The city pulsed under neon skies.
Seren Vale walked alone through the streets of Greyhollow, but tonight, he didn't feel alone. The shadows moved with him—no, within him. Every step felt lighter, his senses more alert. The chill of the night air didn't bite; it hummed around his skin like static before a storm.
Beside him—within his steps—his shadow twisted and occasionally shimmered, taking a form only he could truly see.
"You're adapting faster than most," the shadow said. "I've seen awakenings before, but yours… it's different."
"I didn't ask for any of this," Seren replied under his breath.
"No one asks to wake up. They just do. Or they die sleeping."
They crossed into the older part of the city. Narrow alleys. Dim lights. Eyes peeking from behind rusted shutters. Seren watched a man haggling over a coat with a street vendor. The man smiled, but Seren saw through it—fidgety fingers, widened pupils, shifting weight. Lying.
His eyes shifted to the vendor. Calm breath. Confident stare. Knows the truth. Doesn't care.
"I'm reading them again," Seren said. "More clearly this time."
"Shadow Sense," the shadow explained. "One of your gifts. You feel more than you see—intent, lies, fear. You see cracks in people's masks."
Seren exhaled slowly. "Useful."
"Dangerous," the shadow corrected, grinning through its voice. "Especially when they realize you're not just another sleepy-eyed schoolboy."
"Are you always this arrogant?" Seren asked.
"I'm prideful. There's a difference," it replied smugly. "You'll appreciate it when things get worse."
They turned a corner. A group of teens passed by, laughing loudly. One bumped Seren's shoulder and didn't stop to apologize. For a moment, Seren saw flashes—anger, envy, shame—radiating off the boy like heat.
He clenched his fist but didn't react.
"You saw it," the shadow whispered, approving. "Emotion paints people, and you've started seeing in color."
"What am I?" Seren asked.
"You're awakened," it said. "The first stage of your path: Shadow Awakened. You're not like them anymore. You're in between what you were… and what you can become."
Seren stopped walking.
He looked at his hands, then at the faint silhouette cast by the flickering streetlight.
"Then what path is this?"
The shadow stood beside him now, fully formed in the darkness. It looked like him, but older… colder.
"That's for you to find out," it said, voice lower. "Every awakened has their own path. Some burn. Some break. Some rise."
Seren's eyes narrowed. "And me?"
"You adapt. You watch. You read the world like a map others don't even know exists. But you're not ready yet. You're still too... human."
A pause.
"Then teach me," Seren said.
The shadow tilted its head. "I am you. But only the part you choose to face."
It stepped into him again, becoming just a shadow.
The wind howled from the alley.
Seren walked forward.