Shadows that Hop
Night had fallen over The Margin, yet the forest did not rest. It murmured with a breathless tension, low and stirring, as if the trees themselves knew something had slipped past the line of safety.
Kaiden hadn't returned to the dorm.
Not after the horns. Not after the final tally. While the others gathered under Maiven's wrap-up briefing and walked back toward the Academy, Kaiden had moved further into the brush after leaving Irna at the girls' dorm entrance, his eyes fixed on something no one else could see. A whisper. A trail. A scent only he and the void could share.
[ Rio ]
"I'm telling you..."
"Something's wrong with him."
Rio's voice was low as he leaned against the trunk near the dorm path, arms crossed, eyes locked on the shadows stretching between Heavenreach and the treeline.
[ Nerim ]
"Kaiden?"
"He's always weird."
"That's practically a skill of his."
"At least Tier III."
[ Rio ]
"No, Rimmy."
"This is not his usual 'brooding hunter' stuff."
"He didn't even loot the last horn."
"You know he never misses a loot, don't you?"
"He's acting like..."
"He's chasing something."
"Or running from it."
[ Nerim ]
"He missed a loot, you say...?"
Nerim narrowed his eyes.
"Then let's go."
"We'll get the girls and go look for him."
They moved quickly, heading toward the girl's dorm entrance. Peggy was stuffing a sweetcake in her mouth when Rio threw a pebble at her to get her attention, while Irna was by the window, quietly practicing with her guzheng.
[ Rio (muffled) ]
"Pegs..."
"Yo, Pegs."
[ Peggy ]
"What is it, Rio?"
"Come to brag about being number one?"
[ Rio ]
"Kaiden's still out there."
Irna stopped practicing the moment Rio mentioned Kaiden's name.
[ Peggy ]
"He can handle himself."
"Probably scouring for some loot."
[ Rio ]
"No, no..."
"This is not like him."
"This is different."
"He didn't even leave a note, like always."
[ Irna (rising) ]
"Kaiden wouldn't do this."
"He always leaves a note before going on a scavenger run."
"Something must be wrong..."
Rio gave a sharp nod. That was all Irna needed. She stood, strapping her guzheng back with practiced speed.
"We're going to look for him."
"Now!"
[ Peggy ]
"Wait, Irna, hold up..."
[ Irna (stern) ]
"Kaiden is in danger."
"I can feel it."
[ Peggy (sighing) ]
"It's already past curfew."
[ Irna ]
"We're going to look for him."
"No debate."
"I..."
She didn't wait for permission. The others exchanged a look and followed her lead.
◈◈◈
Kaiden moved deeper into the forest. The trees leaned heavier here, as if weighed down by silence. His Awareness skill kept flaring at half-triggers — things unseen, things not quite there. Meanwhile, Identify came out blurred, as if the System was being rewritten.
He knelt and touched the soil. Still warm. Tracks. But not just any warrenhop. The gait was uneven. Glitching.
That was when his curse took over.
[ HEART ]
[ Subsystem Alert! ]
► Voidspace Fluctuation Detected
► Direction: East
► Distance: 1.2 km → Approaching
► Killing Intentions: Detected
[ * Kaiden * ]
"Void-touched…"
His Echo-Bound Observer, one of Void of Aena's Subsystem, told him enough. What was once rabbit-like was now smeared across reality. Each print had a slight echo. A shadow of itself, half a step behind.
He exhaled.
[ Kaiden ]
"So you are the one calling me..."
◈◈◈
The rest of Ironroot 1A moved into the darkness, searching for Kaiden. They met Nari along the way. She offered to light a flare spell after hearing the story, but Rio declined. Kaiden's tracks were fresh, and too much light could attract unwanted attention.
Peggy led from the front, gauntlets humming with low æsther current. Nerim kept low, unusually silent for once, scanning the ground with sharp eyes. Rio conjured faint orbs of bluish light — just enough to read footprints without flaring full visibility. Irna moved like a bowstring drawn tight, each step precise, every sense straining.
Then they heard it.
A distorted thump. A second impact. Something between a squeal and a shriek. Not from Kaiden.
But from something else.
They ran.
The clearing opened without warning. Trees framed a dip in the landscape where a Vein shimmered too visibly, too alive. In front of it, Kaiden stood, one knee down, wooden dagger beside him.
Four warrenhops surrounded him, but they were wrong. Glitched. They jittered unnaturally, parts of them flickering through empty æsther cracks, legs bending in impossible directions, fur rippling like static.
One of them was nearly as tall as Kaiden.
Void-touched.
[ Rio ]
"Great."
"Glitchbunnies."
