Outside kingdoms and palaces, in a realm untouched by reality, a figure moves.
Leo's eyes flew open. He felt a sharp awareness pierce the darkness around him.
There was no up, no down, no sense of direction or space. He floated in a deep void that felt like an endless ocean of shadows. The blackness surrounded him, stretching infinitely in every direction.
For a fleeting moment, he sensed something. A presence so vast and powerful it seemed to ripple through the jet-black horizon. But it disappeared before he could catch it. Only a lingering energy remained, prickling his skin.
The pressure of the void pressed against his skin, making the space feel alive. Pulsing.
The silence was absolute.
Broken only by his steady, controlled breathing. His heart beat with a calm, determined rhythm, unaffected by the strange environment. His mind began to scan his surroundings with urgency. He looked for any advantage or clue that could help him reach his goal.
Amanda.
Roxanne.
Their faces flashed in his mind, crystal clear and urgent. He flexed his fingers, testing his mobility in this strange space. No resistance. He tried to propel himself forward, but with no reference point, it was impossible to tell if he'd moved at all.
His jaw clenched. Teeth grinding as he forced down a surge of frustration. This void was an obstacle, nothing more. He'd overcome it, as he'd overcome everything else that stood between him and those he needed to save.
Leo's eyes narrowed, scanning the darkness for any flicker of light, any hint of substance. There had to be a way out. A path forward. He began to count his heartbeats, using them as a measure of time passing. Each beat was a moment lost. A moment Amanda and Roxanne remained beyond his reach.
He visualized the path ahead. Imagining himself tearing through this empty space. Breaking through whatever barriers lay between him and his goal. In his mind, he saw himself standing victorious, Amanda and Roxanne safe beside him.
The image blazed in his thoughts, serving as a beacon that guided him through the oppressive dark.
Whatever price he had to pay, he would pay it gladly. The mask's power pulsed within him, making his resolve feel like a strong force.
The mask's voice slithered back into Leo's mind. It had a haunting mix of tones, making it hard to tell if it was male or female. It was unsettling—a strange, shifting melody that echoed as though it came from both near and far.
You need strength fast; it urged, the cadence of its words swirling like smoke in his mind.
Give in to the shadows, and the power you seek will be yours.
The power to protect... the power to rule.
The words crept inside him like a parasite, promising him great strength. Yet Leo's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched as his presence, his very aura, began to flare.
He wasn't angry.
It was control, pure and absolute.
The dark energy around him thrummed with life, responding to his will as if it were an extension of his own body. It coiled and uncoiled like a living force, bending to his command.
A pulse of power radiated from him, pushing back against the voice that dared to tempt him. His aura thickened, a clear manifestation of his will. His eyes gleamed dangerously in the darkness, and the mask could feel it.
The raw power he has yet to fully unleash.
"Thanks for your help," Leo said. His voice was muffled by the mask.
"But let me make something clear."
The air thickened as he spoke, his aura pressing down on the mask, making its presence recoil slightly.
"You, mask, are nothing more than a tool."
"Useful for now, but disposable if you overstep."
The black energy seemed to bow to his authority as he continued; his voice was like steel.
"Try to control me again, and I'll destroy you myself."
There was a silence, as if the mask itself had faltered under the sheer weight of Leo's words. The strange, converging voice of the mask gave a sound, an eerie shift of tone, almost like a flinch from shock.
As you wish... The mask whispered with a shaky defiance, but its voice showed submission. Beneath the agreement, there was a lingering promise.
This was far from over.
Leo felt satisfied and pushed the mask from his mind. Still, a chill lingered in the air. He took a deep breath. Then, he focused on his system. He knew the next step needed just as much control.
With a sharp flick of his wrist, he gestured toward his system. Flickers of light shimmered in the black void around him.
The cats floated awkwardly. They swatted at the air, their usual grace now a comical struggle against the strange space. They seemed almost out of place in the heavy atmosphere.
Ai's form floated into the strange dimension. There was a slight flicker in her projection as she adjusted to the new space.
Leo's mind stayed sharp as he focused on the system interface before him. His aura buzzed faintly around him. He moved carefully, his eyes narrowing as he scrolled through the Share the Pain section. He stopped at the Targets List.
His fingers hovered briefly before selecting a name that had been etched into his mind: Silva.
Leo's heartbeat slowed. His breathing was steady. The interface displayed the familiar options. Without hesitation, he dragged the slider to its most value: 4,260 years. His fingers moved with purpose, unwavering as he tapped Activate using gold coins.
A message box blinked into view, glowing faintly in the blackness.
[System Notification] You are about to use 426,000,000 gold coins to raise the success rate to 100%. Do you want to continue?
