One Month Ago...

Shade opened his eyes before realizing he had spawned in an unfamiliar location. He had asked VI, his instructor, for the best way he could train within the month to catch up to his opponents, and after a bit of research, VI decided to disclose a certain bizarre location to Shade.

Shade appreciated VI's effort and before the day could conclude, he said his goodbyes to his family and headed to the given location.

After spawning, Shade turned around, scouting the area for a few seconds in hopes of getting an understanding of the place. It appeared to be a forest and there were a lot of trees, rocks, and grasses, the exact setting he would have expected. But despite its expected looks, there was something oddly eerie about the place that gave Shade chills every second that passed.

Shade continued to walk forward, intending to find anyone who was present so that he could get an understanding of the location. He knew that since VI had sent him there, the place would be much more special than he would initially think. But upon traversing for a while, Shade noticed something odd about the location.

Every time Shade passed a given place, if he were to his attention back to that place, it would not be present. This meant that everywhere he left could no longer be seen or returned to if he decided to head back. It was almost like the forest was a sort of labyrinth that constantly kept changing its location after each second. And because of this, it was safe to say that Shade eventually became lost.

Despite this, Shade still decided to continue on his journey in hopes of finding somebody at all. He did not want to give up on his reason for being there, so he knew that this was not going to stop him from understanding why he was sent to the location.

Shade continued for a few more minutes as the sunset turned to darkness. He realized that the timezone seemed to be the same as Earth, specifically, New York where he resided, which made him wonder if that was where he was. And as he continued heading forward, barely able to see ahead of him, Shade managed to come across a cave.

Shade knew that the darkness of the night would make it harder for him to navigate around the forest, so he decided to stay in the cave until the next day. He then entered the cave and searched around it to make sure it was safe and that he could rest there after his somewhat long journey. But upon searching the cave in the darkness, Shade, unfortunately, came across something he shouldn't have.

While he searched the cave, he immediately decided that it was safe and proceeded to lie on the ground close to the entrance. But what he did not realize was that the ground he was lying upon was the skin of a mighty beast that appeared to be hibernating in the cave. And before Shade could realize this, he had unfortunately woken the beast from its slumber.

Upon waking up, the strange beast was filled with rage as it roared, causing Shade to move back a bit.

"You have got to be kidding me," Shade mumbled to himself while attempting to keep his guard up.

The monstrous beast then turned its attention to Shade, who appeared to be the instigator of its wake as well as a potential meal, before rushing directly at him. Shade's confusion was clear as he tried to make up what the beast was, but could hardly do so due to the absence of light. He instantly rushed out of the cave as the beast immediately followed. Using the night skies, which seemed to lack the presence of a star but were still visible, Shade concluded that the four-legged beast in front of him was not a normal creature.

Shade's eyes widened as the massive beast continued to chase him from the cave. All he could see were the eyes of the creature as they darted toward him from behind. And it was there that Shade remembered he was a demigod and decided to attack the beast. He then decided to use his Shadow binding technique to hold the beast down while he would come up with a way to take himself out of the situation, which he did. But while he attempted to terminate the creature's movements, the immense force from his target, as well as the absence of light causing the shadows to be significantly weaker, Shade was unable to hold the creature for long.

As the beast broke out of Shade's ability, it instantly launched the claws of its left foreleg at Shade, scratching him through his clothes and tearing through the flesh of Shade's chest. The wounds caused by the beast were deep and caused tremendous pain to Shade as he began to bleed severely. Shade fell to the ground in pain as the beast continued forward to its prey. Shade knew that he could not defeat the creature.

With this conclusion, Shade managed to pick himself up before he began to run for his life. He knew that he was out of options, and the pain he was feeling was nothing short of real, meaning he could be killed by this creature. Shade continued to run away, but his attempts seemed to be ineffective as the monstrous beast darted directly behind him, leaving him no room for escape.

Shade's vision began to turn blurry as he continued running, making him realize that he could eventually lose consciousness. It felt like this was all for him and he was almost certain that he would die at this moment. But his determination to get stronger did not want him to stop.

Shade continued to run forward, remembering the rules of the biome he was in. He then came up with a plan that he hoped could assist him in fleeing. As he continued to run from the creature, Shade instantly took a sharp left before falling into the shadow of a tree that was right beside him.

The beast noticed his sharp turn before managing to come to a stop and directing itself toward the direction. But upon turning there, it was not able to see Shade's action after, which caused it to continue ahead. Due to the constantly changing location, the creature eventually moved out of sight and Shade was able to crawl out of the shadow he had hidden in.

