Zayne stepped outside his dorm, immediately spotting Ash waiting for him—again. He didn't acknowledge her, didn't even spare her a glance, and just kept walking. Of course, she fell into step beside him, undeterred.
"So, about your shadow—what's that all about?" she asked, her curiosity as persistent as ever.
Zayne barely reacted, his attention fixed on his phone as he lazily scrolled. "No clue, honestly. Apparently, he's a parasite, but he doesn't do much. Can't even fully separate from my body, and he can't talk, which is kind of annoying. Pretty sure he eats my leftover food, though, since it always disappears."
As if responding to the conversation, a shadowy head with no distinct features extended from his back, scanning the area before turning to glare at Ash. After a tense moment, it withdrew back into Zayne's body without a sound.
Ash narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah, totally normal. Nothing supernatural about that at all."
Zayne just shrugged, still not looking up from his phone. "Glad you get it."
Ash threw an arm around Zayne's shoulder, flashing him a grin. "So, now that you've been thrown into the supernatural world, think you can use Focus?"
Zayne immediately shrugged her off. "You know, for someone who literally killed me, you're awfully clingy." He gave her a deadpan look. "And I have no idea what you mean by 'use Focus.' I know how to focus. I do it all the time."
Ash rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I figured. And honestly, I'm more surprised you're not terrified of me right now. I did put a hole in your chest."
Zayne sighed, glancing back down at his phone. "What's the point? Even if I did freak out, what would that change? I'd probably still lose in a fight, shadow or not. And besides, being scared won't help anybody—especially not me."
Ash hummed thoughtfully, tilting her head as she walked beside him. "That's kind of depressing, you know. Most people would at least try to get stronger after an experience like that."
Zayne gave her a sideways glance before returning his attention to his phone. "I never said I wasn't trying to get stronger. I just said panicking over it won't help."
Ash smirked. "So you are planning to get stronger? Maybe I should help."
Zayne finally looked up, brow twitching. "You? Help? I think you've done enough for me already. Again, you killed me."
Ash laughed, nudging him with her elbow. "And yet, here you are, alive and walking. Maybe I did you a favor."
Zayne rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, let's call getting impaled a favor. Maybe you'd like me to return it?"
Ash shrugged. "I mean, you could try. Not that you'd succeed."
Zayne sighed, locking his phone and stuffing it into his pocket. "Why are you even following me? You get your answers already. I died. I came back. Now I just wanna live a normal life and not deal with crazy werewolf girls who have no sense of personal space."
Ash tapped her chin. "Hmm. One, I never got all my answers. Two, you're interesting. And three..." She suddenly stepped in front of him, stopping his walk. "I have a feeling you're not done with this supernatural mess yet. If anything, you're just getting started."
Zayne sighed, stepping around her. "Yeah, well, if I ignore it, maybe it'll go away."
Ash grinned. "Yeah, good luck with that."
As they continued walking, the shadowy figure on Zayne's back slithered out slightly, its featureless head peering at Ash. She raised an eyebrow, locking eyes—or at least what she thought were eyes—with it.
"You sure it's just a parasite?" she asked, smirking.
Zayne waved dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. He eats my leftovers, doesn't talk, and gets grumpy when people stare at him. Pretty parasite-y if you ask me."
Ash chuckled. "Alright, then. But if you start growing extra limbs or turning into some kind of shadow monster, don't say I didn't warn you."
Zayne groaned. "Great, another thing to worry about. Thanks."
"Anytime!" Ash chirped, slinging an arm around his shoulder again.
Zayne didn't even bother shrugging her off this time. It was probably just easier to let her have her fun.
"So, want me to help you get stronger? I can, you know. It might not be obvious, but I'm crazy strong. Everyone calls me a prodigy, and I've taken down more hunters than you could count."
"Well, I guess learning to protect myself couldn't hurt. But I'm not sure I trust your teaching abilities—you seem kinda airheaded."
Ash grimaced before tightening her arm around his neck. "You know I could kill you again, right?"
Zayne sighed, dropping his head as a shadowy arm emerged from his back and gently pushed her arm off. "Like I said, I'll think about it."
She clapped her hands together and grinned. "How cool! Did you rehearse that?"
Zayne smirked. "Actually, yeah. Pretty slick, right?"
"I've been practicing a lot of other things too. Check this out."
Two shadowy arms sprouted from beneath his own, making it look like he had four arms. "He doesn't talk, but I can communicate what I want him to do with my mind."
Ash tilted her head, tapping her chin as a sly smile formed on her lips. "Interesting…"
Ash circled him, eyes gleaming with curiosity as she inspected the shadowy limbs. "So, do they feel like real arms? Can you, like, pick stuff up with them?"
Zayne flexed the extra limbs, making them curl into fists before opening them again. "Kinda? It's weird. I can feel them, but not the way I feel my real arms. It's like…I know what they're doing, but there's no weight or resistance."
Ash suddenly snatched a stick off the ground and tossed it at him. "Catch."
One of the shadow arms lashed out, snatching the stick midair with an effortless flick. Zayne blinked, a little surprised himself.
Ash whistled. "Damn, that's fast. So, how strong are they?"
Zayne shrugged and tested their grip, squeezing the stick until it splintered. "Not sure yet. Haven't exactly had a reason to push them to the limit."
Ash grinned, leaning forward with excitement. "Oh, we are definitely testing that."
Zayne sighed. "I knew you were gonna say that."
She patted his shoulder. "Come on, you've got a weird shadow parasite and potential super strength—you have to see what it can do! Think of the possibilities!"
Zayne raised an eyebrow. "You just want an excuse to fight me, don't you?"
Ash smirked. "Maybe. But hey, if you're gonna survive in this world now, you're gonna need to start pushing yourself. Unless you want to be an easy target."
Zayne rolled his eyes. "Great. More people trying to beat me up. Just what I needed."
Ash laughed, throwing an arm around his shoulder again. "Come on, it'll be fun! Think of it as payback for the whole 'putting a hole in your chest' thing."
Zayne sighed again, but deep down, he had to admit… he was a little curious about how far his new abilities could go.