The sun set. The once red-orange sky gradually darkened. Shadows of the ravine between the mountains consumed the surroundings, but the sky had yet to fully turn to night. I had to act fast.

However, there was nothing by Aden’s side. I looked around him but didn’t see anything.

“Where the hell is his second summon?!”

I then saw it. Aden’s shadow moved.

“Doppelgänger! Bind!” Aden shouted.

I narrowed my eyebrows. I didn’t like the look on his face. He stopped gritting his teeth and giving me a death stare. His creepy grin and that glint of a scheme in his eyes plastered on his face. My gut felt uneasy.

All my muscles tensed, and I braced myself, waiting for a fight. But nothing happened. Aden’s shadow just moved around him. I tilted my head, confused.

“Master, your shadow!”

I jolted from Ordinance’s alarming voice. My head dropped down to look at my feet. Immediately, I jumped back in sudden fright.

“Ha! It’s useless, Dysfunctional!”

I backpedaled, swerving left and right as I ran backward, but I could not outrun my shadow. It shot up my foot and wrapped around my ankles, tripping me, and I fell onto all fours.

I grunted from the impact and shouted orders.

“Beta! Follow the last half of the plan!”

“These brats! I hate leaving food unfinished! Let me eat in peace! Go play with some lightning!”

Beta point above Aden’s head. Thunder boomed, and lightning crackled. A lightning bolt struck down at Aden. The quick bastard retreated into the remaining half of the metal prism, and it absorbed the lightning strike.

“Coward! Stay in there then!” Beta bellowed.

Beta was furious. His innocent little girl form was deceiving. I wondered how much he could consume before being full; if ever. Ordinance stated Beta was an Anti-Corruption agent, but he seemed just as gluttonous as the Corruption.

Beta glared at Aden and clamped his hands together in front of him with a loud clap.

Metal sheets pierced and shot up from the ground, imprisoning Aden. Oddly, he was not frantically banging on the metal like last time.

I then understood why, but it was too late.

A part of my shadow split off, racing across the floor towards Beta. The glob of shadow bubbled like water gushing up from an underground spring, and a figure emerged from the shadow, rising through the darkness. I recognized the silhouette. It was mine! That thing copied my body!

“Beta! Watch out! It’s coming from behind you!”

The shadow figure turned its head back. It was solid darkness except for its beady red eyes, arched in a devious squint. It tilted its head with its eyes mockingly looking at me.

Beta encased itself in a prism of light, but it was not only after Beta.

“Master! Behind you!”

A large hand of black shadow gripped the back of my neck and lifted me. I squirmed, trying to elbow the figure behind me. However, my feeble struggle hit something unmoving and icy cold.

“Descent of Darkness!” Aden’s muffled shout reverberated through the metal prism.

The surroundings around me abruptly blurred, and the black shadow approaching Beta moved in slow motion.

The world around me, everything; all slowed to a crawl.

My thoughts raced, but my mouth barely kept up as I shouted at Beta.

The shadow figure raised its arm above Beta. The darkness around its arm condensed, somehow turning even darker and deeper shades of black.

The arm slammed down in slow motion, striking Beta’s light barrier. The light dulled and shattered into countless sparkling fragments.

My screams seemed to echo forever through the air.

Suddenly, Beta and the shadow seemed so far away.

Darkness encroached around my vision.

I was losing the strength to hold up my body.

I didn’t understand why, but I realized I was losing consciousness.

“Shit! What’s going on?! Ordinance! Can you hear me?! Ordinance?!!!”

I looked down, and the last thing I saw was the shadow arm, piercing out of my stomach; everything went dark.

“Huh? That’s weird. There was no blood.”

The pain in my body disappeared. I no longer felt tired. No, wait. That wasn’t all.

“No… No! This can’t be?! No! NO!”

It wasn’t just the pain. My arms, my hands, my legs, and my feet: I couldn’t feel any of them. I could not feel anything at all!

Suddenly, I felt some sensation, but it only came from inside of me. Fear consumed me. Worse yet, I hated this other creeping feeling. The restless sensation frantically churned inside in an urgent panic. However, I was paralyzed and powerless, unable to act and move.

I wanted to run and escape, but nothing responded.

Panic took over. I felt like I was drowning. I couldn’t breathe. Endless darkness surrounded me, but I felt confined, suffocating in an ever-shrinking box. My mind raced with a million thoughts.

“What is this!? What’s going on?! Am I dying?!”

Silence.

Pitch-black darkness.

My existence momentarily paused. I felt something snap; like something disconnected. My fear and anxiety vanished. I felt empty, drained of everything I was.

I then heard something familiar…

Ba-bump…Ba…bump …….ba…..bump…………ba…

“MAS… MASTER!!!”