Shade was safe, but the wounds that were instilled upon him, as well as the amount of blood he had lost, made it feel like there was no point in surviving the encounter. And after a few more seconds of attempting not to, Shade eventually began to lose consciousness...

Shade woke up.

The immense pain he felt on his torso, accompanied by the headache he had made him feel like he was already dead. He took a few seconds as he held on to his head in pain before realizing that he was not in the same location. Shade then managed to raise his heap, scanning the location he was and noticing that he was in a strange building.

The building appeared to be built with wood, almost like a cabin, and it was slightly spacious, but not too big. From the way it looked, Shade could tell that someone was living there, which made sense to him since it was clear at this point that he had been saved by somebody.

Shade attempted to get up from the bed that he laid on, but found it very difficult due to the wounds he still had. Although the wounds he had gotten from the beast had partially healed, they were still hurting after every step Shade took. He then walked outside to see if he could find the stranger that had saved his life, or at the very least answers to where he was.

Shade glanced around the area. He noticed that the trees were all very far from the building and circulated it. The house appeared to be surrounded by just trees, which made Shade understand that he was still in the strange forest. He also had the idea to search around and find the owner, but after remembering the way the forest worked, he did not want to risk getting lost in the forest again.

Shade stared around for a bit in silence, thinking about what had just happened to him and how his life would've ended so easily. This made him bask in the thought that he truly needed to get stronger after all.

"How did you get here?"

Shade's eyes widened in fear after hearing these words from behind him. He then gradually turned his head back into the house before setting his eyes on the strange being that owned the voice he had heard. And as Shade turned completely, his eyes completely dawned upon a being larger than him, but had the same properties as a human.

The stranger towered over Shade in silence, awaiting his response, but as Shade's eyes focused on the being he noticed the absence of pupils, which accompanied by the towering height, made it clear to Shade that this being was a God.

However, unlike the other Gods, this being appeared to have a scar at the left side of his face slitting through his left eye which appeared to be completely red and corrupt-looking. This made Shade wonder what had happened for such a being to have received such damage especially since he had the assumption that the Gods were unable to have any form of injuries.

Shade's silence continued for a good amount of seconds since he did not know what to say or even how to react. He had even been so confused about how such a divine being was there that he had forgotten what the stranger had asked for a brief moment.

"Uhh... I... I was tr... transported here," Shade managed to let out.

His mind felt blank, and his headache didn't make things better, and his body felt numb, but what he felt was not the same as he usually did in the face of the other Gods. This was just shock, filled with confusion and pain from his current state.

After responding, the God then walked past him and continued outwards before saying something.

"Then return to where you came from."

Shade was still in awe of finding a God at the strangest location, but after processing what the God had said to him, he knew he had to react immediately.

"Uhh... I apologize, but I don't know if my injuries can allow me to navigate the forest safely," Shade explained. "I'm also not sure how this location works and I can't find my way back at all."

Shade's reasons were valid and made sense to him, but he was not sure if the God would agree. But by the looks of it, the God did not seem to care as he continued to head into the forest.

Shade wondered why such a divine being was in such an eerie location. That was when his mind suddenly remembered the meeting with the Gods when Zenith explained to Mia that her father was absent at that point. Shade's eyes widened in realization before he managed to get a few more words out.

"You're the God of Hunting, aren't you?" Shade asked.

Upon hearing this, the God stopped before reaching the beginning of the forest. Silence brewed for a few more seconds, which made Shade wonder if what he said was wrong. Until the God finally replied.

"That title means nothing to me."

This response made Shade utterly surprised. It was almost as if the God had forsaken his duties. But Shade knew that he had a goal and he did not want the God to leave since he was the best presence Shade had seen since he got to the strange world.

"Well..." Shade started as he walked closer to the God. "My name is..."

"... Shade Walker, son of Abyss," The God continued after Shade.

Shade stopped where he was in silence as he wondered if the God was angry by his statement. The silence continued once more before the God proceeded to speak.

"You will depart tomorrow."

And as these words were stated, the God continued into the forest, eventually vanishing from the location.

Shade knew that if he continued in, he would risk the chance of getting lost, and it seemed like the area he was in did not have that rule, so he decided to remain in the cabin until the God returned. Shade entered the building to wait but after a few minutes, due to the headache and pain that he was feeling, he ended up sleeping off for a few hours.

