Chapter 30 The Price of the Shadow
The Forest of Broken Silence The forest had gone silent. Not peaceful. Silent. The kind of silence that followed the screams of dying men and the clash of steel. Broken branches littered the ground. Blackened patches of earth smoldered where magic had struck, and the metallic scent of blood hung heavily in the cold air.
The Luminous Fangs stood among the remnants of the ambush. Roan gripped his sword, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to catch his breath. His red hair was disheveled, and a shallow cut marked his cheek. He glanced between the trees, searching for any sign that the attackers had left someone behind.
Celestine stood several paces ahead, his silver armor scratched and stained with dirt. His platinum-blond hair moved gently in the breeze as he held Lueur Sainte, its magnificent blade glowing with a faint golden-white radiance.
Gor'Thrak rolled his shoulders, his enormous weapon resting against one arm.
Snowy perched high above them on a branch. His long black hair flowed down his back, and his moon-silver eyes carefully examined the surrounding forest.
Tahir stood at the rear. His black robes were torn, his staff resting against the ground. Beneath his dark veil, his eyes remained fixed on the trees. He had been unusually quiet.
Then
"ELYRIAN CHILD!"
The voice came from the darkness. Everyone turned. A figure emerged between two ancient trees. He was taller than the assassins they had encountered earlier, clad in heavy black armor reinforced with overlapping strips of dark metal. Strange symbols had been carved into his breastplate, glowing faintly like embers beneath the surface. In his right hand rested a long, curved blade. Its edge was surrounded by a swirling black aura that seemed to devour the light around it. The assassin tilted his head.
His gaze settled on Tahir.
"At last," he murmured. "Infidel ! forbidden scholar."
Tahir's eyes narrowed.
"Everyone, move."
The assassin smiled.
"Too late."
He disappeared.
A violent gust tore through the forest.
CLANG!
A pair of blades intercepted his weapon before it could reach Tahir.
Tareq had emerged from Tahir's shadow. His dark clothing fluttered as he landed between his master and the attacker, twin blades crossed before his chest.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Tareq tilted his head.
"Your mistake."
The assassin laughed.
"Is it?"
His weapon erupted with black fire. And the forest exploded into motion.
The Shadow Emerges
Tareq vanished.
The assassin's curved blade swept through empty air.
SHING!
A shadow blade appeared beside his neck. He twisted, barely deflecting the strike.
Tareq was already gone.
He materialized above him, descending with both blades aimed at the assassin's shoulders.
KRAAANG!
Sparks burst through the darkness.
The assassin blocked both weapons, then drove his knee into Tareq's stomach.
Tareq's body folded slightly.
The assassin followed with a horizontal slash. But Tareq dissolved into smoke. The curved blade passed through him. A heartbeat later, Tareq emerged from the assassin's own shadow. One blade struck the back of his knee. The second swept toward his neck.
The assassin twisted violently.
Steel shrieked against steel.
"Impressive," the armored man growled.
Tareq gave no answer. He attacked again.
The two combatants became blurs of black steel and shifting darkness.
Tareq moved with extraordinary precision, appearing at impossible angles, attacking from beneath, above, and behind. His blades flashed like fragments of midnight.
The assassin was equally dangerous. His enchanted weapon left trails of black fire through the air. Every time their weapons collided, waves of dark energy rippled across the forest floor.
A nearby tree split down its trunk.
BOOOOM!
The shockwave scattered leaves and snapped branches.
Roan shielded his face.
"How is that man keeping up with Tareq?"
Celestine tightened his grip on Lueur Sainte.
"That weapon is enchanted. Its magic may be interfering with Tareq's shadow movement."
Snowy's eyes narrowed.
"No."
He leaned forward.
"Look at the blade."
The curved weapon pulsed.
A black symbol appeared along its edge.
"It isn't merely enchanted," Snowy whispered. "It's searching for something."
Tahir suddenly stiffened.
"TAReQ! WITHDRAW!"
For the first time, urgency entered his voice.
But the assassin smiled.
He had heard. And he had been waiting.
Tareq appeared behind him, one blade raised for a decisive strike.
The assassin moved with terrifying speed.
He reversed his weapon.
SHRAAAAAK!
The curved blade pierced Tareq directly through the chest.
Everything stopped.
Tareq froze.
His eyes widened.
A black flame crawled from the wound.
