"Che. Screw off, Sunny." A voice said aloud in annoyance.
"Stop calling me Sunny. Did you forget my name? It's Lucas! Ha... Anyways, it's about time you showed yourself. How long do you plan on hiding?" Kaito's other half, Lucas, asked.
"I wasn't hiding. You think I, the mighty Shadow Monarch, would HIDE?" The voice said, clearly offended by what the other said.
"Shadow Monarch? Kage, that title of yours is long forgotten! Ever since your sudden disappearance after the war ended, we all thought you died..."
"Hahhh? Me? DEAD? You've got to be kidding me! I was ASLEEP, NOT dead." The voice, Kage, argued.
"How come I couldn't sense your presence at all until recently? Asleep? Really??! If you were ASLEEP, then you're a f*cking pig! How can anyone sleep for more than 10,000 years?!?!" Lucas yelled as he stared at the shadows surrounding Rem.
"What did you just say?"
"I said that you're a f*cking pig!"
"No, not that! What did you say AFTER that?"
"How can anyone sleep for more than 10,000 years?"
"Yes, that. I've slept for more than TEN THOUSAND YEARS??!"
"Yes, that's right. What? You didn't know?" Lucas raised one of his brows.
"No sh*t, I didn't know!" Kage said loudly.
"Okay, chill," Lucas said, splashing a large bucket amount of water at the shadows surrounding Rem.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR??!" Kage shaped the shadows into a long hand and slapped Kaito in the face.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Lucas rubbed his left cheek, which now had a red slap mark.
"Hmph. Well deserved!" Kage said in satisfaction.
"Urgh, whatever." Lucas rolled his eyes.
"Shouldn't you get rid of the fire first? Use your drinking water powers already! It smells horrible here!!!" Kage complained.
"You're so whiny. You never change, do you? Haiz..." Lucas sighed.
He waved his left hand, and in a mere second, it began to rain like cats and dogs. Soon enough, all the fire went out.
"There. Happy now?"
"Tch. What happened to you then?" Kage questioned Lucas.
"That's my question." Lucas refuted.
"Urgh, whatever. Now leave us. We don't need your help!" Kage said stubbornly.
The shadows "swallowed" the monster before disappearing.
"Rude. He didn't even say thank you." Lucas muttered, leaving towards Arka City.
...
"What...?" Rem woke up in a space with millions of stars everywhere.
She's in her beastman form.
"You finally woke up." An unfamiliar voice said.
"Who are you?" Rem asked cautiously.
"I'm Kage, the soul of the body you're in right now." The voice, Kage, replied.
Suddenly, shadows appeared in front of Rem, forming into the appearance of a cat.
"You're this body's original owner?"
"That's correct. After I was sealed away, I lost consciousness for who knows how long. I only recently woke up. I'm currently very weak. Well, not as weak as before since I now have enough strength to create a physical form of a small being." Kage explained.
"What are you implying...?"
"There are two souls in my body. One of them is mine, the other is yours. My theory is that as you grow stronger, I'll gain back more of my powers. I've decided to help you, so we can both grow stronger together." Kage said.
"Sounds nice, but I don't think that's all you want from me." Rem said aloud.
"You're quite quick-witted. I'm glad you're not dumb."
"What do you want from me?" Rem questioned.
"It's nothing big. Just let me take over my body when I ask you to. Do you know Lucas and his other half? Lucas is like me while his other half is like you. We'll be sharing the same body, helping each other out."
Kage's tailed waved from side to side slowly.
'If that's the case, I'll use him to my advantage.' Rem thought.
"Alright, but you can only take over my body for no more than one day a week. Then, you've got a deal."
"That's fine by me. Great choice." Kage exclaimed.
"Your body needs time to recover completely. While you wait for it to recover, why don't I teach you how to awaken your REAL powers?"
"Real powers?" Rem raised one of her brows.
"That's right. I'm the Shadow Monarch, the strongest being in the universe."
