My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

The river was serene and quiet. Leaving the forest had been a welcome change of pace.

They'd finally made it back to the Golden Road—an old trade route long used by civilization, where monster activity was minimal. The open plains, the distant hills, even the warmth of sunlight were a far cry from the suffocating woods and haunted peaks that still clung to the scent of blood and ash.

No more Duhu mountains or Whispering forest.

Still, they couldn't walk into the city of Gladstone looking like blood-soaked vagrants. Thus, the need for a bath.

Damon reached into his shadow storage. He pulled out a bundle of miscellaneous items—soap, towels, and even perfumes.

He narrowed his eyes.

'Would've preferred more weapons or charms… but I guess this junk has its uses.'

Despite being classified as miscellaneous in the system, some of the items pulsed faintly with lingering magic. Not strong enough to be considered enchanted—just subtle, but clearly quality. He handed the girls anything he thought might help.

They stared as he kept pulling things out, one after the other.

Evangeline blinked.

"Hey… erm… not to be that woman… but… how in the goddess' name do you have all this stuff?"

Damon rolled his eyes.

"Well, girl, I found them. I literally just picked them up."

He gave her a look.

"If you don't want to use them, fine. I'll take them back."

Evangeline forced a smile.

"No—actually I was just joking. Don't mind me…"

Sylvia and Leona nodded quickly behind her. As long as they got clean, they didn't care how he got the stuff.

They snatched them up without hesitation.

Then Leona frowned, just realizing something.

"Hey… there's only one river. And ahhm… two men and four women."

Damon placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course. We're all going together—as a party."

Leona's face flushed red. She turned to Xander in alarm.

"Ermm… Damon, that doesn't sound like a good idea…"

Damon turned to Sylvia. Her face was redder than usual, lips parted as she tried to speak. He continued with a straight face, letting them believe the worst.

Evangeline gritted her teeth.

"So you add pervert to the list as well. What an impressive track record… you have no shame."

Xander sighed deeply.

"Indeed. I knew he was a mongrel long before he tried to exploit young girls. Now I'm more certain."

Damon looked at them both, then gestured at Evangeline with a lazy grin.

"Evangeline will get naked too, you know…"

Xander's lips twitched violently. The image must've flashed in his head—his face turned crimson.

"You bastard…"

Evangeline couldn't take it anymore. She slugged Damon hard in the head.

He staggered, gasping.

"Wh-what was that for?! I was just teasing…"

Her face was flushed as she crossed her arms over her chest. Damon stared at her, exasperated.

She shouted, "Stop having fantasies about my body!"

Damon muttered under his breath, rubbing his head.

"He was the one having fantasies… yet I got pummeled."

He stood up, eyes catching Matia who remained silent by his side. He hesitated for a breath, then spoke carefully.

"Use your ice to split the river… if you want."

He phrased it like a suggestion—not a command. He had to. Any words directed at her could be taken as an order. She nodded and silently walked toward the river.

Raising her hand, a great wall of ice surged up, cleanly dividing the river. The frost on the ice was thick, nearly opaque. No one could see the other side now.

Leona groaned.

"First time back to safety and I get welcomed by an ice bath right before winter…"

Sylvia pouted, glaring at Damon.

"As if it wasn't cold enough already… I didn't even mind if we took turns…"

Damon raised a hand.

"That's enough. Boys on one side, ladies on the other."

Xander sneered.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't peek."

Damon would have laughed.

If he wanted to peek, he didn't even need to move. With shadow perception, he could see everything in black and white.

That is, unless he was the kind of degenerate who insisted on seeing nudity in full vivid color.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm a gentleman. I would never do that."

He leaned close to Evangeline, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll keep an eye out for you-know-who. The beast in him might awaken today…"

Before Evangeline could react, Xander smacked Damon into the river with the butt of his spear. The splash was enormous.

Laughter erupted from the group.

Damon surfaced with a smile.

The girls began moving to the other side, but Matia remained rooted in place, staring silently at Damon.

Leona frowned. Matia had never spoken, and none of them dared to ask. Whatever horrors tied her to Damon, they didn't want to know. It was easier to believe the simple lie:

Matia was alive, and she was here. That was enough.

"Hey, are you coming? That's the men's side," Leona called.

Matia gave her a brief glance but didn't move.

Damon's eyes dulled.

"You should go with them… if you want."

Matia, his shadow, slowly shook her head.

Xander, already shirtless, looked over at her.

"Hey, this is the men's side. You can't be here, staring at us—"

She tilted her head, confused. The concept seemed alien to her.

She wasn't trying to intrude. She was merely watching over her master. And he had said she could… if she wanted to.

Her eyes found Damon again.

He bit his lip, looked away. That was enough for her.

Matia reached up with pale hands, slowly removing her helmet. Her black hair fell like silk, framing the porcelain face beneath.

Damon froze.

It was like she was reminding him—I'm still me.

But all he saw was the girl he killed. His shadow. Bound to him forever.

Her face held no expression. Seeing him look away, she turned and slowly began walking toward the women's side, even though every step felt like resistance.

Her armor dissolved into streams of shadow, curling away from her skin. Beneath it was a flawless, fragile beauty. A fairy reborn in death.

She sank into the water in silence.