The night was calm, the house quieter than it had been in days. Orin slept soundly in his cot, his breathing steady and peaceful. His color had returned, and the fever that once wracked his small body was gone. Evelyn’s mother, too, was resting comfortably, her illness no longer tightening its grip on her fragile frame. Arlen stood at the foot of Orin’s bed, watching the rise and fall of the boy’s chest, satisfied that his healing had worked.

For the past day and a half, Arlen had stayed close, ensuring that both of his patients were recovering as expected. He hadn’t shown himself to Evelyn’s mother since she regained consciousness, unsure of how she would react to the sight of him. He had seen the fear in Evelyn’s eyes when they first met, and he wasn’t eager to repeat that experience with her mother—especially now that the woman was well enough to speak.

Still, the time for lingering was over. Arlen knew he couldn’t stay in this small village forever. The larger world was out there, waiting for him. He needed answers—about his powers, about this world—and the next step in his journey was clear.

Ithlul.

That name had stuck with him ever since Evelyn mentioned it. The trading hub was larger than this village, a place where he could gather information, find supplies, and perhaps even learn more about the strange abilities he had been using. It was time to move forward.

Arlen stepped out of Orin’s room and found Evelyn sitting at the small table near the hearth. She was mending one of Orin’s shirts, her fingers deftly moving the needle and thread through the fabric. When she looked up and saw Arlen, she gave him a small, tired smile.

“How are they doing?” she asked softly, though Arlen could see the worry still lingering in her eyes.

“They’re healing,” Arlen replied, his voice calm. “Your brother is strong. And your mother... she’ll be fine.”

Evelyn let out a small breath of relief, setting the shirt aside for a moment. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “If you hadn’t come, they both would’ve…”

Arlen raised a hand to stop her. “You don’t need to thank me.”

For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence, the crackle of the fire the only sound in the small, windowless house. But Arlen knew he couldn’t put off the conversation any longer. He leaned forward, his hands resting on the table as he spoke.

“I’m leaving,” he said simply, watching Evelyn’s reaction closely.

Evelyn blinked, her expression shifting from relief to confusion. “Leaving?”

“I have to go to Ithlul,” Arlen explained. “There’s more I need to understand about this world—and about myself. Ithlul is a trading hub, right? It’s the closest place where I might find answers.”

Evelyn nodded slowly, her brow furrowed. “Yes… but Ithlul isn’t exactly safe. The beasts… and the undead, they’ve been attacking travelers more frequently. It’s dangerous.”

“I’ll manage,” Arlen replied, his voice firm. “Somehow.”

Evelyn studied him for a moment, her eyes searching his face. “You’ll come back, won’t you?”

Arlen hesitated. He wasn’t sure what his journey would bring, or how long it would take. But something about the way Evelyn asked the question, the hope in her voice, made him pause. He met her gaze, the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes making his chest tighten.

“If I can,” he said softly, though he wasn’t sure how much truth was behind the words.

Evelyn’s lips curled into a sad, yet understanding smile, but there was something more in her eyes—something unspoken. She stood from the table and stepped toward him, her movements slow and deliberate. Arlen felt his heart rate quicken as she approached, a tension settling between them that hadn’t been there before.

For a moment, they stood in silence, the fire casting soft shadows across the room. Evelyn’s gaze lingered on him, and Arlen could feel the weight of her unspoken words.

“You’ve already done so much for us,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know how to thank you… but I want you to know that I’m grateful.”

Before Arlen could respond, Evelyn leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

The warmth of her soft lips against his shadowy skin took him by surprise. For a second, he froze, unsure of how to react. The gesture was brief, but it left a lingering sensation—an unexpected tenderness that stirred something deep within him.

When Evelyn pulled back, her face was slightly flushed, though her eyes held a steady resolve. She didn’t say anything, and neither did Arlen. The air between them seemed to hum with unspoken tension, and for a moment, everything else faded away—the village, the dangers outside, the uncertainty of the future. It was just the two of them.

Framed by the light of the fire, Arlen noticed for the first time how beautiful her sharp features and slender frame were. He shook his head as if to dismiss the thought. ‘She’s like fifteen years younger than you dude.’

Back on earth Arlen had graduated high school and enlisted in the army. He served for a while and joined the ranks of the Rangers, then he finished out his six year contract. After, he had joined a metropolitan Fire Department and Trained to become a Firefighter/Paramedic. He was on the job for over ten years before he was transported here. ‘I’m supposed to turn thirty five next month,’ Arlen chuckled to himself ‘Guess I’m not getting any presents this year.’

‘Just how long can i live?’ The thought of his age made Arlen wonder about his lifespan. He was no longer Human, so could he expect to live as long or longer than one?

“I’ll come back if I can,” Arlen said again, his voice quieter this time, more sincere.

Evelyn nodded, though there was a trace of sadness in her eyes. “Just… be careful out there.”

Later that night, after the house had fallen into a quiet calm, Arlen sat in the corner, his thoughts still racing. The warmth of Evelyn’s kiss still lingered, though he pushed it to the back of his mind. There were other matters to focus on—larger matters.