When Shade woke up, he realized that he had slept off and that it was already around evening time. He then walked out to check if the God had returned, but that did not seem to be the case. Since time had gone on for too long, and the headache he was feeling seemed to have slightly subsided, Shade decided to work out by himself before the God would return.

After a few minutes, the God finally returned from the forest. Upon entry, the God noticed Shade in his exercising routine which made the God slightly surprised since Shade was still injured. The God then walked towards the building before Shade finally noticed his presence and commented.

"You're back," Shade said.

The God's silence was clear as he continued to head into the building. It was clear to Shade that his presence was not wanted, but he was not ready to give up. After all, he was there for a reason.

And that was when everything finally hit him. Why couldn't he just ask the God to train him until he would return to Higher World? Shade could not believe that he had not realized this sooner. This was the reason VI had sent him to the strange location.

After completing his workout, Shade headed into the cabin to take a shower. After cleaning up, he then decided that he would ask the God to train him. Shade searched for the God until he eventually saw him outside, sitting on the staircase leading to the door of the cabin and sharpening what seemed to be a slick piece of wood with a small knife.

"The night skies aren't as beautiful here, huh?" Shade asked the God.

The God continued his action almost like Shade was not present, making him silent for a brief moment before continuing.

"I know this is a ridiculous request from me," Shade started. "But would it be possible for you to train me?"

The God dropped the wood that he was sharpening before picking up another one from beside him and continuing his action. The silence was strong, and Shade knew that there was almost no way he was going to make the god respond. Despite this, Shade felt that he had to make a strong argument as to why the God would do so without having the idea that he was wasting his time. He then walked around the God and stopped ahead of him before continuing.

"Yeah..." Shade said. "I know I'm basically wasting my time asking such a thing, and I know that there is no reason for you to accept such a demand, but I have to participate in a tournament that's happening in about twenty-nine days, and I cannot afford to show up as weak as I am now."

Shade's eyes dimmed upon the thought of him not getting stronger. He knew that he was asking for too much from the God and that his chances were slim, but he did not want to give up the best chance he had of getting stronger.

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The God then stopped his sharpening before finally responding to Shade with something very surprising.

"Twenty-five."

Shade had confusion in his eyes as to what the God meant before he continued.

"You have been unconscious for four days."

Upon hearing this, Shade's eyes widened. He could not believe that he had wasted so much time without getting any stronger.

"You're kidding?" Shade commented in shock and frustration at the idea of such.

This made Shade realize that he did not have as much time left as he wanted and had to do something about it. He then sighed before announcing the only thing he had in mind that could help him.

"It means I have to double down on my recovery exercise now before tomorrow," Shade said.

He then began to walk into the cabin to ready himself when the God suddenly placed his right hand on his way, stopping him.

"Your wounds will only get worse," the God mentioned to Shade, knowing the outcome of such a careless action.

"Well, what choice do I have right now?" Shade asked.

The God's silence made Shade realize that even though he was out of options, his choice was not the right one. After a brief moment of silence, he then sat beside the God before subconsciously explaining his thoughts.

"I know you don't care, and you probably already know this as well, but I have a brother, and up until he found out that he was a demigod, he didn't really care for anything or anyone. But now, when I see the effort he puts in getting stronger, it makes me wonder about his drive, motivated to protect the things he couldn't care less about just months before. And every time I remember this, I can't help but want to push myself to get stronger to protect the people who need to be."

A few seconds drove by before Shade realized that he was ranting.

"Sorry for ranting," Shade added. "There isn't any point in saying all that."

The sounds of sharpening continued for a few more moments before Shade eventually got up and decided to head into the cabin to take a nap. But before he could open the door, he heard a statement from the God.

"I will not train you," the God said before proceeding. "But I will allow you to use this world to train from tomorrow."

Shade did not understand what the God meant by that, but he knew that this was better than nothing so he smiled and accepted the God's offer. He then rushed in so that he could take a nap since he wanted to begin his training immediately.

The next day, Shade got up from his slumber before getting ready for his first day of what he would deem as training. A new pair of his current clothes was also waiting for him beside his bed so that he would not have to wear the same thing every day.

Upon exiting the room, Shade noticed the God still at the location he had left him in and still sharpening planks of wood. It felt like the God had a place to store the sharpened stakes since Shade did not see any other ones around him while he continued.

"Must be nice not being able to sleep," Shade mumbled to himself before walking down the small staircase.

The God then stopped his sharpening before letting go of the piece of wood which vanished before hitting the ground. He then got up from his seated position, still facing away from Shade at the cabin.

