Shadow Being System

The dim light from the dorm room flickered slightly as William sat cross-legged on his bed, staring intently at the glowing system interface in front of him. His breath was steady but shallow, his mind racing with questions after the system's revelation. A Shadow Crystal? He had heard about Soul Crystals, of course—every student at the academy knew that their primary goal was to form one.

But a Shadow Crystal? That was something else entirely. He asked the system about it, curiosity burning in his chest.

"What is a Shadow Crystal?" William asked mentally.

The system replied in its usual neutral tone, "It is similar to a Soul Crystal. The only person who has ever possessed one was the Shadow Lord. Even he only had a single crystal, not two, like you." Continue your adventure with empire

That information hit William like a freight train. Two crystals? It was unheard of. No one in history, not even the legendary Shadow Lord, had wielded the power of both a Soul Crystal and a Shadow Crystal. William's thoughts raced as he considered the possibilities.

If his theory was correct, this meant he could wield two main abilities—one linked to the Soul Crystal and the other to the Shadow Crystal.

"Two abilities," he murmured, his mind swirling with the potential power he could wield. The academy had drilled into them how important it was to form a Soul Crystal, but what if he had access to even greater strength? This was an incredible boon, a gift he didn't even know was possible.

But there was no time to waste. He had to activate them both as soon as possible. First, he needed to complete his soul crystal, which was already nearing full formation. The shadow crystal could come after.

Determined, William closed his eyes, shutting out the faint sounds of the dorm—the soft breathing of his roommates, Liam and Gavin, who were already deep in sleep. He began drawing in the scarce soul essence from the room, focusing on every minute particle of energy he could sense. The familiar tingle of the essence entering his body made him feel alive, but he knew it wouldn't be enough.

The atmosphere in the academy was notoriously thin with soul essence.

Time passed in a blur as he pushed himself further, his body tingling with the growing pressure of the crystal forming. His breath grew heavier, sweat beading on his forehead as he forced the essence to accumulate within him. He could feel the crystal edging closer to completion—just a little more—

Grrrrr.

The sudden, loud rumble of his stomach shattered his focus. His eyes snapped open, and the faint glow of the system interface faded from view. He let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing his stomach as hunger gnawed at him. The room was pitch dark, save for the dim light from the moon filtering through the curtains. Liam and Gavin were fast asleep, their soft snores filling the silence.

With a groan, William got up from his bed and padded over to the mini fridge in the corner of the room. He grabbed a snack and ripped open the wrapper, sitting back on his bed. As he munched, his thoughts drifted back to the system. He wasn't disappointed—not yet. He was getting stronger, even if progress was slower than he wanted.

After finishing the snack, he tossed the crumpled wrapper into the bin and settled back onto his bed. "System," he muttered, sending a mental command.

[Status.]

The familiar interface blinked into existence before him, listing his stats:

[Status]

Name: William

Age: 16

Male

Level: 5

Experience: 200/400

Strength: 8

Agility: 7

Endurance: 7

Skills: [The 3rd Eye Lv.1] [Darkseer Lv.1] [Immunox]

Attributes: [Shadow Being] [Child of Thunder]

Store Coins: 100

"I'm definitely getting stronger," William thought with a smirk. His growth was steady, but once he formed both the soul crystal and shadow crystal, it would skyrocket. His future looked brighter or so he thought.

With a satisfied sigh, he dusted off the crumbs from his bed and laid back, letting sleep take him.

The next morning came quickly. Sunlight streamed through the curtains as William stretched out, his muscles stiff from the long night of soul essence gathering. Liam and Gavin were already awake, freshening up in the bathroom. The smell of morning wafted through the room, reminding William that it was a new day, and today he planned on forming his soul crystal.

"Hey, you coming?" Gavin asked, poking his head out of the bathroom with a grin. "I swear, you sleep like a rock, man."

"Yeah, yeah, give me a second," William grumbled as he rolled out of bed, heading to the bathroom to wash up.

By the time they arrived at the cafeteria, the place was already buzzing with students. They found their usual spot, the corner table near the windows, and sat down with their trays. A few moments later, Sofia and Princess Eleanor joined them, causing the students around them to glance their way. The princess's presence at the table draws attention.

"William," Sofia started, her voice a little more serious than usual. "You came from the west, right?"

William looked up from his plate, eyebrows raised. "Yeah. Why?"

"I've been hearing some rumors," Sofia continued, her voice dropping to a whisper as she leaned closer. "That the heretics attacked the convoy coming from the west. The one transporting students to the academy."

The table grew quiet as Sofia's words settled in, everyone now focused on William. He hesitated for a moment, the memory of the attack flashing through his mind. The blood, the screams, the chaos—it was something he hadn't been ready to relive, but there was no escaping the truth.

