Jade couldn't move.
The System's words remained inside his mind.
Your shadow has been destroyed.
For several seconds, he simply stood there.
Then—
Pain exploded through his soul.
Jade's body bent forward.
His fingers dug into his chest as a terrible sensation spread through every part of his existence.
It wasn't like being stabbed.
It wasn't like being burned.
It wasn't even like having his soul attacked by an enemy.
This was different.
Something had been removed.
Something that had been connected to him for so long that he had stopped thinking of it as separate.
Ling.
Jade's breathing became ragged.
"Ah..."
He tried forcing the pain down.
He circulated his essence.
He attempted to stabilize his Soul Sea.
Nothing worked.
The pain only intensified.
Jade staggered toward the nearest wall and placed one hand against it.
His vision blurred.
Cold sweat covered his forehead.
He had experienced countless injuries throughout the Trial.
He had broken bones.
He had nearly died.
He had suffered soul attacks.
He had even lost his Fate.
But somehow...
Losing Ling hurt differently.
Far more deeply than he had expected.
Jade slowly entered his Soul Sea.
The crimson ocean immediately appeared before him.
But it wasn't the same.
The moment he looked toward the horizon, his expression froze.
The dead army...
Was disappearing.
Thousands of crimson soldiers stood silently across the endless blood ocean.
Then their bodies began dissolving.
One figure.
Then another.
Then hundreds.
Their bodies evaporated into crimson particles before being absorbed by the Soul Sea.
Jade's pupils trembled.
"No..."
He rushed forward.
But there was nothing he could do.
The soldiers continued disappearing.
The army that had once seemed endless was slowly being erased.
Jade felt his soul becoming strangely dry.
His Soul Sea itself seemed to be losing vitality.
His breathing became heavier.
His entire body trembled.
"What's happening to me?"
He immediately wrapped his essence around his Soul Core.
He surrounded it layer after layer, desperately trying to protect it.
He had never experienced this kind of pain.
Not even when his Fate had been severed.
Not even during his awakening.
The connection between him and Ling had apparently been far deeper than he had realized.
Minutes passed.
Jade's consciousness became increasingly unstable.
His body finally collapsed.
---
When he opened his eyes again...
Cold.
That was the first thing he felt.
Cold against his back.
Cold against his skin.
Cold against his forehead.
Jade slowly opened his eyes.
He was lying on a large pack of ice.
He had apparently placed it beneath him to reduce the unbearable heat radiating from his body.
His clothes were soaked with sweat.
His breathing was slow.
For several moments, he simply stared at the ceiling.
Then the pain returned.
A sharp pulse passed through his soul.
Jade clenched his teeth.
But this time...
It was weaker.
He endured it.
Another minute passed.
Then another.
Eventually, the unbearable heat began fading.
The pressure inside his soul slowly stabilized.
Jade exhaled.
His body felt completely exhausted.
He closed his eyes.
For a moment, he almost wished he could simply sleep.
Then—
The System spoke.
Its voice was as emotionless as ever.
"Would you like to transform your Echoes into Bloody Shadows?"
Jade opened his eyes.
"...What?"
The question confused him.
Bloody Shadows?
He had just lost Ling.
Why was the System talking about something else?
Still, curiosity won.
"Yes."
The System immediately responded.
"Bloody Shadow requirements detected."
A pause.
Then—
"Requirement: 100 Pure Blood."
Another pause.
"Current supply: Insufficient."
Jade stared blankly.
"...Of course."
He leaned back onto the ice.
"Why would anything ever be easy?"
The System ignored his complaint.
Jade remained silent for a while.
Then his expression slowly changed.
He looked toward the empty space beside him.
That was where Ling would usually stand.
Or sit.
Or annoy him.
Or dramatically cross its arms whenever Jade insulted it.
Jade's lips tightened.
He missed that little idiot.
More than he wanted to admit.
"Is there..."
He hesitated.
"Is there a way to get my shadow back?"
The System answered immediately.
"Affirmative."
Jade's eyes brightened slightly.
Then the next words came.
"A new shadow can be created."
Jade's expression froze.
"New?"
"Requirement: 1,000 Shadow Fragments."
Silence.
Jade lowered his head.
A new shadow.
Not Ling.
The thought felt strangely wrong.
Ling wasn't just a shadow.
It had developed a personality.
It had learned.
It had become attached to Blake and Ella.
It had followed Jade everywhere.
It had even learned how to pout.
Jade couldn't simply replace it.
But at least...
There was a way forward.
"How do I get Shadow Fragments?"
The System responded.
"Kill Shadow Creatures."
Jade stared at the ceiling.
Then sighed.
"Shadow creatures..."
He immediately remembered his First Trial.
The Shadowed Area.
The endless hordes.
Thousands upon thousands of shadow creatures had filled that place.
Back then, he had considered them nothing more than enemies.
Now?
He wished he could return.
If he had known...
He would have collected every Shadow Fragment he could find.
"I could've had enough fragments by now."
Jade shook his head.
Regret was useless.
The past couldn't be changed.
And the Shadowed Area was gone.
At least...
As far as he knew.
Finding ordinary shadow creatures in the Spiritual realm would be difficult.
Finding enough to gather one thousand fragments would be even harder.
Jade slowly sat up.
His body still felt weak.
His Soul Sea remained strangely empty.
He looked toward the place where Ling had once existed.
Nothing.
No playful shadow.
No tiny figure crossing its arms.
No strange companion waiting for another adventure.
Just silence.
Jade lowered his gaze.
"Goodbye, Ling."
The words were barely audible.
He didn't know whether Ling could still hear him.
Perhaps it was truly gone.
Perhaps somewhere deep within the endless Spiritual Realm, a fragment of it remained.
Jade didn't know.
But he wasn't going to give up.
If creating a new shadow required one thousand Shadow Fragments...
Then he would collect one thousand.
Even if it took years.
---
The rest of the day passed quietly.
Jade didn't enter the Spiritual Realm.
He couldn't.
His body had only recently recovered, and his Soul Sea was still unstable.
Besides...
Once he officially entered the academy, his schedule would become even more restrictive.
For now, staying home was the safest choice.
Jade eventually returned to his room.
He lay on the bed.
The room was completely silent.
Usually, Ling would have appeared somewhere nearby.
Perhaps on the wall.
Perhaps underneath the bed.
Perhaps standing beside him for no reason.
But tonight...
Nothing happened.
Jade turned onto his side.
His eyes remained open.
He couldn't sleep.
His thoughts returned to Blake.
The last thing he had seen through Ling's eyes was Blake being carried deeper into the Ashen Cave.
The Mystic Jade had taken him.
Ling had followed.
And then...
Ling had disappeared.
Jade clenched his fist.
"Blake..."
"What are you going through right now?"
He had no answer.
That uncertainty bothered him more than anything.
If Blake was alive, he had to be suffering.
If he was dead...
Jade didn't want to finish the thought.
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he would begin preparing for the academy.
He would become stronger.
He would find Shadow Fragments.
He would create another shadow.
And if Blake was still alive...
He would find him.
No matter where the Ashen Cave led.
No matter what waited inside that mysterious citadel.
Jade slowly pulled the blanket over himself.
For the first time since Ling had appeared in his life...
He fell asleep without a shadow beside him.