My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Damon was scared but functional, rational yet emotional, burdened but unwilling to collapse. This was just who Damon Grey was. He had always been like this—come hell or high water, he always survived.

Even when no one thought he would…

This was no different. His defiant personality wasn't just against people; it was against the world.

He helped his friends build a fire right by the chasm. He had already anticipated that the creature within did not allow flight over the chasm; however, it would not attack those by the side.

The wyvern flesh was lean, even though it was only in chunks. They roasted it over a low fire and ate as much as they could.

Damon was short on weapons, so he cut out two of the wyvern's sword-like teeth and filed them down, creating two makeshift blades. He wrapped bandages around them to form comfortable handles while the others ate in silence.

Xander looked at him. "Why are you doing that? Don't you already have the axe you got from killing the war troll?"

Damon nodded. "I do, but… I'm not used to using axes, and it's too big. Good for huge and slow enemies, but too unwieldy. These are good—they can strike and harm even big monsters."

Matia lowered her head. "We'll be encountering them soon, won't we? Big monsters…"

Sylvia nodded, looking at the travel journal they had found on the goblin mage.

"Yes. According to this, we'll be meeting things a lot worse than just being big."

Evangeline took a slow bite of the wyvern's meat.

"The academy already knows we're missing by now. They may think we are dead… or worse."

Damon shook his head, glancing at his academy-issued bracelet.

"Doubt it. We have these bracelets, and while you guys weren't paying attention, they have been counting our points. So far, we have… a lot. As long as these bracelets aren't destroyed, they will know we are still alive."

Leona grabbed a huge chunk, stuffing it into her mouth, her expression resigned.

"So what if they know? No one is getting past Ashergon's nest. That dragon would never allow anyone powerful enough to save us to pass through its territory, and anyone it allows to pass will be too weak to save us."

Damon slowly filed away at the side of the heavy tooth. "Then we save ourselves."

Leona nodded, eating in silence.

"What's the Whispering Forest like?"

Matia glanced at Sylvia. Sylvia looked back at her and nodded.

"There's a passage here about it. Do you want to hear it?"

Damon sighed. This was not going to be something uplifting.

Sylvia was quiet for a moment, the fire crackling. Then she began reading aloud:

"From the trees to the earth, this forest is aware. Perpetually, it whispers names, wishes, and dreams. All these are things that fade… The forest desires to know your name—deny it. The forest wishes to be known—ignore it.

To those who dare step beneath the boughs of the Whispering Woods, hear this and heed it well: This is no mere forest. It is hunger. It is patience. It is watching. You may enter with your own name, your own face, and your own thoughts—but if you are not careful, you will leave with none of them.

The forest demands silence, yet it hungers for liveliness. Be careful which you give it.

The longer you linger, the more it learns."

Sylvia paused, frowning as she tried her best to recall everything she had learned about the forest.

"That's what the book says about the forest… The more you linger, the more it learns. There's also a small catalog of monsters. If you want, I can—"

"No thanks, I'll pass for now," Matia replied with a revolted expression, she did not want to know anymore than she had too.

Sylvia nodded. "Fine. In that case, why don't I share knowledge of our final destination? The ruined city—the Path of Kings. The city once called Lysithara."

The others all turned to face her. She smiled.

Long ago, perhaps an epoch ago, when the world did not yet know of demonkind, there was a city of sages, scholars, and mystics. This city was renowned, and its lords were wise.

Sylvia paused, glancing at the others when Damon stopped filing the wyvern's fangs to listen.

"Many kings and great men were trained in this city until it became a saying that one could not become a king without having learned in Lysithara. That was why it came to be known as the Path of Kings."

"The city prospered… for a time. But they soon became lost, consumed by the same obsession as all others in the world, caught in a grand race to achieve it… on the behest of the visitors. They became lost, and the city was broken and twisted by what was beyond them all."

Leona raised an eyebrow. "Wait, is that it? That doesn't even make sense."

Sylvia sighed, closing the old book in her hand. "Sorry, that's all the travel journal says. The other pages are too torn or outright missing, so I can't make sense of it."

They nodded. Xander looked at the fire.

"Who do you think the visitors were? I mean, the city was supposedly prosperous until they came… on the behest of the visitors, they became consumed by the same obsession…" He frowned, his brows furrowing.

"What do you think was beyond them?"

The others all paused—his words had merit. Damon glanced at the fire with a distant expression.

"Knowledge… Knowledge was beyond them. It was what they sought. After all, it was a city of sages and scholars—what more could they want than knowledge? The visitors must have offered them some type of knowledge… and a means to obtain it."

Evangeline nodded, holding her chin with a solemn look in her golden eyes.

"That's a good theory… but it could also be power. Power corrupts. The power they wanted must have twisted them all."

Damon nodded his head slowly.

"Knowledge is power."