Then the cracks began. Thin fractures spread across his chest, branching over his shoulders, neck, and face. His body trembled as though something had shattered inside him.
Roan stared.
"Tareq...?"
The assassin twisted his weapon and pulled it free.
Tareq's body fractured into hundreds of fragments of black light.
CRAAAAACK!
Then he collapsed into a cloud of smoke.
For one terrible moment, nothing remained.
No body.
No shadow assassin.
Only drifting darkness.
And Tahir
Tahir screamed.
The Pain of Two Souls
"AAGGHHHH!"
The sound tore through the forest. Tahir dropped to his knees. His staff fell from his hand and struck the earth. His fingers clawed into the soil as his entire body convulsed. His back arched violently, and black veins of magical energy appeared beneath his exposed skin.
Roan spun around.
"Tahir!"
Another wave of agony struck.
Tahir slammed his palm against the ground.
BOOM!
The earth cracked beneath his hand. Sand burst from the soil in a violent ring, throwing loose stones into the air. His breathing became ragged. He tried to rise. His legs refused to obey.
"AAGH...!"
Roan had never heard him make a sound like that.
Tahir was always controlled. Cold. Analytical. Even when wounded, he barely acknowledged the pain. But now he looked like a man being torn apart from within.
Snowy immediately leapt from the branch.
His white robes fluttered as he transformed in midair. His human form dissolved into brilliant white feathers, and a pure-white snowy owl shot downward.
"Yuki!"
He landed beside Tahir, his magical transformation releasing a soft pulse of moonlight.
A moment later, he transformed back into his human form.
Snowy knelt.
"Tahir! Can you hear me?"
Tahir's hand reached toward him but stopped halfway.
His fingers trembled uncontrollably.
"Make... it stop..."
Snowy's expression changed.
For once, his usual calm was replaced by visible concern.
Celestine rushed forward.
"What is happening?"
Gor'Thrak looked toward the place where Tareq had disappeared.
"That bastard did this to him?"
"No," Snowy answered quietly.
His silver eyes examined the black magical veins spreading beneath Tahir's skin.
"Tareq did."
Roan stared at him.
"What do you mean?"
Snowy looked up.
"Tareq is not an ordinary summoned creature. He is not a servant controlled by Tahir's will."
Another tremor passed through Tahir.
Snowy placed a hand against his shoulder.
"They share something far deeper."
The assassin began laughing.
A low, satisfied laugh.
"Ah. So the secret is finally exposed."
He slowly raised his curved weapon.
"The shadow is not a servant."
His eyes settled on Tahir.
"It is a second body."
Celestine's expression hardened.
Snowy continued.
"Whatever happens to Tareq..."
Roan finished the sentence.
"...happens to Tahir."
Snowy nodded.
"Every injury. Every wound. Every moment of suffering."
He looked down at Tahir.
"He feels it."
Roan's stomach tightened.
He remembered the earlier battles.
The strange moments when Tahir had staggered after Tareq was struck.
The way his body sometimes tensed whenever the shadow assassin was injured.
It had never been coincidence.
Tahir had been suffering alongside him all along.
The assassin smiled.
"Now you understand."
He stepped toward them.
"Let's see what happens when I destroy the shadow completely."
Celestine rose. His sword lifted. Golden-white light began flowing through the runes of Lueur Sainte.
"You will not take another step."
The assassin tilted his head.
"Move, knight."
"No."
The assassin vanished.
KLANG!
Celestine caught the first strike with Lueur Sainte.
The impact sent a tremendous shockwave through the forest. His boots carved two deep trenches through the earth as he was driven backward.
The assassin attacked again. And again. Three strikes came in rapid succession.
Celestine blocked the first, redirected the second, and twisted aside from the third.
His sword flashed.
SHAAAAING!
A brilliant crescent of holy light swept toward the assassin.
The armored warrior raised his curved blade.
BOOOOM!
Black and golden energy collided. The explosion illuminated the entire forest.
Gor'Thrak charged through the smoke.
"MY TURN!"
His enormous weapon came crashing down.
KRA-THOOOOOM!
The assassin crossed his blade and barely stopped the blow. The earth beneath his boots collapsed.
Gor'Thrak grinned.
"Not so fast now, are you?"