The power inside him was the key to his survival, and he needed to understand it. Arlen let out a slow breath and willed the interface to appear before him. The glowing screen materialized in the air, displaying his status with its familiar layout. He hadn’t checked it since the night he obtained Myriad Tongues, and now, something new caught his eye.

A new skill.

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Skills:

Beast Tamer

Enhanced Endurance

Mana Manipulation

Myriad Tongues

Night Vision

Regeneration

Shadow Manipulation

Sinister Aura

Stealth

His heart skipped a beat as he focused on the word, the letters glowing faintly on the screen. Mana Manipulation. ‘Mana! That must be that strange energy. This really does feel like a video game. Or a novel.’

But there was something else—another new skill that hadn’t been there before. Arlen blinked, feeling a surge of recognition as he read the name.

Regeneration.

The pieces clicked into place. He had noticed his ability to recover quickly from the burns caused by sunlight, and even when he had been exhausted, his body had healed itself rapidly. This new skill—Regeneration—must have been the reason.

‘So that’s why I was able to heal so quickly…’ Arlen thought, staring at the skill. ‘This… this changes everything.’

The discovery of Regeneration added another layer to his abilities. With Mana Manipulation and Regeneration, he wasn’t just a shadowy figure moving through the darkness—he was something more, something capable of withstanding damage and recovering faster than he ever could have imagined.

He stared at the skills for a long moment, his mind racing. ‘Mana Manipulation… Regeneration…. This is it. This is what will keep me alive in this world.’

Arlen closed his eye, focusing inward. He could feel it now, deep inside him—an almost rhythmic pulse, like a heartbeat that wasn’t quite there. The warmth that had flowed through him when he healed Orin and Evelyn’s mother was still there, waiting, like a coiled spring ready to be unleashed.

This power—mana—had brought him this far. But if he was going to survive the journey to Ithlul, and whatever lay beyond, he would need to master it. He would need to understand what he was capable of, and how far he could push himself before the power drained him completely.

‘Mana Manipulation… Regeneration… the key to survival.’

He closed the interface, the glowing screen vanishing into the air. Tomorrow, he would leave the village and head toward Ithlul. The road ahead was uncertain, but at least now, he had a starting point.

Evelyn

The night had fallen into a quiet stillness, and Evelyn sat near the small hearth, her thoughts drifting to Arlen. She had never felt this way before. The men in the village had always seemed… distant, almost like shadows themselves—too occupied with their own lives, too indifferent to her struggles. And with her family’s illness, there had never been time for her to think about herself, let alone the possibility of love or companionship.

But Arlen was different.

He wasn’t like anyone she had ever met—how could he be? He was a creature of shadow, something born from a place she couldn’t begin to understand. And yet, despite his strange, otherworldly form, there was something undeniably human about him. He had saved her brother, her mother, without asking for anything in return. He didn’t look at her with pity or judgment, but with understanding.

Evelyn had never felt a connection like this before. She found herself thinking about him more often, wondering what it was about him that drew her in. Was it the way he carried himself, the strength in his voice, or the quiet compassion he had shown her family? Or was it something deeper—something about the mystery of who and what he was?

Her heart fluttered as she remembered the brief kiss she had placed on his cheek. She hadn’t planned it, but in that moment, she had felt something stir within her—a longing she hadn’t realized she had. For once, it wasn’t about survival or fear. It was about something else, something that made her heart race whenever she thought of him.

Evelyn let out a soft sigh, her eyes drifting to the darkened doorway. ‘He’s leaving,’ she thought, a pang of sadness settling in her chest. ‘But maybe… maybe he’ll come back.’

Arlen

Arlen crouched in the field outside the village, his mind focused on the task at hand. The clothes Evelyn had gifted him, while appreciated, weren’t exactly practical for his shadowy form. The dark fabric didn’t blend as well into the night as his own shadows did, and he had already noticed how mentally taxing it was to will the shadows over his body. He could do it, but it took effort, and he needed something more efficient—at least until he got better at controlling the shadows.

He glanced down at the simple farmer’s clothes Evelyn had given him. ‘These are useful for the day,’ he thought, remembering how sunlight burned didn’t burn his clothed skin. He had also gotten a hooded robe from her. For now, though, he stashed the clothes away into his inventory.

As he did, something caught his attention.

The clothes didn’t appear in the grid slots of his inventory like the other items. Instead, they were stored in a sub-tab he hadn’t noticed before—“Outfits.”

‘That’s new,’ Arlen thought, his curiosity piqued. He focused on the tab, and sure enough, all the clothes he had obtained were stored there, ready to be equipped with just a thought. ‘This will be useful,’ he noted, stashing the robe away and turning his attention back to the problem at hand. ‘Maybe it’s just for organization.’ He thought as he noticed he could save a set of clothes as a full outfit and equip that outfit rather than each individual piece of cloth.

He needed a solution to his nudity problem, something that wouldn’t rely on clothing but would still cover him effectively. Arlen’s gaze drifted to the shadows swirling around his form, and an idea began to take shape. ‘What if I could mold the shadows themselves?’

