'Hudson shouldn't be a Fallen Guardian,' thought Arthur, slowly traversing across the world while in deep thought. 'He was devoted to the Tower Administration, so his betrayal is virtually impossible. But how else did they manage to fix a game? Did they bribe one of the Guardians to skew the randomization of people in a certain batch?'
'It might truly make sense, considering I ended up with the daughter of King Bahamut on the Second Floor, among over a million players that participate.'
Arthur had limited knowledge about such a subject, as he'd never looked into it during his former life. The lower floors were a dark time for him, and he preferred to forget about them rather than research.
'How the fuck was I supposed to know that I would regress?'
Since he was unaware of how to progress and unsure whether the trial could even be cleared using the pitiful strength he possessed, Arthur decided simply to gather points and wait for something monumental to occur.
'If something does happen, can I survive long enough for another Guardian to appear?'
He was uncertain.
*
Eleanor traversed across the dense forest, navigating by calculating the direction in which the Sun sat. Doing so was fairly easy since she had been trained to survive in case something tragic were to befall her.
Her father was quite protective of her and did not spare any preparations when sending her into the tower.
'It's been countless months since I've seen him,' thought Eleanor, letting out a sigh. When she stepped foot into the tower, she was immediately transported to the Tutorial World in order to undergo the tutorial.
Bahamut hadn't visited the Outer District for an unknown reason. Eleanor only managed to meet a few of his trusted guards and was provided the utmost luxury, even during her tenure as a player.
But she couldn't help but wonder why Bahamit didn't visit.
Visiting would have taken merely a few hours, considering her father was a True Dragon. Also, who could obstruct his path if he wished to traverse across the tower? Not even a Divine Ranker would dare stand in his way, especially if the matter concerned his daughter.
Then, why hadn't he come?
'I should stop overthinking,' Eleanor decided, taking a deep breath. Despite her external behavior, she was quite fond of her father and loved him beyond belief.
'Isn't that one of my teammates?' Eleanor wondered, glancing at an opening in the bushes through which she could peek. Walking over with soft and undetectable footsteps, she squatted while peeking through the bushes.
Before her, a decently built young man stood. He didn't seem to notice her presence, as his lips continued to move. Eleanor couldn't hear his voice, but it seemed he was talking to someone else.
'Where is the other person?'
The young man had a peachy complexion and a well-toned body. His hair was a light shade of pink, while his eyes glistened with an amethyst hue. With a blocky jaw and upturned eyes, he could be considered handsome.
He wore a dark cloak that seemed to resemble the attire of a spy or an assassin.
Eleanor prepared to step forward to subdue the man, but at that moment, something froze her in place. Two streaks of darkness slithered across the soil, dissolving within the young man's feet. They looked like snakes, but also like shadows.
Eleanor watched in awe as the shadows crawled up the young man's legs. The shadows themselves weren't visible, but the fluid movement of the man's skin when in contact with them gave her a general picture.
It was disgusting.
Once the shadows reached the young man's head, it seemed to swell. However, within seconds, the swelling decreased, and everything reverted to normal. However, Eleanor noticed something in the man's eyes.
'He's dead. But he's also not dead. A sliver of life remains... enough to register him technically alive into the records of the system. But he's basically dead.'
The young man whom she'd been observing was dead; he was completely wiped of all vitality, and not a shred of sentience remained.
Eleanor wasn't certain how to interpret the encounter, but it felt unsettling. The young man's eyes reflected nothing but the eeriness of the abyss, but he remained on his feet, refusing to fall to the ground.
Then, he moved.
Taking a few steps forward, the young man disappeared into the bushes.
Eleanor's surroundings turned silent, leaving her utterly shocked as to what had transpired before her eyes. Not only had a dead man walked, but he also seemed to be akin to a puppet with invisible strings.
His movements were clunky and not very fluid.
She furrowed her brows, slowly attempting to leave the area while trying to form probable explanations as to what had occurred. She completely erased her presence, so as to not be spotted by the unknown entity.
"Where exactly are you heading, Princess Eleanor?" A melodic, rather casual voice resounded in Eleanor's ears. She violently turned around, unsheathing her greatsword and pointing it at the origin of the sound within a single second.
But she couldn't spot it.
The origin of the voice… it was as if the forest had spoken to her.
"Oh, for god's sake, use your renowned perception techniques," the voice spoke, displaying its annoyance through its stretched words. "Am I really facing one of the future talents of the tower right now?"
Eleanor immediately used [Sensory Perception], spreading it across a ten-meter radius. The surrounding area appeared to her, enveloped in a pink tint. She was easily able to spot a certain existent nestled in darkness.
Eleanor narrowed his eyes, focusing on the entity.
Suddenly, her surroundings changed.
The particles of light that reflected off objects vanished one by one, causing Eleanor's vision to be dyed in darkness. Several objects seemed to revolve around her, yet she couldn't see them. She could only sense their existence.
Her consciousness was fragmented, and she couldn't possibly conjure thoughts.
She wasn't certain how long it had been, but after what seemed like an eternity, she sensed a faint presence within the abyss.
Nestled within the embrace of darkness was a child…
A Child of Shadows.