"You will depart for the forest with a single objective in mind," the God started. "You are to find a certain creature and slay it before nightfall to complete your exercise for the day. As the days go by, your given target will be added by one, until you are to move on to a different creature."

As the God concluded his further explanation, he proceeded to walk into the forest headed north. Shade appeared to have some questions after the God concluded his explanation, but he was almost certain that he wouldn't be answered so he decided to take the explanation at face value and finally commence with his training, allowing the God to leave.

Shade was also instructed to head west from the cabin and keep going until he found the creature. He was also told that until the creature was slain, he would be unable to return, however, if he were to be successful, all he would need to do to return was to continue his path west.

Upon following his path, Shade eventually came across a certain creature. The creature was small in size, almost like a typical house cat. Its tail was longer than its body and its teeth seemed sharper than what a cat would have. Shade knew that he had to slay the creature to successfully conclude his first day, so he immediately attacked.

The creature was extremely nimble due to its size and was vicious. Shade was finding it difficult to land a single hit, especially since he was instructed that he could use nothing to attack but his abilities, so weapons were not allowed.

Shade continued to battle the miniature creature for hours, taking scratches to his body all around. His Binding Shadow ability was not effective since he would also remain in the same place. The creature was faster than anyone he had ever seen or heard about back in Main World, but after constant attempts, Shade was finally able to catch the creature and slay it.

It felt very unethical for him to slay such a small creature, but considering the creature's ferocious nature, it made things much simpler.

The next day had the same beast, but this time they were two in number when he approached, exactly what the God had said. Shade's training continued in the same manner until he reached the day when he would fight eight of the creatures. During his training, Shade always made sure that he would continue to harness his shadow manipulation and perfect the ability. He would always return to the cabin at night, even if he had completed his task earlier, to dedicate hours to practicing his ability.

Upon returning, Shade would always find the God seated at the same location in front of the cabin, sharpening wood. Shade would always indulge in conversation with the God about his training and despite being one-sided, he always found joy in talking about his progress and condition.

The next day after he completed the first stage, Shade was instructed since the beginning of his training to head south this time and continue the same approach with the previous stage. This time, the beast that awaited his presence was bigger in size, similar in nature to a full-grown lion. This was a lot more difficult than the previous days and Shade found it extremely difficult to complete even the first day, especially since he was unable to use any weapons.

He knew that he had to find a way to utilize his ability in the upcoming battle so he decided to spend even more time perfecting his shadows. That was how he was able to harness his ability to manifest darkness after a few days of training. The pure darkness was easier to manipulate than the shadows he conjured prior. It could also take a physical form which made things better for him to use in battle.

Throughout the second stage, as the creature added with each passing day, Shade took his time to master his darkness manipulation. He would also do a brief hour of physical training and exercises after returning to the cabin. His dedication was nothing short of impressive and the results seemed to be better than expected.

On the last day of the second stage, where Shade battled eight of the second creatures, he managed to barely make it out. While fighting them, he realized that his usual method of having to overpower the creatures and snap their necks was ineffective since the others would always never give him the chance to. He knew that slaying the pack of beasts would be near impossible without the use of weapons.

At that moment, Shade remembered Lance's ability to pull any weapon from the divine arsenal and at that moment, he desperately wished he had such an ability. That was when an idea struck him.

Since he was unable to utilize the arsenal, he would not be able to spawn any weapon, but considering the fluidity of his pure darkness, he felt like he could be able to mimic such an ability and use the darkness to materialize the weapons. This idea proved to be effective, allowing him to slay the beasts easily and have a better method for future use.

When Shade returned to the cabin, he was slightly exhausted. In front of the cabin, as always, was the God doing his usual routine.

"Guess who found a more effective way to slay the creatures?" Shade started before pointing at himself. "This guy."

The God's silence continued as Shade continued to explain how his day went. After a few more minutes, he then decided to go and take a bath so he got up and proceeded to the door.

Before entering, Shade suddenly remembered a certain question he had about the God since the day he came but never got to ask.

"By the way..." Shade started. "Why is it that you don't have the same immense force that the other Gods have?"

Shade never felt the same force that the other Gods had on this one which struck him as strange. The God continued to sharpen the wood he held for a few more seconds before suddenly stopping.

But as the God stopped, with his position not changing or moving slightly, Shade suddenly dropped to his knees with a sudden force that took him by surprise. This force was tremendous, maybe even more powerful than the other Gods. Shade's eyes widened in realization as his body began to feel numb. The force was too devastating.