It was a thought that hadn’t occurred to him before, but now it seemed obvious. His body was made of shadows, wasn’t it? He should be able to control them, shape them. It would take practice, but he had time.

Arlen closed his eye and focused, willing his shadowy skin to harden and change shape and size. At first, it was slow—mentally exhausting as he tried to shape the darkness. But slowly, the shadows obeyed, molding into defined shapes around his body.

After a few hours of tweaking, Arlen stood in the dimly lit field, admiring his new form. He had crafted a set of armor from the very shadows of his body. The armor consisted of a sleek chest piece, sharp shoulder pads, a dark fauld hanging from his waist, gauntlets, and greaves covering his feet. A hood of darkness covered his head, casting his face in shadow, save for his single eye and the faint gleam of his teeth.

The armor was black—blacker than the night itself, as if it devoured all light that touched it. It wasn’t practical, Arlen knew that. It wouldn’t offer any real protection in a fight. But that wasn’t the point. It was sleek, light, and blended perfectly with his shadowy nature. The armor even gave off a faint, wispy smoke, creating a slight haze around him. The spikes on the shoulders and sharp angles made it look menacing—impractical, yes, but undeniably cool.

Arlen allowed himself a small smile, admiring his handiwork. ‘This will do.’ It wasn’t real armor, but it covered him, and more importantly, it gave him a new way to blend into the shadows without the burden of clothing.

Satisfied, Arlen opened his inventory to store the form as an outfit so that he didn’t have to re-mold it every time he wanted it, and that’s when he noticed something else.

A new skill.

The word blinked at him, clear as day on the interface. “Morph.”

Arlen’s brow furrowed in confusion, but then it hit him. The ability to mold his body—this wasn’t just a one-time thing. It was a skill, something he could improve and use as needed. He could shape his body, manipulate the shadows around him into different forms.

‘Morph…’ he thought with a smile. ‘This will be useful.’

The night stretched on, the stars twinkling faintly in the dark sky. Arlen stood by the door of the small house, his shadowy form blending into the surrounding darkness. The quiet of the village felt heavier now, with the knowledge that he would be leaving soon. His gaze drifted to the firelight inside, where Evelyn was finishing up her tasks for the evening.

She had been strong through all of this—far stronger than most would have been. But Arlen could see the weariness in her eyes, the weight of carrying her family’s survival on her shoulders for so long. He respected her strength, but now it was time for him to move on. He had his own path to follow.

Evelyn approached, her steps soft as she came to stand before him. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them felt charged, as if the unspoken words they wanted to share hung just out of reach.

“So, this is it?” Evelyn asked, her voice quiet but steady. “You’re really leaving.”

Arlen nodded. “I have to. There are things I need to understand, about this world… about myself.” He hesitated, searching her face. “I’ll come back if I can.”

Evelyn’s lips twitched into a faint smile, though her eyes shimmered with a mixture of emotions—relief, sadness, and something else Arlen couldn’t quite place. “You’ve already done so much for us,” she said softly. “Just… be careful, Arlen.”

“I will,” he promised, his deep voice softening. He reached out, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. “And thank you, Evelyn. For everything.”

For a moment, they stood there, the silence between them stretching longer. Arlen could feel the pull of his journey calling him away, but part of him didn’t want to leave just yet. The connection he had felt with Evelyn, though brief, had been real.

Finally, Evelyn stepped back, offering him a small, sad smile. “I’ll be here,” she said simply. “Whenever you find your way back.”

Arlen nodded, his chest tightening slightly. He knew the road ahead would be dangerous, filled with uncertainty, but he had to move forward. ‘Ithlul is just the beginning,’ he reminded himself.

Turning toward the door, Arlen stepped into the cool night air. Fenri was waiting for him, his massive form standing still as a statue in the shadows. Arlen blinked in surprise—Fenri looked even larger than before. The wolf’s muscles rippled under his sleek black fur, which now had a striking red hue that seemed even more pronounced under the faint light of the moons. His fangs had grown longer and sharper, gleaming as he yawned and stretched.

Arlen knelt beside Fenri, placing a hand on the wolf’s side. “You’ve been growing again, haven’t you?” he murmured with a slight chuckle.

Fenri’s glowing red eyes flicked to Arlen, and the wolf huffed softly, almost as if in agreement. His tail swished once, but his alert posture told Arlen that Fenri was ready—ready for whatever lay ahead.

“We’ve got a long road ahead of us, boy,” Arlen said, rising to his feet. He cast one final glance back at the house, where Evelyn stood in the doorway, watching him with a mixture of hope and concern. He raised a hand in farewell, and she did the same, her

smile soft but sincere.

And then, without another word, Arlen turned and set off into the night, Fenri at his side. The road stretched out before them, dark and uncertain, but Arlen felt a sense of purpose guiding his steps. With each passing moment, he knew he was one step closer to understanding the mana within him, and the mysteries of this world.

The wind stirred the shadows around him, and as he moved further from the village, the darkness welcoming him like an old friend.