About half an hour later, I arrived back home.
The ride back had been quiet, mostly because I spent it lost in thought. After stopping in front of the house, I unhooked the beast and absentmindedly rubbed the area between its eyes before leading it back into the stable.
The creature let out a pleased rumble.
"...You're easier to please than expected," I muttered.
After making sure everything was settled, I grabbed the books and headed inside, going straight to the study.
THUD!
I dropped the books onto the desk and took a moment to look around.
Out of every room in the house, this one stood out the most.
The study was spacious, lined with shelves and bookcases made from the same dark polished wood as the rest of the house. Yet unlike the other rooms, this place carried a different atmosphere.
It felt used.
Lived in.
Despite its elegance, the room functioned more like a laboratory than a normal study. Books were arranged neatly according to category, stacks of carefully organized notes rested on different sections of the desk, while strange tools and materials occupied designated areas throughout the room.
Everything had its place.
Nothing looked neglected.
Honestly, the level of organization felt excessive.
Unlike the fantasy stereotype of the chaotic scholar buried beneath mountains of books, Outis apparently preferred perfection.
I pulled out a chair and sat.
A strange feeling had been bothering me for a while now.
Curiosity.
Or perhaps ignorance.
My human self knew almost nothing about this world, and now that I finally had time, I intended to change that.
Without wasting any time, I began reading.
Days passed quietly.
I barely left the study.
Instead, I spent most of my time devouring information. It honestly stopped feeling like reading after a while and began feeling more like feeding some strange hunger.
I started with simpler topics first.
History.
Politics.
Geography.
Basic knowledge my human self naturally lacked.
From what I gathered, only three continents were known to shadows.
The Donn Continent.
The Holden Continent.
And the Eldjàrn Continent.
Though calling them continents felt somewhat misleading. Each one was enormous, large enough to qualify as a supercontinent.
And each was ruled by its respective empire
The Donn Empire.
The Holden Empire.
And the Eldjàrn Empire.
These empires were massive, powerful enough to shape the state of the world itself. Though conflict existed, the three maintained an uneasy balance that prevented complete collapse.
At least for now.
The more I read, the more I realized this world wasn't nearly as peaceful as it first appeared.
It was stable.
But stability and peace weren't the same thing.
Most places simply survived under the protection, or control, of larger powers.
Take this town for example.
Compared to many others within the Donn Empire, it was considered unusually peaceful. Situated just below the hill where my house stood, the town thrived through literature.
Books.
Ink.
Writing tools.
Everything revolved around scholars and knowledge.
The town produced and distributed books on a large scale, attracting writers, researchers, and scholars from different regions. That alone made it one of the seventy-four major towns and cities within the empire.
A surprisingly important place.
Which also explained why Outis had chosen to settle here.
Eventually, my reading drifted into more interesting topics.
Races.
Energy systems.
Cultivation.
And that was where things became genuinely interesting.
~~
~~
After two weeks flew by in a haze of reading, though reading hardly felt like the right word. It was more akin to devouring information.
Of the six hundred and twenty-nine books housed within this manor, I had already consumed nearly half.
And after all that
"This world really has it rough."
The words slipped from my lips as I leaned back in my chair.
This world was bound by merciless laws, unyielding restrictions enforced by equally merciless beings known as The Divines.
Or, in human terms, Angels.
Sigh~
Let me explain.
There are three official realms:
The Divine Realm.
The Human Realm.
The Demon Realm.
Then there was the Shadow Realm, regarded as a subrealm beneath the Human Realm, a realm deliberately kept in its place through a series of brutal restrictions.
The first: Birth Restriction.
"A shadow cannot reproduce. A being born of darkness has no right to grant life, you may only take it."
The words spoken by a Divine.
The restriction had been embedded into the very fabric of shadow biology.
Though shadows were created in human likeness and possessed all necessary organs, they were ultimately hollow imitations of life.
A male shadow might possess reproductive anatomy, yet produce no sperm.
A female shadow might possess a womb, yet carry no ovum.
Life was something forever denied to them.
The only way a shadow could be born was through the birth of a human.
Whenever a child entered the Human Realm, their shadow counterpart manifested simultaneously within the Shadow Realm, appearing upon a sacred altar known among shadows as the Temple of Birth.
The second restriction: Weakness to Light.