After just a few seconds, the God then continued to sharpen the wood he had before the sudden force on Shade finally subsided.

Shade picked himself up from the ground as his body felt very heavy. He could not believe that the God had instilled such force without even moving.

"True strength lies not in the display of power, but in the mastery of its depths." the God then said to Shade. "Forget that not."

This was the first time the God had spoken since the commencement of Shade's training. This made Shade happy as he smiled for a moment before finally heading in to take a shower. The force had also made him extremely weary so after cleaning up, Shade headed straight to bed.

The next day was the commencement of the third stage of Shade's training. He got up early and prepared before heading east, as directed by the God in the beginning.

When Shade got to the next creature he would battle, he noticed that they were much bigger than the previous ones. The creature was well over six feet and walked on two legs, unlike the others. Its sharp teeth and razor-sharp claws made the beast more intimidating than it already was. Its eyes were also completely red, lacking any sight of pupils in them.

The creature was also very rabid and was extremely difficult to battle. However, due to Shade's eventual mastery of using his darkness as an armory, slaying the beast was easier than he would have without the ability.

Since its claws were durable, clashing with the creature also seemed to be a good way for Shade to practice his handling of weaponry and after completing his task, he would decide to focus on this mastery during his personal training sessions.

Shade also continued to master his ability of darkness and perfect his shadow manipulation as the days went by. Fighting the new creature in multitude was also very tasking for him, but he wanted to see his training fulfilled so he kept pushing his limits.

On the fourth day, while Shade was battling four of the creatures, he, unfortunately, found himself in a very tight position. The skin of the beasts was very difficult to cut and their claws were able to safely clash with the weapons he created, but the main issue was that they were too fast for him and he could not continue to take their attacks head-on.

But unknowing to Shade, when all his hope of beating the creatures seemed to be lost, a sudden puddle of darkness spawned into existence before assisting him in blocking the attacks that were directed at him. This was the presence of the Abyssal Pit.

Shade's will to protect himself, alongside his drive and determination, managed to spawn a creation that could easily be deemed as his greatest. The pit of pure darkness had a mind of its own, but its sole purpose was to defend and protect its creator at all costs. Alongside the Abyssal Pit, Shade was able to almost breeze through the battle and the others that eventually came by.

The final day of Shade's training arrived faster than he had expected. The day of the Divine Tournament was also the next, so it meant that after his conclusion with the training, he would spend one more night in the strange land before returning to Higher world. This was also the day that Shade would fight eight of the final creature he was to battle.

Unsurprisingly, the battle between the beasts seemed to not be as tasking for Shade with the presence of the Abyssal Pit so after a few hours, he was able to finally conclude with his task.

Since Shade had the tournament the next day, he decided that he would continue his training until nightfall before he would return to the cabin, but the issue was that the monsters were all gone. Since Shade had been in the strange land for a very long time, he managed to get a bit of an understanding of how the forest worked, meaning that he was able to find his way back to the cabin even if he changed paths.

With this idea, Shade began to wander the forest in search of an adversary to slay. He searched for almost an hour until Shade stumbled upon a certain familiar beast. This was the creature that he had seen when he first arrived at the strange location.

Filled with joy, Shade immediately rushed at the creature to use it as a means to test the outcome of all his training. The beast noticed Shade's presence before engaging in battle with its previously fled prey.

The fruits of Shade's training were evident as Shade gracefully fought the beast, evading the attacks with little to no effort. The smile on his face widened as he moved around the beast, using his Darkness Armory to his advantage. But although Shade was significantly different from the first time he fought the beast, the creature was still very difficult to slay.

The battle continued for a long time and Shade eventually began to run tired. But the same could not be said for the behemoth. As the battle continued, Shade managed to use enough force to cut through the left foreleg of the beast, causing the creature to crumble to the floor. This gave Shade an opening as he rushed for the creature's neck.

However, before Shade could slay the beast, the creature swung its right foreleg with immense force at Shade, hitting its prey away and causing Shade to take tremendous damage.

The hit caused Shade to break his ribs after slamming through multiple trees as well as fractures in his arms. Shade's condition was critical and he could barely move at all.

The creature struggled before it managed to pick itself back up. It then began to walk towards Shade who was slightly unconscious and bleeding seriously.

