Chapter 17: Chasing a Shadow

  “Comforting, just like you.”

  Rosaline took the last bite of cookie from the box meant for her, while aimlessly wandering through the crowded city for hours. She muttered under her breath.

  “Why…why would you give me this hope now?”

  Her steps slowed, then stopped in an alleyway engulfed by darkness.

  “Why wasn’t it given to me back then?”

  Snow gently kissed her hair as she stared blankly ahead. Lifting her hand, she felt the fabric of the black blindfold covering her eyes.

  “I wonder…what would’ve happened had you existed when I needed it most?”

  She reached out with the same hand, and snowflakes collected in her palm.

  “Would I still be here playing for an audience that only cheers for bloodshed?”

  Her voice dropped to a whisper.

  “Or would you have taken me to that brighter stage of yours?”

  She closed her palm and squeezed tightly.

  “One that cheers for kindness instead?”

  The little girl’s sobs were kept shut by the group of ruffians standing to the left of Rosaline. Seeing the blindfold, they thought they could sneak past her, and she’d leave without ever noticing them.

  “Why are you still there?”

  Unbeknownst to them, they were the sole reason she stopped here.

  “You are free.” She turned to the little girl. “Come to me~”

  A scream, though muffled by the noisy city, echoed throughout the alleyway. The girl jumped in her spot and ran towards Rosaline. When she turned around to look at the source of the scream…the arms that held her lay limp on the floor, severed and useless.

  “WHAT DID YOU—“

  “Shh~”

  Their mouths were closed shut by something invisible, and the same stopped them from moving even an inch. Rosaline smiled faintly, raising a finger to her lips.

  “There’s no room for unnecessary dialogue on my stage~”

  She gazed down on the girl and brushed the top of her head. The little one flinched upon contact, but did not run away—whether from trust…or fear.

  “The audience doesn’t cheer for those who wait to be saved,” she whispered, her voice low and almost tender. “And they still don’t cheer for me.”

  She lowered herself, kneeling until they were face-to-face.

  “But it’s never too late to learn.”

  Darkness appeared out of thin air on the palm of her free hand as she raised it between them, until the particles morphed into a sharp, black dagger. The girl stared at the blade, trembling.

  “If they take away your voice, it’s your right to take theirs.”

  Holding the blade end of the weapon, Rosaline offered it to the child.

  “No lesson too late. No road ever unopened.”

  The girl slowly backed away, gulping.

  “If you take this step, you will no longer be weak. Nor innocent.”

  Glancing back and forth from the dagger and Rosaline’s face for a brief moment, she rapidly shook her head before running off into the crowded city. Little footsteps echoed until she could hear them no more, and the weapon slipped from her fingers. Rosaline did not move for an entire minute.

  “I see,” she whispered, finally rising to her feet as the dagger dusted away. “Perhaps...she was too young for it.”

  Turning to the dim alleyway, she walked forward. Only to stop in her tracks upon hearing the muffled cries of the three ruffians, still unable to move or speak. The one in the middle had long lost consciousness from shock and blood loss.

  Rosaline raised her hands to clap once as if calling for a pet. And, after another minute…something answered.

  The ruffians barely had time to scream when three large tentacles reached out from above, slithering like giant serpents on the building walls, before gobbling up each ruffian whole. She heard the muffled crunching of bones and flesh as each tentacle remained rooted to the ground, eventually retracting back a little, leaving behind no trace of the victims.

  “Your endless appetite fascinates me.”

  The three mouth heads hovered in the air slightly above her, two of which turned into hands. One pointed in the opposite direction, where the child had run off.

  “No,” Rosaline commanded. “Leave her alone.”

  The mouth tentacle in the middle hissed at her.

  “At the state you’re in,” she continued, but never turned to it, “a little body like that won’t get you any stronger. Nor would I have let you.”

  It screeched at her loud enough to cause a little rumble, but it never attacked her.

  “I’ve fed you this entire time.” Rosaline sighed deeply. “Must you not listen to my request even once?”

  One tentacle hand slammed down on the floor behind her, forming a little crater.

  “Do not worry, I have a feast planned for you…tomorrow.” It finally calmed down. “Until then, keep yourself hidden.”

  The tentacles shrank in size before swiftly returning from where they came. Rosaline gazed up at the sky. The moonlight was completely kept away from her.

  “I should invite my lily.”

  She grinned widely.

  "After all, the place isn't so lively without you~"

  …

  There’s another.

  At midnight, Viola’s investigation led her to an old, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Darkness filled the place, and moonlight could not pierce through the dense barrier of clouds.

  She found a male corpse lying on the ground just outside the warehouse. The blood was bright red, and the cut on his neck was precise.

  It’s the same person. Or rather, the hooded boy.

  With nothing else of interest around her, she walked towards the warehouse. Inside, the place was quite large and spacious. No active lights made it even darker, and it was mostly empty aside from a few boxes and barrels. There was also a strong, burnt metallic smell.

  I ran here because I heard gunshots. They were faint, so I thought I was wrong.

