An ink black liquid poured from Nylon's hand, seeping between his fingers and dripping unto the floor.

"Is that water magic?"

Said Orion with curiosity. He approached closer and touched the liquid.

"Huh?"

Surprised, he frowned.

"What?"

"I can't touch it. It had no texture to me."

"That's strange, I can feel it flowing in my hand..."

Nylon pressed his other hand on the watery liquid, and clapped his hands together.

When he moved his hands apart, long threads of sticky fluid formed bridges between each hand, before dropping toward the floor like goo.

"..."

Orion began to scan the magic. He had no idea what it was, as it looked like water magic, but wasn't acting like such.

'This feels very familiar for some reason. What could it be?'

The gooey liquid splashed on the ground, before slowly flowing toward Nylon's feet.

'Could it be?!'

"Dark magic!"

Concluding that the feeling he felt was similar to his magic, he exclaimed.

"Impossible!"

"I think it is. It might be a mixture of water and dark magic."

Nylon's reaction was fair. Never in his wildest dream did he ever thought of using magic.

But a smile suddenly overthrew the surprised look he had. In fact, he felt incredibly happy.

'I can use the same element!'

He felt proud to have developed an affinity for dark magic, just like his brother.

Still incredibly curious, Orion couldn't help but ask.

"Do you know how to use it?"

"I... think so."

The magic popped in his head when he thought of using it. In fact, it was already partially activated.

"Hmm~"

While tilting his head, Nylon looked at his shadow.

"Like this?"

"Woa-"

In the blink of an eye, he fell through his shadow, leaving a ripple of water where his shadow was.

"Eh?"

Confused, Orion tried to comprehend what had happened.

"Nylon?"

Nothing. No answers.

"Where is he?"

Glancing to his left and right, he began to look for signs of Nylon, when he noticed a tiny shadow moving around the room.

It traveled across the floor, climbed the walls, and stayed on the ceiling. At some point, it turned larger, and released Nylon, who dropped to the floor without crashing down.

He straightened and smiled at Orion like a child receiving a new toy.

"That was incredible!"

"What did you do?"

With excitement, Nylon explained what he went through.

"I suddenly fell into that dark place. It felt... similar to being surrounded by water in all directions somehow, but it was very comfortable."

"There was this opening where I could see through. Before I knew it, I began to move around to get used to the sensation, until I realized I was walking on the walls."

"Wait, walking isn't the right word. I feel like floating is the correct sensation. I went on the ceiling, and when I thought I had enough, I managed to come out of it without problem."

While listening, Orion got a pretty good idea of what his brother did.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Shadow Walk. Let's call your new ability that."

"Sounds simple, I like it. It's also very fitting."

Orion smirked.

"For an assassin, this is a miracle."

Realization hit Nylon.

"Oh... You're right."

"Have you thought of a name for your evolution? You are the first, and probably only beastman to have evolved. I think you can honor it by giving yourself a title?"

The importance of the title was to differentiate him from other beastmen. He became the only member of the faction to attain such a new height, so what harm could it do.

"That's a good idea. Yet, I can't think of anything on the fly..."

"..."

Both began to seriously think about it. After a few minutes of pure silence, they looked at each other and nodded.

"You go first."

Orion said, waiting for his suggestion.

"Clawing Shadow... that's all I can come up with, since I use iron claws as weapons."

"Sounds edgy."

"I know."

They laughed for a minute, before Orion gave his idea.

"Umbral Wolf."

Nylon opened his eyes wide. The words echoed in his being, etching themselves on his very soul. The first beastman to ever cross the border of evolution of his faction embraced the name of Umbral Wolf.

"A wolf that lives in shadows. I find it interesting. What do you think?"

"Your naming sense is incredible too... I... Can I take it?"

"Sure. I'm glad you liked it that much."

The two brother stared at each other for a minute, before a knocking on the door caught their attention.

With a one-sided anti-sound barrier, Orion heard the voice of a worried Eliza call out for him.

"Orion? H-How is he doing?"

Since she couldn't hear the screams of her son, she couldn't help but worry. In the end, she returned home after an hour, too preoccupied by Nylon's health to enjoy her time away.

'That was expected. The fact that she managed to hold this long is an incredible feat by itself.'

He looked at Nylon, before confirming a few things with him.

Nylon nodded, and with a smile, he approached the door. Before he placed his hand on the doorknob, Orion snapped his finger, removing the barrier cancelling sounds from leaving.

The door slowly opened, and Eliza found herself in front of a very handsome man.

"Dylan...?"