[ Peggy ]
"Positions, everyone!"
The team spread out. Nerim darted toward the left arc, cloak rippling around him. Peggy flanked right, her fists flaring with molten energy as she filled her hammer, Ragna, with æsther. Irna threw the casing as her guzheng morphed into bow form. Rio conjured a hydro-wall between the void creatures and Kaiden, giving just enough time for Kaiden to rise.
He didn't look surprised to see them.
[ Kaiden (hoarse) ]
"I thought I told you..."
[ Irna (cutting him off) ]
"You told us nothing."
"So shut up and duck."
She loosed a shot—normal, controlled. It struck one of the warrenhops square in the hind leg, throwing it off-balance.
[ Kaiden ]
"They don't move right."
"Their æsther is corrupted."
One blinked.
Literally.
Its body vanished in a rippling distortion and reappeared behind Rio, claws raised mid-slash. The blow grazed his shoulder, tearing a line through his cloak and part of his æsther barrier.
[ Rio ]
"Tch...!"
"They're phasing?!"
[ Nerim ]
"These aren't glitchbunnies..."
"These are ghostbunnies!"
Peggy lunged with a roar, her hammer blazing bright. She slammed Ragna into the void-creature mid-turn, landing a brutal, earth-shaking blow. Its body dispersed in a puff of glitch-dust, fragments hissing before evaporating.
[ Rio ]
"Nice swing, Pegs!"
[ Peggy ]
"Focus!"
"It's not over yet..."
Another hop twisted mid-air, launching at Irna.
Kaiden moved before he could think.
He slammed into Irna, pushing her down and away as the beast clawed through where her face had been a moment ago. Its talons raked across Kaiden's side instead.
[ Irna ]
"Stop doing that!"
[ Kaiden ]
"Then stay behind me!"
[ Peggy ]
"Left flank's clear."
"Two still up!"
Nerim grunted, parrying wild slashes from the third. Sparks lit the space between his pickaxe and the creature's claws. His breath came fast, every move taking toll on his stimana, as well as his stamina.
Then the tall one moved.
No warning. No sound.
It phased.
Vanished from across the clearing and reappeared mid-air, directly above Kaiden — its gaping mouth wide, voidlines pulsing like veins across its warped skull.
[ Rio ]
"Nerim!"
"Kaid needs help!"
[ Nerim (strained) ]
"A little..."
"Occupied, right now."
The other void-warrenhop slammed Nerim against a tree, claws tearing into bark just beside his face.
[ Peggy ]
"Irna!"
"It's up to you!"
[ Irna (breathless) ]
"I don't have a clear shot."
"No angle."
A pause.
"Unless..."
She spun. Her guzheng-bow shimmered as she called on her æsther, channeling her melody into a single, piercing arrow. Her fingers danced the strings once — twice — then silence.
She aimed.
Directly at Kaiden.
[ Peggy ]
"What are you doing?!"
Irna didn't answer.
Arrow formed — luminous, silver-threaded — æsther tuned to her breath, her pulse, her faith.
She fired.
The arrow whistled toward Kaiden's chest — then vanished.
Gone.
A blink later — it reappeared.
Dead center, at the back of the monster's skull.
It froze. Twitched once.
Then shattered.
Void ichor sprayed, fading to nothing midair.
Silence.
Then, a chime.
[ HEART - Echo-Bound Observer ]
Action Alignment: Trusted Shot Detected
Spatial Fold Recognized – Phase Hiccup Initiated
Outcome: Arrow Rerouted
[ HEART SYSTEM - UPDATE ]
Trait Gained: Reality Rupture
When others act with full belief in you, certain effects may defy probability and logic.
Kaiden's breath caught.
The world... shifted. Not physically. But from within. Like a puzzle piece falling into place, not by force, but by trust.
He turned.
Irna lowered her bow, eyes wide.
[ Irna ]
"Are you okay?"
[ Kaiden (softly) ]
"You shot directly at me..."
Irna nodded, her voice shaky.
[ Irna ]
"And you didn't flinch."
[ Kaiden ]
"Because I trusted you."
"Always has..."
"Always will, Irna."
But there was no time to bask in the miracle.
The Vein warped again.
Twelve more warrenhops leapt from the treeline — larger, slicker, glitching in and out of visibility.
One was the size of a direwolf.
[ Nerim ]
"I'm out of stimana!"
"My spells are fizzling..."
[ Peggy (gritting teeth) ]
"This..."
"Might be it, guys."
[ Rio ]
"If this is the end..."
"I just want you guys to know."
[ Irna ]
"At least we are together..."
"Like we've always been, since day one."
[ Rio ]
"My Mom and Dad are pirates."
