My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

The moment Damon heard that, it felt as though the entire world went black.

"Huh... two years?"

Renata nodded.

"Yeah. You missed a lot. Even Xander has a child now. He was kind of down that you didn’t come for the naming ceremony."

Damon stood there in silence, the words striking him harder than any attack.

Two and a half years.

To him it had felt nowhere near that long.

A strange sense of unease crept into his chest as he stared ahead. So much had happened while he was gone. Children had been born. Lives had moved forward. Entire Chapters of people’s lives had unfolded without him even realizing it.

For the first time since returning, Damon felt genuinely disconnected from the world he had left behind.

More than that, more than anything, he missed two years of his daughter’s life. His daughter had not seen him for two whole years.

Damon felt his head throb. Would she even recognize him? Was he one of those deadbeat fathers? How was she doing? What was she doing? Was she bigger? Did he miss her first words? Of course he did.

He glanced at Renata.

"What else did I miss?"

"Well, the temple wants to see you. They think you’re hiding from them because you used forbidden magic to deal with the great dragon Ashergon, though your family dealt with that. Even so, you still need to show up for a hearing."

Damon did not care about that at all.

"What else?" he asked while walking out of the lab.

"The war continues on. We made significant headway through the Whispering Forest, but progress has slowed down at a new base. We should be able to break through in a few more years of this bitter campaign."

She hurried after him, trying to keep up while reading report after report.

"Seras is still on her secret mission, though word is she is close to a breakthrough."

"From the looks of it, the battle inside the city of Lysithara is drawing to a close. The ancient forces that kept the city are still fighting the outsiders, but we imagine they will lose in a few more years. Our estimate is six years."

Damon shook his head slightly.

"No, it’s seven. If the Unknown God is involved, he chooses perfect numbers like one, two, three, four, five, seven, nine, twelve, eighteen. Six is not it."

"Erm... how do you know that?" Renata asked.

Damon paused, thinking back to his corruption.

"I saw."

Then he continued walking.

"Xander’s child. How old are they?"

"About a year and some months. He was born at... hmm, right, a year and seven months."

Damon sighed. That was roughly when babies began to talk, which meant Damon did not care about that. His contract with Xander could wait. He had to see his daughter.

He opened the door and the space beyond shifted the moment it swung open.

Damon’s hands froze.

Something rang inside his head.

The contract had been activated.

Which meant somewhere...

Xander’s son had spoken his first words.

Damon closed his eyes.

He had to keep the promise and take the child.

*****

Inside an opulent mansion overflowing with wealth and luxury, a beautiful woman sat beneath the night sky holding her son in her arms. She wore a long white nightdress, the pale fabric spilling over her legs as silver moonlight washed across her figure.

The small child sat comfortably on her lap.

She played with the brown-haired boy who looked far more like his father than her.

The child made small babbling noises while she teased him, gently poking his cheeks and smiling every time he laughed.

Xander stood on the balcony nearby, watching his wife and child with a warm smile.

His life was calm.

Well, as calm as a war veteran could have it.

This time spent with his wife Emilia and their son, whom he named Godric after his deceased older brother, was everything to him.

Damon Grey had disappeared for the last two years. These days that man had developed a terrible habit of simply vanishing off the map.

Still, Xander was sure Damon was alive.

And therefore Damon had not forgotten their contract.

Xander had heard rumors of Amon. He knew the demon still lived and he still wanted his vengeance, but for now Xander only wanted to enjoy his time with his family.

"Ah!" Emilia suddenly let out a small scream.

Xander snapped his head toward her.

She pointed excitedly at the baby.

"Did you hear that? He spoke! Say it again, sweetie."

"Xander, look!" she said excitedly, her eyes never leaving their son.

Xander quickly stepped forward.

The baby opened his mouth again.

"Mama."

Those were young Godric Ravenscroft’s first words.

The moment he said them Emilia lifted him into the air and hugged him tightly, tears already gathering in her eyes.

Xander smiled.

Then suddenly he felt a cold chill sweep through the air.

The shadows were calling him.

The time for the contract had come.

Godric Ravenscroft had spoken his first words.

Emilia handed him the baby.

Then paused.

"Wait, we need to capture this moment."

Excitedly she hurried away to retrieve a magical recording device, one of the latest creations from the organization Damon had built.

Leaving her child in Xander’s arms.

When she returned moments later she froze.

Xander stood on the balcony.

And beside him stood a figure covered entirely in a black hood.

She could not see a face.

Could not see eyes.

Could not even tell what it was.

Only the dark hood and the overwhelming feeling that something unnatural had appeared inside her home.

Then the entity reached out toward her son.

Her husband did not fight back.

He merely handed the child over with a calm expression.

Emilia did not wait to fully process what she was seeing.

Her hand erupted with magical power.

She launched herself forward.

The balcony exploded into countless fragments, stone and glass shooting in every direction as a violent shockwave tore through the night.

The attack arrived too late.

When the dust finally settled only the tear-streaked face of a mother remained.

Her baby was gone.

Taken by a shadow.

Her desperate scream echoed through the night.

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