We were all standing there. Frozen. In total silence.
Before us, something unimaginable happened—Wisdom, the one we always looked up to, the one who guided and protected us, had just been cut in two.
There was no warning, no build-up, no drawn-out battle. Just one strike. One merciless, effortless attack by that demon.
And suddenly, she was gone.
No one could move. Our limbs were locked, our voices stolen. It was as if time had stopped just long enough for fear to set in, fully and completely.
This wasn't just a loss. This was a wake-up call.
Until now, the battles we fought felt like tests. Difficult, yes. But we always pulled through, always found a way. We thought we were growing. Getting stronger.
But this was different.
This was our first time facing something truly monstrous. Something that didn't just outmatch us—it made us feel completely powerless.
As the demon turned its gaze on us, fear consumed the group.
Creatifity, Justice, and Kindness turned and ran. There was no shame in it. What we faced was beyond anything we'd trained for. Their fear was real, and their reaction human.
That left just three of us behind: Fearlessness, Faith, and me.
Without thinking twice, Fearlessness rushed forward. That was who he was. His name wasn't just symbolic—he truly feared nothing.
He threw himself at the demon with all he had. Every ounce of strength, every technique he'd learned. Punch after punch. Blow after blow. He didn't stop, not even when it became clear it wasn't working.
Meanwhile, Faith dropped to her knees. Hands clasped tightly. Her mouth moved as she prayed under her breath, voice trembling, eyes wide. She was searching for strength, for guidance, maybe even for a miracle.
And me?
I stood there.
I wanted to move. To scream. To help.
But I couldn't.
My body wouldn't listen. My legs were stone. My hands, numb. My heart pounded so fast I thought it might burst through my chest. But still—I didn't move.
And then I saw it.
The demon struck Fearlessness down in a flash. No ceremony. No effort. Just a brutal, precise strike.
He fell. Our brave warrior… gone.
My knees buckled, and I dropped. Still, I couldn't act. Couldn't speak. My vision blurred, and all I could feel was the sound of my heart in my ears—like a drum of panic, pounding louder with each second.
Then the demon walked toward Faith.
She looked up, just in time to see it coming. She tried to run. Tried to shield herself. But it was too late.
With a flick of its blade, she too collapsed.
Now I was alone.
Paralyzed. Shaking.
I stared at the demon as he turned his attention to me.
He laughed.
Not just a chuckle. A cruel, mocking laugh that pierced through my soul. He saw me—frozen, weak, broken—and he enjoyed it. Every second of it.
He walked toward me slowly, savoring my terror…
And then I woke up.
My body shot upright in bed. I was drenched in sweat, chest rising and falling rapidly, gasping for air.
It took minutes before I realized it was over.
Or… was it?
It had felt too real. Too detailed. The fear still lingered. The images were burned into my memory.
I got out of bed and tried to live like it was a normal day. Went to school. Walked the halls. Sat in class.
But I wasn't really there.
Everything blurred together. People spoke to me, but I couldn't hear them. Teachers called my name, but I couldn't answer. I was still stuck in that moment. Still stuck watching my friends fall.
After school, my communicator buzzed. A group call from the Sharp Fighters.
I answered.
Wisdom was the first to speak. Her voice, usually steady and wise, was faint.
"About that fight…" she began, pausing. "I know I'm not the only one who can't stop thinking about it. And normally, I'm the one with the answers. The one who knows what we should do next."
Another pause.
Then she said, with a crack in her voice, "But this time… I don't know. I really don't. The only thing we can do now… is train."
Everyone nodded. Quietly. No one disagreed. The call ended shortly after.
When I got home, I lay down on my bed. I stared at the ceiling again, hands clenched into fists.
And then—I slapped myself. Hard.
"Did I forget who I am!?" I shouted to no one. "I'm Akira! I don't give up!"
Another slap. My face burned. But something inside me began to burn too.
A spark. A warmth. A flicker of power I thought I had lost.
My flame was reigniting.
I ran outside. I didn't know where I was going—I just ran. Through the streets, past strangers, past lights and sounds. Some people stared. Some whispered.
I didn't care.
I had to run out the fear. Burn it out. Leave it behind.
And when I finally stopped, chest heaving, sweat dripping, I felt it.
My flame… was alive again.
That night, I lay in bed and thought of every possible strategy. I racked my brain for plans. Nothing seemed good enough. Nothing could beat that monster.
But I didn't care.
I fell asleep with one thought in my mind.
And I dreamed again.
Same battlefield. Same fear. Same demon.
But this time, I didn't stand still.
I ran at him.
Full force. No hesitation.
I was cut down.
