Chapter 15

The next day,

Nobody bothered Zane that night, he was so tired he didn't even remember the trip back.

Zane stood in the massive training hall the next morning, rolling his shoulders as he watched the equipment power up. The place was unlike any gym he had ever seen—sleek, modern, and outfitted with an array of advanced machinery designed specifically for testing Shadowhunter capabilities. The walls were lined with reinforced alloy panels, etched with runes that absorbed shock and kept collateral damage to a minimum.

High above, barely visible from the ground, a glass-enclosed control room overlooked the floor. That was where the conductor of today's little experiment was stationed, adjusting settings and monitoring data. They had chosen to remain unseen, but Zane could hear the occasional click of switches.

But none of that mattered.

All eyes his, Mia's, and Alaric's—were fixed on one thing.

His shadow.

The entity stood in front of him, solid, real. It had materialized at his command, a mass of shifting blackness that slowly moulded itself into his form. It bore no distinct features aside from its eerie, ever-present grin, which stretched across its inky face in unsettling amusement.

Zane still wasn't used to that smile. It was like it knew something he didn't.

"Alright," Alaric's voice broke through the silence, his usual composed tone laced with curiosity. "Let's begin."

A sudden whir echoed through the hall as the first test activated.

Zane watched as metallic arms extended from the walls, each wielding weighted clubs. They swung toward his shadow at high speeds, aiming to test its durability.

The grin on the shadow's face widened.

Without hesitation, it moved.

It managed to evade the first few swings before Zane gave it the command to block instead

There wasn't any delay in it's movements, it abruptly solidified, letting a club slam into its side. The impact sent a loud clang reverberating through the chamber—yet the shadow didn't even flinch. The club merely bounced off as if it had struck solid steel.

"That's… impressive," Alaric murmured, crossing his arms as he observed. "Shadow constructs typically disperse when struck with enough force. This one—"

"It's reinforcing itself," Mia interrupted, watching intently. "It's defence is better than even shadowhunters....well most of them at least"

The tests escalated.

Now it was bullets, 

"You are allowed to dodge this time" Zane said to the shadow, it replied with the usual grin.

It's speed was astounding, Zane only managed to spot it's after image with it going at it's maximum speed.

The machine could barely keep up with the moving figure.

Speed was soon placed above it's defence then they moved on to the next test.

Zane tensed. Fire was one of the few things that traditionally countered shadow-based abilities. It consumed, erased, left nothing behind.

But his shadow… it did not burn.

It danced through the flames, dodging and weaving effortlessly. At one point, it reached out, testing the heat with a finger. When it realized it was unaffected, it grinned—wider than before.

Mia's eyes were huge. Even Alaric, normally unreadable, let out a small, astonished chuckle.

"That's impossible," the older Shadowhunter said under his breath. "Fire disperses all shadow constructs."

"Not this one," Zane muttered.

As if hearing the exchange, the shadow turned and puffed out its chest proudly.

And then… it flexed kissing it's biceps....it's shadow biceps

Zane blinked.

Was he the only one seeing this?

It was a ridiculous sight—an inky silhouette striking a bodybuilder pose as if demanding more praise.

Mia's lips twitched.

Then, unable to help herself, she laughed.

"Zane, I think it's developing a personality," she managed between chuckles.

Zane groaned, running a hand down his face. "Just what I need—an overconfident, smug piece of darkness stroking its own ego."

The shadow turned to him, that unsettling grin seeming even more mischievous now. It raised its hand, and in an instant, its entire form shrunk.

No longer a humanoid figure.

No longer an intimidating warrior.

It was now a tiny, adorable-looking cat.

A shadow cat.

Zane stared. "…What the fuck?"

The cat-like shadow trotted toward Mia, its large, exaggerated eyes shimmering innocently as it rubbed against her leg.

Mia bent down, picking it up without hesitation.

"Oh my God," she said in a near whisper, holding it up and inspecting its tiny form. "It's so cute."

Zane's eye twitched. "It's not cute."

"It is." Mia hugged the little shadow cat against her chest, stroking its head. "Alaric, look at it. Look at this adorable thing."

Alaric, for his part, simply raised a brow but said nothing. He was still too busy trying to comprehend the absurdity of what he had just witnessed.

"It can change it's form at it's own will, to other living beings!"

Meanwhile, the shadow cat nestled deeper into Mia's embrace.

It looked far too comfortable.

Suspiciously comfortable.

Zane noticed the way it smooshed itself against Mia's chest a little too eagerly, melting into her breasts like it had found heaven.

Zane narrowed his eyes.

The shadow's grin widened.

Oh. Oh, hell no.

"Dismissed."

The shadow instantly lost form, dispersing into nothing. Mia let out a surprised sound as it slipped from her grip like mist, returning to its proper place beneath Zane's feet.

"Zane!" she snapped, clearly displeased.

Zane, however, wasn't having it. His mind was screaming at the audacity of his own shadow.

His own goddamn shadow had tried something with his girl.

Inwardly, he scolded it furiously. "Are you out of your damn mind? The hell do you think you're doing?"

The shadow didn't reply.

But he swore he felt it smugly chuckling in the back of his mind.

Mia huffed. "You're just mad because it likes me more."

"No, I'm mad because it's an asshole."

Mia smirked. "Jealous?"

Zane rolled his eyes, but before he could retort, Mia stepped closer, her playful expression shifting into something softer.

"Walk with me," she said, nodding toward the exit.

His amusement faded slightly as he noted the change in her tone.

Their talk was finally here.

He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair before following her out.