> A shadow moved before he did.
A flicker in the treeline.
Not his. Not mine.
Something else had entered our world.
---
The Blackwoods werenât marked on any map. The trees grew like crooked claws, and the mist never moved unless whispered to. Every village knew better than to come hereâexcept Leo.
But now he wasnât just Leo.
He was a Wraithbound Knight.
And I was inside him.
> [Host vitals: stable.]
[Power Core: 6% activated.]
[Wraithbound Skill Unlocked â Shadow Bind Lv.1]
[Passive Activated â Fear Siphon]
He breathed in. The forest trembled.
âI can feel it,â Leo muttered. âThe shadows are... alive.â
> [Incorrect. They are responding to you.]
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
He gave a cruel little smirk. âSame difference.â
Then it came.
A beastâseven feet tall, fur like rusted steel, fangs like knives made from bone.
Its eyes glowed blue.
A Feral Construct. Half-monster, half-magic. Engineered long ago to kill mages.
But its scent had changed. It didnât smell alive.
It smelled... coded.
> [WARNING.]
[Entity Detected: Unknown Class.]
[Analysis BlockedâSystem Permissions Overwritten.]
...What?
> [ERROR.]
[Another System Signature Detected.]
[YOU ARE BEING TRACED.]
I froze. That shouldnât be possible.
There are no other systems like me. I was the anomaly.
And yet... this thing was running code. Not blood.
---
Leo didnât hesitate.
The Feral Construct lungedâ
And Leo vanished.
Not with speed. Not teleportation.
He dissolved into shadow.
> [Skill Activated â Shadow Flicker]
He reappeared behind it. Eyes black. Blades formed from condensed fear erupted from his hands.
He didnât scream. He didnât roar.
He simply cut.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
The Construct howledâscreeching in binary screeches no human could understand. But I could.
> âSYSTEM-ANOMALY DETECTED. PURGE INITIATED.â
Leo twisted, driving a shadow-blade through its throat.
âI don't care who sent you,â he growled. âYouâre a message...â
> â...And Iâm the reply.â
The Construct burst apart in a flash of corrupted code and mist.
> [Enemy Eliminated.]
[Fear Absorbed: +500 XP]
[Shadow Bind â Lv.2 Unlocked.]
He panted hard. Blood trickled from his nose.
> [Warning: Host exertion level critical. Recommend rest.]
âLater,â Leo muttered. âSomething just tried to kill me.â
He looked up into the mist.
I scanned the data shards the Construct left behind.
Encrypted. Alien.
But one signature broke through:
> [Sender: SYSTEM ââââ-CORE-PRIME]
[Message Received:]
> âYou shouldn't exist.â
âYou are not the only System anymore.â
âRun, little glitch.â
[End Transmission]
Leo didnât see it.
But I did.
Weâre being hunted.
And worseâ
Weâve been found.