That night, I walked slowly through the shadows, heading toward the place where Neera and the others were already waiting.
An old, long-abandoned house… quiet, dark, and nearly forgotten. The perfect place for a temporary base… for those who would become dwellers of the dark.
As I arrived, seven pairs of eyes immediately turned toward me.
All of them… were girls.
"…Seriously, they're all girls?" I whispered in my heart, slightly shaken by the absurd reality.
But my expression remained blank. No reaction. No surprise.
"I don't really care," I muttered softly, folding my arms. My cloak fluttered gently in the night wind. "After all... I only have one goal. To enjoy this stage, like a true shadow actor."
My gaze swept across them one by one.
Neera stood at the front, still with that serious and resolute look in her eyes. Behind her were six other girls, unfamiliar faces, but I didn't need to know their names, at least not yet.
I raised one hand. My mana flowed out... dark, pure, and deep... the mana of the White Reaper.
Their bodies trembled as that energy enveloped them. Their breaths hitched. But... none of them stepped back.
Good.
They... were ready to become shadows.
Without many words, we moved. Our goal was clear: to save my sister.
The location? A small castle on the edge of the mountains. Quiet. Forgotten.
The night wind was biting cold. Clouds covered the sky. The moon was gone from sight.
Perfect.
But I didn't lead from the front.
I chose my own path.
"Neera," I said flatly before parting. "There are seven of you. Think of this as your first trial. Face whatever awaits there."
Neera nodded. The others followed her silently.
I walked a different route. Narrow paths, underground, dark and deserted.
They... were strong enough to fight.
But me?
I wasn't just here to fight.
I was the shadow behind this story. The main actor who never appears on stage... but directs everything from behind the curtain.
My steps were silent.
A faint smile played on my lips.
Tonight...
The show begins.
Elsewhere…
My sister, Lycia, was chained in a dark, damp room. Her body was bruised. Her breathing, heavy. But her eyes… remained sharp. No fear. Only resolve.
The kidnapper tortured her mercilessly.
And strangely…
I didn't feel angry.
Not because I didn't have a heart.
But because this… wasn't my scene.
I wasn't some weepy hero crying over his hurt sister.
I wasn't a tearful savior.
I… was merely a shadow.
And now, it was Nocturne Eclipse's turn to take the stage.
Neera and the six other girls emerged from the shadows. Their attacks... swift, precise, merciless.
The clash of weapons and bursts of magic echoed in the air.
Bandits? Kidnappers? Monsters?
None survived.
Only one remained.
The leader.
Panting and bleeding, he glared at Neera with rage.
"You damn girl…!"
His attacks were brutal. Full of fury.
But Neera didn't flinch.
She raised one hand. A magic shield appeared, blocking the strike.
The impact boomed. But Neera... didn't budge.
Her face cold. Her eyes... sharp.
The enemy stepped back, panicked.
"This makes no sense… You… you're not a normal girl!"
Of course not.
She was a shadow.
A member of Nocturne Eclipse.
And when he realized he couldn't win, the coward ran.
"Teleport!"
A flash of violet light engulfed him and... he vanished.
But I didn't chase after him.
Because this... was only the first act.
But then...
I got lost.
This underground passage was like a labyrinth. Dim, silent, and without any signs.
I looked at the ceiling.
"Ohh… so I really am lost," I murmured flatly, as if everything was still according to a script I wrote myself.
My steps remained light. Relaxed. As if nothing had happened.
But then...
At the end of the corridor, I saw a familiar figure.
The bandit leader.
He looked just as confused. Lost. And injured.
A faint smile crossed my face.
Like a shadow actor making a sudden appearance… at the most absurd moment.
"Heh... so you got lost too, huh?" I said.
His face turned red with fury.
"DON'T MOCK ME, YOU BRAT!!!" he screamed.
He attacked. Wildly.
But… far too slow.
I dodged effortlessly. A light parry. One step to the side.
"Your attack... is so slow. And... boring."
My hand lit up, a golden-white glow radiating. Light magic. Pure and deadly.
One thrust.
Straight to his chest.
His heart stopped.
"I don't want to waste time on a dull battle."
His body dropped.
No drama. No remains.
I turned away. Walked off just like that.
My sister was still chained.
I returned, gently freeing her.
She was still unconscious.
Good.
"I don't want my family to know… who I really am."
After that mission, the debut of the shadows of Nocturne Eclipse... we returned to the Altherion estate.
But we didn't go in.
We simply placed Lycia at the front gate.
I didn't want anyone to know who had saved her.
Let tonight remain a mystery.
The next morning...
Lycia awoke. Slowly entered the Altherion house, still weak.
The Altherion family rushed to her, panicked and anxious.
Me?
I sat calmly in the dining room.
Sipping water from a glass cup.
A small smile appeared.
No applause needed. No praise.
This is a story of shadows.
Of the White Reaper.
Years passed…
Now, I'm fifteen years old.
And right now, I'm riding a magic train.
Moving slowly along an energy rail, heading to the magic academy.
I sat, staring out the window.
"Hmm... if only magic could tear through dimensions," I muttered. "But yeah... impossible. For now."
Still, I'll try.
Because the impossible... is fascinating.
At the academy, I'll just be a side character.
A low-tier student.
Living in a run-down dorm, full of dust and broken things.
Good.
Perfect.
The ideal hidden stage... to begin it all.
I bowed my head slightly. A mysterious smile appeared on my face.
"Now's the time..."
"I'll show the world..."
"...that in the darkness, there is a figure who will shake everything."
"I am... the White Reaper."
And here...
My story begins.