The darkness took me. I heard Ordinance’s faint screaming voice and my nonexistent heartbeat as I faded into the void…

***

“MASTER! ANSWER ME! MASTER!!! DAMMIT! WHAT IS WRONG, MASTER?!”

Master stopped responding after the shadow figure pierced through his body with its arm. I needed to know what that skill did to him.

“ANALYZE!”

System Function: Analyze

Scanning host…

Completed.

ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!

Consciousness of the primary account is currently deactivated.

Attempts to access the primary account were thwarted.

Securing primary account to primal soul house...

Interference detected.

Analyzing…

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

FORCED HACKING FROM AN UNKNOWN SHADOW DEMON DETECTED!

FOREIGN ENTITY SHUTTING DOWN HOST BODY FUNCTIONS!

“Initiate emergency protocols! OVERRIDE NOW!” I yelled out inside my mind.

System Function: Override

Blocking foreign intruder…

Successfully blocked!

Attempts to control host body failed.

Entity ejected.

Analyzing established protocols…

Analysis completed.

Attempting to access control…

Control of host body granted!

Warning!

Hardware components are not of standard Anti-Corruption issuance but are still compatible. Proceed to override?

[Yes] [No]

“Shut up and proceed!” I focused and selected the ‘yes’ icon.

I immersed into my master’s body, and I forcefully opened his mouth. With a deep breath, I inhaled air into his lungs and used his soul energy to pump his heart.

BA-BUMP! Ba-bump! Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

“Damn it! That was too close!” I partially relaxed at hearing Master’s heart once again beating.

I let go of all my ‘butler’ pretenses with Liam. He was out cold anyway. I had no time for my servant speech or the outdated speed of the system responses. The ancient blue screens bugged me to no end.

“I miss the old days… I need to get Liam to hurry up and regain my powers. I don’t know the current situation with the war anymore… “

Images of my fragmented memories flashed in my mind…

A towering humanoid nightmare stared hauntingly down at me. Its flesh remained exposed from the lack of skin. Its bare muscles weaved together from a mesh of the bodies of Anti-Corruption agents. Their flesh and metal became the muscle fibers of the giant humanoid, standing taller than the withered trees. My heart dropped, seeing the countless faces of my allies intertwined in the monstrous being’s body, frozen with horror and agony.

Anger boiled from within me. I looked up at the face of the horrid nightmare. It was once my friend and partner in battle.

But now, my friend was no longer recognizable.

Fellow allies restrained my arms, pulling them away from my side. I struggled to fight them off so I could knock some reason back into my so-called friend.

“You lost, Ordinance.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Relay!?”

“You’re quite the imbecile for a Command System. There is no more ‘Relay’. There is only us.”

“No. No… This isn’t happening! RELAY! SNAP OUT OF IT!”

“And now. You, too, will become part of us. Do not resist, Ordinance. Embrace us. Become one with us. We welcome your power. Now. DISINTEGRATE!”

The giant metal monster spread his massive mechanical hand open above the trees. I recalled seeing the countless Anti-Corruption agent’s body parts, dangling in the air.

A powerful tsunami of energy blasted out from the hand and shot right into me, and I burst into a harrowing scream.

“AAAAHHHHH!”

Agonizing pain ripped through my entire body as the wave of energy tore off all my flesh and intertwined mechanical parts. Wires and coils snapped, muscles and organs split apart, and blood splattered, pooling on the ground below my mutilated body.

Its giant hand dove down and rummaged through my mashed-up body fragments, searching for my key component. It stopped.

The familiar face of my friend warped onto one of the Anti-Corruption agents, lining the tip of the giant finger. He grabbed my pulsing golden spherical core and shoved a bloody metal Corruption core against me.

“This is the end and the beginning. Become one of us, Ordinance! DEVOUR!”

Whirring noises reverberated from my side. The Corruption core started drilling into me. Time was running out, and I made a decision.

“FUCK THE CORRUPTION!”

I initiated the last of my backup plans.

“System Function! Self-destruct!”

“You're too late, Ordinance! We have entered-“

“That’s right, you have entered your doom! Execute System Functions: Override and Transfer Protocol!”

Aden’s desperate shout snapped me out of my memories.

“Liken! What’s wrong?! Return!”

I opened my master’s eyes, catching a glimpse of the collapsed shadow figure being pulled back into the crack in space. Such an inferior being was unworthy of my attention.

I looked down at Liam’s hand as I clenched and flexed his long skinny fingers.

“How nostalgic.”

A smile lit up my face. The warm pulsing blood flowing through my master’s body felt divine.

“It’s been so long since I felt these sensations. I wonder if Liam would be willing to switch with me occasionally. It was different from controlling Beta’s body. I miss feeling alive.”

