"Argh"
Light clutched his head as he groaned, doing his best to endure the pain.
He was alone in what seemed to be a hospital ward. He avoided looking around as the world spun violently around him.
He had just been treated by a hero with a healing ability.
'How convenient would it be for Shadow to possess something like that…'
He thought, letting out a faint sigh as the pain subsided.
The open wound from earlier had already closed, leaving behind only a faint scar.
The hospital he had woken up in the previous morning only offered mundane treatment. But after experiencing the touch of a healer, his head injury had been completely handled—leaving only lingering pain behind.
After several minutes of staying still, he finally leaned back against the headboard.
The sharp smell of disinfectant clung to the air as he considered his next move.
He had already begun building a name for himself in the underground. As for Akumo… he believed that issue had been temporarily settled… For now at least
He just needed to be more careful about who he fought next.
Light stared intently at his shadow without blinking.
For a moment, he could swear… A pair of eyes stared back at him. Filled with hatred.
He swallowed hard.
Then, with deliberate intent, he commanded his shadow to manifest.
"..."
A few tense seconds passed before a chilly breeze swept through the room. Goosebumps spread across his skin as the air lightly stirred his hair.
Then… An ethereal, pained cry echoed faintly and his shadow detached.
It peeled away from him like liquid, spreading across the floor before twitching and rising.
The room dimmed noticeably as it straightened.
It had the exact same form as Light.
Except… it was completely void-black, from head to toe. Its eyes glowed with a deep purple hue, and a faint, ominous aura leaked from its body, intensifying the cold in the room.
Behind its head hovered a halo.
A glowing purple ring, suspended like a fading eclipse.
Light stared, his jaw slightly slack.
He was seeing himself through the shadow's eyes—while still seeing the shadow with his own.
Two overlapping perspectives clashing.
The sensation was completely alien.
"First Dominion Halo…" Light muttered under his breath, stunned.
The halo carried a faint sense of unholiness that made his skin crawl.
He had always held high expectations for Umbrael's Shadow, considering it was the projection of a higher being, likely a deity.
But this… it was beyond expectation.
Light ran a few quick tests and came to a conclusion… The shadow currently had three forms.
One was, of course, his void-black twin.
The second… was Theo's shadow.
The third…
He refused to even acknowledge it properly.
The main form was something he swore never to look upon again.
Just the sight of that monstrosity had shaken him to his core.
The moment he looked at it, he lost himself.
It felt as though he had been ripped out of his own body, reduced to nothing more than a bodiless spectator watching the world from some distant, unfamiliar realm.
Even the light bulb above had flickered violently, as if struggling to remain lit in its presence.
Trying to measure its size had been meaningless.
He only knew one thing…
It far surpassed three meters.
"Was that… Umbrael's true shadow?" Light whispered, shivering slightly as he rubbed his palms together.
In the end, he chose the safer option which was his twin.
He closed his eyes.
Instantly, his consciousness was pulled into the shadow.
But there was a problem…
He had no real control over it.
The only way to guide it… was through sheer will.
Light climbed down from the bed and hid beneath it, he hated being vulnerable for any reason. He suppressed his presence to the faintest possible level, sinking into the surrounding darkness.
Then, he pushed his will outward and the shadow responded.
It melted into a fluid state before slipping across the floor and out through the window at a speed faster than Light could ever move.
From within, Light observed… The world looked different. It was muted, colorless.
Everything above appeared washed in grey. Even the sun had lost its brilliance, appearing like a dark, distant sphere in the sky.
His plan was simple, he needed to test the limits and find out just how difficult escaping this place would be.
The shadow moved swiftly and stealthily for several long minutes, yet there was no sign of an end.
The prison-school was far larger than he had anticipated.
Just as he began considering retreat, he finally saw it…
A massive brick wall stood in the distance, he knew it was where the Outcast Sector ended.
Before he could advance further, distorted voices reached him.
They sounded warped, as though heard from deep underwater.
Light immediately halted the shadow and waited.
Two figures approached the gate, he recognized them instantly.
Edict and Wasp.
These two are connected? Light wondered, focusing harder as he tried to make out their conversation.
"Hgh… I really felt like smacking that villain boy earlier," Wasp muttered, shaking her head. "No one's annoyed me like that before."
Edict yawned lazily.
"Just bear with him, sweety. He's still just a kid."
She stretched slightly before continuing.
"He'll be converted in a few months. We just need to show him care… indirectly. Can't imagine what he's been through. The kid just needs what every kid does."
Wasp opened her mouth to argue
"..."
Then closed it in defeat.
Light felt something tighten in his chest.
His real body, hidden beneath the bed, reacted, his closed eyes growing wet.
A single tear formed… then slowly slid down his cheek.
'Lyra… why?'
For a brief moment, he felt completely lost.
"Huh?"
Edict's voice cut through his thoughts.
"What's a shadow doing there, without any objects around to cast it?"
She stepped closer, standing above the shadow, blocking out the darkened sun.
The angle revealed more than it should have, but Light's focus barely wavered.
"Is my brain finally fried?" she muttered. "Come check this out, Wasp."
She gestured casually.
Wasp moved closer as well, both of them staring down at the strange, unmoving patch of shadow.