The assassin's black aura surged. A wave of dark energy erupted from his body, throwing Gor'Thrak backward. But before the warrior could follow up
Snowy raised both hands. Three enormous, glowing white owls materialized above the battlefield. They were almost the size of barn owls, their bodies composed of brilliant moonlight. Their wings spread wide, scattering silver feathers of magical energy through the air. Their eyes glowed like tiny stars. With a graceful movement of Snowy's fingers, they separated. One swept toward the assassin's face. Another circled behind him. The third descended toward Tahir. The first owl unleashed a concentrated beam of moonlight.
FWOOSH!
The assassin raised his arm. A black barrier appeared. The beam struck it, showering the forest with silver sparks. The second owl dived from above. The assassin twisted and swung. His blade cut through its luminous body. But the owl burst into a blinding explosion.
FLASH!
The assassin staggered.
Snowy smiled faintly.
"One."
The third owl spread its wings above Tahir. A shimmering protective barrier descended around him. Silver light formed a delicate dome, shielding him from the spreading darkness.
Roan looked up in amazement.
"Snowy!"
"Stay behind the barrier, Roan!"
Snowy's voice was calm, but his eyes never left the enemy.
He extended one hand. A long whip of brilliant white light appeared between his fingers. It cracked through the air.
KRAK!
The glowing lash wrapped around the assassin's wrist. Snowy pulled. The assassin's arm jerked sideways.
Celestine seized the opening.
"Now!"
Lueur Sainte blazed. The knight lunged forward, delivering a powerful diagonal strike.
The assassin blocked, but the force drove him several meters backward.
Gor'Thrak charged again.
This time, his weapon connected with the assassin's shoulder.
BOOOOM!
Black armor shattered. The assassin stumbled. Yet he laughed.
"You fools."
His curved blade began glowing brighter.
"You're wasting your strength."
The black symbol along its edge pulsed.
The moonlight barrier around Tahir flickered.
Snowy's eyes widened.
"It's drawing power from the connection!"
The assassin raised his weapon.
"Let's finish this!"
A strange sound emerged from beneath Tahir. A faint whisper. Like wind passing through a tomb.
Snowy turned.
The shadow beneath Tahir was moving. At first, it shifted only slightly. Then it began spreading. Blackness crawled across the earth like spilled ink, flowing against the direction of the sunlight.
Roan stepped backward.
"What...?"
The darkness gathered around Tahir's knees.
It swirled. Twisted. Rose. A hand emerged from the shadow. Then another. Long fingers gripped the earth. A head slowly surfaced, followed by shoulders and a chest covered in fractured darkness. Tareq was pulling himself back into existence. His body emerged piece by piece. Black smoke poured from the enormous wound in his chest. His head hung forward. His twin blades were missing. For a moment, he remained motionless. Then His fingers twitched.
Tahir's eyes widened.
"Tareq..."
The shadow assassin raised his head. His eyes opened. He pushed one hand against the earth and slowly climbed to his feet. His body was still damaged, but the fractures began closing. Black threads of magic spread across his chest, stitching the broken darkness together. The wound gradually disappeared.
Tahir collapsed forward.
Tareq turned immediately.
He caught himself on one knee beside him.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Tareq extended his hand.
Tahir looked at it.
His trembling fingers reached forward. They touched. The black veins beneath Tahir's skin slowly began fading.
Roan watched in silence.
The two figures looked almost identical in certain ways. One was flesh and blood. The other was darkness given human shape. But the expression in their eyes was unmistakable. They had both survived.
The assassin stared.
"Impossible."
Tareq slowly stood.
His head turned toward the armored warrior.
The assassin stepped backward.
"I destroyed you!"
Tareq raised his right hand.
Darkness gathered around his fingers. A blade began forming. Then another.
He looked at the assassin.
"You were careless."
His voice was quiet.
The assassin's smile disappeared.
Tahir slowly rose. He was pale. His breathing remained uneven, and his robes hung loosely around his shoulders. But his eyes had changed. The cold calculation had returned. Only now, something else burned behind them. Fury. He retrieved his carved staff. The moment his fingers closed around it, the ground trembled. A low rumble passed beneath the forest floor.
The assassin turned.
"What are you doing?"
Tahir raised his staff.
"Something I should have done earlier."
The earth erupted. Thousands of grains of sand burst from the ground, swirling around Tahir in a massive spiral. The sand climbed higher and higher until it formed a towering vortex. Wind howled through the trees. Leaves, branches, and broken stones were dragged into the storm. Blue flames appeared among the swirling sand. First a few sparks. Then dozens. Then entire ribbons of brilliant blue fire.