  As she searched the place cautiously, she discovered a lot of bullet cartridges scattered across the dusty floor, along with several specks of fresh blood. And it wasn’t long before she found another male corpse, leaning on a wooden pillar. His hand still firmly held the pistol while his wallet sat idly on the floor near him. It was emptied.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  No, I don’t think stealing money is the main motive. Otherwise, he’s better off robbing a bank. These guys, or even that one from the alleyway, don’t look to be the most luxurious—

  Sounds of metallic objects falling and being knocked over emanated throughout the entire structure, followed by light footsteps. Viola rushed towards it and stumbled upon at least five more corpses spread throughout the large room. Her eyes darted around in horror until they caught sight of movement near the back wall.

  “Stop!”

  Viola flicked at them, shooting a beam of force energy. But its flight was cut short by an opposing projectile—a black dagger. And had Viola not stepped out of the way, she would’ve been skewered by several more.

  It’s a bit too dark here, I can’t see their face, nor anything!

  Viola thought of rushing the shadow figure, but several blades flew at her from every direction. Instead, she had to focus on avoiding all of them, only succeeding by sheer luck. Unfortunately, the figure had already left through the back door.

  Before Viola could even ponder, all the corpses began to tremble violently in their spots.

  So it wasn’t a one-time thing…

  As much as she wished for a different outcome, the bodies were engulfed by the void, eventually converting into creepers. There were at least six of them in the room, all glaring and screeching at her. Hesitant, she formed fists and took her battle stance.

  “Forgive me, poor souls.”

  One creeper dashed at her with a punch, but she swiftly grabbed its arm and slammed it on a large wooden box behind her. Splinters flew everywhere as it whined in agony. Viola tore off its arm before turning around to strike the second creeper on its face. The detached limb turned to dust right after.

  She aimed a punch at the creeper’s chest. Her fist glowed violet and exploded upon impact, successfully rupturing the heart and defeating it. She turned around and flicked at the one behind her, shooting another beam of force energy through its chest and out the other end. The thing fell to the floor, dusting away.

  Four mor—

  Another creeper broke through the wall to her left and aimed a fist at her. She was caught off guard but shielded herself with her arms on time. Taking her stance again, she recognised the new creeper to be the body she had found outside.

  Make that five, I guess.

  Viola fought them all off at once. Thanks to her training, she wasn’t struggling anymore against multiple creepers, unlike when they attacked her home. Her movements were quick and calculated like a skilled fighter, while the creepers showed no sign of intellect and mostly flailed around with their arms. Using force projectiles and magic punches, she picked them off one by one.

  “That wasn’t too hard…”

  Viola let out a relieved sigh after the last creeper faded away. Wiping the dust off her hands and clothes, she began to walk out the same way the shadow figure escaped moments prior.

  “They left behind a trail of void aura. If I can follow it—“

  A loud bang echoed as a large hole formed on the roof, caused by a new figure breaking through. It landed inches away behind her, emanating an aura several times denser than a creeper. She turned around just in time to block a forceful punch using her faintly glowing violet arms.

  What the hell is this now?!

  Pushed far back, her sight settled on the new monster, lit up by whatever little light entered from the broken roof. Most of its features matched those of a creeper. But it was two feet taller, bulkier like a brute, and had four arms—the bottom pair being a little smaller in size with claws. On its face was a mouth with sharp white teeth, something no creeper had. But the mouth was vertical and long, running from top to bottom, and when it opened up to screech at her, it looked like its face was being split in half.

  A creeper that looks different from usual…this only means one thing—

  The monster instantly closed the distance and reappeared in front of her. It swung its claws, which she was quick to avoid, but failed to dodge a punch, throwing her off towards a thick wooden pillar that broke as her body went through it.

  An enchanted creeper!

  It charged at her again, but she dashed off its path while throwing three knives behind her. They all hit and pierced through its pitch-black flesh, but none fazed it. Using three of its hands, it took off the knives and crushed them into dust, screeching at her in rage.

  “Fine, I’ll be using this now.”

  Frowning, she finally grabbed the weapon hung on her back and took off its covers, setting aside the white cloth and sheath on the floor. She held it firmly, pointing the tip of the blade at her enemy. They glared at each other for a short moment.

  The floor cracked below them as they bolted towards each other. Viola ducked under its arms and swung her blade at its side, causing a deep wound. She then turned around and launched a force projectile at the same spot.

  Its skin is tougher than normal!

  Immediately healing the damage, it spun around with two arms hurled at her. She blocked the hit with her sword, but was pushed back. It lurched forward, and the two continued brawling at a pace the normal human eye would never follow.

  This isn’t a normal enemy. I cannot defeat it the usual way.

  Viola tried swinging her blade at the creature's chest, but she barely grazed its heart. In return, she was punched in the gut and sent flying towards the wall, breaking through it and landing outside on the grass.

  I must do something I haven’t done before.

  She got back up again. Luckily, she had reinforced the part she was hit with magic, so she did not take any damage aside from the pain. Firmly holding her weapon with both hands as the creeper walked out through the broken wall, she remembered Silver’s words from training.

