Chapter 32: The Neighbor's Trouble
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The morning sun was warm on Sunflower Street.
Ren stood on the balcony of Shadowstring Archery, drinking tea and watching the city wake up. Below, a merchant was opening his bakery. Across the street, a woman was watering flowers. Two children were chasing a stray cat.
This is what peace feels like.
He had not trained in five days. Had not thought about the Root Dragon. Had simply existed.
Lena called up from the shop. "Ren! There's someone here to see you."
Ren walked downstairs.
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A man stood at the counter.
He was middle-aged, with gray hair and a weathered face. His clothes were clean but worn—a shopkeeper, by the look of him. His hands were trembling.
"You're Ren?" the man asked.
"Yes."
"I'm Aldric. I live next door. The pottery shop."
Ren had noticed the shop—clay pots, vases, figurines in the window. He had never been inside.
"What's the problem?"
Aldric glanced around the shop. "Can we talk in private?"
Ren led him upstairs.
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Aldric sat at the kitchen table, his hands wrapped around a cup of tea.
"There's been a break-in," he said. "Three nights in a row. Someone's been sneaking into my shop after dark. They haven't stolen anything—not yet. But they've been moving things. Rearranging my pots. Leaving marks on the walls."
Ren frowned. "Have you told the guards?"
"They said it's probably kids. Told me to lock my doors." Aldric set down his cup. "I've locked my doors. Every night. The locks are fine in the morning. But someone is still getting in."
"Any damage?"
"Scratches. On the walls. Near the floor."
Ren leaned back. "What kind of scratches?"
Aldric pulled out a piece of paper. On it, he had sketched the marks—three parallel lines, like claw marks.
"These weren't made by a key," Aldric said. "Or a tool."
Ren studied the sketch.
Claws. Small. Maybe a creature.
"I'll look into it," Ren said.
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The pottery shop was small, cluttered, warm.
Clay pots lined the shelves. Figurines of animals and hunters stood on the counter. The floor was stone, worn smooth by years of footsteps.
Ren walked through the shop, his eyes scanning for anything unusual.
Shadow Sense.
The shadows whispered to him. Something had been here—not human. Small. Fast.
He knelt near the back wall. The scratches Aldric had described were there—three parallel lines, deep enough to leave a mark.
Claws. Definitely claws.
"Have you seen any animals in the shop?" Ren asked.
Aldric shook his head. "No. But I've heard scratching. In the walls."
Ren pressed his ear to the wall. Listened.
Scratching. Faint, but there.
Something is living in the walls.
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Ren spent the afternoon investigating.
He followed the scratching sounds through the pottery shop, into the back room, up to the attic. The attic was small, dark, filled with old furniture and dusty boxes.
Shadow Sense.
Something moved in the corner.
Ren pulled out his knife. Crept forward.
A pair of glowing eyes stared at him from the shadows.
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The creature was small—the size of a cat. Its fur was dark gray, almost black. Its claws were long, sharp, leaving scratches on the floor. Its eyes were yellow, wide, frightened.
System notification.
Shadow Pup detected. Level: 15. Threat: Low.
Note: Shadow Pups are not native to the real world. They escape from the Shadow Plane through rifts.
Ren lowered his knife.
A Shadow Pup. In Mudwall. How?
The creature hissed at him. He crouched down, made himself small.
"Easy," he said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."
The pup's ears twitched. It took a step forward.
Shadowstring.
The pup's eyes widened. It sniffed the air. Then it walked toward Ren and rubbed against his leg.
It recognizes my bloodline.
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Ren carried the pup downstairs.
Aldric stared at the creature. "What is that?"
"A Shadow Pup. They're not supposed to be here."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Not at this size. But it will grow."
The pup squirmed in Ren's arms. He set it down on the floor. It ran to the corner, then back to Ren.
"It likes you," Aldric said.
"It recognizes my bloodline. Shadowstring."
Aldric's eyes widened. "The ancient beast?"
"Yes."
Ren knelt beside the pup. "There must be a rift somewhere. A tear between the planes. That's how it got here."
"Can you close it?"
"I can try."
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Ren spent the evening searching for the rift.
