Echos of the shadow

Night had begun to creep in slowly, the sky covered in dark clouds that obscured even the faint moonlight. Darius sat on a shattered rock in the ruined camp, silently examining his hand. His fingers trembled slightly, as if something inside him was no longer the same.

Since the White Shadow's heart had merged with him, Darius hadn't felt like himself. It wasn't just ordinary exhaustion or physical pain… it was more like an internal struggle—two opposing forces warring within him. One pushing him forward, the other trying to pull him into an unknown abyss.

This wasn't just a feeling—it was real. When he focused, he could sense two opposing energies swirling inside him. One was cold, the other burned like fire, meeting at an unknown point in his chest, yet never blending. Each force sought to assert its dominance over the other, and their collision felt like a sharp blade cutting into its wielder.

A sharp pain pierced his heart, heavy pulses forcing him to clutch his chest. For a moment, he nearly lost his balance. Taking a deep breath, he tried to regain control over his body. But this pain wasn't something he could stop by sheer willpower alone. The imbalance between the two forces was draining him, and with each passing moment, he felt like he was on the verge of losing control entirely.

He lifted his head and looked at Adam, who was flipping through the remaining documents, trying to piece together anything useful from the torn pages.

Adam: "Your hands are still shaking?"

Darius didn't respond immediately. He glanced at his hand again, then clenched it tightly as if trying to force the trembling to stop.

Darius: "...Yes."

Adam closed one of the documents and sighed before approaching and sitting beside him.

Adam: "I feel like that heart didn't merge with you naturally… Maybe a human was never meant to possess it in the first place ."

Darius remained silent. He felt the same. Deep inside, he knew this wasn't just something that had "added" power to him. It was more like something trying to impose its existence—like another mind breathing within him, one he couldn't yet understand.

Adam (worried): "Don't use it unless absolutely necessary, understood?"

Darius nodded silently. Inside, he wasn't sure if he could stop using it even if he wanted to.

---

As Adam continued searching through the scattered documents, he found one that seemed clearer than the rest. The words were written hastily, as if the writer had been in a state of panic.

He unfolded the paper and began reading in a low voice:

> "The king… that fool. He thinks himself a hero for stopping the sacrifices, but because of his decision, more will suffer… much more."

Adam froze at this sentence and looked up at Darius.

Adam: "...Does this mean the shadows started appearing after the king stopped the sacrifices?"

Darius didn't respond. He stared at the document in silence, trying to grasp its meaning. If this was true, then the kingdom hadn't maintained the Eternal Flame just for power… but because abandoning it came with a price no one had foreseen.

But what was that price? And what did "more suffering" truly mean?

---

As they continued reviewing the documents, the air around them grew colder. It wasn't natural—even at night, it had never been this cold.

Darius stood up and looked around. There was nothing visible, yet an eerie feeling began creeping into the atmosphere. The shadows stretched unnaturally across the ground, as if they were moving ever so slightly—without any clear light source to explain it.

His heart pounded hard. This wasn't a new sensation… but this time, it was far more distinct. It felt like a warning.

Adam noticed the change in Darius's expression and asked in a low voice:

Adam: "...What is it?"

Darius didn't answer immediately. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he muttered:

Darius: "The shadows… are moving."

Adam stiffened, then slowly turned his head, trying to process what was happening.

There was something there… something that shouldn't have existed.

---

[Additional Adjustment for Natural Character Reactions]

Since regular characters like Darius and Adam aren't supposed to know about the sacrifices, their reaction should reflect their ignorance. The wording of their discovery should be adjusted accordingly.

When Adam reads the document, their reactions should be more confused—perhaps even in disbelief at first:

---

Adam (reading, surprised): "The king… that fool… He thinks himself a hero for stopping the sacrifices, but because of his decision, more will suffer..."

Adam paused, lifting his gaze toward Darius, whose expression shifted into a frown.

Darius (frowning): "Sacrifices? What is he talking about?"

Adam looked back at the document, as if his eyes were deceiving him.

Adam: "...Were they sacrificing something?"

Darius: "But that's impossible… We've never heard of anything like that. If it were true, why did no one ever tell us?"

A heavy silence settled between them before Adam whispered in a hushed voice:

Adam: "What if… we were never supposed to know?"

The thought itself was unsettling. What if everything they believed about the kingdom was only half the truth?