Shadows

Kyofu paced back and forth in the lobby, thoughts swirling. His eyes traced over the strangely pristine walls, the immaculately polished floors, and the doors that led who knew where. None of this made sense.

He thought back to things Michio had taught him. Domains—cursed spaces that sorcerers with immense power could manifest. They weren't common, and weren't lethal in most cases, but they acted as barriers or traps that could give one sorcerer an advantage over another. 

From what he understood, domains had specific conditions. They didn't just appear without purpose. Each space held rules, and each rule, once understood, could reveal the sorcerer's intent or strategy. So, if this place was a domain, it had to be structured around some sort of curse-user's will. But what could those rules be?

He closed his eyes, recalling what he'd seen and felt since they entered. First, the shifting energy in every corridor, like walking through an unstable current. Second, the way the walls seemed to pull and stretch, contradicting the inn's outside appearance. The building looked simple enough from the street—an old, run-down inn. But inside, it was almost as if the house itself had changed shape.

Then, Michio's voice echoed in his head, Domains often use the natural structure of a place to amplify their effects. If this was a domain that manipulated architecture, then each corridor, each doorway, each room could be influenced by the house's original shape. Then by that logic, each hallway, each door, might follow a hidden logic dictated by the place itself. But to what end?

He considered the possibility. If whatever curse cast this domain wanted him dead, it seemed like it had plenty of chances. Any curse strong enough to bend a building like this could have overwhelmed him by now. Yet, he was still here, alone, intact, and confused.

Why keep me here? he thought, frustration settling in. If the point was isolation, a trap, or even a straightforward death, there should have been an attack by now. But the house—or rather, the domain—seemed to be doing this for something else entirely.

He shook his head, almost laughing at himself. "I don't get it," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. If this really is a domain, what's it want me to do? Walk in circles?

〚＊〛

The eerie chime of lanterns filled the air, swaying in a dim inside courtyard, their light casting dancing shadows across the stone floor. Michio pushed himself up from where he'd landed, wiping a smudge of dirt from his cheek. A grin tugged at his lips as he glanced at Takeshi and the others. 

{~} As they'd entered, Takeshi's eyes had gone straight to the dim lanterns hanging overhead. "Anyone else think those are off?" he'd muttered, glancing from lantern to lantern.

Michio was about to respond when, without warning, something lunged from the darkness—a distorted shape twisting through the air, its long, jagged limbs slashing downwards. The strike whistled through the air, hitting the floor with a dull, resounding thud that cracked the wooden boards beneath it. The group barely split in time and for a brief moment, the figure paused, hovering at the edge of the lantern's light before slipping back into the shadows.

They regrouped quickly, each scanning the dim room. Takeshi narrowed his eyes, "What the hell?!"

Michio stayed silent, his mind racing as he tried to piece together what he'd just seen. His eyes shifted from the lanterns to the floor, where faint, elongated shadows stretched toward them like dark tendrils, shifting as the light flickered.

The curse lunged again, this time from the opposite side, moving faster. It twisted through the air, its limbs arcing in a wide sweep that aimed for one of their backs. Michio noticed the faintest shadow darting along the floor, giving away its trajectory just a split-second before the attack landed.

"Rei!" Michio shouted, and she ducked, just in time, as the curse's limb slashed mere inches above her head.

She turned, breathless but alert, her eyes narrowing. "These lanterns…they're tied to the curse somehow..! It's using the lanterns to—no, it's amplifying it's cursed technique through them. The shadows—they're linked to it."

A tall, wiry man with close-cropped hair and a determined glint in his eye, Kazu, didn't waste a second. "Amplifying itself through light and shadow, huh?" he muttered, already stepping forward. "Then maybe I can cut it off at the source!" Without waiting for more input, he thrust his arms down, murmuring a quick incantation. The ground around him softened, taking on a rubber-like texture. His plan was to absorb the lantern and crush it from below.

As his rubbery extension reached up to envelop the lantern, it collapsed inward, stretching to capture the structure in a swift, crushing motion. But just as the lantern shattered with a sharp pop, another one ignited nearby, casting an immediate shadow and illuminating the curse again. Kazu barely had time to react as the curse lunged from the fresh darkness, its claws slashing out and catching him on the shoulder, sending him stumbling back with a wince.

"Damn it!" Kazu hissed, gripping his shoulder as he staggered. The curse slipped back into the shadows, leaving only a faint trail of energy behind.

Takeshi snickered, barely hiding his amusement as Kazu nursed his shoulder. "Real smooth there, Kazu. You sure that rubber trick's the best you've got?"

