Ethan sat cross-legged in the center of the room, his eyes closed, breathing deeply. After multiple failures, he refused to give up so easily this time.
But his biggest challenge wasn't just controlling the darkness—it was ignoring the distractions around him.
Luna, lounging lazily in the corner, smirked.
"If you lose focus one more time, Selena's gonna give you a shock therapy session!"
Selena shot her a cold glance.
"I never said that."
Luna shrugged.
"Yeah, but I think a little zap might actually speed up his learning process!"
Fayra, visibly bored, groaned.
"Enough wasting time. Just gather a bit of darkness already. Let's see if you can do anything at all!"
Alice, who had grown increasingly impatient with this spectacle, crossed her arms and sneered.
"Honestly, these training sessions are ridiculous. If you try this nonsense one more time, I'm officially calling it 'Useless Meditation Time'!"
Ethan clenched his jaw.
No. This time, he had to get it right.
This time, he couldn't fail.
The First Success?!
Taking a deep breath, he allowed the darkness to spread around him. Then—he felt it.
Without opening his eyes, he sensed their presence. He knew exactly where Luna was lounging, how Fayra was standing, and that Selena was just three steps away, probably ready to slam his head into a wall if necessary.
A slow grin spread across his lips.
"I think… I can feel it!"
Selena gave an approving nod.
"Finally. Congratulations, you've taken the first step."
Fayra rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, sure. Big achievement. Now you can tell when someone's about to kick you. Super useful."
Luna chuckled.
"Well, now that you've got that down, it's time to show something real. Try actually controlling the darkness."
Alice, still skeptical, raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly! Are you just gonna stand there sensing stuff, or are we actually going to see something?"
Ethan exhaled. They were right. He needed to take the next step.
A Dangerous Mistake!
He focused, gathering darkness around his hands. At first, it was calm, flowing gently like a soft wave. But then—
It spiraled out of control.
A surge of darkness exploded across the room, consuming everything in a pitch-black void.
Luna shrieked.
"Hey! I can't see anything! Who turned off the lights?!"
Fayra tried summoning flames, but—
"What?! My fire went out?! What kind of bullshit is this?!"
Alice, completely panicked, pressed herself against the wall.
"Ethan! What the hell did you do?! I am NOT dying in a black hole today!"
Selena, ever composed, remained unfazed.
"Calm down. It's just a minor mistake."
Luna snapped.
"A minor mistake?! I can't even see my own hands! What if there's a monster in here?!"
Ethan, equally stunned, glanced around—but he couldn't even see his own fingers.
Alice, now on the verge of hysteria, groaned.
"If this gets any worse, the news headline tomorrow is going to be: 'Clueless Student Turns His House into a Hell Gate!'"
A cold sweat ran down Ethan's spine. He had to fix this. Fast.
The air grew heavier.
And then—he saw it.
A shifting mass of pure darkness, barely visible but undeniably there. Its glowing red eyes bore into him, as if analyzing him.
Ethan held his breath.
What the hell was this?!
Another Attempt—Another Failure?
Still in shock, Ethan tried once more to suppress the darkness.
"Okay, I just need to push it back… Slowly… Carefully…"
But the moment he focused his energy—
BOOM!
The darkness thickened.
Now, not only was their vision completely blocked, but the very air itself felt suffocating.
Fayra, on the verge of exploding with rage, yelled,
"I swear, if you screw this up one more time, I will FIND YOU in this damn darkness and BURN YOU ALIVE!"
Alice, near mental collapse, whimpered,
"This is it. This is how I die. I knew I shouldn't have left the house today."
Somewhere in the darkness, Luna moved mysteriously, her voice filled with excitement.
"Oh, oh! I love this! It's like stepping into a real nightmare!"
Selena pressed a finger to her temple, murmuring,
"As a dragon who's lived through centuries, I've seen a lot. But this? This is actually pissing me off."
The Bizarre Solution: How to Control Darkness?
Ethan, now on the brink of despair, had a sudden, crazy idea.
"If this darkness won't listen to me… maybe I should negotiate with it?"
Closing his eyes, he whispered in his mind:
"Hey. I know you're alive. I know you can hear me."
The darkness… shivered.
"I don't want to hurt you. Just… calm down, okay?"
Silence.
And then—
A deep, unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind:
"You… awakened me?"
Ethan's eyes snapped open.
"What?! You can talk?!"
Alice, who heard nothing, stared at him.
"Uh, who the hell are you talking to?! Don't tell me this thing actually has a brain?!"
Selena's expression sharpened.
"So that's what this is… A real connection with darkness."
Fayra, beyond frustrated, growled,
"Whatever it is, if you can't shut it down, at least BURN it so we can be done with this!"
But suddenly, the darkness moved—
And the shadow stepped forward.
The Decisive Moment: Will He Succeed?
The shadow spoke, its voice low and eerie.
"You are weak… but you have potential. Will you accept me?"
Ethan stiffened.
"Accept you? What does that mean?"
Luna, thrilled by the development, grinned.
"Say yes! What's the worst that could happen? Maybe you'll get a pet made of darkness!"
Fayra scoffed.
"Or maybe it'll eat his soul. Just saying."
Selena, her expression serious, warned,
"This is a huge gamble, Ethan. The choice is yours."
Ethan stared at the shadow.
Maybe… this was his best chance to truly understand his power.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and said,
"Alright… I accept you."
In an instant, the shadow twisted violently—
And surged toward him like a roaring tide.
Alice's scream rang out.
"Ethan, NO—!"
But it was too late.