  “Magic reinforcement of your body is mostly a defensive move. To actually use it offensively, we create various magic techniques of our own. And, unless you’re inheriting one from a previous user, you can name it yourself.”

  Viola took a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling her heartbeat along with the magical aura it emanated with every pulse.

  “Basic, Refined, and Supreme Arts. They are the three levels of magic techniques in order. You must master one before moving to the next, otherwise you’ll overexert your body. There are two more Arts, but those aren’t important right now, nor can a novice like you even unleash those. You’ll get there, though, with enough practice.”

  Violet eyes flashed open and glowed brightly along with her blade as she began her chanting.

  “Violet Style: Refined Art—”

  “Make sure to always chant your move, unless you absolutely cannot. Chanting will make it much more powerful.”

  “Splitting Talons!”

  She swung her sword upwards diagonally from a distance at the creeper, discharging three large crescent blades of violet colour. They mirrored her swing, one originating directly from her blade, while the other two were above and below it. And all three left behind an aura of the same hue that dissipated milliseconds later, similar to a comet in the sky.

  I created this on the spot. It better work!

  The three blades travelled at a speed much faster than the creeper could comprehend, slicing through its flesh and out the back, even piercing the building behind and forming three large cuts on it. The creeper froze in its spot for a moment.

  Did it…work?

  The creeper’s body split apart into four, and the pieces fell to the floor, dusting away. Its heart was no more. The battle was over.

  “I defeated my first enchanted creeper,” she spoke to herself, falling to her knees and letting out a breath she didn’t know how long she held. “I can’t belie—“

  She immediately got back up.

  “No time to rest! I must follow—“

  But a striking pain jolted throughout her whole body, originating from her heart. Her arms began to hurt, and her muscles felt weak. She even had a faint headache.

  “That’s strange,” she said, using her weapon like a cane to stay upright, “I usually don’t get exhausted this quickly…and what’s with the sudden cramps on my arms?”

  She slowly walked forward, following the trail of aura left behind by the shadow figure. But her feet began to quiver, and her sight became blurry. Eventually, she stumbled to the cold floor.

  “No…I must keep going—“

  Viola fell unconscious.

  And little did she know, she hadn’t been alone.

  …

  “Emily…don’t worry…we’ll save her…we—”

  Violet eyes opened up to an unfamiliar metallic ceiling.

  Huh? Where am I?

  Viola got up from the bench she lay on, setting aside the old blanket placed over her, and stood on her feet. Her body felt a little heavy, and a mild ache pulsed all across her arms. She felt her hair and noticed that the lily Rosaline had given her was gone.

  Must’ve lost it fighting those creepers. Speaking of…I wasn’t here before, was I?

  Below her was a solid but cracked floor, slightly raised above the train tracks before her, which were old enough that most of them were already covered in grass. Turning around, she saw an old and abandoned structure, with most of the windows either broken or missing.

  A…train station? Did someone bring me here?

  She looked around for any sign of life, only to discover that she was on the outskirts of the city. Moreover, the sky was still dark and cloudy. Leaning on the side of the bench was her sword, covered in the same white cloth.

  “I must’ve passed out,” she whispered to herself. “If I go back there, maybe I can still trace the void aura—”

  Her ears picked up a pair of footsteps approaching her from behind the structures, moving at a decent pace.

  “Who’s there?!”

  The sound abruptly stopped.

  Of course, someone brought me here! Could it be that boy?

  “Show yourself, and don’t try anything funny!" Squeezing her hands shut, she listened closely for any sign of movement. “If you pick a fight with me, I’ll make sure you regret everything—”

  A brief chuckle echoed through the place.

  “What are you laughing at?!”

  That’s clearly a feminine voice. So, it’s not the hooded boy? Rosaline? Wait…that sounds familiar!

  “That’s rude,” the voice spoke, and the footsteps continued closing in. “Is that how you’d greet an old friend—”

  The moment she came into view, Viola didn’t even let her finish and went straight for a hug. “E-Eliana…is it really you?”

  “And you took action before even confirming?” The brown-haired laughed softly, returning the embrace. “Yes…it’s me, Eliana.”

  Viola fought back tears and held her tighter. A heavy weight was lifted off her heart, and she found the comfort she hadn't felt in months.

  “After I heard you no longer lived here,” Viola continued, not letting go, “I never thought I’d see you!”

  “You heard right,” Eliana said, not letting go either, “I've only returned briefly for some…business. Speaking of…” She pulled away and asked.

  “Are you a Hunter, too?”

  “Too?” Viola frowned slightly, only noticing the white katana. “You’re also a Void Hunter?!”

  “It’s the reason why I don’t live here…anymore.” Eliana sighed. “Shortly after you left…my parents—” She paused for a second, then smiled. “You know what, why don’t we sit down first? I’m sure we both have quite the stories to tell.”

  “Yes…we do.”

  Viola smiled back.

  “There's so much to tell you.”