Kazu shot him a glare, teeth gritted. "Shut it, Takeshi. Let's see you try taking that thing head-on."

But before Takeshi could fire back, the curse suddenly surged from the shadows, twisting into a dark, sinuous shape as it unleashed a massive wave of cursed energy. The room filled with a searing light as the lanterns flared, casting erratic shadows that danced along the walls.

The energy coalesced into a dense mass of crackling, jagged black light, which the curse flung toward them in a vicious arc. The sheer force sent a shockwave through the air, kicking up dust and loose paper as it barreled toward them.

"Move!" Michio barked, throwing himself sideways to avoid the impact, while Takeshi braced, his arms up to shield himself. Kazu, struggling to recover, staggered backward just as the cursed energy struck.

The blast hit Michio hard, sending him hurtling across the room. He smashed into the wall, the impact driving the air from his lungs as he crumpled to the floor with a pained groan. {~}

In the present, Michio had stationed himself off to the side, crouched low as he pieced everything together, eyes sharp and focused despite the disarray around him. The room was anything but calm. Shouts echoed as the curse moved rapidly between the shadows, the lights flickered rapidly and everyone was unable to predict the curse properly. 

"The lanterns… they're central to its technique," Michio thought, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the room. "It's manipulating the shadows cast by the light, allowing it to vanish and reappear, positioning itself using the darkness."

Michio slipped deeper into his thoughts. Finally, it clicked for him.

Deduction 1: The curse has control over the shadows.

The curse was using the light to cast intentional shadows, providing it with anchor points across the room. Destroying one lantern only caused another to ignite, suggesting an intricate setup where each light source created its own pathway for the curse to move, almost like a network of tunnels within the room.

Deduction 2: We can use the shadows as a guide.

Every attack the curse made was telegraphed by its shadow—a flicker, a twist, a shape stretching along the floor. "The shadow acts as a warning," Michio realized. "It shows exactly where it'll strike, right before the attack lands. That gives us a brief window to dodge."

It was as though the curse's technique required a kind of openness—a flaw that Michio recognized as more than accidental. "A binding vow…" he muttered, piecing it together. "This curse technique gains power through the shadows, but in exchange, it has to show its movements in advance through them. As a plus, we can see it's past actions as well."

With the strategy pieced together, Michio barked out to the group, pulling them in. "Everyone, listen! Look at the shadows before it strikes. That's its binding vow—it has to show its movements!"

Kazu, catching on, tightened his stance and nodded sharply. "So it can't go completely invisible, huh?"

"Exactly," Michio continued, his voice steely. "Kazu, forget about the lanterns—you're only helping it reset. Focus on blocking its movements. Force it where we want it to go."

Michio lunged forward, fists raised as he closed the gap, eyes trained on the curse's shifting form. Takeshi moved in tandem with him, fists poised. The curse lashed out, a twisted limb shooting from the shadows toward Michio. He sidestepped, barely dodging, before landing a quick jab to the curse's exposed side.

x1!

"Right side!" Rei's voice cut through the noise, directing them as the curse attempted to slip through a dark corner. Kazu extended his arm, rubberized tendrils blocking the escape route, forcing the curse back toward Michio and Takeshi.

Takeshi took the opportunity, stepping forward and slamming his fist into the curse, feeling the weight of his strike reverberate through his knuckles. The curse screeched, twisting, trying to retreat into another patch of darkness.

x2!

Michio moved in quickly, reading the curse's pattern now, and struck again, his fist connecting with its torso.

x3!

The impact rippled through the creature, disrupting its form just long enough for Takeshi to step in and land another hard blow to its shoulder.

x4!

"Keep it boxed in!" Michio called, his voice steady as they advanced, forcing the curse back against Kazu's barrier. The curse twisted, searching for any possible escape, but every shadow it lunged toward was met with one of Kazu's rubberized barricades.

Rei's eyes darted, tracking every flicker of movement. "It's getting desperate. Left side—duck, now!"

Michio and Takeshi dropped low as the curse's wild swipe missed them by inches. They rose in unison, Takeshi landing a right hook just as Michio followed with a powerful uppercut.

x6! x7!

Kazu tightened his stance, closing off the remaining shadows with his rubber-like barriers. "Nowhere else to go!" he shouted.

The curse, cornered and exposed, tried a final lunge, but Michio and Takeshi moved as one, striking from both sides. Takeshi's fist collided with the curse's head, while Michio's punch hit squarely in its chest.

x8! x9!

FINISH!