the shadows in the shadow

The air in the forest grew denser, carrying an unsettling sensation, as if the trees themselves were silently observing them. The excess humidity made Darius' breath heavy, and his sweat cooled against his skin, despite not feeling tired. This wasn't physical exhaustion but an invisible pressure, something creeping into his mind slowly, like an unseen weight pressing down on him.

Adam walked beside him, holding a worn-out map, carefully scanning their path. Suddenly, he turned and said:

"We're about to enter the middle region."

He lifted his head, scanning their surroundings cautiously before adding in a low but firm voice:

"No matter what happens, we must not enter the depths, or we will die."

This was no ordinary warning. There was something more in his tone—not just fear, but an absolute certainty that breaking this rule meant death. Darius didn't reply, but he felt something strange creeping into him… as if the forest itself had reacted to Adam's words.

They moved in silence, but their footsteps weren't the only sounds echoing around them.

Something else was there.

---

The First Warning

At first, the sound was faint, like the rustling of leaves under unseen feet. Darius didn't stop, but he glanced to the side, trying to pinpoint its source. Adam had noticed it too—his steps grew more cautious.

Then… something strange happened.

Their shadows were no longer moving normally.

Darius realized it too late. At first, it seemed like a mere trick of the moonlight filtering through the branches, but no… something was truly off. When he stopped walking, his shadow did not stop immediately.

There was a delay.

Then, he noticed Adam's shadow. It moved smoothly, but suddenly… it detached from his feet.

---

The First Encounter

Adam didn't notice at first. He was staring at the ground, as if trying to understand something that made no sense. But Darius didn't hesitate.

"Adam, don't move."

Adam (weary voice): "What? Why?"

There was no time to explain.

In an instant, the shadow detached from the ground and lunged at him!

It wasn't a solid creature, yet it moved as if alive—a black liquid slithering rapidly toward Adam, trying to coil around him.

Darius didn't think—he acted. He drove his sword into the ground, severing the shadow's connection to Adam's body. The entity recoiled momentarily, but it didn't disappear. It remained, watching, as if waiting for another chance.

Adam collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. His face had gone pale, as if something had drained a part of him.

Adam (labored voice): "W-What… is that?"

Darius didn't answer. He was scanning the area, trying to make sense of what was happening. Then, when he looked down…

He saw that his own shadow was moving too.

---

Something Activated the Heart of the Shadow

Before he could react, a cold sensation crawled through his chest. A strange pulse spread from within him—from where the white shadow heart resided.

For a brief moment, he felt something trying to take control of him from within. His vision flickered, his body trembled, and everything around him became distorted.

Then….

A surge of darkness erupted from his body!

It wasn't something physical but more like an unseen pulse—a wave that made everything around them fall silent for a moment.

The two shadows that had been attacking them… vanished.

Not as if they had fled, but as if they had ceased to exist entirely.

Darius collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. He felt like his heart was tearing apart from the inside. He had used the shadow heart without realizing it… and now, he was paying the price.