Roan stared.
"Tahir..."
Celestine stepped slightly aside.
He recognized the danger.
"Everyone, keep your distance."
Tahir's voice echoed through the storm.
"You hurt him."
The assassin raised his weapon.
"He's only a shadow!"
Tahir's eyes narrowed.
"Then you know nothing."
He brought his staff down.
THE FIRST EQUATION: DESERT'S JUDGMENT!
The sand beneath the assassin erupted.
Enormous pillars of compacted earth burst upward, surrounding him from every direction.
The assassin leapt.
Tahir twisted his staff.
The pillars changed direction.
They followed him.
BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
The assassin dodged the first two. The third smashed into his side. His armor cracked. He crashed through a tree. Before he could recover, Tareq appeared above him.
Twin blades descended.
CLANG!
The assassin blocked one.
The second sliced across his shoulder.
Tareq vanished.
A shadow opened beneath the assassin's feet.
He fell halfway into it before forcing himself free with a burst of black magic.
Tahir raised his other hand.
Blue fire spiraled around his fingers.
"Let us see how well your weapon protects you."
He thrust his palm forward.
A torrent of blue flame exploded through the forest.
FWOOMMMMM!
The assassin crossed his weapon before his chest.
A black barrier formed.
The flames crashed against it.
For several seconds, the two magical forces struggled.
Black energy spread across the barrier.
Blue flames consumed it.
The barrier began cracking.
The assassin screamed as his weapon trembled.
"NO!"
Tahir's expression remained cold.
"Your blade can wound my shadow."
He stepped forward.
"But it cannot command the desert."
He closed his fist.
The flames exploded.
KRAAAAAAAAA-BOOOOM!
A massive pillar of blue fire engulfed the assassin.
The shockwave swept through the forest.
Celestine raised Lueur Sainte.
"Radiant Aegis!"
A golden-white barrier expanded around the guild, protecting everyone from the blast.
Snowy added his moonlight shield. The two magical barriers overlapped. The explosion passed over them like a burning wave.
When the light finally faded, the assassin was still standing.
Barely. His armor was shattered. His curved blade was cracked. Black smoke rose from his body.
He looked toward Tahir.
Then Tareq.
Then the rest of the Luminous Fangs.
For the first time, he seemed uncertain.
"This isn't over," he spat.
Tahir lowered his staff.
"No."
His eyes remained fixed on the assassin.
"It isn't."
The assassin hurled a small black sphere toward the ground.
BOOM!
Dark smoke swallowed the clearing.
"He's escaping!" Roan shouted.
Gor'Thrak raised his weapon.
"I'll crush him!"
He lunged forward, but Celestine extended an arm.
"Stop."
The smoke slowly dissipated.
The assassin was gone.
Only a fragment of his shattered weapon remained in the dirt.
Gor'Thrak growled.
"Why did you let him escape?"
Celestine lowered his sword.
"Because he has already learned what he came to discover."
His eyes moved toward Tahir.
"And now we have learned something too."
The forest gradually settled. The blue flames disappeared. The sand fell gently to the ground.
Snowy's three magical owls dissolved into tiny silver sparks, leaving the air shimmering with moonlight.
The Luminous Fangs gathered around Tahir. He hated it immediately. Every second of it. He hated the way they looked at him. Not with fear. That would have been easier. They looked at him with concern. Tahir could tolerate suspicion. He could tolerate distrust. He could even tolerate hostility. Concern was different. It made him feel exposed. He adjusted his torn robes.
"I am fine."
Gor'Thrak stared at him.
"You collapsed screaming."
"I said I am fine."
"You were digging holes in the ground with your fingers."
Tahir glared.
"I was experiencing an unfortunate magical disturbance."
Gor'Thrak raised an eyebrow.
"That is a very complicated way of saying you were screaming."
Roan almost laughed.
Almost.
But his attention remained on Tareq.
The shadow assassin stood beside Tahir, his body restored, although faint traces of black smoke still drifted from his shoulders.
Roan approached cautiously.
"Tahir..."
"Don't."
Roan stopped.
Tahir's voice had sharpened.
"You weren't supposed to see that."
Snowy stepped forward.
"We already knew."
Tahir turned toward him.
"No."
His expression hardened.
"You knew Tareq was connected to me."
