Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: Shadows of the Soul

🌌 Scene 1 — Faint Whispers in the Dark

There was no sky. No ground. No air. Just black.

William floated in it like a feather caught in a dream. But this dream didn't feel like sleep.

He wasn't breathing. But he wasn't suffocating either. Just… existing.

Then came the sound— a low, steady rhythm.

> thump... thump... thump...

It echoed through the darkness like a heartbeat underwater. Then— a voice. Soft. Female. Faint.

> "You're getting closer."

He turned toward the sound, eyes searching. Nothing but endless black.

> "Keep going. Don't stop. I'm waiting..."

And just like that— it stopped.

The heartbeat. The voice. Everything. Gone.

His eyes flew open.

The room was silent. Only moonlight filtered through the tall window, casting a silver pool across the wooden floor.

William sat up, sweat cooling on his skin.

He touched his chest where his heart pounded like a war drum.

> That voice again. Every night it's clearer.

He clenched the edge of his blanket.

> Who's waiting for me? And why does it feel like... I already know her?

---

☀️ Scene 2 — Morning Training, Mana Flow

The Montelo estate stirred slowly with dawn. Servants swept pathways. The fountain babbled gently in the distance.

But in the training courtyard, the silence was purposeful.

William stood in the center, legs balanced, eyes steady. He held his wooden practice sword with the ease of routine—but his shoulders were tense.

Alicia stood nearby, stretching quietly. Her eyes weren't on her own stance. They were on him.

He inhaled. Swung.

The blade cut through air with no resistance— and behind it trailed a thin shimmer of silver. Not wind. Not flame. Just... something.

Alicia's eyes widened.

"Will?" she said.

He didn't answer right away.

The shimmer faded, like breath on glass.

She stepped closer. "That wasn't normal. Your blade—it's resonating."

William shrugged. "Just focus."

He turned away before she could press.

From across the court, Shinonome narrowed her eyes.

> Not just mana. It's synchronizing. He's feeling something. Someone.

She didn't interrupt. But she didn't look away either.

---

👀 Scene 3 — Iris Confronts Shinonome

Sunlight poured through the stained-glass windows of the estate library. Dust shimmered in the air as Iris placed a cracked scroll gently on the desk.

The title at the top: "Anima-Class Weaponry."

Shinonome glanced at it once, then at Iris. Her face didn't change.

"You've been reading dangerous things," she said.

"I had to," Iris replied. "Because William is changing, and I don't think even he knows why."

Shinonome walked to the window.

Outside, William was mid-swing.

"His movements aren't just learned anymore," Shinonome murmured. "They're... guided."

"By what?" Iris asked.

Shinonome exhaled slowly. "That's what I need to find out."

They exchanged no more words. Just silent understanding.

---

😏 Scene 4 — Gin's Disaster

Afternoon sun warmed the garden paths. Alicia sat beside the koi fountain, trailing a finger in the water, her thoughts heavy.

"Art is born from emotion," came a voice from behind.

She turned.

Gin Montelo stood, sketchpad in hand, sleeves rolled up like he meant business.

"I shall now immortalize your presence in ink," he declared. "For research purposes, naturally. I study magical resonance through—"

"You're studying nothing but trouble," Alicia muttered.

Undeterred, he began sketching.

"Such elegance. Such sorrow. It reminds me of—"

> "Touch her again and I'll slice your hand off."

The voice was cold. Sharp. Female.

Gin froze. A bead of sweat slid down his temple.

William stepped into view, towel around his neck, eyes raised in confusion.

Gin pointed, shaking. "Did you… did you just—?"

William blinked. "What?"

Gin dropped his pencil.

"Your sword spoke. YOUR SWORD SPOKE!"

He turned and ran.

Alicia stood up, arms crossed.

"Will," she said slowly, "is there... someone inside your sword?"

William looked at her. He didn't answer.

---

🧠 Scene 5 — Alicia's Suspicion

They stood beneath the training tree that evening. The air was cool, and the wind had quieted.

Alicia's voice was soft.

"Will. Your sword… it feels alive."

He hesitated. "It's just mana."

She didn't look convinced.

"Then why does it feel like... I'm fighting against someone else now?"

He looked away. "You're imagining things."

But even as he said it— He didn't believe it. And neither did she.

---

🩸 Scene 6 — Fragment of the Past

That night, sleep did not come easily.

When it did, it didn't bring rest.

He didn't float in blackness this time.

He stood. On stone. Heat pressed against his skin.

A volcano. No—the volcano. Flames curled around jagged cliffs. The sky burned red.

And then— a girl's voice.

Screaming.

He turned. A silhouette stood at the crater's edge, arms reaching toward something unseen.

Then— she fell.

William gasped.

> "Don't forget me."

He bolted upright in bed, sweat dripping from his brow.

Hand still clenched around the hilt of his training sword.

> Who are you? And why do I feel like I already failed you?

---

📜 Chapter End Quote:

"Sometimes a blade is forged in fire. And sometimes… in memory."