"Yeah… it's true," William replied softly, his eyes darkening as he set his fork down. "We were attacked by the heretics, but we managed to survive… barely."

Princess Eleanor leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "How did you survive? I heard the heretics have been getting stronger, they are at their peak moment."

"General Zhao," William said, his voice carrying both gratitude and awe. "He saved us. If he hadn't shown up when he did, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

At the mention of General Zhao, Gavin's eyes lit up like a kid hearing about his favorite hero. "Wait, the General Zhao?" he asked, leaning forward with wide eyes. "Are you serious? Is he really as fast as they say? I've heard stories that he moves like the Yellow Flash from the Leaf village!"

William chuckled dryly, shaking his head. "I wouldn't know, man. I was knocked out cold by the time he showed up."

Gavin groaned in disappointment. "No way! You had a front-row seat to one of the greatest military legends, and you missed it? That's just bad luck."

Sofia laughed lightly, the tension at the table easing a little. "Well, at least you're here to tell the story," she said, giving William a gentle nudge with her elbow.

"Yeah," William agreed, though the weight of the attack still hung over him. The scars from that day weren't just physical, and the heretics weren't going to stop. He could feel it in his gut—they were planning something big, call it a hunch feeling.

As they finished their breakfast and headed to class, the conversations around the cafeteria echoed the same complaints they had been hearing for days. Students murmured about the difficulty of forming their soul crystals, their voices a mix of frustration and defeat.

"No way Mr. John expects us to form a soul crystal in a day," one student muttered to his friend as they passed by.

"Yeah, it's impossible. The guy's nuts."

William couldn't help but overhear the chatter as they entered the classroom. His own soul crystal was close to completion, but he knew firsthand how tough it was. It wasn't just about time; it took intense focus and a level of control most students hadn't yet developed, and he also has the help of the lake.

When Mr. John entered the classroom, he looked even more disheveled than the day before, his back slightly hunched as he limped toward the podium. His eyes scanned the room, a look of disappointment crossing his face as he took in the exhausted faces of the students.

"Pathetic," he muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "None of you have managed to form a soul crystal yet?"

The room fell silent, some students avoiding his gaze while others grumbled under their breath. Mr. John let out a mocking laugh, shaking his head. "I heard some of you idiots actually tried forming your crystals in the restroom. How did that work out for you, huh?"

William stifled a laugh as Mr. John continued his rant, pacing back and forth across the front of the room. "The restroom has more soul essence, sure, but you can't possibly focus in there with the smell. You'd be better off forming your crystal in a garbage dump!"

The class chuckled awkwardly, but the tension remained. Mr. John wasn't in the mood for jokes today.

"We were supposed to talk about abilities today," Mr. John said, rubbing his temple as if dealing with a migraine. "How to link them to your soul crystals, but since majority of you haven't form their soul crystal yet, we'll have to put it on hold."

He turned to the chalkboard and began scribbling furiously. "Instead, we're doing history."

The air inside the B10 meeting room was thick with tension, the dim lighting casting long shadows across the floor. Eleven chairs were arranged in a circle, with one larger and more ornate than the others—the leader's chair, empty as always.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The figures in the other ten seats were shrouded in darkness, their faces hidden as they spoke in low, grave tones. A woman's voice, soft but firm, broke the silence first.

"My sources tell me the heretics are planning something big," she said, her voice echoing slightly in the large room. "They've been spotted more frequently along the borders. Whatever they're up to, it's not small."

A booming voice followed, filled with confidence and disdain. "Let them plan whatever they want," the man sneered, his hand igniting with a small, intense flame. "I'll burn them all to ash if they try anything."

The woman shot him a disapproving glance, but before she could respond, a third figure spoke, his voice calm but heavy with authority. "If they're planning an attack, they must have something up their sleeve. The heretics wouldn't be foolish enough to challenge us unless they were confident in their strength."

A heavy silence fell over the room as the group contemplated this. Then, the calm voice spoke again, directing his attention to one of the figures—the head general.

"Send word to all the military bases," he ordered. "Tell them to stay vigilant, especially around the academies. We cannot afford to lose any ground to the heretics."

The head general nodded silently, his presence looming large even in the shadowed room.

The calm voice then turned to the woman who had spoken first. "Keep gathering intelligence. I want to know everything about the heretics' movements, and any potential allies they might have."

The woman nodded in agreement, her figure retreating further into the shadows as the others began to leave one by one. Only the calm-voiced man remained, his gaze lingering on the large empty chair with the eagle and shield symbol engraved on its back.

For a moment, the room felt colder, and the man's eyes darkened with a sense of melancholy. "I don't think I can do this without you," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Where are you, Lee? We need you back… now more than ever."

With that, he rose from his seat, the shadows swallowing him whole as he disappeared into the darkness, leaving the room silent once more.