I could see Caleb clearly in the darkness but it was obvious he couldn't see anything. Taking advantage of his carelessness, I quickly grabbed his massive blade with my shadow tendrils.
I pushed myself forward using the shadows and flew in front of him and pressed a tendril tightly against his neck.
"Stop playing around with me!" I hissed.
His smile only widened with full of satisfaction.
"Kira, isn't it?" his confidence unshaken even with my tendril at his throat. "Let us join your team."
I genuinely caught off guard by his request. Slowly I retracted my shadows. His blade fell heavily to the ground.
CLANG
"No," I said flatly and turning to walk away.
"Kira!" Garis came running toward me. "Are you okay?"
"Let's get out of here, Uncle Garis," I muttered, ignoring Caleb behind.
As we walked away, Garis kept glancing at me with concern.
"What happened back there?" he finally asked.
"I won," I replied. "Uncle Garis, let me test something."
Without waiting for his response I summoned my Shadow Dominion around us into total darkness.
"Kira, this is so dark. I can't see anything!" Garis said with unease.
I quickly dispelled the shadows and light returning to the space.
"As I guess," I said. "Being on a same team isn't enough. Maybe you need Shadow Infusion to see inside."
"You could see clearly in there?"
"Yup."
"That's amazing!"
"Let's hunt some mutants for now. It might help me trigger the Shadow Infusion." I said as my excuse to collect more fragments.
Garis nodded.
We spent the rest of the day hunting mutants. As the night deepened I felt like I am getting stronger. So far I had killed three mutants and collected their fragments.
I couldn't gather fragments from the one killed by Garis as he weren't infused with my shadow yet. Adding to my frustration, my Shadow Dominion skill is literally useless against these mutants. They could see perfectly fine in the dark.
"Should we rest, Uncle Garis?" I asked while rubbing my tired eyes.
"You go ahead, Kira. I'll keep watch for now. There might still be mutants lurking around."
"Okay, I'll sleep first."
As I trying to sleep I remember Maerion and that powerful voice again.
What was that voice? Will I be seeing Maerion again tonight?
But nothing happened as I sleep.
***
The first rays of dawn spilled over the horizon. Just as I stretched and yawned I noticed a group of figures approaching us.
"Uncle Garis, wake up," I whispered while nudging him.
Garis jolted awake and immediately on guard.
It turns out a group of five people led by a man who wear a white robe. He stepped forward and raising a hand in a gesture of peace.
"Oh, please, keep doing what you're doing. We're just passing by."
"No worries," Garis added. "I've had enough sleep."
The man gaze swept over us. "Just the two of you?"
"Yes," I replied.
"What are your archetypes?" he asked. "I'm a Light Mage. I can be your catalyst if you need one."
"Thank you, but we're already teamed up," Garis answered politely. "I'm Flora, and she's Shadow."
At the mention of Shadow, the man fell silent and a strange grin creeping across his face.
My instincts screamed that something wasn't right so I stood up immediately.
"You must be quite new here," he said.
"Yeah, how do you know?"
"Because Shadow... is not accepted anywhere here."
Suddenly his group moved and lunged toward us.
[Skill Activated: Tendril Strike]
[Skill Activated: Shadow Summoning]
Two assassins and a bladeswinger charged at us. I lashed out with my tendrils to make them backed off.
Garis slammed his palm to the ground summoning his roots.
"Your roots need some nutrients!" mocked the Light Mage.
The roots shot toward the two Assassins. One of the Assassins dodged but the other was caught as the roots tightening around his legs like iron chains.
The light mage standing at a distance raised his hands casting glowing orbs of light that surrounded his teammates.
"They're buffed!" Garis shouted.
The Assassin easily tore through the roots. The strength of the Light Mage's buffs radiating from his body.
"You'd better leave that Shadow behind," the light mage sneered to Garis with arrogance voice. "Join us. She's no use to you."
Suddenly my shadows vanished and my summoning failed.
[Skill Activated: Shadow Dominion]
Shadow Dominion flickered for a moment but dissipated before I could envelop anything.
"You've got some nice skills," the light mage said with a smirk. "But they're wasted on you. Facing us, you're nothing."
Garis redirected his focus. Thorned vines burst from the earth whipping toward the Bladeswinger who was charging directly at me. The vines slashed through the air and their barbs catching the Bladeswinger's armor and slowing him down just enough for me to dodge the strike.
"Uncle Garis, watch out!" I shouted as one of the Assassins lunged toward him.
Garis reacted quickly by summoning a wall of roots to block the strike. His roots tangling one of the assassins but the others were broke through Garis's defenses and move toward me.
Just as I braced myself for the attack, a massive blade intercepted the assassin mid-strike. Caleb stood between me and the attacker.
"Stay behind me," he said.
Tahlia and Arlen weren't far behind. As they joined the fray, they quickly turning the tide of the battle. Caleb didn't leave my side for a moment while his blade cleaving through attackers in an instant.
At the end, the enemy fighters were exhausted and their buffs unable to sustain them any longer. As the light mage's group faltered, a mecha that standing next to the light mage summoning a vehicle that looks like an engine cart. The attackers scrambled into the vehicle and retreated.
"You okay?" Caleb turning to me as the dust settled.
I looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. "I'm fine."
Inside, I felt defeated. My shadows had been utterly useless against the light mage. If Caleb and his team hadn't arrived we might not have made it out alive.
"Let's go," I said to Garis.
"Kira," Caleb called after me. I stopped but didn't turn around. "Think about it."
"Kira, stay with us," Tahlia clinging to my arm. "Caleb told us he wants to team up."
"Is that true?" Garis asked surprised.
"For what?" I said bitterly. "You saw it yourself, I'm useless against the Light Mages." I stopped.
"What happened between Shadows and anyone?!"
"It's not it," Caleb said calmly and stepping closer. "It's just merely politics."
"Politics?"
"Light Mages hold superior power as you've seen. They want to remain as the dominant catalyst."
I scoffed. "I guess humans are worse than mutants after all."
"We'll protect you," Caleb piercing blue eyes locked onto mine. "I promise to protect you."
I stared at him while unsure of how to feel.
"Why?"
"Because I trust your shadow."
His words caught me off guard and cutting through my bruised pride. Against all odds, they were comforting.
I let out a deep sigh. "Fine. I'm still mad at you, but… thanks for saving us."
Caleb smiled. We both turned to the system and confirmed the merge of our teams.
"Usually, the catalyst leads the party," Caleb said.
I shook my head. "No, you stay as the leader. I'm not cut out for it."
I looked around at the newly formed team. Tahlia's grin was wide, Arlen gave a quiet nod of approval, and Garis simply rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
A small smile broke across my face as warmth filled my chest. "Thank you for trusting in my shadow."
Caleb met my gaze and nodded.
I need to be stronger for them.