Darkness slithered along the edges of the room, coiling around my ankles like affectionate serpents. The three newly created shadow thralls stood silently before me, waiting for their first command.
Their eyes glowed faintly—no longer filled with arrogance or cruelty, but with absolute, unquestioning loyalty.
Gareth, former bully, now stood at attention like a loyal knight.What a delightful twist of fate.
I flexed my new body's small fingers, marveling at how weak yet strangely adaptable they felt. The bones were thin, the muscles underdeveloped, and the frame… well, malnourished was a polite way of saying "starved like a stray dog."
Still, this body now hosted me. And I intended to make it worthy of the title Shadow Emperor.
The system chimed.
[Shadow Thralls: 3][Stats: +0.01 bonus for each thrall][Note: Thralls may evolve with combat.]
"Only 0.01 per thrall?" I muttered. "System, are you mocking me?"
[Host is weak. Thralls are weaker. Please lower expectations.]
"…I forgot how sassy systems can be."
[Correction: I am not sassy. I am brutally honest.]
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Wonderful. My system's a comedian."
The three shadow thralls stared unblinkingly.
"…Master?" Gareth croaked, his voice hollow, distorted, echoing from the grave.
"Yes?"
"What are your orders?"
A smile curled my lips. Ah. Music to my ears.
Step one: Establish power. Step two: Eliminate threats. Step three: Build a shadow empire.
But before any of that…
I needed food. A bath. And possibly a tailor to burn everything I was wearing.
The original Azeroth had been treated worse than livestock. His room was a small storage closet repurposed into a "bedroom," with a window that didn't close, a pile of straw pretending to be a mattress, and a single wooden bucket that I pray had once been used for water and only water.
I stood, wobbling slightly, and commanded:
"Follow."
The three shadows moved behind me in perfect silence.
The door creaked open, revealing a dim hallway. The noble estate belonged to the Nightcrest Family, a minor barony. The original Azeroth had been the illegitimate son of Baron Ulric Nightcrest, the result of "a mistake during a winter festival," as the Baron's wife so lovingly put it.
The boy had grown up unwanted, mocked, and beaten—ironically making him a perfect vessel for my reincarnation.
"System," I whispered mentally. "Status window."
A panel opened.
[STATUS]
Name: Azeroth Nightfall (Reincarnated)Age: 12Race: Human (Mutating)Titles:
Shadow Emperor Reborn (Hidden)
Bastard of Nightcrest (Public)
Weakling (About to be removed)
Stats:STR: 4AGI: 5INT: 28MAG: 35CHA: 12LCK: 3
Shadow Force: 120Shadow Thralls: 3
Skills:
Shadow Extraction Lv. 1
Raise Lesser Shadow Lv. 1
Shadow Bind Lv. 1
Predator's Hunger (Passive)]
Pathetic physical stats, monstrously high intelligence and magic.
Just as expected.
"Good. Even as a child, I'm already smarter than half the kingdom."
[A generous estimate.]
"I wasn't asking for commentary."
The system beeped in what I swear was amusement.
I led the thralls down the hallway until we reached the washroom. A maid spotted me and paled at the sight of my followers—then somehow paled further when she recognized them.
"Y–Y-You—you're with G-Gareth and—"Her voice cracked. She took a step backward. "Why… why are their eyes glowing?"
I smiled warmly. "They serve me now."
She fainted.
"Take her somewhere safe," I ordered.
Gareth lifted her like a sack of flour and placed her gently in a corner.
"Now," I continued, "time for hygiene."
I locked the door behind me.
Steam filled the room as I filled the tub. My small reflection stared back at me in the rippling water—a messy mop of dark hair, underfed cheeks, and pale skin marked by old bruises.
Pathetic.
But the eyes…
Sharp. Intelligent. Burning with malice and ambition.
I dipped in the warm water. Bliss.
"This body will change," I promised myself. "I will forge it anew. Strong. Dominant. Feared."
The shadows around the room trembled, responding to my intent.
Once finished, I donned the least ragged set of clothes available and stepped into the hallway.
It was time.
Time for the first hunt.
Every evening, the Baron, his wife, and their two legitimate children gathered for dinner. The original Azeroth was forbidden from attending, but I had no intention of honoring that rule.
I walked confidently toward the dining hall.
A guard spotted me. "Hey! Bastard brat! You know you're not allow—"
Gareth's hand shot forward, grabbing the guard by the throat and slamming him into the wall. The guard's helmet clattered to the floor.
The man gasped, "G–Gareth? What—what are you—"
Gareth's eyes glowed purple.
The guard fainted.
"Good job," I said. Gareth's expression didn't change.
Another maid shrieked down the corridor.
The dining hall doors approached. Voices echoed inside—arrogant tones, laughter, the clinking of silverware.
I pushed open the doors.
The room fell silent.
Baron Ulric Nightcrest froze, a fork halfway to his mouth. His wife dropped her goblet. Their two children—both older than me—stared with open disgust.
"What," the Baron said slowly, "is he doing here?"
I bowed politely.
"Good evening, Father. Family."
The air grew tense.
"You are not permitted to dine with us!" Lady Nightcrest snapped. "Return to your hole."
I tilted my head. "Is that any way to speak to the rightful heir?"
She choked. "W–What nonsense are you spewing now?"
I snapped my fingers.
Three shadow thralls stepped beside me, eyes glowing like amethyst flames.
The room collectively gasped.
"G–Gareth?!" one of the Baron's sons yelped. "Weren't you supposed to be—"
"Dead?" I offered helpfully. "Yes. He was. And now he's mine."
The Baron pushed back from his seat, face twisting with fury and fear.
"What have you done?" he roared. "Necromancy? In my estate?"
I smiled.
"No, Father. Not necromancy. Something far worse."
Shadows crawled up my legs, swirling into a throne-like shape behind me.
"I have returned."
His eyes widened at the aura I released—dark, oppressive, ancient.
Even as a child, I could suppress him.
"From this day," I declared, "a new era begins."
The room fell into horrified silence.
A servant dropped a plate.
And then—
The system chimed.
[Main Quest Updated: Establish yourself as the rightful successor of Nightcrest.]Reward: Shadow Evolution (Tier I)]
My smile widened.
"Let the games begin."