The Extra System: Summoner of Shadows

A few hours before Ember descended from the sky, Cedric left the two in order to lure out the shadow creature. He knew that waiting for the shadow to attack would only drain him, so he came up with a plan to defeat it. 

Shadows were not the absence of light but its result. Most people confused the shadow affinity with darkness, but Cedric knew the two could not be more different. 

Light and darkness can be two opposing sides in nature, and most assume light to be good and darkness to be evil. Shadows were the neutral ground between the two realms. They reign on the border between good and evil, light and darkness, life and death, etc. 

In order to defeat shadows, Cedric needed an overwhelming amount of light. Therefore, he became the bait while hiding his lethal weapon, Ember, to act as… 

A flash grenade. 

Cedric roamed the Zelorin Forest to lure out the shadow chasing him. During this time, he wore his hood and mask, lest he run into people, which he did. But sadly, humans had this tendency to bite off more than they could chew. 

The forest became too dark for humans to navigate, but Cedric had his Observe Skill to guide him. He roamed the forest for hours and noticed several things: 

First, monsters ran away from the forest after he obtained the Mark of Umbra and became a target for shadows. Their territories were abandoned, and they either avoided him or avoided the shadow chasing him.

Second, shadows seemed to lurk in the corners of his eyes and would disappear whenever he turned to face them. He could feel their eyes on him.

Third, the black feather strengthened the shadows in the surroundings. Cedric guessed that it must belong to the Shadow Roc itself.

Fourth and last, the Mark of Umbra had somehow altered his vision. Cedric became more attuned to the existence of shadows and could see clearly in the darkness of the night. This further enhanced his awareness of the surroundings.

Cedric needed to confuse the shadows chasing him before leading them to the spot where Ember was hiding. After making several detours and trying to avoid other humans, he brought out the black feather. The shadows reacted around him, and he could see them rising from the ground. 

"You can hear me, right?" asked Cedric with a smile as he looked at the rising shadows, which looked like the humanoid creature he had seen standing outside his window. "Is this what you want?" 

The black feather rested in his hands, almost blending with the darkness of the night. Once it appeared, the shadows grew restless, but they made no sound as they gathered around him. 

Cedric placed the black feather in his robe's pocket, letting it rest before the shadows rushed toward him. Their speed was faster than the Dire Wolf that Cedric had struggled against, but they were already within range. 

"Time to retreat," muttered Cedric as he tried to jump backward, but found himself unable to move his body. His arms and legs seemed to have been tied down by an invisible force that not even his Observe Skill could detect. Thus, he activated the narrator. 

[The shadows rushed toward the prince, who could not move because his own shadow was tied down by the mage. But just as they were about to pounce—] 

Cedric ended his skill there and invested his mana elsewhere. His entire body burst with moonlight as he borrowed a skill from the Character Menu using Mimic. Light danced in his hands as he threw it toward the incoming shadows. 

The shadows shrieked as they were torn apart, and Cedric regained his movement. He ran back toward the giant tree next to the clearing as shadows chased after him. Moonlight shot from his hands as it destroyed the shadows, but more of them gave chase. 

Cedric reached the perfect spot to lure the shadows and resumed his attacks. In the corner of his vision, he could see the team from earlier arrive at the scene. He did not want any witnesses, but the shadows had already become a threat. 

"Ember!" shouted Cedric, and the knight descended from the sky. Her sword was bursting with light as she stabbed the ground, letting the entire clearing shine with moonlight. The darkness disappeared as the shadows wailed and perished. 

Cedric looked around, searching for the mage that the narrator had mentioned. He had been wrong about the nature of his pursuers. He was being chased down not by a shadow, but by a mage who controlled them. 

However, there was no one else in the clearing other than him, Ember, and the group of people that had arrived. His suspicion fell on them since they arrived at the same time as the shadows multiplied. 

"Did we defeat them?" asked Ember as she rose from the ground, her face a little tired. The bursting moonlight seemed to be a skill that drained her mana pools, making it hard to replicate the attack. 

"I doubt we eliminated the main threat, but we weakened it," answered Cedric from behind the mask. "We have some company, though. Make sure they don't see what you look like." 

"I understand." Ember nodded and pulled her hood down further. At the same time, the team of four approached—three men and one woman. 

"That was a beautiful attack," was the first thing that the man in the lead said as he stared at Ember. He seemed to gauge her strength and understood she was his equal. "Do you mind telling us what is happening here?" 

Cedric was ignored because he was literally air to them. Even focusing on his presence was a chore, which he liked a lot. It allowed him to study the team of four, and something felt off. Although he had only met them in passing earlier, he remembered that there were five of them. 

"Zelorin Forest is no longer safe," explained Ember. "You should guide the rest back to Valoria. Find the nearest shelter and hide." 

"Thank you for the kind warning," said the leader with a nod. "Let me introduce our small team. First, my name is—" 

"Where is the fifth member?" interrupted Cedric with a frown they could not see. His voice was still neutral and monotone, startling the team a little as they noticed his presence again. "I remember there was an old man who shouted a lot." 

"He disappeared on the way here," explained the woman, who looked like a healer. "We looked back and saw that he disappeared without a sound." 

"And your first instinct was to chat with us instead of asking about him?" asked Cedric, but his question was directed at the leader, who was already pissed that Cedric interrupted him. "Are you the leader?" 

"I am," nodded the large man as he looked down on Cedric. "You sound like a youngster. How about you show us some respect?" 

"Respect is earned, not demanded," answered Cedric as he dismissed him. "What kind of person is the old man who disappeared?" 

"And what makes you think we'll tell you?" The leader then reached for his great sword while glaring at Cedric. He was obviously thinking that their team outnumbered the two in front of him. "Let me teach you some manners between adventurers. It will help—" 

The leader suddenly froze mid-sentence, becoming a statue of a man reaching for his sword. His mouth was wide open, just about to reprimand Cedric. His throat let out inhuman sounds as his body refused to move. 

Cedric recognized this attack and pulled Ember away from him. If the man suddenly attacked while his shadow was being controlled, she might get injured. However, something else happened. 

"Look over there! His shadow is rising!" shouted the young warrior in horror as the leader's shadow rose from behind him, forming a spear. Before any of them could intervene, the spear shot toward the leader's back and pierced through his heart. 

"Guh!" the leader coughed up blood as he looked at the spear of shadow coming out of his chest. Blood overflowed into his lungs, which he began coughing up as he collapsed to the ground. Then, he bled to death before their eyes, and the shadow disappeared.