There was no hesitation. He pressed Yes.
But then, another message appeared.
[System Notification] Selected sync value is higher than the calculated syncable years. You will only receive rewards based on the calculated years. Would you like to use the syncable years instead?
Leo frowned slightly as he took in the new information. Irritation flickered at the edges of his thoughts.
"Syncable years are part of the latest system update, Leo," Ai explained, her voice steady.
"The system now limits syncing to significant milestones in your target's life. These key years are what you can connect with. They help you gain important experiences and skills."
"Syncable years..." Leo's frown deepened, but he quickly dismissed the thought. As long as he could tip the balance against Silva, the limitations were a minor inconvenience.
He drifted back to the message, his mind sharp despite the tension in his muscles. He tapped Yes again. Then, without hesitation, he tapped Activate using gold coins again.
[System Notification] You are about to use 30,000,000 gold coins to raise the success rate to 100%. Do you want to continue?
He pressed Yes.
[System Notification] Syncing 300 years for about 60 seconds. Please secure your location before proceeding.
Without a pause, Leo tapped Proceed.
A timer appeared, its numbers counting down with relentless precision.
Before he could breathe, paralysis hit him like a wave. His muscles froze, trapped like they were in an iron vise. The sensation was overwhelming.
His body froze. His mind spun in a whirlwind of strange visions.
His vision fractured. The world around him broke into a thousand swirling images. Each one was a piece of Silva's memories. They came at him in rapid succession, disorienting him with their intensity.
He spotted it. A mimic, slimy and wriggling in the shadows. Nearby monsters howled, their cries echoing in his mind like distant screams. The mimic crawled deeper into the unknown, hiding itself in the recesses of the dungeon.
Another memory struck him. This time with more violence. The mimic's shape was almost shattered. It was trapped in the jaws of a huge beast. Its treasure box body was crushed between sharp teeth. Leo felt terror and desperation as the mimic fought for its life. It twisted free and retreated into the depths.
Then came another flash. The mimic began fighting back. Leo saw it curl around unsuspecting monsters, pulling them into its gooey body. The mimic gained power with every kill. Its shape twisted and changed as it devoured all in its way.
More memories followed. Each one was brutal and unrelenting. The mimic lay in wait, perfectly still in its treasure box form. Leo felt the excitement and fear of an adventurer. A young girl, opening the chest, only to be consumed by the mimic's monstrous maw in an instant. Her terror resonated through the memory, but the mimic showed no hesitation.
Only hunger.
The sync twisted and churned through Leo's mind, the experience almost unbearable. His body twitched. Muscles spasmed from the flood of Silva's life flashing before him.
But unlike his first sync, Leo managed to stay conscious. He gritted his teeth, refusing to faint as the visions continued to rush at him. His breathing came in ragged gasps; his body tensed as he fought through the process.
Each scene feels repetitive. The mimic fights off monsters or devours adventurers who are lured by its treasure box disguise. But there is something more. Something lurking beneath the surface of these memories. There is a familiarity in one recurring image, a scenario that plays out over and over again.
The mimic faced a colossal monster—a beast of terrifying size and power. Time after time, the mimic fought the beast and lost, each defeat a brutal reminder of its limitations.
But the pattern shifted. A new memory surged forward, unlike the others.
The mimic faced the same colossal monster once more.
But this time, the outcome was different.
Leo watched, heart pounding in his chest, as the mimic's power surged. It transcended beyond its previous limitations, its form warping into something incomprehensible. The familiar shape of the mimic changed. It twisted and overlapped with parts of creatures it had absorbed. Its essence grew, forming a new, powerful being.
Its victory was decisive. Silva overwhelmed the colossal beast, consuming it entirely.
As Leo recalled the memory, he sensed the mimic's power growing. It became almost beyond understanding, reaching past the physical into reality itself.
The overlapping visions made it hard to see all the details. Still, the importance of this event was clear.
This was Silva's defining moment.
Leo's heart raced as he remembered the mimic's failures. The harsh truth of its limits burned in his mind. Watching the mimic grow felt unsettling. It seemed that Silva's power was more than just physical.
It was a survival instinct forged in desperation, and it gnawed at his sense of purpose.
His body shook as the sync went on. Silva's memories weighed heavily on him, almost drowning him in a flood of thoughts. But amidst the chaos, one thing became evident: Silva was no ordinary mimic.
Its power had reached a level far beyond what Leo had originally anticipated.
As the last images faded, the sync ended. Leo's memories slipped away, and his body broke free from paralysis. He gasped for breath, his heart racing, but he had survived the sync.
The knowledge.
The power.
What he had gained from Silva's life was now his to wield.