Shadow Being System

Heavy rain poured down in torrents, pounding the earth with relentless force. The sky was a swirling mass of dark clouds, illuminated only by the occasional streak of lightning that tore across the heavens. Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, its growls growing louder with each passing second.

The air was thick with moisture, the oppressive weight of the storm mirroring the tension that filled the narrow alleyway.

In the dimly lit alley, a boy stood, his black hair plastered to his forehead and neck, soaked through from the relentless downpour. His clothes clung to his lean frame, the self-regenerating academy uniform mending itself in real-time from the damage it had sustained in the brutal fight. Despite its miraculous repair capabilities, his body wasn't so fortunate.

Smears of blood streaked his face and arms, remnants of the battle he had been fighting for what felt like hours. His chest heaved with the effort of breathing, each breath labored and shallow.

Lightning flashed again, momentarily casting his battered figure in stark relief. William stood tall despite his exhaustion. Around him, nine bodies lay sprawled on the ground, their limbs twisted at awkward angles, their faces contorted in pain. Blood mixed with the rainwater that pooled on the ground, forming dark red streams that snaked through the cracks in the pavement.

Some of the fallen bullies groaned in agony, others lay silent, either unconscious or too injured to move ____ or maybe dead.

William had fought well. He had the upper hand, thanks to his ability to still channel soul essence despite the artifact his enemies had used to block it. But their numbers had nearly overwhelmed him. After knocking out the second guy, seven more had swarmed him.

It hadn't been easy, but he'd managed to take them down, one by one, albeit at the cost of several hard hits that had left him bruised and bleeding.

But the fight wasn't over yet.

The main enemy still stood, unscathed and ready for more. Billy Stark.

William's gaze shifted toward the figure standing a few paces away. Billy Stark, the son of one of the most powerful families in the world, was a battle monster through and through. He had been trained in top martial arts since childhood, and it showed in every fluid, calculated movement he made.

Even without his soul essence or abilities, Billy was still a formidable threat, one that William wasn't sure he could overcome in his current state.

Liam, the red-haired boy whom William came for, lay crumpled on the ground behind Billy, unconscious or worse. William's heart sank as he glanced at his fallen friend, but there was no time to check on him. Not yet.

He turned his attention back to Billy. This was it. One final push.

William gritted his teeth and charged forward.

Billy's eyes narrowed as he saw William rushing toward him once again. "This kid's a battle monster," he thought. The artifact he had activated should have leveled the playing field. With no one able to use their soul essence or abilities, Billy had been confident he could take William down with sheer martial prowess alone. After all, Billy had been training for this his whole life. He was untouchable.

Or so he had thought.

William's fist connected with Billy's cheek in a blur of motion. Billy's head snapped to the side, his vision exploding in a flash of pain and stars. Before he could recover, William followed up with another hit, this time aiming for Billy's ribs. But Billy wasn't one to be taken down so easily.

With a swift twist of his body, he pushed off the ground, skidding backward to put some distance between them. He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, glaring at William.

"This kid," he thought again, "he's able to beat me without using any abilities… How?"

Unbeknownst to Billy, William had been able to channel a small amount of soul essence, just enough to strengthen his body for the fight. But Billy couldn't know that.

Straightening up, Billy met William's gaze, his expression hard and unreadable. "I hate to admit it," he said, his voice low and cold, "but I can't beat you without using my soul essence or abilities."

William's eyes narrowed in suspicion as Billy reached into his pocket. "Wait… what is that?" he thought, his heart skipping a beat.

Billy pulled out a small, intricately designed jade bracelet. The surface shimmered with faint, glowing patterns, its beauty starkly out of place in the grim, rain-soaked alleyway. Without hesitation, Billy twisted the bracelet in several directions, the glow fading as the artifact deactivated. The effect was immediate.

Billy felt the rush of soul essence flood back into his body, invigorating him, healing his wounds, and stopping the bleeding almost instantly.

Lightning crackled around Billy's body, arcs of electricity dancing across his skin as the storm above seemed to answer his call. His eyes glowed with streaks of lightning, and with each step he took, the very air around him seemed to hum with power.

William stood a little further away, dread settling into his bones as he felt the faint zap of electricity in the air, each drop of rain that touched him sending a slight jolt through his body. Your next chapter awaits on empire

William had a small affinity for lightning himself, but his control over it was far too weak. If he tried to use it now, in this storm, with the water all around them, he would probably end up electrocuting himself to death. But Billy… Billy had full control. His power was terrifying.

Billy took a step forward, his lips curling into a sinister smile. "How about we go for round two?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Only one word came to William's mind: "Crap."

Billy's steps were slow and deliberate as he walked toward William, the lightning crackling around his body making him seem like a walking storm. The grin on his face was smug, confident, almost mocking. He knew he had the upper hand now, and he wasn't in any rush to finish things. He was going to enjoy this.

As Billy closed in, the system notification rang in William's mind.

[Quest Upgrade: The threat of the enemy has increased. New rewards available. Knock out Billy Stark to receive: Reward 1 – Two Level Ups. Reward 2 – ???]

William's heart raced at the notification. Two level ups? That was incredibly tempting, but how in the world was he supposed to knock out the monster that was walking toward him? Just as he was pondering this, he blinked. "Wait, where is he?" William thought, panic surging through him as Billy seemingly vanished from sight.

All the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, his instincts screaming at him to move now, or he was going to die.

He barely managed to throw himself to the side, but not fast enough. Billy appeared behind him, his fist coated in crackling lightning. William felt the electricity as it grazed his cheek, a sharp jolt of pain shooting through his face.

"Not the face, man!" William grunted, skidding on the wet ground as he tried to regain his footing.

Billy didn't let up. He was relentless, his punches swift and precise, each one charged with deadly electricity. William could only dodge and deflect as best as he could, but he was getting slower. The punches he couldn't block landed hard, driving the air from his lungs and sending shockwaves of pain through his body.

"Is that all you've got?" Billy sneered, his voice filled with contempt as he landed another punch, sending William flying back. William hit the ground hard, the impact splashing water in all directions as he bounced once, twice, before skidding to a stop. Blood spilled from his mouth, his body aching from the accumulated damage.

William lay there, his vision blurry, rain pouring down on him, mixing with the blood that dripped from his lips. His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. His face was bruised and swollen, his hair plastered to his forehead. His uniform, though self-regenerating, was stained with blood and mud. He looked like he had been through hell.

Billy strode toward him, his steps confident, each one sending small arcs of lightning into the puddles of water on the ground. He grinned down at William, his face smug and full of superiority. "You should have finished me when you had the chance," Billy taunted. "You made a huge mistake letting me deactivate that artifact."

A voice interrupted him, not William's but someone else's, low and almost growling. "No, you made a mistake deactivating that artifact."

William's head turned slowly, his vision focusing on the source of the voice.

There, Standing a few feet away, surrounded by a halo of hot, reddish-yellow flames, was Liam. His entire body was engulfed in fire, his red hair wild and frenzied, standing on end as the flames crackled around him. The rain evaporated before it could even touch him, and the water at his feet began to bubble and steam.

The cold, wet atmosphere of the alleyway was replaced by an intense, searing heat. Rain evaporated before it could touch the ground around him, and the water at his feet bubbled and hissed.

It was Liam.

The artifact's deactivation had given him back his soul essence, and with it, his fire abilities. His eyes burned with fury as he looked at Billy, the flames around him growing hotter with every passing second.

"How about a rematch?" Liam said, his voice dripping with menace.