To her, Nylon looked exactly like Dylan when he was younger, to the point she hesitatingly confused her son for him?

"What?"

The real Dylan walked toward her after hearing his name. She turned her face toward her husband, and blinked frantically.

"Dad."

Nylon walked through the doorway and greeted his father. Instantly, Dylan froze on the spot and opened his mouth wide.

"N-Nylon? Is that you?"

His parents stared at him for a minute, before breathing a sigh of relief. Especially Eliza, who hurriedly embraced him without hesitation.

"Thank the world! You're fine!"

Dylan looked inside the room, and noticed Orion quietly observing from inside with a faint smile.

(Not wanting to intrude, I suppose?)

He whispered, watching Orion shook his head.

(Not yet.)

They stared at each other for an instant, before Dylan nodded. He turned around and placed his hand on his now taller son and ruffled his hair.

"Come with us. Now that you're feeling better, let's go outside. Everyone is worried sick about you."

"Oh. Sure."

They were about to leave, before Eliza suddenly stopped.

"Mom?"

"A second."

She entered Nylon's room, and looked at Orion, taken over by nostalgia as he smiled while looking at his bracelet.

"Hmm?"

When he noticed Eliza in the corner of his eyes, he lifted his head and stared into her iron colored eyes.

Suddenly, she stepped forward and closed on him, placing her hands around his neck. She pulled him closer to her chest, and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you for saving Nylon. Sincerely."

"..."

Surprised by the sudden display of gratitude and affection, Orion remained still.

"If you need anything in the future, don't hesitate to speak with us. It can be anything, even the smallest of problems."

She smiled while pushing her cheek on his silky black hair.

"We'll always, always be there for you. I promise you."

Orion felt a vague feeling of gentleness, very close to what Orianne, his mother, displayed each time they met.

She released him, and gently turned around, joining back with her family.

"..."

He straightened and stared at the doorway, now empty. His mind was calm, but he was unable to correctly process the feeling inside his heart.

Was it gratitude for his actions? Being accepted as family? Or maybe both.

He had no idea.

Many people helped him, so it was fair to help them in turn, yet, the opposite never crossed his mind.

He left Nylon's bedroom, closed the door behind him, and walked to the living room.

There, he sat down, and while waiting for their return, quietly thought about many a thing.

...

Half-an-hour later, they returned.

Nylon's changed caused a lot of commotion in the village.

While he kept the details for himself, he explained that he evolved into a higher type of beastman. That his power grew past its limit, and caused his health to deteriorate.

The villagers accepted his words without doubting them, celebrating his return with happiness and joy.

When Dylan, Eliza, and Nylon entered their house, they immediately sat at the dining table, and asked Orion to join them.

There, he and Nylon explained everything. About his new power, how it came to be, and what he became.

"An Umbral Wolf. It has a nice ring to it."

"Right? I loved it the moment Orion named it."

Dylan suddenly frowned.

"Dad?"

"I'm slightly jealous. After all the efforts I made as the beastmen's 'Savior', I never went close to evolving."

"Of course, I am delighted that my son was the first to attain this state..."

He closed his eyes and sighed.

"But as a man, I can't help but envy you."

Eliza slapped him on the back of the head.

"Oh! Come on! Men and you thirst for power. That's the reason you gave me after rejecting my feelings the first time."

"It's stupid."

Dylan looked down, and agreed.

"I know. But that's how it is. To defend what we hold dear, men like us need to be stronger. The slightest of mistakes can make our loved ones suffer more than we could ever imagine."

Orion and Nylon understood where he came from. In fact, they entirely agreed with his way of thinking.

Since they were taught how to live through Dylan, they both nodded, a solemn expression on their faces.

"I get it. You've apologized enough already. I'm sure many of the other beastmen are grateful for everything you've done in the past. Still, you shouldn't be thirsting for power."

Eliza sat back next to Dylan, and cupped his face in her hands while looking straight in his eyes.

"Power should come to you. Not the other way around."

"Chasing it mindlessly will only break your will."

With a faint smile, Dylan nodded.

"If the strongest beastwoman says it, I can't only back down."

Orion suddenly blinked.

"What?"

All threw turned to him, and blinked.

"Hmm? Have I said something strange?"

Dylan asked with a confused look in his eyes.

"Eliza is strong?"

"Oh..."

Both Dylan and Eliza stared at each other, before nodding.

"Well, I don't mind telling him."

"If you say so."

Eliza let go of Dylan, and stared at Orion with a grave frown.

"You see..."

Listening to the start of her story, Orion straightened and focused.

"I should've been the 'Savior' of the beastmen originally."