"Light and darkness cannot coexist."
Again the words of a Divine.
This restriction rendered shadows deeply vulnerable to powerful sources of light.
The weakness extended into their very bloodline.
No shadow in recorded history had ever possessed an affinity for light-related abilities.
Well except for the Vulcan Household, of course.
The third restriction: Human Connection.
Humans and shadows shared a single soul.
However, humans possessed the greater portion.
Should the human counterpart die, the shadow would lose its soul entirely, becoming an empty shell a mindless creature known as a Lost.
Then came the fourth restriction: Human Possession.
This law was enacted after several catastrophic incidents in which shadows discovered methods to possess humans.
Some even succeeded.
But not for long.
The Divines executed every offender shortly afterward.
"I kind of broke this rule…" I muttered dryly
"So I'm kind of cooked."
The fifth restriction: Isolation.
The Shadow Realm was severed from the Human and Demon Realms through the creation of the World Barrier, preventing meaningful contact between realms.
And the punishment for violating any of these laws?
Death.
Simple, and absolute.
Though there existed one final restriction, one not imposed by the Divines.
The Restriction of the Abyss Zone.
An enigma.
A terrifying unknown.
The Abyss Zone surrounded all three continents like an endless abyssal ocean.
Very little was known about it.
But what was known, was enough.
It was said to be the birthplace of everything vile in existence.
Sigh~
Knowing all this…
Anyone could tell just how utterly screwed I was.
"I broke two rules." I buried my face in my hands.
"Death is definitely coming for me."
"And going back to Earth isn't an option either. The Human Realm falls under Divine jurisdiction. Returning there would only speed up my execution."
A bitter laugh escaped me.
"I just got a decent new life…"
"And death's already knocking at the door."
I leaned back in my chair.
"I should leave before they find me."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"…!?"
My body froze instantly.
A cold chill crawled up my spine.
I forced myself to take three slow breaths.
Who could that be?
I'm not expecting anyone.
The Divines?
Sigh~
"Calm down." I muttered softly to myself.
"Go see who it is."
I made my way toward the door in slow, measured steps.
Silent, and careful.
I opened it halfway, then stopped.
Sigh~
Relief quietly settled in my chest.
It wasn't some six-winged, glowing humanoid monstrosity.
Instead, standing before me was a young man, perhaps nineteen years of age and roughly five foot seven in height.
He wore a crisp white shirt beneath a pitch-black waistcoat embroidered with a crest over the left chest, accompanied by matching trousers that looked slightly too large for him.
A bead of sweat slid nervously down his cheek. His eyes flickered upward toward me.
Understandable.
A towering figure stood behind the half-opened door, jet-black eyes shadowed by faint bags, silently observing him.
"U-Um… good day, sir," the young man greeted nervously.
I gave a slight nod.
"I would like to speak with Sir Outis."
"You're looking at him," I replied flatly.
His posture stiffened. "Oh!"
He quickly straightened himself.
"My name is Cyan, from the Explorers Association. A vacancy recently opened, and you were recommended for the position by one of our sponsors."
He reached into his satchel before handing me a sealed letter.
"An official meeting has been scheduled five days from now. Please endeavor to arrive on time."
He gave a polite bow before hurriedly leaving.
Leaving me standing there slightly stunned.
Though none of it showed on my face.
After shutting the door, I returned to my study.
The moment I arrived, I sat down and began planning my next move.
The Explorers Association…
I knew of them.
Partly from the books.
Partly from inherited memories.
Roughly nine hundred years ago, several powerful individuals ventured into the Abyss Zone with a singular goal.
To map the Shadow Realm.
To uncover mysteries.
Discover hidden treasures.
Neutralize threats
And survive long enough to tell the tale.
Not long after its founding, the Association gained support across all three continents.
They began recruiting talented individuals
calling them Explorers and ranking them according to strength.
For many, becoming an explorer was a dream profession, the pay alone was absurd.
Even the lowest rank earned 5,000 Donn Brightsteel, while the highest received upward of 15,000.
Though entry was far from easy.
You either received sponsorship or proved your worth through the recruitment tournament.
A slow smile tugged at my lips.
With my current predicament…
This opportunity couldn't have arrived at a better time.
"Become an Explorer."
I leaned back.
"Enter the Abyss Zone."
"Earn money…"
"And stay on the run."
