The Broken Halo

Sonya and Akaza left Simon’s room after Simon told them a few things they should try and find out specifically.

During the conversation, Sonya asked if he wanted to them to observe Mira because she noticed that Simon was observing her a lot after they entered the inn.

Simon told her not to bother, and Sonya let go of it.

She didn’t bother asking Simon who the demoness was since she had a feeling that if she was important, she and Akaza would get to know her sooner rather than later.

Akaza and Sonya left Simon’s room after they ended their discussion.

They went to their rooms to rest since they too needed rest. They might not have fought as much as Simon, but they had done a lot of work, and the mental stress they had gone through was enough for them to either rest or sleep for some hours.

After Akaza and Sonya left, Simon was left all alone in his room.

He stared at the ceiling of his room for a few minutes, his mind drifting from one thought to another.

Then, he asked Lilith a question.

[What is a Shadow Walker, Lilith?]

Lilith remained silent for a moment, then she released a deep sigh.

[Now, how do I explain what a Shadow Walker is to you so that you can understand it.]

Simon narrowed his eyes slightly.

[Dumb it down as much as you can.]

Lilith chuckled softly.

[Well... Alright then.]

She paused for a moment, then she continued speaking.

[You know about elemental planes and the gates of elemental planes, don’t you?]

Simon raised a brow slightly, and he recalled the time his shadow affinity grade was tested.

[Yes, I do.] He responded.

[Then this should be easier for you to understand, even though you still won’t understand the true concept behind Shadow Walkers.]

Simon frowned slightly.

[Explain what I can understand then.]

Lilith was silent for a moment, then she spoke.

[A normal demon with shadow affinity opens a gate to the Chaos Shadow Plane and pulls power from it.]

[The higher the affinity, the wider the gate. The wider the gate, the more shadow energy that demon can touch, pull, and control.]

[But no matter how talented that demon is, he still exists fully in the physical world. His body is here. His soul is here. But his shadow is still only his shadow, even if he can manipulate it.]

Simon narrowed his eyes slightly.

[And a Shadow Walker?]

[A Shadow Walker is different.]

Lilith’s voice became slightly more serious.

[A Shadow Walker is not merely somebody with a high shadow affinity. If that was all it took, then that little Shadowgrave Clan would have produced countless Shadow Walkers by now.]

[The difference between a normal shadow user and a Shadow Walker is not just talent.]

[It is existence.]

Simon remained silent and listened.

[For ordinary shadow users, the gate only opens in one direction. They draw power from the Shadow Plane into the physical world.]

[But for Shadow Walkers, the gate partially inverts.]

Simon frowned.

[Inverts?]

[Yes.] Lilith replied calmly. [The Shadow Plane no longer remains something that merely exists beyond the gate. Instead, it begins to exist through them.]

Simon’s eyes flickered slightly. Curiosity and intrigue could be seen in them as he listened intently to everything Lilith was saying.

Lilith continued.

[Their body, soul, and shadow become connected to the Shadow Plane in both directions.]

[They can pull power from the Shadow Plane, but the Shadow Plane can also hold a part of them.]

[That means their existence is no longer fully located in the physical world.]

[They are partly here.]

[And partly elsewhere.]

Simon’s expression became slightly more solemn.

[So that was why destroying Sunless’ body did not kill her.]

[Exactly.] Lilith said. [For ordinary beings, the body, soul, and mind are the main parts of their existence.]

[But for Shadow Walkers, the shadow replaces the mind as one of the three pillars of their existence.]

[Body. Soul. Shadow.]

[Their shadow becomes an extension of their soul, a second vessel, and a bridge to the Chaos Shadow Plane.]

[Their body moves in the physical world.]

[Their shadow moves between the physical world and the Shadow Plane.]

[And their soul can hide behind either.]

Simon’s brows slowly furrowed.

[That’s troublesome.]

Lilith scoffed softly.

[Troublesome is an understatement.]

[At a low level, Shadow Walkers can use shadows as roads. They can move through shadows, hide inside them, appear from them, and treat every shadow around them like a door.]

[Talented shadow users can do the same, but Shadow Walkers do it with so much ease.]

[At a higher level, their shadow can act as a second body. They can replace damaged flesh with shadows, hold their injuries together, and survive wounds that would kill ordinary demons.]

[You saw Sunless do that.]

Simon nodded slightly as he recalled how Sunless used shadows to replace the second half of her body.]

[At an even higher level, their soul can hide away from their body.]

Simon’s gaze darkened.

[Like Sunless.]

[Yes.] Lilith replied. [The Sunless we fought was not truly Sunless. It was a body connected to her true self.]

[Like a puppet?] Simon asked.

[A crude explanation, but yes.]

Lilith paused briefly, then continued.

[Her physical body was like a shadow puppet made of flesh. If you cut the puppet, the one controlling it does not die.]

[To kill the puppet master, you have to find the strings, follow them, and destroy the hand controlling the puppet.]

Simon’s eyes narrowed.

[And her strings led to the withered tree.]

[Yes.] Lilith replied. [Her soul was hidden beneath that tree, and that was why I told you Shadow Walkers are difficult to kill.]

[Destroying their body is not always enough. You need to find where their true self is hidden. You need to sever the connection between their body, shadow, and soul. Then you need to destroy the soul before it escapes deeper into the Shadow Plane.]

Simon remained silent as he pondered on everything Lilith just told him.