Chapter 12: Pet
Curious about the new feature, he pressed on the pet's name.
[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Leon
Title: Crown Prince's Shadow
Race: Shadow (Awakened)
Age: 16
Energy Source: Mana
Elements: Darkness (Affinity: 99%)
Main Stage: Growth
Sub Stage: Starseed
Rank: Initiate
Skills
[Shadow Return]: Allows access to the Shadow Land.
[Shadow Calling]: Summon a single shadow. [Cooldown: one month]
[Shadow Stealth]: Merge with the shadow.
---
'Ah, it grants me access to my shadow's status screen and its skill window. This will be quite helpful.' Cassian nodded his head in understanding.
He appreciated the new feature for its incredible usefulness and thanked the system.
Skimming through the skills section, he got the general idea behind the various skills displayed on the skill tab.
[Shadow Return] allowed Leon to travel to and fro between Shadow Land and the real world. It didn't require any medium and there seemed to be no cooldown for this skill.
[Shadow Calling] allowed Leon to summon a single shadow through the Shadow Land as a medium. To summon a named shadow like off Alexander's or Seraphina's, he would require their bestowed name. Its cooldown was pretty long but considering its usage, it was worth it.
Lastly, [Shadow Stealth] allowed Leon to merge with any shadows and hide inside them. It was a perfect skill for assassination and information gathering. When Leon uses [Shadow Stealth], only extremely powerful individuals or individuals with keen senses can perceive his existence.
"Alright. Now that my job here is done, Let's return to the palace." Passing the shadow token to the butler, both of them teleported from the Shadow Land and arrived inside the Royal Palace.
"Congratulations, your Highness. You've successfully surpassed your father in the Shadow department. The Emperor would be thrilled hearing this news." Armes replied with a tinge of playfulness attached to his voice.
cough
"Thank you for your kind words, Uncle. I shall take my leave then." He hurriedly escaped Armes's sight after feeling the intense gaze from him.
Armes just stood there, smiling as he watched Cassian's fading silhouette.
—
knock knock
"Come in." A deep, authoritative voice resounded, beckoning Cassian to enter the massive room. Despite his second visit, he was still nervous against this man also known as the Emperor.
Lying on the luxurious sofa, he was reading through a plethora of documents, scattered around the table beside him.
"Sit." He ordered, placing the documents on the wooden table. His gaze firmly landed on Cassian, making the latter sweat a little under the pressure.
With a small smile across his face, Alexander bent forward and continued, "Congratulations."
"Thank you, Father." Cassian bowed lightly, the nervousness across his face eased a little after hearing the compliment. He had already guessed that by now, Uncle Armes should have recounted the Shadow Land incident to his father. Although Armes loved Cassian dearly, his loyalty to Alexander comes first.
"Hmm…Can you summon your shadow now?" He asked with a tinge of curiousness attached to his voice. He was truly curious about his son's shadow who had higher affinity than his own.
"Yes." Nodding curtly, he straightened his body posture and deeply called out a name, "Leon."
His shadow swirled around, forming a silhouette of a boy whose appearance was extremely similar to Cassian's. It bent forward on one knee and bowed down before Cassian.
Alexander's curious gaze landed on Leon, who seemed unfazed by the pressure on his shoulders.
"Interesting." His eyes narrowed lightly upon sensing the power coursing through Leon's body. He had a guess before but he was now sure that the shadow before him had crossed the ninety-five crossmark.
'It's more than ninety-six percent. Had it achieved ninety-seven or even ninety-eight, I'm unsure about it.'
Tapping his fingers lightly on the Sofa's edge, he pondered deeply, his various speculations sinking within his mind.
Cassian just sat beside him concealing a hidden smirk behind his stoic look. 'You would have never guessed that the shadow before you has a fricking ninety-nine percent affinity.'
He silently chuckled to himself, feeling happy and excited inside. He had promised to his father before that he would display his resolve and this was the first step. The first step of his grand plan.
Alexander oblivious to the various thoughts inside his son's mind, displayed an even bigger smile and called out a name. "Zayn."
The shadow beneath him swirled uncontrollably, forming a dark tornado. It rapidly gained shape and size and transformed itself into the exact replica of Alexander.
"Yes, master." Kneeling on one knee, it spoke with utmost respect. Unlike Cassian's shadow, this one could speak loud and clear.
'Hmph! Leon will be able to speak to after adapting to its new form.' Snorting to himself, he cast his gaze upon his father's shadow, Zayn.
[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Zayn
Title: Emperor's Shadow
Race: Shadow (Awakened)
Age: 35
Energy Source: Mana
Elements: Darkness
Main Stage: Sublimation
Sub Stage: Divine Roots
Rank: Sage
---
'Worthy of being the Emperor's shadow.' His eyes sparkled with admiration after gazing at the status screen before him.
"Don't forget his name, Cassian." Alexander reminded, getting a quick nod from him.
"Yes." He would forget his own name rather than the name of his father's shadow. This very name would save him from a lot of trouble and dangerous situations.
"Zayn, Train him." He ordered, pointing towards Leon. "I want him well educated in everything, manners, weapon arts, etiquette, etc. Also, help him adjust his new form properly."
"Yes, Master," Zayn replied, his form blending with Alexander's shadow as his figure vanished completely. Shadows trained inside the Shadow Land as the darkness element there is extremely high, making it the perfect training ground for a dark race species like them.
Cassian also canceled his summon, allowing Leon to return back to the Shadow Land. Zayn and Leon both were shadows born from the Shadow Land so, they instinctively understood each other. Their similar origin allowed them to communicate with each other more effectively consequently providing rapid growth under Zayn's teaching.
"Thank you, Father." With a grateful look on his face, he thanked his father who replied back with a smile.
"When are you planning to leave the Capital?"
"Tomorrow."
"Very Well. Inform your sister and Armes before leaving the Palace. I hope you won't repeat the same mistake again."
"I won't." He replied seriously, without a shred of hesitation.
Alexander raised his eyebrows, intently staring at him for a while before retracting his gaze. Stretching his arm forward, He grabbed the documents from the table and started reading through them.
"You may leave."
Cassian bowed lightly and spun around, walking past the front door.
'I hope Amelia allows me to leave the Capital tomorrow. I should plan on how to convince her first.'
With those thoughts revolving around his head, he exited the room.
"Lord."
Right after Cassian's exit, Armes appeared beside Alexander out of thin air. Bowing his head deeply, he waited for his Lord's command.
"He has changed. His face looks a lot more lively now. Before, he always wore a mask of indifference, distancing himself away from everyone. But now, he has suddenly displaying more emotions and drive for the future. Just what had happened inside the Mournshade Forest to cause this transformation?" Alexander softly muttered, his tone curious and confused. The transformation was quite sudden and caught him off-guard.
"We haven't found anything noteworthy yet. All our results and speculations end up in a single fact, he had probably achieved some sort of enlightenment after encountering a life-and-death situation. This is the only probability as of now." Armes replied with a hesitant tone. Despite the conclusion before him, he felt that the answer was more complex.
"Continue the search."
"Yes, Lord."
With those words, He vanished from the room, leaving Alexander alone in his own thoughts.