Chapter 31: The Shadow Guardians

Since the last time-space distortion incident, Alex and Kai had been intensifying their training, preparing for the greater challenges to come. However, they didn't expect the new crisis to appear in such an unexpected way.

This evening, Alex was practicing his spatial control abilities on the rooftop garden. Suddenly, he noticed the clouds on the horizon beginning to roll unnaturally, forming a massive vortex.

"Kai!" Alex called out, "Come look at this!"

Kai emerged from the shadows, coming to Alex's side. Seeing the anomaly in the sky, his expression immediately turned grave.

"This isn't a natural phenomenon," Kai said in a low voice, "Something is coming."

Just then, a beam of black light suddenly shot out from the center of the vortex, heading straight for Silver Moon Apartments. Alex instinctively wanted to use his abilities to block it, but the light was too fast.

The black light struck the building, but strangely, it didn't cause any physical damage. Instead, it seeped into the building structure like water.

"What is this?" Alex asked in surprise.

Kai shook his head, "I'm not sure, but I have a bad feeling. We'd better go check it out."

They quickly went downstairs to the lobby. The atmosphere here was noticeably tense, with residents feeling uneasy but unable to pinpoint why.

Suddenly, Alex noticed the shadows in the corner beginning to move unnaturally.

"Kai, look!" he pointed to that spot.

The shadows slowly coalesced, forming a humanoid creature. It was completely black, with no facial features except for two points of pale blue light as eyes.

"It's a Shadow Guardian," a voice came from behind. They turned to see Leo's apparition floating there, his expression serious.

"Shadow Guardian?" Alex asked puzzled, "What's that?"

Leo explained, "They are one of the oldest defense systems of Silver Moon Apartments. They awaken to protect the building when it faces extreme threats."

Kai frowned, "But why appear now? They didn't show up during all the dangerous situations we faced before."

"Because the threat hadn't reached that level," Leo sighed, "The awakening of the Shadow Guardians means an unprecedented disaster is about to come."

Just then, more Shadow Guardians emerged from various corners. They stood silently, as if waiting for some command.

The residents in the lobby began to panic. Florea ran to Alex and Kai's side, her vine-like arms nervously entwining.

"What are these things?" she asked in terror, "Will they hurt us?"

Alex comforted her, "Don't be afraid, Florea. They're here to protect us." Although he wasn't entirely sure himself.

Suddenly, all the Shadow Guardians turned towards Alex and Kai simultaneously. They slowly approached, the blue light in their eyes flickering.

Kai immediately stood in front of Alex, his shadows ready. But Leo stopped him.

"Wait!" Leo said, "They're not here to attack you. Look!"

The Shadow Guardians stopped in front of Alex and Kai, then unexpectedly knelt on one knee, lowering their heads.

"What... what does this mean?" Alex asked in confusion.

Leo's expression became complex, "They're pledging allegiance. Alex, Kai, the Shadow Guardians have recognized you as the true masters of Silver Moon Apartments."

This news shocked everyone. Alex and Kai looked at each other, unsure how to react.

Just then, one Shadow Guardian stepped forward, extending its hand. In its palm was a small black sphere, rotating.

"What is that?" Kai asked warily.

Leo observed it carefully for a moment, then said in surprise, "That's the core of Silver Moon Apartments! Legend has it that the guardians only hand it over to the true masters when the building faces a catastrophic crisis."

Alex hesitated for a moment, then carefully took the sphere. Instantly, a powerful energy flowed through his entire body, and he felt a deep connection established with the entire Silver Moon Apartments.

"I... I can feel the entire building," Alex said in amazement, "Every room, every corner... even those hidden spaces!"

Kai also touched the sphere and immediately had the same feeling. "This is incredible," he murmured.

Leo nodded, "With this core, you can fully control the power of Silver Moon Apartments. But remember, greater power means greater responsibility."

Just then, the entire building suddenly shook violently. Through his connection with the core, Alex immediately sensed where the problem was.

"It's the 13th floor!" he exclaimed, "Something is trying to break the dimensional barrier!"

Kai immediately realized, "It's Zack! He must have taken action while our attention was here."

Leo's expression turned serious, "You must stop him immediately. If the barrier on the 13th floor is destroyed, the balance of the entire multiverse will be disrupted."

Alex took a deep breath and gripped Kai's hand tightly. "We're going now. Shadow Guardians, protect the other residents!"

Surprisingly, the Shadow Guardians seemed to understand Alex's command, immediately dispersing to guard various corners of the lobby.

Alex and Kai quickly arrived at the elevator, but the "13" button was constantly flashing, seemingly unusable.

"Damn," Kai cursed, "Zack must have blocked the normal route."

Alex closed his eyes, concentrating to feel the structure of Silver Moon Apartments. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, a flash of excitement passing through them.

"I've found a secret passage!" he said, "Follow me!"

They passed through a seemingly ordinary wall, coming to a narrow spiral staircase. As they climbed, the space around them began to distort, as if they were passing through different dimensions.

Finally, they arrived at the 13th floor. But the scene here shocked them. The entire floor was enveloped by a black energy, with space constantly twisting and reforming.

In the center, Zack stood in front of a massive energy vortex, his body already semi-transparent, as if merging with the void.

"Welcome, dear brother," Zack turned, a twisted smile on his face, "And our new traveler. You've come just in time to witness a historic moment!"

Alex and Kai exchanged a glance, both seeing determination in each other's eyes. They knew a battle concerning the fate of Silver Moon Apartments, and even the entire multiverse, was about to begin.

And in other parts of the building, the Shadow Guardians stood guard silently, waiting for the return of their new masters. The scales of fate were tipping, and everything would be decided in this battle.