In a small clearing in an abandoned area full of trees, Shid attacked Zindar, charging with all his strength. But Zindar extended a massive hand from his back and struck him with just a finger, sending Shid flying as if he were nothing.
Zindar sighed, feeling frustrated.
"The one hundred seventy-sixth attempt failed, Shid."
Shid struggled to catch his breath.
"Can… we stop for today…?"
But Zindar refused immediately.
"You must become a hero."
Shid shouted in anger,
"I never asked to be a hero!"
Zindar asked calmly, "Then what do you want?"
"I just want to spend more time with my mother," Shid replied.
Zindar fell silent for a moment, then spoke in a cold, calm tone,
"You shouldn't cling to anyone like that, not even your mother. You won't always be under her care… she will die one day."
A heavy silence followed for a few seconds. Shid slowly stood, feeling his body begin to change.
Half of his face turned completely black, his eyes became white, and his left hand grew slightly larger. A strange heaviness coursed through his body, as if it no longer belonged to him.
He surged toward Zindar with incredible speed, but Zindar only took a step back. Shid's strike missed by a tiny margin.
Shid collapsed unconscious instantly and returned to his normal form.
From his body, the Shadow Knight emerged, looking exhausted.
"This cursed boy has taken a part of my power."
Hearing this, Zindar extended his hand again, grabbed the Shadow Knight, and compressed him until he vaporized. The vapor entered Shid's mouth.
Zindar lifted Shid onto his shoulder.
"Looks like we won't need that shadow anymore… we have a new Shadow Knight."
He drew a circle with his foot, turning it into a white portal, and jumped through it.
Meanwhile, his students were sitting around a table, gambling over who would get the pillow and blanket for the day. Zak was about to win when suddenly a portal opened above them, and Zindar fell with Shid onto the table, breaking it and ruining the game.
Zak was shocked, while the others cheered. Zindar glared at them.
"You've been gone for one day, and you've already started gambling!"
He ordered them to stay in place and placed Shid in his room before returning.
Renara mocked Zak, who said he deserved to win.
Kareem told them to forget it, warning that their teacher could kill them for gambling.
Zak added,
"Sometimes he forgets… that's why they call him Bookworm."
Leora said she didn't care and tried to leave, but Renara advised her to stay. She ignored her and opened the door… only to find Zindar standing there.
He entered and closed the door behind him.
"Today, I will remind you why I am your teacher."
Before doing anything, he ordered the twins, Orin and Orina, to appear, and they suddenly revealed themselves.
An hour later, Shid woke up with a severe headache, struggling to stand. He heard shouting from the next room. He went and opened the door to see the students, who bore marks of punishment, sitting silently.
Zindar came out and told him he could go home today.
Shid looked at them and said,
"Seems like your teacher treats you like a father… but a bad one."
Zak laughed despite his condition, explaining how Zindar had carried him on his shoulder.
Shid paused, still not remembering how he had fainted, and thought,
"That scoundrel must have done something…"
Seeing their strange expressions, he left the house.
As he walked, he wondered why he had accepted everything so easily, why he couldn't remember the events, and who the Shadow Knight really was.
He looked up at the moon, realizing he was very late, and began running.
When he reached home, he knocked anxiously. His mother opened the door, looking at him sharply.
"At dinner, I want an apology."
He entered and sat at the table. Shortly after, his mother sat opposite him and asked where he had been all day.
He hesitated, then said, "I was with my friends."
His mother smiled, relieved.
"Friends?"
She then said she wanted to meet them and asked him to invite them next week.
Shid, nervous, nodded in agreement, finished his meal quickly, and went to the bathroom.
He washed his hands and looked up at the mirror, freezing in place.
The mirror that had been broken… was whole again.
Suddenly, a whisper sounded in his ear
"I can't believe you're the one controlling my power now."