the long walk ahead

Shade had noticed Law who was almost at full strength, staring at him with a look confusion and

admiration. The silence was heavy and unbearable for the rest of the group. The sound of Shade preparing breakfast and some crickets in the distance was all that could be heard. Misaki then spoke up" Hey hmm, Shade you don't have to make breakfast for us you've already done so much, we should be burdening you with feeding us as well." Her tone, soft and gentle.

Shade, still cooking, let out A small sigh and told the group " it's fine, you guys need to rest, especially After fighting a fire salamander. Besides, I want to help." The mage Owen spoke "so Shade where are ya from?" Shade paused For a moment before answering "I'm from a village called Brookwood. I've been living here for the past two months. As you know I'm here to train. I survive by using my magic." he wanted to know if this world really was the one from the book he was reading. Misaki's eyes widened in shock "You're from the same village as Law? The one that was destroyed by bandits"

" She turned to Law who simply nodded confirming it was true Raph spoke, his voice drenched with hostility, "Well then, what type of magic do you use?" Shade blinked in surprise at the hostility but answered "Shadow magic," Shade knew he had to demonstrate because no one would believe him since they just met and shadow magic is rare so he demonstrated by conjuring a small shadow magic orb in his palm. "My magic is both useful for both offense and defense." The group glanced at each other, clearly impressed.

The mage, snapping back from the shock, remarked, "That's quite impressive, Shade. The gods must favor you." Shade then handed them forks and plates of eggs and bacon. They all looked at the food and then at Raph, who took a bite first since he had been watching Shade's every move and knew it wasn't poisoned so after they saw that Raph took a bit they ate the food as well. "lThere is a village not too far from here. You should head there for supplies and to get proper rest," Shade explained.

Misaki then asked, "Could you possibly help us get there? We are pretty bad at directions." Shade nodded, "It would be my pleasure, Miss Misaki." After thoroughly cleaning up the campsite, Shade carefully canceled the protective barrier around the clearing. They walked through the dense forest, sounds of nature almost sounding like music.

Law turned to Shade with a serious expression. "We haven't told you that helping us might put you in danger. I apologize for that. We're on a quest to stop the Seven Demon Lords. We need to find the legendary staff of the gods, it's the only thing that can defeat them, I can understand if you don't want to help us anymore" It was clear that Law felt guilty for involving shades especially given their past history

Shade the remembered that Law and Shade were childhood best friend until law was tricked and accidently bought bandits, and now both law and himself were the only monkey beast man,

Shade's heart sank,it felt as though a ton of bricks had hit his heart he tried to keep his composure as he recalled that the original Shade hated law and was full of resentment from that incident. But Shade will not be going down the path of the previous owner. " I understand your concern, but I'm not scared of what might happen to me. This is for the greater good, is it not? So how can I help" Shade asked Law, hesitating before replying, "Your magic is powerful, but this quest will be dangerous. you have already done so much I can't ask you to risk your life for us." " I want to help please if there is anything I can do?" Shade asked

The group paused and looked at each other, as if they could read each other's thoughts. Finally, Owen spoke up after five minutes of silence. " You're welcome to come with us. But remember, this quest is dangerous, we must be prepared for anything." raph didn't look happy about this though Raph started to whisper to the mage but the mage seemed to brush him off and whisper something back.

As raph and Misaki were cooking, law was sharpening his sword, and Owen was reading and practicing some magic. Shade thought this was the perfect time to go for a walk and quickly and quietly sneaked out of the cave and went to a nearby waterfall, Shade sat on a dry rock near the waterfall, he let out A sigh as he reflected on his new life and form he felt a mix of conflicting thoughts swirling within him.it was hard now he is living in a world of a novel he was reading.

Both his memory and shades danced through his head. He knew that he is now shade and must identify, he felt shades of anger fill him though the memories but he reminded himself what the system had said before he was reincarnated into this body if he can change Shade's fate he may be given a chance at a happy life. The weight of his past life and knowledge combined with the anger and hatred from the original Shade had been eating at him.

As Shade glances at his reflection taking in his new appearance once more, his for ears twitched, his scar on his right eye, all of his monkey traits, all of this new body was so cool Shade thought even after being in this body for two months he was still not used to it.

"Mind if I join you?" a familiar voice asked startling Shade as he turned to see Law standing a few steps away from him. Law had a unreadable expression on his face, Shade nodded in response to the question, after a bit of sitting in silence with no one speaking law finally asked

" Why did you help us, Shade? I know you remember who I am and am just pretending not to. So why help us, I mean you do hate me so don't you?" Laws voice reflecting his pain and guilt

Shade replied, " I couldn't stand by and watch you all come to harm. We were just children. We both have made mistakes."

Law's gaze softened. "You've always been like this. I'm glad not much has changed. Your Always ready to offer help, even at your own risk." Averting his eyes, memories of their shared childhood flashed through both laws and Shade's minds. "That was a different time, Law. Things have changed." With a distant expression, Law nodded. "I know. I've changed too."

Shade noticed pain in Law's voice, recognizing the heavy burden of guilt that Law had carried for years. The original Shade had let his resentment fester and grow, but Shade was determined to change not only his fate but the rest of the party's as well. "Law," Shade said softly, "I forgive You." Law's widening eyes were a result of his surprise. He seemed at a loss for words. " Shade. Your words mean more to me than you realize. Thank you so much." Law seemed to be holding back tears as They sat together in a comfortable silence, allowing the wounds of the past to begin to heal until eventually, they made their way back to the campsite.