"Not fishermen, like everyone thought."
[ Nerim ]
"Wha...???"
[ Peggy ]
"Well, that really explains..."
"A lot."
[ * Kaiden * ]
"Did I push too far again…?"
"Pops would be disappointed."
"Or proud..."
"Hard to say."
He tried to rise, but to no avail. Memories of drills ministered by Nik flashed in front of him.
As if this was the last time he would ever see it.
Abruptedly...
A shattering boom cut through the air.
A silver barrier dome erupted around them like a falling star. The glitchbeasts slammed into it, bouncing off like gnats.
[ Instructor Veronika ]
"Ironroots!"
"Fall back and regroup!"
Instructor Veronika stood at the dome's edge, her sword gleaming with æstheric runes.
[ Mrs. Maiven ]
"You children are very fortunate..."
"Now just listen to the lullaby."
"The dome will keep them out."
"Don't worry."
Mrs. Maiven started healing the children with her song. A talent that made her one of the best homeroom teachers.
Peggy slumped.
[ Peggy ]
"I'll take lullabies over nightmares any day."
Kaiden tried to stand but staggered. Irna rushed to his side.
[ Irna ]
"You're hurt — Kaiden, you're really hurt."
His shirt was torn.
Black æsther veins spidered from a gash across his chest, pulsing faintly like it was breathing on its own.
[ Mrs. Maiven ]
"Void poison..."
"My songs can't heal them."
"We need the medics."
"Now."
[ Irna ]
"Kaiden."
"Stay with me!"
[ Kaiden ]
"I'm... fine."
"It's just a scratch."
Kaiden's vision smeared at the edges.
Then, nothing.
His breath left him in a shudder, and black followed.
The dome protecting the children shimmered against the moonlight, a bastion of calm amid the chaos, but the air inside was tense with unspoken weight.
Medics arrived minutes later — not by foot, but through emergency æsther-relocation spell, blinking into the dome with satchels of glowing tinctures and needles filled with silver-threaded æsther. One immediately knelt beside Kaiden, while the others began treating Rio's burns, Nerim's bruises, and the long claw gash on Peggy's leg.
But Irna didn't let go of Kaiden's hand.
Even as they lifted him onto a stretcher, even as the healers exchanged grim looks at the black æsther seeping through his veins, she held on.
She didn't cry. Not yet.
Peggy walked beside her as the medics carried Kaiden toward the Academy's inner wards. Rio kept scanning the woods, even though the danger had passed. Nerim limped behind, quieter than usual.
[ Peggy ]
"We're Ironroot."
"We won't lose our own."
Irna looked up at the sky, and it was no longer dark.
Dawn was breaking, soft and peach-colored over the Margin trees.
But something lingered in the east — a smear of darkness along the Vein-line.
A warning.
The void hadn't come for Kaiden.
Not just Kaiden.
It had come because something stirred it. Called it.
And it had tested all of them.
◈◈◈
The next morning, in the safe silence of the Academy's infirmary, Nik arrived after receiving news of the incident from the administration.
He didn't speak right away. Just watched Kaiden sleep, hooked to two æsther drips, his face pale, his breath shallow.
[ Niklaus (quiet) ]
"What have you touched, boy…?"
He slipped his hand behind Kaiden's back, reaching for his curse mark. It was warm.
And it was changing.
Outside the ward, Mrs. Maiven stood in quiet conversation with Headmaster Callen.
[ Headmaster Callen ]
"The boy absorbed something he wasn't ready for."
"But in the end..."
"He did save the others."
"In a way."
[ Mrs. Maiven ]
"I know that look in your eyes."
"You're thinking of initiating the Emergency Aptitude Assessment, aren't you?"
[ Headmaster Callen ]
"The Veins are shifting..."
"Too fast."
"We don't have the luxury to wait."
"The children need to be ready."
She sighed, looking through the glass at the wounded boy with void scars and the team who wouldn't leave him behind.
[ Mrs. Maiven ]
"The Class of '51 might have to grow up faster than we hoped."
[ Headmaster Callen ]
"I will tell the boy's grandfather..."
"Myself."
◈◈◈
In the Veinfields far from the Academy, past the reach of wards and wardsong, a figure in a black cloak knelt before a pool of warping æsther. Cracked earth breathed steam, and voidlines etched slowly into the ground like roots drinking poison.
A crystal buzzed in the cloaked figure's hand.
It showed the face of a boy.
Kaiden.
[ ??? ]
"So the Echo has awakened…"
"How lucky for us."
Behind him, the malformed corpse of the void-touched direwarren dissolved — not dead, but returned to something older.
Something watching.
And waiting.