"When you think about it, Shadow Step is straightforward," Neo explained, standing beside two distinct shadow pools she'd created in the training chamber. "You dissolve into one shadow and reconstruct from another."
Leo eyed the darkness skeptically. "Dissolve? That sounds... unpleasant."
"It's more like phase transition," Marcus interjected, adjusting monitoring equipment around the training area. "Matter to energy and back again, except with shadows instead of energy. The Cindercrest are able to do something like it. It's simple mechanics, really!"
"Nothing about it is simple" Neo corrected. "Shadow Step requires precise control and clear visualization. Start small, just try to send your hand through."
Leo approached the first shadow pool, kneeling beside it. After weeks of training, he could feel shadows responding to his presence, stirring like liquid at his approach. He extended his hand, focusing on the second pool across the room.
"Imagine the shadows as a tunnel connecting both locations," Neo instructed. "Your body becomes shadow matter, travels the tunnel, and reforms."
Leo concentrated, willing his hand to dissolve. The shadows responded, swirling around his fingers, but instead of his hand passing through, the darkness merely clung to his skin like black mist.
"You're trying to make the shadows move," Neo observed. "You need to become the shadow."
Leo tried again, focusing harder. This time, his fingertips briefly turned into shadow particles before solidifying again. The disorienting sensation made his stomach turn.
"Fascinating response," Marcus muttered, studying his readings. "Partial molecular destabilization before neural feedback triggered a safety response."
"In normal human terms?" Leo asked, fighting back nausea. "And what's fascinating about the pain I felt?!"
"Your brain freaked out when your fingers started disappearing," Marcus clarified cheerfully.
For the three hours, Leo made repeated attempts with minimal progress. Each time he managed to do it partially, overwhelming vertigo and nausea forced him to stop. After a particularly violent bout of dizziness left him on his hands and knees, Neo called for a break.
"This isn't working," Leo admitted, accepting a water bottle from Marcus. "Maybe Shadow Step is beyond my capabilities."
"Unlikely," Marcus replied, reviewing data on his tablet. "Your cellular structure shows clear adaptation for inter-shadow travel. I believe you're experiencing dimensional transition sickness."
"Meaning?"
"Shadow Step isn't just moving through physical space," Marcus explained, excitement building in his voice. "My readings suggest you're briefly phasing into the Shadow Realm itself as a transition medium."
Neo looked troubled by this theory. "That would explain the difficulty. Your consciousness does not want to enter the Shadow Realm."
"With good reason," Leo muttered, remembering the cold emptiness and that voice.
After a short rest, they resumed training. This time, Neo had Leo focus on smaller jumps, just a meter between patches of shadow. Despite the reduced distance, his progress remained minimal and frustrating.
"Argh!," Leo groaned after another failed attempt left him nauseated. "My body doesn't understand what I'm asking it to do."
"Perhaps we're overthinking this," Neo mused. "Earlier training showed your abilities respond strongly to emotional states."
"You want me to get angry?"
"Not angry," Neo clarified. "Just less analytical. Stop trying to understand the process and trust your instincts."
Getting up, Leo took a deep breath and positioned himself at the edge of a shadow pool once more.
This time, instead of focusing on the mechanics, he thought about the sensation of shadows covering him, of becoming one with the darkness that had become part of him.
For a brief moment, something shifted in his perception. The shadow pool seemed deeper, more inviting. But as soon as he tried to understand the feeling, it vanished, leaving him frustrated.
"This is pointless!" he snapped, slamming his fist into the shadow pool in exasperation.
In that instant of pure emotional release, the shadows surged around his arm. Before he could react, his entire body dissolved into darkness, flowing into the pool like water down a drain.
The sensation was beyond disorienting, existence without a physical form, awareness without human senses. For a very long second, Leo felt the cold emptiness of the Shadow Realm pressing against his consciousness, the Warden's distant gaze turning toward him.
Then, abruptly, he reformed from the second shadow pool across the room, collapsing to his knees and gasping for breath.
"Successful transition!" Marcus exclaimed, rushing to check his instruments. "Complete molecular dissolution and reconstitution! Your body mass converted entirely to shadow matter for 1.3 seconds!"
Neo approached more cautiously. "How do you feel?"
"Like I've been turned inside out," Leo managed between breaths. "And I felt... him. The Warden. Watching me."
Neo's expression darkened. "As I feared. Shadow Step requires passage through the Shadow Realm itself."
"Incredible implications," Marcus muttered, still focused on his readings. "A dimensional shortcut through an alternate reality."
"It's also incredibly dangerous," Neo emphasized. "Your emotional outburst triggered the transition, but at the cost of control. If you lost focus halfway through..."
She didn't need to finish the thought. Being trapped between worlds, partially dissolved into shadow matter. The possibilities were horrifying.
"Perhaps we should postpone further Shadow Step training," Neo suggested. "Focus on the abilities you've already mastered until we better understand what's happening."
"Remember, with a power like yours, your only limit is your imagination"
Leo nodded, relief mingling with disappointment. The Shadow Step had been exhilarating despite its dangers and the vomiting, a kind of freedom he'd never experienced before.
"You should Luminate as much as possible in the coming days," Neo advised, shutting down the training equipment without even touching it. "I won't be able to supervise your training for a while. Duty calls."
"You're leaving?" Leo asked, surprised at why he was disappointment and at Neo's technomancy.
Neo nodded. "Resistance operations can't wait forever. Kaori needs me for an upcoming mission." She hesitated, then added, "You've made remarkable progress, Leo. Keep practicing what you've learned. Control is your priority now."
As they finished the session, Leo felt a strange mixture of accomplishment and unease. The Shadow Step had worked, but the price for passing, exposure to the Shadow Realm and the Warden's attention, was indeed troubling.
Later that evening, Leo headed to the cafeteria, his body demanding sustenance after the day's exertions. He hadn't eaten a proper meal in the last few days.
He scanned the room for the blonde medic, who he hadn't seen since, but saw no sign of her. Disappointed, he collected his food and found an empty table.
He was halfway through his meal when a commotion near the serving line caught his attention. A young resistance fighter had apparently tripped, sending his tray flying directly toward a group of senior officers. Time seemed to slow as food arced through the air toward its unsuspecting targets.
Without thinking, Leo extended his awareness to the shadows beneath the tables. A thin shadow tendril shot across the floor, wrapped around the tray mid-flight, and redirected it safely onto an empty table, all in the space of a heartbeat.
The cafeteria fell silent as everyone processed what had just happened. The young fighter looked first at the tray, then at Leo, his expression shifting from horror to relief.
"Nice save, shadow boy," came Marcus's voice as he dropped into the seat across from Leo. "Though I'm not sure whether to be impressed by your control or concerned that you're using classified abilities to prevent food fights."
Leo couldn't help but smile as conversation gradually resumed around them. For the first time since his awakening, he'd used his powers instinctively to help someone rather than to fight or defend.
It was a small thing, but it felt right. like finding a piece of himself amid the shadow.