Present.
Neo stood at the edge of the crumbling world.
He watched the spot where young Daniel had vanished.
âYou think he can do it?â Neo asked.
âI donât know, but I wonât have my hopes up,â the Angel replied.
Neoâs lips curled into a faint smirk.
âThen shall we make a bet? If he succeeds, youâll listen to me when I return to my world.
âIf you win the bet⊠well, I donât think you need a reward for that scenario,â Neo added, folding his arms.
âFine. Letâs make the bet,â the Angel said.
Neo wasnât worried Velkaria would break the verbal promise.
The Angel noticed Neoâs trust in Daniel and asked,
âYou trust him a lot.â
âYes, I do.â
Neo had watched over Daniel for thousands of years.
He knew Daniel enough to know Daniel would not stop until he had found a way.
The man was stubborn to a fault.
âWell, we should leave this place, or we will get erased by Time,â Neo said, looking at the crumbling world around them.
He raised his head and looked at the sky.
âI want to leave the Shadow Trial.â
A door made of shadows appeared in front of his eyes as soon as he completed his words.
The black frame twisted and rippled as if made of living ink.
The Angel frowned, glancing at the narrow entryway.
âHow will I fit through that door?â
âYou donât need to worry about that.â
Neoâs shadow stirred.
It began to stretch.
The tendrils of blackness unfurled across the broken ground.
Mountains, destroyed cities, dried lakesâall were engulfed as the shadows expanded.
His shadows never stopped.
They continued to spread wide, devouring continents, oceans, and finally the entire Earth.
The Angel blinked as it found itself standing within Neoâs Shadow Space.
An endless expanse of black stretched out in every direction.
âHow large is his Shadow Space?â the Angel muttered.
It was surprised by Neoâs mastery of the shadow element.
Just then, Neo opened the Shadow Spaceâs entrance slightly.
âHow is it in there?â
âI can adjust.â
There was a short silence before the Angel spoke again.
âI thought you gave away masteries of your elements.â
âBut judging by the size of the Shadow Space you are already at Expert mastery?â
âI did give it away, but Iâve gained quite a bit back already.â
The Angel did not know how to react to that answer.
It consoled itself by thinking Neo had always been a freak of nature.
Neo floated in the empty space.
He extended his hand, summoning a shadow bird with wings as vast as the horizon.
Its feathers shimmered like onyx, reflecting no light.
He gestured, and the bird lowered itself, allowing him to climb onto its back.
âTake me to the door.â
The shadow bird glided toward the door of shadows.
Only pitch-black darkness existed beyond its frame.
Neo felt a shift.
When he opened his eyes, he was standing in a vast void.
The floor that had a checkered pattern, black and white squares extending infinitely beneath his feet.
A human-sized doll stood before him.
She bowed.
âWelcome back, Neo Hargraves. Iâm A #22, a Gatekeeper of the World of Treacherous Shadows,â the doll said.
âYou are the same Gatekeeper who welcomed me when I came to this world,â Neo replied.
A #22 was surprised.
She had not expected him to remember her name after meeting only once.
âIndeed, weâve met before,â she said while stopping the surprise from showing on her face. âCongratulations on completing your Shadow Trial.â
âDaniel saved the Child of Mana?â Neo asked.
âHe did, and as he was your proxy, the rescue is counted to be completed by you too.â
A faint smile appeared on Neoâs face.
He sent his Intent inside his Shadow Space and told the Angel what was happening.
The Angel couldnât reply back since the voice didnât travel between the Shadow Spaceâs inside and the outside.
And the Angel didnât know how to use Intent to talk like Neo.
Neo believed the Angel was happy.
âWhat about Jack? Where is he?â Neo asked as he looked around.
âHe is meeting another Gatekeeper,â A #22 answered.
Her words meant only a few seconds had passed for Jack while Neo had lived through thousands of years.
âHow is he?â
âHe has lost his rankââ
âIâm asking about his emotional state.â
âHe wants to kill himself, but he doesnât want to waste the life you protected by sacrificing yourself.â
A #22 didnât mince her words.
Neo smiled bitterly.
He had to complete his job here and meet with Jack quickly.
Then, he would tell him everything was fine.
âShall we discuss your rewards?â
âWait a second.â
Neo unleashed his World Energy.
The space vibrated around him, rippling with an intense aura as he used it to activate the third stage of his blessing.
The World Energy condensed and formed his very beingâbones, muscles, organs, nerves, blue blood.
Everything regrew.
Neo kept his soul within his body and fused them both.
It was a complete resurrection.
With partial third stage blessing, Neo could regenerate his body parts but not fuse his soul and body.
This limitation was why the blessing could not resurrect him fully before.
The problem was solved when he could finally use the full power of the third stage of his blessing.
Neo looked down, noticing his body covered in scars and his long hair cascading over his shoulders and back.
The dim light of the void reflected faintly on his pale skin.
He used his Shadow Affinity and used the Shadow Robe Spell.
The shadows wrapped around him to form rudimentary clothing of dark, flowing fabric.
As for his hair, he let it fall freely behind his back.
He wore clothes first as he was worried he might forget about them.
The memory of Professor Danielâs horrified stare remained in his mind.
The professor had looked at Neo as if he was staring at a monster, not a human.
âAbout my reward, I want to take whatever is in my Shadow Space to the real world.â
Your journey continues with empire
âNo.â
A #22âs swift word made Neo frown.
âIs it because Iâm taking the Sacred Treasure out?â
Neo didnât hide his intentions.
He admitted openly he was taking the Zeus corpse along with the Angel and the destroyed Earth.
The Gatekeeper and the Supreme Deity of Shadows would surely know about it.
âYou are misunderstanding us. We are not saying you canât take them.â
A #22 continued.
âTaking anything out from the World of Treacherous Shadows is a grey area in the rules.
âNormally, we allow the champions to take the items from the World of Treacherous Shadows if their performance is exceptional.
âIf the performance they have shown is anything below excellent, we allow them to take items from the World of Treacherous Shadows only as their rewards,â A #22 explained.
âSoâŠ.â
Neoâs words trailed off.
According to what A #22 said, he seemed to have shown an exceptional performance in his Shadow Trail.
After all, he managed to complete the Trail after failing it.
âIndeed, you are thinking correctly.â
A #22 smiled.
She added,
âThe Supreme Deity of Shadows has been impressed by your will, valor, and wits.
âHe has allowed you to take the items without any price.â
The Gatekeeper did not explain how the reward Neo got before was not a reward.
She knew Neo understood what was happening.













