"His name's Crow."
That name alone made the room go quiet.
Sara stepped forward, her voice cracking slightly. For a moment, it sounded like she was holding back tears—or fear. Maybe both.
"Crow... okay. But what is this guy? Why were you fighting? And you—those powers—what even are you? Is this real? Or am I just... dreami—"
Harry and Lily cut her off at the same time, firm and calm.
"This is not a dream. It's real."
James let out a breath like he'd just stepped out of a movie theater.
"If it's real, then that's... that's cool. Dude, that's so cool. Powers are real? You—YOU—who always talked about anime, spouted chuunibyou nonsense in class... you actually got powers?! It's like you manifested a whole anime arc or something!"
I gave him a sideways smirk.
"Yeah. Funny how life works, huh?"
Then I straightened my posture slightly, my expression turning serious again. The shadows around me thickened slightly—not because of any power, just the broken lighting and boarded windows casting jagged lines across the floor.
"Crow… I don't know him personally. But my leader does."
That got their attention.
Even Lily, skeptical as ever, tilted her head.
"Leader? There's more of you?"
"There's more going on than I can explain right now," I said, voice steady. "But what I do know… is his story."
I took a breath, letting it fill the room with weight. They needed to feel this part. To believe it. So, I delivered it like a tragic folktale, laced with just enough mystery to pull them in.
"He was once a man... just a man. He fell in love with a woman. Deeply. The kind of love that makes you dream of forever."
James nodded slowly, probably thinking about some romantic subplot from an anime.
"But she died. Sudden. Unexpected. The kind of loss that swallows everything."
Even Lily's arms loosened from her crossed posture.
"He couldn't let her go," I continued. "Wouldn't. So he searched—studied—sacrificed. And eventually... he found something."
The wind creaked through the broken frame of the building, making the silence tighter.
"He discovered that every shadow holds a piece of the soul. That the thing trailing behind us, following us, isn't just darkness. It's memory. Emotion. Essence. Our shadow... is us."
Sara blinked, her lips parting slightly. Harry looked stunned.
"So to bring her back… he started stealing them. One by one. Because with enough shadows... enough pieces of soul... he could build her again."
"But without a shadow, a person becomes hollow. Empty. Living, but not alive."
Lily whispered:
"That's why he's doing it... to bring her back?"
"Yeah," I said. "He doesn't want to destroy the world."
I looked them all in the eyes, one by one.
"He just wants to bring her back."
And then, softer—like I was admitting something personal.
"Even if the cost... is everyone else."
The weight of that hung in the air like a hanging fog. No one spoke right away. Dust swirled gently in the sunlight bleeding through the window above us.
(Perfect. Their silence says everything. They're pulled in.)
Harry clenched his fists beside me.
"That's not right. That's... that's not fair. People shouldn't have to pay because he couldn't let go."
James looked at me.
"Are you supposed to stop him? Like, is that your mission?"
I smiled faintly.
"…yeah."
Sara frowned, stepping closer again.
"But that means you're in danger. You could've been killed."
I tilted my head and gave her a soft smile.
"But I wasn't."
She looked away, cheeks a bit red.
"Still… you idiot."
(Heh. Music to my ears.)
Lily crossed her arms again.
"If this Crow is still out there... then what now? You think he'll come back?"
I answered without hesitation.
"He will."
I pushed myself off the wall slowly, letting out a low breath as I stood—deliberate, shaky. My body was covered in fake tremors and real blood. The crusted stains on my sleeve had darkened, stiffening the fabric. Dirt clung to my hoodie from when I'd hit the ground earlier.
I brushed it off, wincing just enough to sell it.
"This was just the start. Crow was testing me."
Harry squinted. His voice was cautious, like someone already bracing for the next wave.
"And now?"
"Now he knows you all."
That line settled over the group like a fog. They all glanced at each other—my friends. Normal people. Students who had no reason to be here, standing in the shell of this cracked, hollow building, surrounded by secrets and shadows.
And still… they didn't leave.
(Now for the big push.)
I raised my head, gave them a grim smile, and said:
"Look… I don't want you all to be dragged into this. You're not soldiers. You don't have powers. You don't need to risk anything for me. So just… walk away. Forget what you saw. Go back to your normal lives."
(Kekeke. 10/10 dramatic sacrifice speech. Oscar-worthy delivery.)
Then it happened.
BAM!
A fist slammed straight into my jaw.
My head whipped slightly from the impact—not from pain, but from the sheer surprise of it.
(What the hell?! Did he just—?!)
I stumbled back a step, blinked hard, and looked up.
Harry was breathing hard, his fist still clenched.
"What the hell, man?!"
He shouted before I could even finish the sentence:
"Bastard! Who do you think we are, huh?! Some strangers you just met?! Not your friends?! You idiot!"
His voice cracked at the end. His eyes were wet.
"Tyler, we've been friends since high school. You, me, Lily, and Sara—we've been through everything together. And now you wanna push us away?!"
Lily didn't speak, but her arms had dropped. She was biting her lip, blinking too fast.
Sara turned her head to the side, her eyes locked on the broken tiles beneath her feet. Her hands were clenched into fists too, but she said nothing.
Then James, with his usual goofy timing, raised a hand.
"Uh, I've been friends with you since college. Yep. Not as long, but it still counts."
Even through the emotion, I couldn't stop the smirk that tugged at the corner of my mouth.
"Tch… You guys are unbelievable."
(…And exactly what I needed.)
