The nights passed in the blink of an eye.
Every evening, I stood on the battlefield, facing the same enemy—again and again. It had been two weeks now. Two whole weeks of relentless fighting. And while I could feel myself improving little by little, it still wasn't enough.
I could dodge some of his attacks now, read certain patterns in his movement. But something… something still held me back. Something invisible, like a weight on my chest. I couldn't name it, couldn't point at it. But I felt it. The gap between us—the demon and me—was still far too wide.
And the others...
Where were they?
We were supposed to be in this together. But I hadn't heard from any of the six Sharp users in over two weeks. I called them. Texted them. Even tried sending messages through the system. Nothing. No reply. It was as if they had vanished.
Were they still training? Had they pushed themselves so far that it broke them? Or… were they just too scared to try?
I didn't know.
So I kept going.
Night after night, I fought the demon. I died. I revived. I fought again. A cycle of pain and determination. I told myself it was for improvement. That this was the only way forward.
But one night… everything changed.
I heard a voice.
A familiar one.
"You idiot."
Before I could even turn my head, something grabbed me—no, it swallowed me whole. Darkness wrapped around my body like a cloak, and within seconds, I found myself falling into a swirling vortex of shadows.
Then I landed. Hard.
The air was heavy. The world around me was void of color—black, grey, twisted. I knew this place.
The Shadow Hollow.
Only one person would bring me here.
"Fearlessness…" I muttered, blinking as I looked up.
He stood there, arms crossed, his black cape fluttering like torn smoke. His presence was as sharp as ever, his gaze like daggers. The contrast between us couldn't be clearer—he was calm and cold. I was a mess.
"Yo," I tried to smile, scratching my head awkwardly. "Long time no see!"
SMACK.
His slap landed faster than I could blink. My cheek burned.
"Do you even realize how much time you've wasted?" he snapped. "You seriously thought that fighting the same demon over and over again was training? That's not effort. That's just plain stupidity."
I stepped back, anger rising in my chest.
"You're calling me stupid?! Where the hell were you guys these past two and a half weeks?! I was out there risking my life every single night! And none of you even showed up!"
His eyes narrowed.
"Then tell me," he said coldly, "what exactly have you learned in all that time?"
I hesitated.
"Well… I know how to dodge some of his attacks now…"
He facepalmed with a heavy sigh. "Seriously? That's it? That's all you've got?"
"That's all I could get!" I snapped back.
"Do you even understand how long that would take? At this rate, it'll be months before you land a hit. You haven't even awakened your power yet! You're just running in circles."
His words hit me harder than the demon's attacks ever had. Because deep down… I knew he was right.
There was something I hadn't been able to admit.
I wasn't improving because I was getting stronger.
I was repeating the same cycle because I was afraid.
Afraid to stop. Afraid to fail. Afraid that if I gave up, everything would have been for nothing. So instead, I kept throwing myself at the same wall, hoping I'd somehow break through.
I clenched my fists.
"...You're right," I said at last. "I get it now. I was held back all this time by fear. I was afraid to fail… and because of that, I've already been failing."
Fearlessness didn't speak at first. Then, finally, a faint nod.
"Took you long enough," he muttered. "You were the only one still fighting that demon, sure. But it wasn't because you weren't afraid—it was because of your trait. Willpower. That's what drove you. But even willpower without clarity leads to self-destruction."
He turned away and gestured at the dark surroundings.
"Do you even realize where we are?"
I looked around again—and finally noticed.
All around me, monstrous figures loomed in the shadows. Grotesque, distorted beasts—dozens of them. They twitched. Crawled. Watched. Their presence seeped into my bones.
I froze.
Fear.
That's what they were. Manifestations of fear.
"Akira," Fearlessness said, "this is the place where I seal my fear. These creatures, these beasts, they're all made from fragments of it. I control them. Keep them contained. But now... it's your turn."
"My turn?"
"You're going to capture one of them," he said. "Even just one. And if you succeed, we're done here."
That's it?
"Alright," I said, a little too confidently. "Let's do this."
I sprinted toward one of the smaller monsters. A wiry creature, no larger than a wolf. It looked weaker than the rest—perfect for a first try.
"Piece of cake," I muttered.
The moment I leapt onto its back, it twisted—unnaturally fast. Its claw slammed into my chest. I couldn't even react. Pain exploded through me as I was launched backward.
Then…
Darkness.
Death.
Revival.
I gasped for air, finding myself sprawled on the floor again.
Fearlessness stood there still in the shadow room, arms still crossed, looking absolutely unimpressed.
"This… is going to take a while," he muttered, sighing. "Why the hell am I doing this again?"