Shadow

Gon and Eray continued their journey through the dungeon. Gon easily defeated the monsters they encountered with just a few simple movements, while Eray merely followed him.

Eray thought to himself, "This man is really powerful. What kind of magic does he use?"

Gon was giving Eray some important information about battles, such as how to position himself and where to attack. These were simple yet crucial pieces of advice.

Gon was sharing his knowledge with measured expertise, not delving into too much detail. Eray carefully watched the movements of this mysterious individual beside him, learning something new at every step.

Together, they ventured into unexplored dark corners of the dungeon, sometimes passing through wide, spacious corridors, and at other times, narrow and damp passages.

After some time, having slain another weak monster, Gon slowed his steps. He stood over the lifeless body of the creature, examining it for a few seconds.

"Boy, come here quickly," Gon called.

Eray obediently approached. Gon, using his fingers as if they were a knife, skillfully began to cut into the dead monster's body, making deeper incisions as if searching for something specific.

Eray couldn't take his eyes off his master. Soon, Gon's expression changed. The usually serious master now chuckled with a mischievous smile.

Eray felt a bit relieved seeing this change. "At least he has a human-like side."

The red crystal extracted from the monster emitted a light that split the pitch darkness in two. Its captivating appearance made it almost impossible for one to look away.

With a sly grin on his face, the shadow said, "Keep this safe; it will be very useful to you in the future, its value is beyond measure."

"Is this for me, Master Gon?" Eray was both surprised and eager.

Gon waved his hand, "Take it, these randomly emerge from monsters and are very rare."

Eray felt warmth inside; he had discovered another side to this mysterious man he had rarely spoken to over the past days. He bowed his head in gratitude for the gift he received.

Gon, with a playful expression, remarked, "This came at a good time. If that infatuated woman had seen it, she would have pocketed it without a second thought."

Eray didn't understand whom Gon was referring to. "Which woman are you talking about, Master?"

Gon, expressionless, closed the topic with, "You'll find out soon."

The time Eray and Gon spent together was becoming increasingly interesting. Gon was teaching Eray everything he knew about combat, step by step.

However, Gon had not directly guided Eray in magic creation. As they spent more time together, the only magic Eray learned was Fire and the constant light spell that followed him.

Eray noticed that Gon often disappeared from sight during their rest periods. His master could vanish in the blink of an eye, as if erasing his presence entirely.

Once again, during a break, Gon disappeared into the darkness.

Eray murmured to himself, "I've learned how to position myself and where to hit the weak spots. For thick-skinned wolves, the nape of the neck; to defeat skeletons, aim for the legs and arms; for goblins, go for their heads."

"But this man tells me nothing about magic." "I keep trying by myself before going to sleep, but the result is always the same."

"Let's try again and see."

First, he ignited a small fire. Then, as if he had a target in front of him, he tried to throw the fire. "FIREBALL"

"FIRE"

"THROW"

"Ah, this is so embarrassing. Gon never talks while casting magic. Even when slicing through monsters, his hands are always in his pockets."

All his attempts failed. No matter how much he wanted, he couldn't perform the magic he desired. His master's words came back to him: "If you don't have an affinity for that spell, aside from simple magics, you won't be able to cast it."

Eray really tried several different methods to create a fireball, but he couldn't succeed.

"Ah, I really wish I had an affinity for fire, they are so powerful in battles. I practice before sleeping to learn these damn spells, but still can't find what my affinity is."

After several failed attempts, the only thing Eray could do was the simple fire spell he first learned, which produced a flame in his hand.

"It seems I really don't have an affinity for fire, no point in trying in vain."

When he tried the same thought and desire for the water element, the result was a few drops of water appearing in his palm. However, Eray had no intention of giving up.

"WATER"

"WATER BLADE"

"RAIN"

"Ah.. I won't give silly names to spells anymore. Seems like I don't have an affinity for water either."

However, he did not devote the same effort to the water element as he did for fire.

He decided to try all the known elements, one by one. First, he tried fire, then water, followed by earth, air, light, and lightning. Despite testing all the elemental affinities he could perceive around him, he was unsuccessful.

Failing to even create the simplest forms of lightning and light elements was a greater disappointment compared to the others. With this slight sense of despair, Eray fell asleep.

It had been nearly five days since they found the crystal. During this time, they hadn't spoken much. Eray had asked several times about the affinity he possessed, but the answer he received each time was, "You will learn when the time comes."

Their journey continued in an unchanging routine: They passed through dark paths, searched for ways along the edges of cliffs, crossed small hills, and moved forward ceaselessly.

Throughout this process, Eray spent his time pondering how strange the dungeon was. Finally, Gon stopped and took a deep breath, announcing,

"We've arrived."

Eray, curious, asked, "Where have we arrived, Master?"

"To reveal your power," Gon replied.

Upon hearing these words, Eray felt a surge of excitement and joy; his face flushed with happiness, his eyes sparkled.

"Finally, my affinity will be revealed. I hope it's something strong and cool. I'll show them all, starting with Jamie and then Cyo," he murmured to himself.

Gon asked Eray to advance the sphere of light.

Eray, following his Master's instruction, advanced the weak light he possessed. Shortly, it illuminated a large wall and halted there.

Eray was astonished by the sight before him. This wall, standing tall amidst the pitch darkness, could not have formed naturally.

Gon stated, "Inside."

Eray, though curious, refrained from asking what awaited him inside. "Inside lies the future awaiting me."

Approaching the wall, Gon lightly touched it with his hand. Within a few seconds, the wall began to tremble, and then bright white writings appeared on it.

Eray stepped back in surprise, but Gon remained stationary, continuing to watch. The wall was covered with writings in an ancient language, glowing white, and Eray could not read them.

