The moonlight struggled to pierce the canopy of the Forbidden Forest, casting long, twisted shadows that seemed to dance at the edge of Arain's vision. But Arain wasn't looking with his eyes. His Abyssal energy, though thin, acted like a sonar, vibrating every time it brushed against something that didn't belong to the forest.
[Emergency Quest: The Duke's Suspicion]
[Target: Shadow Scout (Level 8)]
[Distance: 42 Meters]
Arain's breath was shallow. His six-year-old lungs were still burning from the fight with the Shadow Wolf, and his mana pool sat at a precarious 15/50.
'Level 8,' Arain thought, a cold calculation running through his mind. 'In my past life, a Level 8 scout wouldn't even be worth the effort of blinking. But now? He's a professional killer compared to this fragile vessel.'
He didn't turn around. To the scout, Arain still looked like a child exhausted from a fight, sitting vulnerably by the carcass of a wolf. But beneath the surface, Arain was communicating with the shadows.
"Shadow Command: Tether," he whispered, so low it was barely a vibration in the air.
His own shadow stretched, thinning out until it was invisible against the dark earth, snaking toward the North-East.
Suddenly, a twig snapped. It was intentional—a lure. The scout wanted Arain to panic, to run, to show a spark of mana that would confirm the Duke's fears.
Arain didn't run. He stood up slowly, wiping the black wolf blood onto his tunic. "You can come out," Arain said, his voice devoid of any childish tremor. "My father doesn't pay you to hide in the bushes like a coward, does he?"
The silence of the forest was broken by a low, raspy chuckle. From behind a massive oak, a figure draped in a grey cloak emerged. He wore a mask that covered everything but his eyes—eyes that were filled with a mix of confusion and professional coldness.
"The 'Mana-less' failure of the Luxmore house," the scout said, his hand resting on the hilt of a curved dagger. "I saw what you did to that wolf. No child moves like that. No mortal 'physical strength' allows a boy to manipulate shadows."
"The world is full of things you don't understand, scout," Arain replied.
"Maybe. But my job is to bring you back in chains, or bring back your head if you resist. The Duke doesn't tolerate monsters in the family lineage."
The scout moved. He was fast—far faster than the wolf. In the blink of an eye, he had closed half the distance.
[System Alert: High-Speed Approach!]
[Probability of Survival: 12%... Increasing to 88% with 'Abyssal Trap']
Arain didn't move. He waited until the scout was ten feet away, his dagger glinting with a sickly green light—poison.
"Now," Arain commanded.
The 'Tether' he had sent out earlier snapped shut. The scout's own shadow suddenly rose from the ground like iron vines, wrapping around his ankles. The scout stumbled, his momentum turning against him.
"What?! Shadow Magic?!" the scout gasped, trying to slash at his own shadow.
"It's not magic," Arain said, walking toward him with the slow, rhythmic pace of an executioner. "It's authority."
Arain's hand began to glow with a dark, suffocating purple light. He didn't have enough mana for a big spell, so he had to be precise. He aimed for the scout's chest.
"Shadow Extraction: Point of Impact—Overload."
As Arain's tiny fist connected with the scout's armor, he dumped every remaining drop of his Abyssal mana into the strike. The scout's internal organs vibrated violently. He coughed out a spray of dark blood, his eyes wide with terror as he felt his soul being tugged.
[Skill: Shadow Extraction (Beginner) is reacting to a Living Soul!]
[Warning: Host's level is too low for Soul Consumption. Converting to 'Fear Essence'...]
The scout felt his mind shattering. He wasn't just losing a fight; he was looking into the eyes of something that had existed before the gods. He saw empires falling, stars dying, and a throne made of a billion skulls.
"Please..." the scout whimpered, his professional pride replaced by primal fear.
"Tell me," Arain leaned in, his face inches from the scout's mask. "Who else did my father send?"
"No... no one else... just me... he wanted... a secret report..."
"Good," Arain whispered. "Then no one will miss you."
With a final twist of his hand, Arain activated the 'Silence' command he had used on the wolf. The scout tried to scream, but no sound came out. The shadows swallowed him whole, pulling him into the 'Forbidden Veins' Arain had unlocked.
[Target Slain.]
[Experience Gained: 800 EXP.]
[Level Up! Level 2 -> Level 5]
[Stat Points Awarded: 15]
[Loot: Scout's Dagger (Rare), Hidden Map of Luxmore Estate.]
Arain collapsed. The strain was too much. His skin was pale, and he could feel his bones aching from the sudden influx of power.
[Emergency Quest: Completed.]
[Reward: 'Ghost Step' Skill Unlocked.]
[Reward: Abyssal Deep-Breathing upgraded to Stage 2.]
'I'm still too weak,' Arain thought, staring at his trembling hands. 'Five levels is nothing. If Leonard comes for me now, I'm dead.'
He looked at the map he had looted. It didn't just show the estate; it showed a secret passage leading to the Old Archive—a place rumored to hold the records of the first Luxmore, the one who had actually founded the house before the 'Light' took over.
"Father wants a report," Arain muttered, a dark smile returning to his face. "I'll give him one. But not the one he expects."