A Single Ray of Light in the Darkness

ROSE

I closed my eyes, letting the melody wash over me.

Shadow’s rendition of Moonlight was unlike anything I’d ever heard. It’s funny how the same sheet music can feel like a completely different world depending on who’s behind the keys.

If I had to describe Shadow’s Moonlight in one word? Darkness.

I’m talking a deep, bottomless, midnight-black kind of darkness. But then, right in the middle of it, there was this tiny, singular ray of light. Was that light the moon? Or was it… something else?

I didn’t have time to overthink the metaphor because the performance ended right then and there.

The resonance lingered in the Cathedral like it didn't want to leave, and honestly, I didn't either. I clapped. It was just me, standing there alone, my applause echoing back at me in the empty space. It felt a little pathetic, but Shadow didn't seem to mind. He stood up and offered a bow so elegant it put the royal court to shame.

“Shadow, you’re…”

I stopped. I had no idea what I was even trying to say. I just had this sinking feeling that if I didn't keep him talking, he’d pull one of his classic vanishing acts.

“That was, without a doubt, the best performance of Moonlight I’ve ever heard. I, uh…”

Great job, Rose. Top-tier commentary. I had to wonder what was wrong with me. I was a fugitive on the run, and I was giving a rave review to a masked vigilante? I should have been asking him… well, anything else.

“What do you… seek to accomplish?” Shadow asked.

His voice sounded like it was vibrating up from the very bottom of an abyss.

“Huh?”

It took me a second to realize he was asking about the "incident." You know, the whole 'stabbing my fiancé and running for my life' thing.

“I… I wanted to protect everyone,” I choked out, the words feeling like shards of glass. “I wanted to grab hold of the best possible future. But I couldn't do it. I failed.”

“So, it ends there?”

“What?”

“Is your battle… meant to end in a place like this?”

“I didn't want it to end! Not like this!” I snapped, looking down and white-knuckling my fists.

I’d wanted to change things. I still did. But I was broken, exhausted, and out of options. There was literally nothing left for me to do.

“If you still have the will to fight… then I shall grant it to you.”

Shadow held out his hand, and a mass of Bluish-purple Magic Power began to swirl in his palm.

“Power…?” I whispered.

The Bluish-purple Magic Power flared up, its glow painting the entire Cathedral in vivid neon. The sheer density of the Magic Power made the very air vibrate. It was terrifying. It was beautiful.

“If I have that power… can I actually change the future?”

“That,” he said, “is entirely up to you.”

I couldn't take my eyes off that light. If I had strength like Shadow’s—if I could just reach out and take it—everything would be different. There were still things I had to do as the princess of the Oriana Kingdom. I couldn't just rot in a sewer.

The light came back to my eyes.

“I want it. I need that power!”

“Very well.”

He released the Bluish-purple Magic Power.

It didn't hit me so much as it was sucked into my chest, racing through my veins like liquid fire. But it wasn't painful—it was warm. It took my own messy, chaotic Magic Power and forced it into a perfect, rhythmic flow. Suddenly, the weight that had been dragging me down was gone. My mana felt light, sharp, and totally under my control.

“Incredible…”

I meant it. So this was Shadow’s Magic Power. This was the kind of world he lived in every day.

“Resist… and show me if you’re actually worthy of standing on my battlefield.”

By the time I blinked, Shadow was gone. Just like that. Only his voice remained, echoing off the stone walls.

“Never forget… true strength isn't about power. It’s about how you choose to live.”

Then, his Ki vanished completely.

I stood there alone in the Cathedral for a heartbeat. Then, I heard them: the footsteps of my pursuers. I could literally feel the air trembling as they approached.

But for the first time, I wasn't afraid. I had so much Magic Power swirling inside me I felt like I could level the building. A few minutes ago, I was ready to give up and let them chain me. Now? Now I had work to do.

I drew my Rapier and glared at the broken doors.

The Black-clad Group burst through a second later. Blood sprayed before they even realized I’d moved. They didn't even have time to register the flash of my Rapier before they were hitting the floor, dead.

I sheathed my blade, the Cathedral now painted in a fresh coat of red. I closed my eyes, thinking about Shadow. This is what he does, isn't it? Fighting The Cult in the shadows, day after day, while the rest of the world sleeps.

The melody of his Moonlight played back in my head.

I think I finally got it—the meaning of that ray of light in the dark. That light was Shadow himself. He isn't the darkness; he’s the one light stubborn enough to stand against it.

At least, that’s how it felt to me.