Morning had long passed, yet the sun had not fully reached its peak.
Light filtered through the canopy in shifting patterns, scattering across the river below like fragments of glass.
The current moved steadily, broken now and then by the flicker of fish beneath the surface.
A cool breeze drifted along the riverbank, carrying the scent of water, damp earth, and leaves.
On a thick branch overlooking the river, he sat with his back resting against the trunk.
One leg was bent, the other hung loosely in the air, swaying slightly with the movement of the branch.
In front of him, a translucent screen hovered, its glow faint.
His eyes remained fixed on it.
Name: Unknown
Race: Mostly Human
Unique Skills:
Artisan Touch – Anything crafted by the user dramatically improved in quality.
Shadow Manipulation – ???
Shadow Manifestation – ???
Extra Skill:
Grace of Liora – Grants immunity to instant death and resistance to poison and disease.
Ultimate Skill:
Eye of Providence – A high-level appraisal ability effective on both living and non-living things. Also functions as a locator within a certain range.
"Ehhh… Why is my name unknown?" he muttered.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And what does 'mostly human' even mean?"
The words lingered longer than he expected, twisting around in his mind.
He leaned back against the tree, still staring at the screen, as if waiting for it to explain itself.
A faint frown formed on his face as his gaze shifted lower.
"Shadow Manipulation… Shadow Manifestation…"
He tilted his head.
Ah... yeah, I also have these two skills? I completely forgot about them. Do they even work? He thought to himself.
The screen offered no answer.
He sat in silence.
Long and unmoving.
Thinking about it.
The pattern was simple.
Eye of Providence worked when he focused his sight.
Artisan Touch was activated whenever he created something.
Grace of Liora… likely followed its own conditions.
The rest—he could only assume—were active skills, like his Eye of Providence.
"Hmmm... Shadow Manipulation, manipulation? Manipulate?" With no description of the skill, he could only speculate.
"Ahem..."
His gaze fell on his own shadow stretching below him, swaying with the movement of leaves above.
He focused, willing it to move—twisting, shaping, forcing it into different forms.
Nothing.
Silence returned.
Long and unbroken.
Then, slowly, he adjusted his posture.
Legs crossed,
His hands resting on his knees.
His eyes closed.
He emptied his thoughts.
Imagined himself in complete darkness.
In that darkness, a door appeared before him.
Massive.
Still.
Waiting.
He pushed.
His eyes snapped open.
Every sense screamed at once.
He was on his feet before he realized he had moved, his body tense.
Instincts roaring to life as an ominous feeling crept along his spine.
Below him, his shadow moved.
Not like before.
Not natural.
It churned, like black liquid at a boil.
Then, something rose from within it.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
He stared.
A figure.
Humanoid in shape—head, arms, body, legs—but undefined.
No features.
No edges.
Just darkness given form.
His gaze sharpened instantly.
A screen appeared:
Name: Servant of Darkness
Description: An entity from the unknown.
His grip tightened.
His body leaned, ready to spring—to flee.
But he didn't move.
His feet refused.
Or perhaps… he simply couldn't.
Can I even flee from it in the first place? He thought to himself.
The entity stood still, silent.
Though it had no face, he knew—it was looking at him.
Seconds stretched.
Nothing happened.
No attack.
No movement.
And yet—he felt no hostility from it.
For a long while, neither of them moved.
The forest held its breath.
Then—he shifted.
Careful.
Controlled.
He already had an idea but wanted to confirm it.
He stepped back along the branch, then dropped to the ground below.
He did not lower his guard, ready to flee at any sign of danger.
The distance between them closed.
Then.
It moved.
A slight motion—enough to make his body flinch.
The figure lowered itself.
Kneeling before him.
His eyes narrowed.
Its action confirmed his suspicion.
This was not a random entity.
Silence stretched between them.
He studied it for a moment longer.
Then—
"Rise, Servant of Darkness," he commanded.
It obeyed, standing smoothly.
He scanned the figure carefully, eyes tracing the humanoid form from head to toe.
"Looks like you understand words," he said slowly.
The entity remained motionless.
"Can you talk?"
Silence.
A small, practical grin curved his lips.
"Alright. Let's do it this way. Answer me with yes or no. Raise your right hand for yes, left for no."
The entity raised its right hand.
"Did I call you here?" He watched closely.
It raised its right hand again.
This confirmed his suspicion.
The Servant of Darkness was not something he had created.
Whatever had manifested beneath him might have come from somewhere beyond this world.
He asked again, making sure about something.
"Then I'm assuming you're on my side?"
Again, it raised its right hand.
He nodded. Relieved.
He had nothing to worry about, at least for now.
He continued, extracting as much information as he could.
First, he confirmed whether it was combat-capable.
Next, he asked how it viewed him—did it think he could fight?
Both hands went up.
He studied the response carefully.
"So… you're saying I have potential but lack the capability at the moment?"
Again, it raised its right hand.
Hmmm... its answer made him think for a while.
That information was important to him.
At least now he knows he has something he could build on.
Something that could compensate for his lack of combat skills.
The sun stood at the center of the sky, its heat pressing down on the world below.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His gaze lingered on the figure before him.
Then, slowly, he exhaled.
"Good enough... I guess."
He invited the entity to follow him. Then, he turned away.
He began walking back toward his tree house.
A step behind him—
It followed.
With his newly gained ally, they returned.
.................................................................................
(Back to his home)
While munching on the dried meat, he kept asking questions with quiet curiosity.
Then an idea came to his mind.
Hesitantly, he asked, "By the way... can you help me train?"
It raised its right hand in agreement.
"Perfect, thanks, buddy." Excitement crept into his voice.
This was a perfect opportunity for him to test his combat capabilities without risking his life.
Although he didn't yet know what he was capable of, one thing was clear.
Speed, agility, leaping ability—he had those.
Strength? Clearly lacking, as his first hunt had shown.
While lost in conversation, the heat of noon faded, leaving a gentler warmth that lingered in the air.
(Meanwhile)
They decided to move to the riverbank.
A spacious place, perfect as a training ground.
He wanted to test his current ability, so he asked the entity for a friendly duel.
On the riverbank. The two stood across from each other, maintaining distance, observing every movement.
Then...
He made the first move.
He lowered his stance.
Dashed forward, leaving a trace of dust in his wake.
He ran in circles around the entity.
The speed of his movements left behind illusions of multiple versions of him.
But the entity remained still,
Only turning its head to follow his motions. Observing.
He halted—then suddenly changed direction.
In an instant, his body launched like an arrow toward the entity.
Contact.
His fist collided with the entity's palm as it raised its arm to block.
He twisted midair, throwing a round back kick following his first move—but the entity blocked again, with the other hand.
Then.
It grabbed his feet and swung him around with a quick turn, then let go.
He flew.
He twisted his body and flipped backward.
Landing on his toes.
His hand braced against the ground, the momentum forcing him to slide backward, leaving traces of feet and handprints behind.
When his footing steadied.
He lunged again, repeating the same assault, striking, pivoting, attacking—again and again.
(Meanwhile)
The sun sank slowly toward the horizon, painting the sky in gold and crimson.
Below, on the riverbank, they continued their bout—a test of strength and skill between two beings.
In the end… he could not land a single hit.
Not one.
He hadn't even managed to force the entity to take a step from its spot.
"I surrender." He whispered under his breath. Panting.
Tired, he gestured, conceding defeat.
Then moved toward the river, dunking his head into the cool water before lying on his back in the grass.
The Servant of Darkness followed and sat beside him, silent... like a shadow that had chosen to stay.
A shadow that didn't leave, even under the light.