Chapter 84: Awake (2)

Chapter 84

Mia— a woman who had been suspected by Asher to be stalking their family.

Which had led the boy to want to find out whether she was a Shadow creature or not.

But it turned out that she was human, and she had helped him a bit by providing a few pieces of information he could use.

... Which ultimately turned out to be useless, as his family were now dead.

Clenching his fist, he scanned the house with a judgemental look.

It still looked almost the same as before.

All the houses in this neighbourhood shared the same design, both inwardly and outwardly.

And the woman’s house was no different. Just a little different because of her arrangement.

The inside of the house felt heavy and quiet, almost suffocating in its stillness.

The living room was shrouded in dimness, with only faint traces of light slipping through a curtain that barely allowed the outside world in.

Shadows clung to the corners of the room, swallowing most of the details unless you looked closely.

A worn desk sat against one side of the room, its surface cluttered with stacked books, some open and others left carelessly closed as if abandoned mid-thought.

Nearby, pieces of clothing were scattered across the floor and draped over furniture in a disorganized mess, giving the space a sense of neglect and prolonged isolation.

The air felt stale, as though the room had not truly been lived in, but rather paused in time.

And as usual, her damn undies were scattered lazily across the sofa.

Heaving a tired sigh, he looked out the window from where he stood.

It was already nighttime.

’Huh? Where could she have gone this night? Isn’t it dangerous because of the Shadows?’

Stroking the few prominent strands of beard on his face as if on instinct, the boy looked around the house for a moment.

Then, his mind flashed back to before he had gone into the Nightmare.

His hand froze mid-stroke.

"Je-Je-Jesse...."

He had almost forgotten that his sister had failed her Nightmare and ultimately became a Shadow that chased him all the way to their parents’ room, where Asher had taken the sleeping pills in bulk.

He needed to get back home.

Without thinking twice about the danger it could pose whatsoever, he bolted out of the house, albeit with wobbly steps.

.....

The door closed behind Asher as the world unfolded before him in pitch-black darkness.

Which was weird.

He should have been seeing a few streetlights here and there.

Yet there were none.

The world was drowned in a suffocating darkness.

His instincts were tingling, desperately trying to draw his attention, but he was more consumed by the sight of the house a short distance away from him.

"Jesse...."

Without thinking twice, Asher grabbed his head, which was beginning to pound, and then started staggering forward like a drunkard.

His steps were wobbly as he moved from left to right in an uneven sway.

But determination and a quiet stubbornness coursed through his body. He was fixated on getting to his house as fast as possible.

The sound of crickets chirping in the distance could be heard, with the pale moon in the sky casting its cadaverous glow over the city.

Even though it was dark, Asher didn’t stumble in his footing. Instead, he walked with chilling precision.

He was there.

Almost there.

Taking one more step, his instincts finally flared at him so violently that he couldn’t ignore them anymore.

His senses sparked up fiercely.

Usually, he always sensed the presence of Shadows faintly.

But this time, it was like a furious flame— almost overwhelming the boy.

With a fluid spin of his body, Asher swiftly ducked beneath a slash that had been heading straight for his neck.

His heart raced loudly in his ears as he stared at the ground.

A second too late.

Just one second later, and his head would have been rolling on the ground.

Before he could even think, a solid knee strike bashed into his face, sending his body flying backward.

Crash—!

He tumbled backward onto his backside, sliding across the ground as pain violently exploded across his face.

When he finally came to a halt, he grimaced through the intense pain.

But still, he decided to fight through it and get a good look at his attacker.

"Ba....thump...."

He could see it.

As clear as day. As clear as he would see a human.

Standing in front of him was a humanoid Shadow.

It stood and looked like a human, but instead of flesh, it was completely made of shadows.

Even its eyes were midnight black.

Panting like a human would, it stretched its bladed arm towards the boy who was still sitting on his backside.

Instead of a shadowy, human hand, the Shadow in front of him had a blade of darkness extending from its arm, the sharpened tip pointed directly at the boy.

Gulp—!

Asher swallowed as hard as he could while staring at the imposing figure before him.

Per his knowledge, wasn’t this a "Shade"? The weakest of the Shadow hierarchy?

The same rank his father and sister had been turned into after their failure in the Nightmare.

So why?

Why the hell did it look so scary?

.... And strong too.

But he didn’t have the luxury of time to admire and praise the Shade.

Because it moved.

’Fast. It’s fast. Well, of course it is. It is a full Shadow, hence it will be as light as a feather, therefore it will be.... Wait! Am I forgetting something?’

Within a few seconds, the Shade was already before Asher, its blade hand lifted high above its head.

’... Of course! Dodge, you moron!’

With his heart racing in his ears, Asher watched as the blade descended with quite the decent speed.

Asher didn’t know what kind of spirit possessed him as he kicked against the ground and vaulted backward— while still on his backside.

Alas!

Due to how weak his legs were, he couldn’t go very far.

He moved just a few inches away.

The Shadow blade slammed into the spot where he had been a moment ago and, with a loud clang, the asphalt beneath it cracked.

’Shit.’

"...."

The Shade paused— staring at the space where the boy had been just now with a confused look.

Then, slowly and almost mechanically, it lifted its head and pierced the boy, who was now standing on his feet, with a sharp glare.

And then,

It moved again.