Since arriving at Shadow Garden, Zeta had demonstrated an astonishing level of perseverance.
Whatever training Shino assigned her, she completed it twofold.
Aside from eating and sleeping, her entire existence was dedicated to training–pushing herself to the absolute brink of death daily.
She didn’t act like a young girl at all.
Her eyes were constantly burning with hatred.
Alpha noticed this, but remembering how the Golden Leopard Clan had been wiped out by the Cult, she could guess the source of that rage.
“Do not judge a person’s path unless you have walked in their shoes,” was something Shino often said.
Alpha understood the sentiment, so she didn’t try to lecture Zeta on her hatred; she simply worried that such intensity would eventually break the girl’s body and mind.
Shino, unsure of how else to help her process her grief, maintained a rigorous training schedule.
A program he expected would take a month, Zeta mastered in two weeks.
Her desire for strength was palpable.
“Zeta, since you’ve finished the basic program, we’re moving on to live combat.
I will be your sparring partner.
I’ll suppress my mana to match yours exactly.” “No more talk.
Let’s begin!” “Lord Phantom, then please excuse my rudeness!” Zeta gripped her slime sword and charged.
Shino parried her strike with ease.
“Your intent is too obvious.
You’re leaking too much killing intent.
You’re moving so fast that you’re losing your center of gravity!” Shino suddenly relaxed his posture and stepped aside.
Because she had committed too much force to the strike, Zeta tumbled to the ground with no target to hit.
Shino didn’t show mercy just because she had fallen; he swung his blade down toward her prone form.
He controlled his power perfectly–it wouldn’t seriously injure her, but it would leave a stinging reminder.
Zeta sensed the incoming strike and rolled away instantly.
Shino pursued her, hacking at her as she rolled, giving her not a single breath of air.
After a few rotations, Shino’s blade finally connected.
A sharp pain radiated from her waist.
“In a real fight, your enemy won’t give you a chance to breathe!
Get up!
Again!” Zeta adjusted her stance and stood.
Her waist throbbed; even though Shino hadn’t intended to maim her, the blow had an impact.
Shino saw her struggling and waved his hand.
A blue-violet mana enveloped her, erasing the pain and restoring her stamina.
“Round two.
Begin!” Zeta had learned her lesson.
This time, she didn’t rush.
She kept her balance and didn’t overextend her attacks.
Shino met her head-on, their blades clashing.
Suddenly, Shino freed one hand and threw a punch.
Zeta hadn’t expected him to use his fists; she scrambled backward to dodge.
“Don’t focus solely on the blade.
Your enemies won’t fight with ‘chivalry.’ They will use any opening to ambush you!” As he spoke, Shino performed a rapid two-and-a-half-turn mid-air flip, using the centrifugal force to deliver a crushing downward strike.
Zeta realized she couldn’t block it and dove to the side.
As Shino’s strike hit the air, she launched a counterattack.
Shino shifted to a reverse grip and snapped his blade back to parry.
The moment he blocked her, Shino grabbed Zeta’s wrist, pulled her toward him, and sent her crashing into the dirt with an over-the-shoulder throw.
“Always watch every move your enemy makes!
Never let your guard down!” They fought from dawn until dusk.
Zeta’s growth was visible to the naked eye, her strength climbing step by step.
Three weeks later, she had officially graduated from Shino’s personal tutelage.
He handed her over to Alpha to assist with intelligence gathering.
It was around this time that Cid contacted Shino.
“Look at her, playing with her scrap metal again.
Instead of learning mana control to become a magic swordsman, she spends all day tinkering with junk!” Eta ignored the mockery of the other elven children and continued focused on her machine.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her body.
Black patterns began to crawl across her skin.
An elder, seeing what was happening, turned pale.
“She…
she is Possessed!
Children, stay away from her!” Eta stared blankly at the markings on her arm, looking utterly confused.
She was seized by the villagers.