“You monster! What did you do?!” Aden’s accusing voice made me stop enjoying the sensation of controlling my master’s body.

I glared at Aden, and he flinched.

“W-what are you?!”

I didn’t understand. Liam’s body should still be the same. I was confused by the boy’s odd reaction. He never flinched earlier when Liam glared at him.

“Master? What’s wrong? Why do you look so sinister? How are you manifesting such an aura?!”

Suddenly, it clicked. I glanced at the sharp thin line of condensed black-and-white soul energy brightly radiating off Liam’s figure. Out of habit, I unleashed my mastery over Liam’s energy.

I retracted it back and looked at Beta, limping over towards me. I shook my head. I couldn’t believe an Anti-Corruption agent was left in such a state by such weaklings. I connected to Beta and relayed my message.

“You should be able to do this much. You need more training, little new agent.”

“It’s you! Why are you in there?! What did you do?! Get out!”

“Insolence! You dare question your superior?! And stop drawing attention!”

“I’m not scared of you! I only listen to the master! Besides! You caused the commotion!”

I narrowed my gaze at the buffoon daring to question my authority. I couldn’t believe the lack of awareness from this imbecile.

“You will do well to remember your rank. Now, address me as ‘Master’ and stop drawing attention!”

“Never! I hate you!”

Another insolent annoying creature meddled in the situation. “Who are you?! You’re not that kid!”

“What do you mean, Vice Guild Master Damion? I can only be me. Your little disciple over there was the one who took this too far. I think we should call this a draw, no? Or should we continue?”

That wretched excuse of a human man dared to give me a death glare. I wanted to put him in his place, but Liam was currently too weak. But for not too much longer. I’ll shape up this master of mine in no time. I must somehow return and check out the war. It seems this side might already be involved…

The death glares didn’t stop. I simply smiled back with my kindest smile. Aden flinched again.

“Ahem. Master. Stop that. You’re scaring the poor kid.”

I was rather offended that my kindness was not warmly welcomed.

“Ok, I’ll take your silence as a sign to continue.” I glanced back at Beta and smiled.

“If you’re trying to smile, stop. It’s too scary.”

“Shut up and follow me, Beta!”

I huffed at that stupid cyborg girl’s despairing face. The face of seeing horror was overly dramatized. I was currently using my cute master’s face. How could anyone call me ‘scary’? These stupid baby creatures knew not the appearance of kindness.

I ignored the pathetic beings. They were too young to understand anyway. I led Beta to the prism caging up the werewolf.

“Let’s eat, shall we?”

“You know what? You’re not entirely bad, Master!”

I smirked. The little cyborg girl only realized this now? I’ll forgive him this one time. I had better things to focus on. I grinned expectantly for the coming event. Beta and I placed our hands on the prism and Extracted energy.

“Yes… this sensation! This feeling! Oh, how I missed the feeling of eating and consuming!”

I suddenly had a mischievous thought. I jerked my head at Aden, and he tumbled onto the ground.

“Hahaha! You know what, Master?! You’re pretty fun!”

I peered deep into Aden’s eyes and saw fear. I grinned, but I had to stop my foolery.

“Ordinance? What’s going on? What was that darkness?”

“Master! You’re awake! Thank goodness! The Shadow Demon invaded into your being and almost took over. I used my skill and forced it out. I momentarily took control for your safety. Would you like to switch back, Master?”

“It feels weird, like I’m here, but not. I’m floating, but it’s comfortable, almost warm, but not quite that either. I can’t explain it. Is this how you feel, Ordinance?”

“Yes, Master. Your consciousness is currently in the primal soul house.”

“What?! Is that even possible?”

“Typically, no, Master. However, it appears your unique bloodline allows me to control your body, and we switch. I am curious about your ancestry and its unusual affinity towards the Anti-Corruption.”

“How is it, controlling my body?”

“Is a wonderful experience, Master! I would like you to give me more opportunities to do so in the future.”

“Of course! This could be an advantage we can use!”

“Acknowledged. Switching back now, Master.”

Ding!

System Function: Override (deactivated)

My mouth dropped.

It was not due to the blue screen. I was also oblivious to the torrent of origin energy, drawing into me through my hands.

I focused on my wounded arm, visibly healing right before my eyes. Each ripped fiber of my flesh reconnected before me. New muscle tissue weaved over each other, repairing the deep gash on my arm. Finally, layers of new skin sealed up my wound, leaving a tingling itchy sensation.

“Wow. How’s this-“

“No! Stop! I surrender! Get away from Saena, you monster! Don’t you dare kill her!”

“Note to self. Ordinance, you can help me too. I need to fix my bad habit of staring off and ignoring my surroundings.”

“Noted, Master.”