'Is he a naccricist?' Rem wondered.
"So?"
"I'm the best shadow user. The shadow magic you're using is so... BASIC." Kage said in disgust.
"Basic? Isn't that how you're supposed to use it?"
"Why follow this world's rules? I've been watching you for a while now. You rely too much on that System. Stop doing that, and stop trying to blend in with those disgus—Ahem, humans." Kage told Rem.
"Why should I listen to you?"
"I'm very knowledgeable. Never trust anyone, especially humans. You got that, kid?" Kage warned.
"Thanks for the warning. If you didn't know yet, my name's Rem." Rem emphasized.
"Okay, Rin."
Before Rem could correct Kage, Kage spoke again.
"If you want to grow stronger, you have to be awakened. We're a race called 'Kager.' Only a few races, including Gods, can be awakened. Once one's awakened, their strength will increase by however many folds. I'm not sure, since everyone's is different. Usually, one's strength would double. Back then, when I first awakened, my strength increased by fivefold after I awakened." Kage rambled.
"Gods can be awakened?"
"Of course, they can! How else do you think they can act all high and mighty? Why are you so interested in Gods anyway? You do know that I'm a hundred times stronger, right? If all the Gods attacked me, I would still win."
The cat's tail wagged.
'What the f*ck??? Is he supposed to be a cat or a dog? I don't even know if he's bluffing anymore...' Rem sighed.
"What? You don't believe me?!"
"I didn't say anything. Just tell me how to awaken already."
"Tsk, fine. With where you are right now, it'll take a very very veryyyy long time for you to awaken, but since you have me, the almighty Shadow Monarch here to help you, I shall be nice and tell you how to awaken quicker." The cat said with his head up.
'If he has a human appearance, I can already imagine his smug face...!' Rem controlled her urge to roll her eyes.
"You just have to gain a constellation or many constellations' support. The more powerful the constellation, the quicker you can awaken."
"Can you explain what constellations are?" Rem asked.
"Ah, yes. I forgot normal people don't know of the existence of constellations. Well, I don't want to go too much into detail about them cuz I don't wanna. Constellations are just beings who can share their powers with anyone they want to until that person dies, sort of like how you and that dragon buddy of yours are bound by a blood contract." Kage explained.
"And I know you're going to ask how you can do that, so I'll explain before you say anything. Do you see all those stars around us? They're constellations. Right now, to you, each of those stars may look like just one star, but some of them have many stars within them, creating a constellation that cannot be seen easily."
While Kage said that, Rem focused on one star and gathered as much mana as she could in her eyes.
Rem's eyes began to glow a tiny bit red.
By the time Kage finished talking, Rem could see the constellation within the star.
"I can see it." Rem said aloud as she stared at the golden constellation that was the shape of two triangles whose tips touched each other.
"What??!" Kage was shocked.
The constellation Rem was looking at suddenly flew closer to Rem.
When it did, it looked like a shooting star.
⦗You can see me?⦘
"Yeah." Rem replied, amazed.
Up close, the constellation looked beautiful, like a golden, sparkling gem—but much more beautiful.
⦗Let me introduce myself. I'm the Time Constellation, Zurvan. May I ask what your name is?⦘
"Rem. My name is Rem."
⦗May I have the honor to be by your side?⦘
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I'm still here! Zur, you b*stard. I don't need your help!" Kage exclaimed.
"You guys know each other?"
⦗I don't know him.⦘
"You—!" Kage growled.
"As long as I have a constellation, it'll take less time, right?"
"That is correct, but—"
⦗Let's create a bond, a soul bond.⦘
"M'kay." Rem agreed.
"Wait—"
The golden star entered Rem's heart.
After a second, a man taller than Rem appeared in front of her.
He has short, white snow-white hair and golden crystal-like eyes.
He wore a white top hat and a fancy, white suit.
"Greetings, Rem. I'm Zurvan, in my human form." Zurvan bowed at Rem.