Haa~
"How ironic."
I chuckled quietly.
"I left Earth while running for my life…"
"Only to continue running here."
Sigh~
"At least there's cultivation."
This world possessed numerous forms of energy used to cultivate strength,yet among them
Two stood above all others.
Skotos, and Karma.
Skotos
Some call it darkness, others call it corruption.
To the shadows
It is life itself.
Skotos is the natural energy of shadows, the very substance our race was born from. It exists everywhere, woven into the endless night like veins running through flesh. We breathe it, live in it, and eventually, become it.
Unlike other forms of energy, Skotos cultivation is not simply about gathering power.
No.
It is assimilation.
The deeper one's bond with Skotos grows, the less human they become. Flesh changes. Instincts sharpen. Emotions dull. Thoughts shift.
A shadow does not merely grow stronger.
A shadow becomes closer to darkness itself.
Cultivation is divided into six stages.
Each one marks another step away from mortality.
[Unborn Stage]
"Dormant Darkness."
The beginning, every shadow starts here, and usually from the ages of one to thirteen, though age matters little compared to talent.
At this stage, Skotos lies dormant within the body, silent and asleep, like a seed buried beneath frozen soil.
The connection is weak.
Incomplete.
That is why they are called Unborn.
Not yet fully recognized as true shadows.
Even so, the body still benefits from the faint traces of Skotos lingering within. Darkness feels familiar rather than frightening, and the mind naturally develops slight resistance against fear and corruption.
Weak.
But necessary.
Everyone begins somewhere.
[Newborn Stage]
"The Awakening."
The first true step.
This is the stage where a shadow first awakens to Skotos and gains the ability to perceive energy.
For the first time, darkness becomes something tangible.
No longer empty, and silent.
You begin to feel it flowing through the world around you, through shadows, through living beings, through the night itself.
The body also starts adapting to Skotos.
Fatigue lessens.
Recovery improves.
Vision sharpens in darkness.
Compared to higher stages, it is insignificant.
Yet this is the point where a shadow truly begins walking the path of cultivation.
[Trueborn Stage]
"The Body Awakens."
A major threshold.
Reaching this stage means one is finally recognized as having been truly born.
Hence the name
Trueborn.
Skotos no longer simply rests within the body.
It begins reinforcing it, muscles strengthen, bones harden, reflexes sharpen.
The senses evolve.
An ordinary person stands little chance against a Trueborn shadow.
At this point, physical superiority becomes undeniable.
Speed.
Strength.
Durability.
Everything changes.
And for the first time
The darkness begins changing you in ways others can see.
[Reborn Stage]
"The Mind Evolves."
A difficult stage.
Far more difficult than Trueborn.
If Trueborn tempers the body
Reborn tempers the mind and soul.
At this stage, a shadow undergoes something akin to an internal rebirth.
Thoughts become sharper.
Instincts become frighteningly precise.
Fear weakens, manipulation becomes harder.
The mind grows steady, cold, difficult to shake.
Reaction speed rises to unnatural levels.
Battle awareness sharpens.
A Reborn shadow can sense danger before it fully arrives.
This is usually the stage where most shadows stop thinking like prey.
[Prime Stage]
"Mastery of the Self."
This stage is rare.
Respected, and feared.
At Prime, a shadow gains conscious control over the Skotos within their own body.
And that changes everything.
Flesh becomes malleable, the body no longer obeys ordinary rules, skin can harden, muscles can strengthen beyond their limits, claws, sharpened limbs, reinforced organs, temporary alterations become possible.
Some can even shift vital organs to avoid fatal injuries.
At this point a shadow begins resembling something beyond mortal life.
[Apex Stage]
"Mastery of Darkness."
The highest known stage.
The final threshold.
At least, as far as anyone knows.
An Apex shadow no longer limits themselves to the Skotos within, instead, they command the darkness around them.
Ambient Skotos bends to their will.
An Apex moves, the battlefield changes.
Darkness itself becomes a weapon, constructs, domains, suppression.
Entire environments can be twisted into territory favorable to them.
At this stage
The line between shadow and darkness becomes difficult to distinguish.
Some say Apex cultivators are no longer truly alive.
Others say they have simply returned to what shadows were always meant to become.
Darkness itself.
~Yawn~
"Damn I'm tired"