With every passing second, the situation worsened. The darkness twisted and curled like a living entity, wrapping around everything in the room. The shadow that Ethan had unknowingly created stood silently in the center, as if awaiting a command.
"Okay, what the hell was that?!"
Alice was still pressed against the wall, her eyes locked onto the shadowy figure as if it might lunge at her any second.
Fayra crossed her arms, scowling. "Alright, Ethan. Either explain what this thing is, or I'm blasting it into oblivion."
Ethan took a hesitant step back, still unsure of what had just happened. "Look, I was just trying to control my darkness ability, but… things got a little out of hand?"
Luna clapped her hands excitedly as she stared at the shadow. "Oh my god, this is amazing! Let's name it 'Darky'!"
"Forget naming it and focus on the fact that it exists!" Selina, who seemed to be the only one still thinking rationally, stepped forward, rubbing her chin in thought. "Ethan, you didn't just control darkness—you created a living entity from it."
Fayra pointed a finger at the shadow. "So, should I burn it?"
Alice, now looking even paler, shouted, "No! If you set it on fire, you might burn down the entire house!"
Ethan, sweating bullets, tried to communicate with the shadow. "Uh… hey, you. Who… or what are you? Can you talk?"
The shadow didn't respond. It simply shifted slightly, tilting its head as if observing him.
"Maybe you should train it like a pet!" Luna giggled, bouncing on the couch. "Say 'sit, Darky! Sit!'"
But before Ethan could even consider doing something that ridiculous, the front door suddenly burst open!
An Uninvited Guest That Makes Things Worse!
Ethan's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. Who the hell was that?!
A tall man, clad in hunter's attire with the official insignia of the Hunters' Association, stepped inside.
He took a glance around the room before speaking in a firm tone. "Apologies for the sudden intrusion. I received reports of abnormal activity in this area. It seems like suspicious energy is being emitted from this location."
Alice quickly stepped forward with a forced smile. "Oh! Suspicious energy? Nope! No suspicious energy here! Just a normal night in a normal house! Nothing weird!"
Ethan internally screamed. "For god's sake, could she be any worse at lying?!"
The hunter narrowed his eyes at him. "You're a newly awakened, aren't you?"
Ethan tried to act casual. "Uh… yeah? Something like that."
But at that very moment, his shadow twitched.
The hunter's gaze locked onto it. "And what exactly is that?"
Luna, unable to hold back her laughter, blurted out, "A handmade shadow monster!"
Ethan facepalmed. "I swear to god, Luna…!"
Hiding the Truth: A Dangerous Game!
Now, everyone had to think fast to prevent the hunter from reporting this to the Association.
Alice, trying desperately to distract him, said, "Umm… that's a… a magical research project! A simple experiment!"
Fayra quickly chimed in, "Yeah! A test on controlling dark energy! And it was a total success! Right, Ethan?"
Ethan, having no idea what they were talking about but seeing no other choice, nodded rapidly. "Oh, uh—yeah! A test on dark energy! A complete success! Amazing, right?"
But the hunter still eyed the shadow suspiciously. "This doesn't look like a simple test. This looks more like a sentient entity than an experiment."
Silence fell over the room.
Then, the shadow moved.
It slowly drifted forward… approaching the hunter.
Alice whispered, "Oh no, oh no, oh no… Ethan, control it!"
Ethan, completely panicked, yelled, "Hey! Shadow! Stop right there!"
But the shadow ignored him and continued moving closer… until, at the last second, it stopped right in front of the hunter.
Everyone held their breath, expecting a disaster.
Then, to their utter shock, the shadow simply… spun in a circle and sat down.
The hunter stared at it for a long moment before finally speaking. "…How did you train it?"
Everyone turned to look at Luna, who stood proudly with her hands on her hips. "Told you we should treat it like a dog!"
Ethan exhaled in relief. "Oh, thank the gods…"
Crisis Averted? Not Quite!
The hunter still didn't seem entirely convinced. He crossed his arms and glanced around the room again. "I'm still not sure this is safe. I should probably report this and have a team sent over for further investigation."
"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted at once.
Selina, who had been quiet until now, suddenly stepped forward with a charming smile. "Oh, there's no need for that. It's completely harmless. In fact, why don't you sit down and have a drink? We can discuss it in a more relaxed setting."
The hunter looked at her, then at the shadow, still clearly suspicious.
Luna leaned in and whispered to Ethan, "If he doesn't buy it, we'll have to get rid of him."
Ethan's eyes widened. "What?! You're not seriously thinking of attacking him?!"
Luna shrugged. "Do you have a better idea?"
But to everyone's surprise, the hunter sighed and relented. "Fine. But if I sense dark energy from this place again, I'll have no choice but to send a team for inspection."
Everyone nodded furiously. "Of course! No problem! Everything's totally normal here!"
The hunter gave them one last skeptical glance before turning and exiting the house.
The moment the door shut behind him, Ethan collapsed onto the floor. "I can't take this anymore…"
Alice scowled at him. "You nearly got us all exposed!"
Luna laughed. "But admit it, that was exciting!"
Ethan turned to look at the shadow still standing beside him. "Alright, what exactly are you? And how do I keep you from causing more trouble?"
The shadow simply tilted its head… and, as if it understood the chaos it had caused, it almost looked like it was smiling.