And I came back the next night.
And the next.
Again. And again.
While the others trained together…
I fought.
Alone. Unrelenting.
That was my training.
That was my path.
That was my way.
Night had fallen once again.
Like the nights before, Fearlessness led me back into the Shadow Realm, a place cloaked in endless darkness and eerie silence. It had become our training ground—our battlefield—and over time, my fear began to fade. Slowly. Piece by piece.
I came closer to defeat one of the shadows. It was always the same one, and every time we fought, I got just a little better. At first, I died over and over. But now? I no longer fell. I fought. Again and again, with nothing but sheer will.
It became a routine. A strange one, but ours.
Until one night, as we sat in a rare moment of quiet, I asked a question that had been gnawing at me for days.
"Hey… can you control every shadow in this realm?"
Fearlessness didn't even hesitate. He shot me a cocky grin.
"Of course I can. I'm basically the main character here. I can do whatever I want."
I rolled my eyes at his arrogance. He always had that air of superiority. But then… something in his expression shifted. His voice softened, just a bit.
"Well... almost every shadow."
I blinked, caught off guard. "What do you mean?"
"There's one shadow I've never beaten," he said, looking away. "I've only seen it once. A massive presence—more ancient and powerful than anything else in this realm."
My heart skipped a beat. "Wait, wait… are you saying there's actually a shadow that you, the embodiment of Fearlessness, are scared of?"
He didn't laugh. Didn't deny it.
Instead, he stared into the darkness, eyes narrowed.
"A long time ago, I was lazy. I didn't train, didn't fight. While the others kept growing stronger, I came here, to the shadows. It was quiet. I could be alone. No responsibility. Just peace."
He paused, his voice lower.
"But deep in that silence… I heard something. A sound. Faint, but strange. And with it came an aura so heavy, so suffocating, that even I felt fear. Real fear. Before I could even see what it was—"
He snapped his fingers.
"—I was down. Cut in an instant."
I sat there, stunned. The idea that even Fearlessness had a weakness—it didn't seem real.
"How long were you here before that thing showed up?" I asked.
"Longer than we've been here now," he said, waving lazily. "So don't worry. We're still safe."
But just as he said it—
We heard it.
A low, resonant sound. Not loud, but terrifying. It hummed through the darkness, vibrating in my chest.
Both of us turned sharply toward the shadow I had been fighting for days—the weakest one. The harmless one.
But now it was changing.
Its form twisted, warped, and expanded. It grew taller, broader, more grotesque. What once looked like a small, feeble creature was transforming into a hulking beast of shadow and malice. A demon unlike anything I'd ever seen.
And it was staring right at us.
My body froze. I couldn't move. Couldn't think.
"CONTROL!" Fearlessness shouted, his eyes flaring a deep violet. His power surged forward, trying to suppress the beast.
For a moment, it worked.
The creature paused.
But then it roared—shattering the stillness—and broke free of his influence. The pressure alone knocked Fearlessness to the ground, gasping for air.
"No... no no no," I whispered, stepping back.
He was down.
And the monster was still coming.
I looked at Fearlessness, struggling to breathe. This man—this symbol of fearlessness—had protected me, trained me, believed in me. And now he was about to die?
No.
Not again.
I'd already lost too much. I wasn't going to let him die even if he would wake up again!
Then something sparked inside me.
Not bravery.
Not strength.
But something even deeper.
Hope.
A connection. A bond. One I didn't want to lose.
My inner flame, long dormant, ignited with ferocity. It burned hotter than ever before.
Without thinking, I rushed to Fearlessness, threw him over my shoulder, and ran.
I ran like hell.
Dodging black tendrils of shadow, weaving between pillars of darkness that rose from the ground. The monstrous shadow howled behind us, sending waves of destruction that barely missed.
Fearlessness groaned. His eyes fluttered open, unfocused.
"We… we need a portal," I shouted.
He raised his trembling hand and summoned a swirling gateway just ahead. The exit to Hell.
We were so close.
But just as we reached it, the beast fired a final, devastating blast.
We were hit mid-air.
The force sent us flying through the portal, and we crashed violently onto the ground on the other side.
Everything went black for a moment.
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the scorched stones of Hell, blood in my mouth, pain in every limb. But we were alive.
I turned to see Fearlessness lying beside me.
"You… saved me," he whispered, a weak grin on his lips. "I never thought you would be the one to save me."
I let out a shaky breath, forcing a smile. "Yeah, well... I guess even heroes need a break sometimes."
Then a voice rang out.
"Took you guys long enough."
I froze.
I knew that voice.
We both looked up.
And there they were.
Our friends.
We had found them again.