When all the writings became clear, a loud noise erupted, and the ground started to shake, as if an earthquake were occurring. The wall slowly parted, opening up.

Realizing that what he thought was merely a wall was actually a door, Eray's excitement doubled. Gon entered first. After a few seconds of hesitation, Eray carefully followed him inside.

He found himself in a vast room. Although the room was dark, it was lit by a source of light in its center, as if someone had deliberately placed a light there.

The light, seeping through a gap meters above, illuminated the very center of the room. It was as if this was the light's purpose.

Weeks later, this was the first light Eray had seen aside from his own feeble illumination. The light strongly illuminated the center of the room but wasn't sufficient to light up the vast room's surroundings.

The room was enormous, and the power of the light fell short for such an expansive space. Upon entering, Eray started to explore the room. He saw sarcophagi symmetrically placed, jewels sparkling on the floor, swords reflecting like mirrors, and armors without a single scratch.

Eray's mouth watered; these treasures would fetch a high price even in Avalon. "If I sell these, I could bribe a few dishonorable politicians to switch sides to mine."

"My father left the allowance matters to my mother. Among my siblings, I received the least allowance, so I never had the chance to make donations or contributions that would spread my name."

Then, his eyes caught sight of some books stacked on top of each other. With great enthusiasm, he thought, "These must be magic books detailing how to perform legendary spells."

When he picked up the books to examine them, he felt a slight disappointment. "I can't read these, damn it, what kind of language is this? Anyway, such old books would fetch a good price. I'll take these with me."

A sly merchant's smile appeared on Eray's face and he reached out to pocket a few precious stones. But Gon's words stopped him.

"Boy, we will attend to those things later, come here now."

Gon stood beneath the light that had appeared in the center of the room. Eray walked over to Gon and took a deep breath, focusing on what he was about to say.

Gon began to speak in a voice clearer and sharper than ever before,

"The reason I haven't discussed your affinity before is that to utilize your power, you need to meet certain requirements."

Eray's initial disappointment at Gon's words was tinged with contemplation. The idea that using his powers was contingent on certain prerequisites made him ponder.

A somewhat disheartening thought crossed his mind. "Perhaps weak and minor affinities come with such conditions."

For someone who had been devoid of any magical ability for years, the sudden access to magic could indeed be considered a blessing. Yet, he still harbored great hopes for his own potential.

"Well, I've heard that strange spells have strange requirements anyway."

But then Gon uttered the words that would profoundly shake Eray's spirit.

"The talent you possess can only be used under the light."

Eray expressed his concern, "Only under the light? But Master, we've been in this dungeon for weeks, and there's barely any light except for this magical sphere."

Feeling on the brink of despair, the limitation of his newly discovered ability seemed nearly useless in the depths of the dungeon, where light was scarce. "Plus, does this mean I won't be able to use my powers at night when we're outside?"

Gon replied nonchalantly, "Don't worry, the stronger you become, the less light you'll need. Now, take a deep breath and stand directly under the light."

Eray complied precisely with the instructions. His focus and determination shone through his eyes, a fact that did not escape Gon's notice.

Gon thought to himself, "Just moments ago, he was complaining, and now he's completely focused."

"This kid might actually succeed on his first attempt. After all, he received his magical power from our lord."

This moment was not only a turning point for Eray but also a test of his mana capacity and determination. Under the light, he was preparing to take a step that would define his destiny.

Standing under the light, Eray felt incredibly alive compared to the dim light cube he had witnessed for days. However, his eyes, unaccustomed to this sudden brightness, were red, bloodshot, and teary.

Following Gon's command to "look down," Eray meticulously executed the instruction. The marble-covered floor was gleaming thanks to the light.

However, a thought struck Eray with unexpected surprise, "Could my power be related to marble?" he murmured.

The shadow chuckled at this absurd notion and lightly tapped Eray's head. "Don't get distracted."

"Focus on your shadow."

Eray questioned, "My shadow?"

Gon instructed, "Feel your shadow deeper, imagine it as an extension of yourself, as if it's another limb on the ground."

Guided by Gon, Eray focused on his shadow. Initially, everything remained the same, but soon his vision began to darken. He felt as though he was being pulled into a deep void, and with this unsettling sensation, he lifted his head to find that Gon was no longer visible.

Eray was alone in pitch darkness, where the light had vanished. This time, he could neither hear any sound nor feel anything; he was utterly enveloped in nothingness.

As he took a few steps, it felt as though he was walking on the surface of a dark river, like traversing through a shadowy sea. Trying to scream in panic, his voice got stuck in his throat.

Finally, when he laid himself down on his back, instead of pain or discomfort, he felt a strange sense of relief and freedom. He closed his eyes and, after a while, felt as if he was floating on his back in a sea of pitch darkness.

After some time, he felt a strange sensation and began to thrash in panic. With his flailing, he started to be pulled down to the depths.

But then, as if granted divine knowledge, he whispered, "Shadow," stopped thrashing, and when he let himself go, he began to rise towards the surface of the water.

"This must be my magical power, so dark. Truly like my life. Hopeless and without light."

First, he bit his lip, then with a smile on his face, he thought, "It feels so good. Is this related to my affinity for shadow, or is it because I possess magic?"

Overwhelmed by this euphoria, he let out a heartfelt laugh. At that moment, thoughts of his siblings, relatives, and country crossed Eray's mind, and he had not thought well of them.

"Let it be so, I accept this. I accept these powers."

With this acceptance, he let himself sink into the depths of the dark waters. He dived deeper fearlessly, and when he felt his breath run out, he let go. However, this time, instead of rising to the surface, he sank rapidly into the depths and lost consciousness.