The pup followed him everywhere—through the pottery shop, through the alley behind the buildings, through the square at the end of Sunflower Street.
Shadow Sense.
The shadows whispered. The rift was close—a place where the Shadow Plane bled into the real world.
He found it behind the bakery. A crack in the air—faint, shimmering, like heat rising from stone.
System notification.
Shadow Rift detected. Level: 20. Threat: Low.
Recommendation: Close rift within 7 days to prevent more creatures from escaping.
Ren touched the rift. The shadows around him deepened. The pup whimpered.
Shadow Walk.
The world went black.
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He stood on the Shadow Plane.
The rift was visible here—a tear in the black glass, glowing with pale light. Shadow creatures circled in the distance, drawn by the opening.
45 seconds.
Ren walked toward the rift. The pup was beside him—it had followed him through.
"You shouldn't be here," Ren said.
The pup whined.
40 seconds.
Ren reached the rift. The edges were jagged, sharp, bleeding shadow.
How do I close this?
"Seal it with your blood," the Shadowstring whispered.
Ren pulled out his knife. Cut his palm. Pressed his hand against the rift.
The shadows screamed.
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The rift pulsed. The edges pulled together, sealing slowly. Shadow creatures howled in the distance.
30 seconds.
Ren's blood dripped into the rift. The shadows drank it.
25 seconds.
The rift closed.
20 seconds.
The Shadow Plane grew quiet.
15 seconds.
Ren turned. The pup was staring at him, its yellow eyes wide.
10 seconds.
"Let's go home."
5 seconds.
The world returned.
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Ren was back in the alley, his hand bleeding, the pup at his feet.
The rift was gone.
System notification.
Shadow Rift sealed. 6 days early.
XP gained: 200.
Current XP: 295/740.
Jungle Coins gained: 100 JC (reward from system for closing rift).
Current JC: 38,903 + 100 = 39,003.
Ren closed the notification.
"It's done," he told Aldric.
The potter stared at the space where the rift had been. "What was that?"
"A tear between worlds. It won't bother you again."
Aldric clasped Ren's hands. "Thank you. Thank you."
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The pup followed Ren back to the shop.
Lena was closing the register. She looked up and froze.
"What is that?"
"A Shadow Pup."
"It's... cute?"
The pup tilted its head. It was small, gray, with oversized ears and a tail that curled at the end.
"It's not a pet," Ren said.
The pup jumped onto the counter. Lena laughed.
"It looks like a pet."
"It's a creature from the Shadow Plane. It's not supposed to be here."
"Then what are you going to do with it?"
Ren looked at the pup. It was staring at him with wide yellow eyes.
I can't send it back. It'll die.
"I'm going to keep it."
Lena grinned. "I knew it."
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The neighbors gathered in the square that evening.
Word had spread—Ren had closed the rift, saved the pottery shop, adopted a strange creature.
Aldric brought bread from his shop. The baker brought pastries. The flower-seller brought a bouquet.
Ren stood in the center of the square, the pup at his feet, surrounded by people who had once been strangers.
"Thank you," an old woman said. "For keeping us safe."
"I just closed a hole in the air."
"You did more than that. You showed us that someone is watching."
Ren looked around the square. At the faces of his neighbors. At the children playing. At the pup sniffing the flowers.
This is what I'm fighting for. Not coins. Not revenge. This.
"You're welcome," he said.
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The pup slept on Ren's bed that night.
It curled up at the foot of the mattress, its tail wrapped around its body. Ren watched it breathe.
I need to name you.
He thought about the Shadow Plane. About the darkness, the creatures, the shrine.
Shadow. No, too simple.
Shade.
The pup opened its eyes.
"Shade," Ren said.
The pup wagged its tail.
"Shade it is."
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Ren opened his system screen.
Level: 44. XP: 295/740.
Jungle Coins: 39,003.
Lifespan remaining: 349 years.
New companion: Shade (Shadow Pup, level 15).
He closed the screen.
Tomorrow, I train. But tonight, I rest.
He lay down. The roof didn't leak. The pup snored softly.
The jungle breathed.
Ren closed his eyes.
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End of Chapter 32
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