The familiar stench of Arak'tia's urban outskirts met Shinku as he followed Elise towards the place where the cultists were allegedly gathering. He was met by the same old, shabby structures just as he remembered them to be. Somehow, he had gotten used to the stale odor of the air around him for it was almost the same air he breathed back at Kravien. The place was dreadfully quiet in contrast with its bustling ambience since the assassin's last visit. The streets were all empty and all structures closed as if the two were stepping into a ghost town. After quite a long walk, they went to a sudden stop with the lady leaning against a wall on a street corner.
"There, on that narrow alley. Most of us avoid going near this area. I believe it's common knowledge that the place through that alley belongs to a certain gang, uhmmm I forgot what they are called," Elise informed, with her eyes fixed from where the girl's finger was pointed at.
"I see. Well you said you live around here right?" Still behind the lady, Shinku whispered while concentrating on sensing any malicious presence around them.
"Yes I live just…" before Elise could even finish her speech, Shinku suddenly disappeared leaving a trace of his shadow that also disappeared after quite a while. It was just a good thing that the lady decided to turn and face Shinku or she would have gone on talking without actually speaking to anyone. "Hey where the hell did you disappear to?" Dumbfounded, the lady tried to look everywhere but found not a single trace of her companion.
Wanting to leave the lady out of danger, Shinku decided to delve into the shadow realm and portal himself out towards the end of the alley pointed out by Elise, having been able to map the area when he first visited it with Slark. To his disappointment however, he seemed to have been stuck in the shadow realm for some unknown reason.
A mist of darkness and void surrounded the assassin of shadows from every side. Even the ground itself made him feel like he was stepping on thin air, something that he has gotten used to but not for that long. Even though he had occasionally accessed the realm through his teleportation skill, being stuck in the place gave him quite some discomfort. Moreover, it wasn't his intention to stay at the realm but to simply pass by and access its infinite portals.
A sudden dread came over him upon sensing an unknown presence from behind him. "Ah, and we meet again." Threatened, Shinku quickly pulled his sword and turned to face the direction from where the voice came from. It was a voice he could never forget from the time he was doing a mission at the X-7 arena. "And oh, it seems like you still remember me. I must say I'm flattered," the man continued mockingly, realizing how the assassin of shadows got tensed by his mere presence. The stranger stood at quite some distance from Shinku but seemed to project an aura that almost suffocated the assassin of shadows.
"Who are you and how are you able to access this realm?" Knowing that the man wasn't an enemy he could easily deal with, Shinku decided to hold his actions and look for an opportunity to make the right move. The man's face still wasn't recognizable from his view, thanks to the natural darkness inside the shadow realm. What took Shinku's attention however, was the form of a black horse standing right beside the stranger. Even with the realm's darkness, the creature's distinctive black fur and purplish black manes were still surprisingly distinguishable. Moreover, the dark flames that streamed from each of the creature's fetlocks glowed in the realm's absolute darkness. The assassin of shadows was obviously familiar with the creature, with its presence adding up to the fear that had started to build up inside him.
"Well I think that's a story for another time. Right now I believe you have something urgent to do so I won't hold you for that long. Like I told you the last time I simply wanted for us to talk but well, as of now, take this as a gift from me. I guess I messed with you pretty bad during our last meeting and as a token of apology, I caught this shadowsteed for you." With a flick of the man's finger, the dark horse beside him suddenly disappeared and then showed up right beside Shinku.
"Don't you think it's quite dangerous to attack an enemy's fortress without enough weapons of your own? Well, that thing would certainly be of big help. And I'm sure you know how formidable that creature is." Shinku decided to take a glimpse of the fearsome creature but kept his attention on the stranger. The dark horse seemed tame enough to simply stand still right beside him even though it's known for its aggressive behavior.
"Why are you giving this to me?," the assassin of shadows probed, his tone flared with passive accusation.
"I think 'thank you' are words you were looking for shadow walker," the shadowy figure teased, adding to Shinku's temper.
"You're not answering my question. Why..."
"Alright I'm off now, see you some other time lad." Before Shinku could finish his words, the stranger bid his farewell and suddenly vanished. Shinku on the other hand, was forcefully sucked in by an unknown force. He knew the same feeling when stepping on each of the realm's portals but being simply pulled in without him stepping on one, didn't help with the long feeling of dread he had since his temporary imprisonment.
Within just a few winks, the assassin of shadows finally found himself back at Arak'tia's urban outskirts. Luckily, he was at the exact place where he intended to land on previously when he delved into the realm of shadows. For quite some time, Shinku felt some haze, still processing what just transpired. Gradually however, his senses started to come back until finally grasped that he was back at the slums. He quickly noticed an unknown presence just beside him but was relieved upon realizing that it was the shadowsteed that the stranger at the shadow realm gifted him. Cautiously, Shinku tried to touch the creature's mane but pulled his hand back upon sensing the creature move. Still wary of his new pet, the assassin of shadows instead put his mind back on his current mission. With that, he carefully moved through the narrow alley, trying to sense any hostile presence around him. Surprisingly enough, the shadowsteed voluntarily followed him as he moved along.