The cave wasn't much.
Just a hollowed-out scar in the side of a cliff, hidden behind a curtain of thornvine. But Cain didn't need comfort. He needed solitude.
He stood shirtless, breath fogging in the chill air, body still aching from the last fight. His wound was half-healed—Nyx's presence sped up recovery—but the sting reminded him that his enemies wouldn't wait.
[Skill Fragment Acquired – Umbral Step]Blink through the veil of shadow. Short-range teleport (5 meters). Leaves afterimages. Cooldown: 15s.
[Trait Active – Shadowskin]Temporarily hardens skin into shadowed armor. Reduces damage by 20% for 5s. Cooldown: 30s.
Cain cracked his neck.
"Let's see what you've got."
He started slow.
Focused on the feel of it—closing his eyes, picturing the step between spaces.
Time twisted. Air thickened.
"Shadow is not absence," Nyx whispered. "It is presence unacknowledged. Become what is already there."
Cain exhaled—and moved.
In one breath, he was by the wall.
In the next, he was behind it.
[Umbral Step – Success (Tier 1)]
The afterimage still flickered—a smear of black and grey, like a memory caught mid-motion.
Cain stumbled, heart racing.
Too fast.
Too raw.
But it worked.
He grinned.
He kept pushing.
Hour one: Mastered Umbral Step directionally.Hour two: Used it mid-roll to dodge an imagined strike.Hour three: Tried chaining two Steps. Failed. Faceplanted into a rock.
Nyx laughed in his mind for a solid minute.
"Too greedy. Control first. Flash later."
Cain wiped blood from his mouth and stood again.
Next: Shadowskin.
He braced himself, then triggered the trait.
[Trait Activated – Shadowskin (5s)]
His skin darkened. Not just black—but depthless. Like it absorbed the cave light. Lines of power traced across his arms like beast-tattoos.
He struck his own shoulder with the hilt of his dagger.
Pain dulled. The impact felt like hitting coiled rope instead of flesh.
He grinned again.
This was real protection.
But it came with weight. His muscles strained under the pressure.
Four seconds in, his breath hitched. Five, and the armor bled back into nothing.
He fell to his knees.
Shaking. Smiling.
"I can work with that."
He trained for hours.Shadowstep. Strike. Skin. Dodge. Rest. Repeat.
He carved symbols into the stone and practiced reacting blind—stepping away from phantom threats.
He failed.Then failed less.Then failed faster.
By nightfall, he could vanish from one end of the cave to the other in a blink, chain a dodge into a counterattack, and catch a falling dagger in the dark.
"Not bad, pup.""Don't call me pup.""Then stop biting like one."
He collapsed onto his cloak, soaked in sweat and shadow.
The System Panel pulsed faintly.
[Skill Mastery Progress – Umbral Step: 24%][Trait Proficiency – Shadowskin: Stable]
A new icon flickered into view.
[Fusion Evolution Tip – Synergy Unlocked]– New combo trait possible: Shadow Blink (Step + Skin)– Requirement: Fusion Sync 25%+
Cain stared at it.
"I'm just getting started…"
But somewhere deeper in the forest…
A different presence stirred.
Black wings stretched. A chained beast shivered in its slumber. Eyes opened in the roots of trees.
And something watched Cain train through eyes that weren't its own.
"He's adapting too quickly.""Then send another failure.""No. Not yet. Let the boy climb.""Let him taste victory…""…before we show him what he really is."