’

He turned toward his companion with an incredulous expression.

“Why don’t you take it instead? What if I touch it and get burned, or something even worse happens?”

The unknown man looked at him with a hint of impatience.

“Seest thou any signs of burning or damage in this place?” he countered. “Moreover, thou art the one who journeyed so far. Surely, there must be a reason for thy coming.”

Alan fell silent.

The man’s argument wasn’t entirely unreasonable. There were no signs that the crystal had harmed anyone who approached it, and the fact that Alan had somehow been brought to this place might indeed mean something.

Besides, Alan wasn’t going to pretend that he didn’t want the relic.

If it could grant him power that he never had in his life, then it might be exactly what he needed. It could help him make enough money to buy the healing potion and save his mother while keeping his sister in school.

For the first time in his life, he had found something that might actually help him and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip away.

After a moment, Alan nodded and turned toward the altar.

Gathering his will, he approached the hovering crystal cautiously, his heart beating faster with every step. Once he stood before it, he hesitated for a brief moment before reaching out.

His fingers closed around the gemstone and the fiery light reflected in his blue eyes, casting a brilliant glow across his face.

As he stared at it, he was surprised to see nothing happening.

‘Things don’t just happen easily.’

Just as he began to think he might have succeeded, a sudden, searing pain erupted in his chest.

“Argh…”

His eyes widened.

It felt as though something sharp had pierced straight through his chest from behind.

Alan gasped, his body stiffening as the pain spread through him. The crystal slipped from his fingers, and the world around him began to spin.

Before he could react further, he vanished from the room, leaving the Shade Crystal to fall from his grasp and strike the floor.

Almost immediately, a cold, mechanical voice echoed through the void.

【You have failed your first trial, Alan Frost.】