I rubbed my jaw lightly, more out of show than necessity. That punch might've been fueled by emotion, but thanks to the OmniScript? It felt like a breeze.
Still, the act had to go on.
I sighed, dropping back down to sit on the cold tile.
"Fine. You win."
"But don't say I didn't warn you."
Harry sat next to me again, his anger cooling into determination.
"We're your friends, Tyler. If you fight, we fight. Even if we don't have powers."
Lily finally stepped forward and placed her hand gently on my shoulder.
"And you're not carrying this alone anymore."
Sara crouched beside me, looking me over again. This time, her voice was quiet—almost soft.
"Dummy."
James leaned against the wall, wincing.
"So… what now? We train? We become shadow-hunters? Join some secret magic cult? What's the plan, Main Character-kun?"
I gave him a half-smile.
"First step? Getting out of this building before Crow decides to stop being dramatic and actually come back."
Lily rolled her eyes but nodded.
"Yeah. Let's go."
The sunlight was dimmer now, streaking through the boarded windows like fractured gold. Dust danced in the air, kicked up with every step we took as we made our way toward the exit. My body still ached—not from injury, but from holding the act so tightly together.
(They accepted it. Hook, line, and shadow-cloak. The story is working.)
As we reached the threshold of the broken door, I looked back at the room one last time.
Where Crow had stood. Where power had manifested. Where they chose to stay.
This was no longer just my story.
…
As the broken silence of the abandoned structure finally gave way to the outside world.
Cracked pavement greeted us like an old, bitter friend—scattered with tufts of wild grass clawing their way through concrete. The building behind us groaned, its old bones creaking in protest as if mourning the secrets we'd just pulled from its depths.
A sharp beam of sunlight sliced through the overcast sky above, casting long shadows ahead of us. Shadows that felt heavier now. Almost... aware.
We were quiet, all five of us. Me, limping slightly with dried blood streaking my hoodie—(for show, of course)—and the others still reeling. Confused. Awed. Maybe even a little afraid.
That glow in their eyes, though?
I recognized it.
The kind of light that only sparks when someone realizes they've stepped out of the ordinary.
Out of their story... and into mine.
I stopped abruptly, holding a hand out. Everyone halted.
"Wait…" I muttered, voice low but commanding. "I need to call my leader."
Harry frowned.
"Leader?"
"Yeah. I can't exactly handle this whole thing solo."
(Kekeke… This is the good part.)
I pulled my phone from my pocket and held it up to my ear. The screen didn't even light up—I'd disabled the display for this exact moment. The less they could see, the more they'd believe.
What they didn't know:
This wasn't a real call.
There was no line, no signal.
I was speaking to a clone I had stationed at the base—a fabricated "leader" built through OmniScript with all the heroic clichés turned up to eleven.
A beacon of light.
Hope made manifest.
A man who looked like he was drawn straight from the pages of a golden-age comic book.
Captain Solarius.
A living emblem of justice. Yellow cape. Spandex suit. A blinding sun crest glowing on his chest. Hair so perfectly blond it looked photoshopped in real life, and eyes the color of righteous emerald fire.
His role?
The noble leader of my fabricated organization.
My "commander."
My mouthpiece.
Me… but not me.
I spoke clearly into the silent phone.
"...Yes, Crow was here. Yes, the real one."
"Yeah, uh… my friends found out who I am. Yes. I know. I slipped."
"No, I didn't tell them everything. Yet."
"You… want to bring them to the base?"
I could feel their eyes on me—Harry, Sara, Lily, James. Half in disbelief. Half totally hooked.
"Understood."
"Yes, I'll bring them to you… if they're willing."
I paused, like I was listening to some final, world-ending instruction on the other end.
(Heh. This is Oscar-worthy.)
"Yes, sir. To The Haven it is."
I lowered the phone slowly and sighed. Like I was carrying the weight of a war no one else could see. (Nice touch. Very dramatic.)
They all stared at me like I'd grown a second head and started speaking Latin.
Lily narrowed her eyes.
"Are we supposed to know who that was?"
I pocketed the phone.
"Captain Solarius." I let the name hang in the air like thunder after lightning. "He's my commander. The one who first initiated me into this world."
A beat passed.
"Anyway…" I said, shifting my weight, "Captain wants to meet you. He's calling us back to base. The Haven—that's what he calls it."
Everyone looked at each other. The moment twisted in the air, silent and heavy. I could see it in their faces—they felt it too. That pull. That invisible line from their boring lives to something much bigger. Much stranger.
They gulped. No one moved.
I took a breath, then said what I had to:
"You all don't have to come with me."
"But if you do… there's no turning back."
"You'll know things you can't unknow. See things you'll never unsee."
(Cue the dramatic music, camera close-up on everyone's eyes.)
Harry stepped forward without hesitation.
"If you think I'm gonna let you walk into all this alone… then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought."
Lily crossed her arms, exhaling sharply.
"I guess we're already in this far. No use pretending otherwise."
Sara looked at me, eyes softer.
"I just want answers. And I'm not letting you face it without us."
James cracked his knuckles and grinned.
"Let's roll then. Lead the way, Hero."
I blinked at that last one.
"Hero?"
He shrugged.
"Sounds cool. You're basically a hero, right?"
"Hero huh…" I muttered.
(Okay, I really like this guy kekeke)
We turned as one, leaving the broken bones of the old building behind. Cracked pavement crunching under our steps. Above us, the clouds began to break, sunlight streaming through like a spotlight.
The real journey had just begun.
And The Haven was waiting.
To be continue