Shade knew that he was going to die at this moment, but wondered if there was even a sliver of hope in fleeing. He then noticed the Abyssal Pit beside him as the creature got closer. Similar to his shadows, Shade then decided to crawl into the pool of darkness to conceal himself from the beast for a brief moment, even though it could clearly see him crawl in. But upon entering the pit of darkness, Shade's will would manifest once again.

Before any other thing could happen, an arm began to spawn from the Abyssal Pit before pulling the rest of its body out of the pit. The appearance of the strange creature created from pure darkness was similar to the creature Shade had battled during the final stage of his training. As the creature walked out, two others proceeded to pull themselves from the pit before standing beside each other.

The massive beast stared in confusion at what was going on for a brief moment before registering the strange creatures that had spawned as prey as well. But this did not seem to be as easy as it had thought.

The heralds of darkness began to rush the creature that had attacked their creator with ferocity and intent to kill. As time continued, the three creatures of darkness managed to successfully slay the beast that had attacked them, almost like they were directed to do so.

However, after killing the large monstrosity, these creatures were not satisfied. Similar to the creatures Shade battled, these creatures of darkness wanted more so they began to go haywire. They were battling against the instructions that they had unintentionally gained from Shade and wanted to remain present instead of returning to the abyss.

The connection between Shade and the creatures had severed as the monsters searched the location with the intent to kill anything in sight. But as they continued, a sudden beam of light spread from the skies and dawned at a certain location before a slam to the ground occurred. And behold, underneath that beam of light was the God of Hunting.

The God held onto two heavy blades on each hand. The blades were not long but were very bulky and extremely heavy from their appearance. The God walked forward before the creatures of darkness registered him as prey.

The three creatures rushed at the God with killing intent before the divine being turned his attention to them. And almost immediately, the creatures fell to their knees in pure agony as they growled in pain to the God's force.

He then threw his weapons to the ground beside him, causing the entire land to tremble, before raising his right hand and pointing it at the location of the creatures. And immediately, the creatures flew back a great distance and were flung directly into the Abyssal pit. The God then appeared directly beside the pit before dipping his hand into the pool of darkness and pulling out what appeared to be Shade.

Shade gasped for air as he rolled on the floor in both mental and physical pain. The man then stretched his right hand and pointed it at Shade before, almost instantly, relieving all the pain that the boy had felt and rejuvenating him instantly.

Shade got up in shock at his physical state. Tears rolled down his eyes slightly upon the thought of losing himself if not for the God's presence. He fell to his knees in sorrow before proceeding to thank the God for saving his life.

"I know this may not mean a lot to you," Shade started. "But I sincerely thank you, sir."

"Flage," the God then replied with his back facing Shade. "My name is Flage."

A smile filled Shade's face as he nodded in response to Flage's statement. Flage stretched his hands after a few seconds before the heavy blades he had thrown to the ground suddenly hurled back into his hands. Shade then proceeded to follow the man as they both walked back to the cabin as the day eventually turned to night.

Back in the cabin, Flage took it upon himself to explain to Shade what had happened to him and how he ended up in that situation. He explained that his mind caused the creatures to spawn since they were the strongest beings he had faced in the land. He also instilled his dying wish to them which was to slay the monster that was ahead of him. However since the power of darkness and the nature of the monsters were too powerful, it caused him to lose control of the ability, causing them to go haywire and disobey his command.

Flage also explained to Shade that if he had not shown up, Shade would have lost his place in the real world meaning that he could not use such an ability without having the risk of losing himself in the darkness. Shade took the man's warnings before deciding to continue with his last physical training exercise until the next day.

The next day, which was the day of the tournament, Shade had accidentally fallen asleep for longer than he had anticipated. After waking up, he headed to the shower with haste so that he could get to Higher World earlier.

Before Flage could create new clothes for him, he asked the God if he could change his clothes to something more fit for him at that point with which Flage did so after understanding what he desired based on his thoughts.

Shade knew that it would take a long time to navigate the location he would have to be to transport to Higher World, but Flage said that he would transport Shade himself.

Shade's appreciation towards the God was heartwarming as he thanked Flage for everything he had done for him. Before heading out, Flage then said a few words to Shade.

"Good luck with your battles."

Shade smiled before nodding his head as he stood underneath the palm of Flage's hand. And after a few seconds, Shade's body began to dematerialize until he had completely vanished from the world.

Flage sighed before walking out of the cabin and sitting where he usually did at its entrance. He set his hands beside each other, spawning a small blade and a piece of wood, before he began to sharpen the wood with the blade as the sounds of chirping began to queue around the cabin.