He looked at the others.
"Now you know how much."
His hands tightened around his staff.
"My enemies can use him against me. They can torture him, destroy him, and make me suffer without ever touching my body."
He looked toward Tareq.
"And if they discover the full nature of our connection, they may find a way to use it against both of us."
Celestine approached.
"Then we will make certain they never get that opportunity."
Tahir gave a bitter laugh.
"You don't understand."
"Perhaps not completely."
Celestine's voice remained gentle.
"But I understand enough."
Tahir turned away.
"This is a weakness."
Snowy stepped closer.
"No."
Tahir looked at him.
Snowy's moon-silver eyes were calm.
"A weakness shared is no longer a secret."
Tahir said nothing.
Snowy continued.
"You have spent so long protecting this truth that you have forgotten something."
He glanced toward the others.
"You are not alone."
The words hung in the air.
Friends.
Tahir looked toward Celestine.
The radiant knight stood with his sword resting against his shoulder, his expression warm and unwavering.
Then Gor'Thrak, whose enormous weapon was still resting in his hands.
Then Roan, who looked at him with an expression that was equal parts worry and admiration.
Finally, Snowy.
The slender celestial scout gave him a small smile.
Tahir's expression softened.
Only briefly. Barely noticeable.
But Roan saw it.
Tahir looked away.
"You're all troublesome."
Gor'Thrak grinned.
"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to us."
Roan laughed.
Celestine chuckled.
Even Snowy allowed himself a quiet smile.
Tahir shook his head.
"Idiots."
But he didn't walk away.
As the group prepared to leave the clearing, Roan found himself walking beside Tahir. He glanced toward Tareq. The shadow assassin had already returned to his usual position, standing silently near Tahir.
Roan hesitated.
"Does it always hurt?"
Tahir looked at him.
"What?"
"When Tareq gets injured."
Tahir remained silent for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"Yes."
"Even if it's just a small wound?"
"Yes."
Roan looked down.
"That must be terrible."
Tahir adjusted his veil.
"You become accustomed to many things."
Roan frowned.
"I don't think anyone should have to become accustomed to that."
Tahir looked at him.
For a moment, he seemed unsure how to respond.
Then he gave a quiet sigh.
"Perhaps."
Roan looked toward Tareq again.
"Does he feel your pain too?"
Tahir's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That is not something you need to concern yourself with."
"That's not an answer."
A faint pause followed.
Then Tahir spoke.
"Sometimes."
Roan nodded.
He understood more than Tahir expected.
The Black Ring rested against his finger. A strange darkness seemed to move beneath its surface.
Roan instinctively curled his hand into a fist. He knew what it was like to carry something dangerous. Something powerful. Something that could hurt the people he cared about.
He glanced toward Tahir.
"You're not the only one carrying something dangerous."
Tahir looked at the ring.
Then at Roan.
"No," he said quietly. "I suppose not."
Ahead of them, Celestine called out.
"Come along, everyone. We have wasted enough time in this miserable forest."
Gor'Thrak laughed.
"Finally! I thought we'd be sleeping here."
Snowy transformed into his snowy owl form and fluttered upward, landing on a branch overlooking the path. He looked down at Roan. A soft hoot escaped his beak.
Roan smiled.
"Coming, Snowy!"
The little owl spread his wings.
Behind them, Tahir glanced at Tareq.
The shadow assassin stood silently.
Tahir lowered his hand.
Their shadows merged.
And Tareq disappeared beneath his feet.
This time, Tahir did not attempt to conceal what had happened.He simply continued walking. The Luminous Fangs moved forward beneath the darkening canopy, their weapons ready and their hearts heavier than before. They had witnessed the price of Tahir's greatest weapon. They had discovered that the shadow was not expendable. It was part of him. And Tahir had discovered something far more difficult to accept. For years, he had believed that the only way to protect those around him was to keep his weaknesses hidden. But perhaps there was another way. Perhaps strength was not measured by how much suffering one could endure alone. Perhaps it was measured by how much one was willing to trust others with the burden. The wind swept through the trees. Above them, three faint silver lights briefly appeared among the branches before vanishing into the moonlit sky. The forest was silent again. But this time, the silence was different. The Luminous Fangs were no longer merely a collection of warriors fighting beside one another. They were becoming something far more dangerous. A family. And anyone who threatened one of them would soon discover what that meant.
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