People she had lived with all her life began screaming the most venomous insults at her, even beating her.
They called her “filth” and said she was a mistake who shouldn’t exist.
Eta didn’t understand what she had done wrong.
She had always been an outcast, and she could accept being bullied by kids her age, but she couldn’t comprehend why the adults were doing it too.
Eventually, she was handed over to the Holy Church.
The Cult locked her in a cage, transporting her toward a research facility.
During the journey, Eta heard a whisper.
“Do you hunger for power?
Do you desire freedom?” “I want power…
I want freedom,” Eta prayed.
“Then your wish is granted!” Cid appeared, shattering the cage and neutralizing the guards in an instant.
Shino arrived shortly after, extending his hand toward her.
Blue-violet mana surged, and her Possession visibly receded.
Shino explained the Cult’s atrocities, the truth behind the Possession, and the mission of Shadow Garden.
“Will you join us and fight against the Cult?” Shino asked, reaching out.
“I will.” Eta took his hand.
“Welcome to Shadow Garden.
I am Phantom.
The one who saved you is Shadow; he had to leave for other business.
From today, you must leave everything behind.
Your name is now Eta.” “I understand.” Shino brought Eta back to the base.
Her talent for combat was poor, but to ensure she could protect herself, Shino put her through training.
The same course the others finished quickly took Eta two months to complete.
Once she had basic self-defense skills, Shino began teaching her other things—the mechanical principles of a camera, the physics of a steam engine, and any modern knowledge he could recall.
Eta became obsessed, filling notebooks every day with Shino’s lectures.
Under his guidance, she avoided many experimental dead-ends and successfully built a rudimentary telegraph machine within a month, allowing for long-distance communication.
Shino even helped her develop a bicycle.
While it wasn’t as fast as a magic swordsman, it was efficient and convenient.
Eta immediately began researching how to automate it.
Time flew by.
Before they knew it, Shadow Garden had been established for nearly a year.
One day, Shino returned from his daily training to find the Seven Shadows gathered and hiding inside the house.
He pretended not to notice and pushed the door open.
*Pop!* Party poppers went off.
“Happy Birthday, Phantom!” Alpha said.
“Happy Birthday, Lord Phantom!” the Seven Shadows shouted in unison.
Shino had actually forgotten it was his birthday.
On the table sat a massive cake, handcrafted by the seven girls.
“Thank you, everyone.” Shino was genuinely touched.
They enjoyed a warm, celebratory meal together.
“By the way,” Shino added, “most of you haven’t properly met Shadow, have you?
I’ll call him over so you can meet.” “He is, after all, the founder of Shadow Garden.
If you ever find yourselves in danger and happen to encounter him, remember to ask for his help.
He is exceptionally strong.” Cid, sensing Shino’s mana call, arrived promptly–as a professional “Eminence,” he was always on time for his financier.
He pushed open the door, dressed in his dark attire, his hood up, looking every bit the mysterious leader.
“This is Shadow.
His real name is Cid, and he is my twin brother.
Today is his birthday too.” While some had seen him before, others were meeting him for the first time.
“Hello,” Cid greeted them with a cool, detached tone.
“Greetings, Lord Shadow!” the Seven Shadows chorused under Alpha’s lead.
“This is my gift to you.” Cid released a wave of mana, slightly boosting everyone’s internal capacity.
It was a trick Shino knew as well, but since it temporarily taxed one’s own reserves, he rarely used it.
Cid ate a quick meal with them and then departed.
Most of the girls found him to be a powerful, distant, and imposing leader.
To them, Cid was the “Powerful Leader,” while Shino was the “Powerful and Beloved Leader.” Cid didn’t care for the domestic details and left to continue his training.
To him, becoming the Eminence in Shadow was the ultimate goal.
Except for Alpha, the girls were still children, and Shino was taking excellent care of them.
Cid was perfectly happy to be a hands-off boss, appearing only when the script required it.