Night still covered Blackstone Village.
Lin Ye stood at the doorway of his small house, his heart beating faster than usual.
Su Li stood beneath the moonlight, her figure calm and motionless. Silver light fell across her shoulders, making her seem almost unreal in the quiet night.
Her eyes rested on him steadily.
"You were in the forest last night," she said again.
"What did you take from that place?"
Lin Ye felt his chest tighten.
For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.
Of course, he couldn't tell her about the forbidden book.
If that secret were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Several seconds passed in silence.
Finally, Lin Ye forced himself to speak.
"I didn't take anything."
Su Li didn't respond.
She simply watched him.
Her gaze was calm.
But something about it made him uncomfortable.
It felt as if she could see through every word he said.
As if lies were completely meaningless in front of her.
After a moment, she asked another question.
"Then who killed the Shadow Wolf?"
Lin Ye's breathing paused for a brief second.
"I don't know," he replied quickly.
"When I woke up, it was already dead."
Su Li frowned slightly.
"The Shadow Wolf is a magical beast," she said quietly.
"Ordinary hunters can't kill it easily."
Lin Ye remained silent.
He knew that the longer he spoke, the more likely he was to reveal something.
So he decided to end the conversation.
"If you don't have anything else to ask," he said, forcing calm into his voice, "I need to rest."
Su Li looked at him for a moment.
Her expression didn't change.
Finally, she nodded.
"Alright."
She turned and began to walk away.
But after taking only a few steps, she suddenly stopped.
"Lin Ye."
He looked up.
Su Li didn't turn around.
She simply spoke softly into the night air.
"Some powers…"
"…are not meant for humans to possess."
Then she continued walking, disappearing into the darkness of the village road.
Lin Ye stood at the doorway for a long time.
The night wind blew past him, carrying a faint chill.
A strange uneasiness crept into his chest.
"She definitely knows something…" he murmured.
But right now, Su Li wasn't the biggest problem.
His own power was.
The next morning.
Before the sun had fully risen, Lin Ye quietly left the village.
The forest was cool and damp, filled with the scent of wet leaves and soil.
He walked deeper among the trees.
Soon, he reached the same area where everything had happened the day before.
The place where the Shadow Wolf had died.
Lin Ye carefully looked around.
No one was nearby.
Satisfied, he stopped in a small clearing.
"Come out," he said quietly.
Of course, no one answered.
But his shadow on the ground trembled slightly.
Lin Ye slowly raised his hand.
He focused his mind, remembering the feeling from the night before.
The feeling of pulling something from darkness.
Something cold.
Something hidden beneath the surface of reality.
He imagined the shadow stretching forward.
The moment he focused—
The shadow moved.
It slid across the ground like flowing black water.
Then it stretched outward.
Like a thin black snake gliding silently over the earth.
Lin Ye's eyes lit up.
"So I really can control it…"
Excitement flickered in his chest.
Carefully, he guided the shadow farther.
It climbed over a nearby stone.
Then slipped back down to the ground.
Smooth.
Silent.
Alive.
The more he controlled it, the more natural it felt.
It was as if the shadow had always been part of him.
Like another limb.
Lin Ye raised his hand again.
The shadow suddenly rose from the ground.
Straight.
Sharp.
Like a spear made of pure darkness.
"Bang!"
The shadow struck a rock ahead.
A crack instantly split across the surface of the stone.
Lin Ye jumped slightly in surprise.
The shadow immediately withdrew, shrinking back to its normal shape.
He stared at the cracked rock.
His heart beat faster.
"This power…"
"…is dangerous."
But at the same time, a strange feeling grew inside him.
Power.
Real power.
Since childhood, people had laughed at him.
Mocked him.
Bullied him.
Because he was weak.
Because he was timid.
But now things were different.
He had killed a Shadow Wolf.
A monster that ordinary hunters feared.
And if he could control this power…
Maybe he could finally protect himself.
Maybe no one would ever bully him again.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
The bushes nearby suddenly rustled.
Lin Ye instantly became alert.
The shadow snapped back to his feet.
"Who's there?!" he shouted.
A figure stepped out from behind a tree.
Lin Ye froze.
It was Su Li.
She stood there quietly, as if she had been watching for a long time.
Lin Ye's heart sank.
Su Li glanced at the cracked stone.
Then she looked down at the shadow on the ground.
Finally, she raised her eyes toward him.
"So," she said calmly.
"The Shadow Wolf really was killed by you."
Silence filled the clearing.
Lin Ye didn't respond.
There was no point in denying it anymore.
Su Li walked a few steps closer.
Her voice became more serious.
"What you found…"
"…was a forbidden book, wasn't it?"
Lin Ye's head snapped up.
"How do you know that?"
Su Li remained quiet for a moment.
Then she spoke softly.
"Because I've been searching for it."
Lin Ye stared at her in shock.
Suddenly, he realized something.
This situation—
Was far more complicated than he had imagined.