Three days passed in a blur of training and adjustment. The connection between Ariel and me had deepened with each passing hour, our bond strengthening beyond anything I'd anticipated. The magical link created by the Evil Pieces functioned like an invisible tether—not constraining, but reassuring. I could sense her presence anywhere on the estate, a warm pulse at the edge of my awareness.
This morning, I stood alone in the Shadow Garden, surrounded by training dummies of various materials and compositions. Sweat trickled down my back despite the perpetual twilight coolness of the Underworld. I'd been at it for hours, experimenting with the boundaries of my newly stabilized power.
Mother's words from yesterday's lesson echoed in my mind: "Elemental affinity is like language. Some come naturally, others require study. Your shadow affinity is your native tongue—effortless and intuitive. Other elements will resist you to varying degrees."
She'd been right, of course. The seven shadow techniques I'd developed flowed from me like breathing. But my two non-shadow techniques—Firebolt and Needle Rain—required conscious effort, like speaking a language I'd studied but hadn't mastered.
I rolled my shoulders, focusing on a particularly stubborn fire-resistant dummy at the far end of the garden. The manufacturer had guaranteed it could withstand temperatures up to 1500°C. Father had ordered a dozen after I'd incinerated the previous batch.
"Let's see about that," I muttered, lifting my hand lazily.
I snapped my fingers, whispering "Firebolt."
A concentrated sphere of flame erupted from my fingertips, streaking across the garden with deceptive casualness. It struck the dummy dead center, and for a second, nothing happened. Then the supposedly fire-resistant material began to bubble and warp, black smoke curling upward as the mannequin slumped into a molten puddle.
"Oops."
The spell had gotten stronger since the ritual, requiring less concentration for greater effect.
I turned my attention to a cluster of standard dummies arranged in a defensive formation. Time to test Needle Rain's improvements.
I formed the tiger hand sign, fingers interlocked, and focused on pulling moisture from the air. Water droplets materialized around me, hanging suspended for a moment before elongating into razor-sharp needles. Each one carried a subtle purple shadow tinge—my signature.
The garden air filled with the soft hum of vibrating water molecules as over a hundred needles formed a spherical array around me. I directed my focus toward the dummies and released my hold.
The needles shot forward with lethal precision, each one finding a vital point on its target. They penetrated with barely a whisper, leaving small Valac sigils at each entry point. When the assault ended, the dummies resembled porcupines, bristling with my projectiles.
Not bad, but both lacking the natural grace of my shadow techniques.
I closed my eyes, feeling the shadows around me respond to my mere presence. This was where I belonged—in the language of darkness and void. The seven shadow techniques I'd developed were extensions of myself in a way the elemental spells could never be.
Umbra. Chimera Shadow Possession. Dark Repulsion. Kurohitsugi. Shade Bazooka. Sever.
And then there was the seventh—the one that old Dante would have found particularly entertaining. A technique inspired by a fictional power from my previous life and the failure of the old Dante, reworked through the lens of Valac shadow manipulation.
Domain Expansion: Shadow Garden.
A prickle along my magical senses alerted me to Ariel's approach. She moved silently through the estate grounds, heading directly for the training area. Perfect timing.
Why not give my first peerage member a proper demonstration?
I centered myself, feeling the shadows of the garden respond to my intent. Let's try for a small open domain first.
"Domain Expansion," I intoned, eyes still closed as I brought my palms together.
The shadows around me paused, as if holding their breath. For 1.2 seconds, everything went utterly still. Then reality shifted.
"Shadow Garden."
Power exploded outward from my core, darkness rushing in all directions like a tidal wave. The boundaries of normal space warped and folded as my domain established itself—a perfect sphere approximately sixty meters in radius with me at its center.
Inside this space, shadow was substance and substance was shadow. The normal rules no longer applied. The familiar training grounds vanished, replaced by an endless dark expanse dotted with floating purple Valac sigils. The ground beneath remained solid but turned black as pitch, rippling slightly with each step like the surface of a midnight lake.
I opened my eyes, surveying my creation with satisfaction. Within this domain, my control over shadow reached ultimate class levels. Every molecule of darkness answered to my will without resistance. The very air felt thick with potential, waiting for my command to take form.
"Young Master?" Ariel's voice carried a note of alarm as she found herself suddenly transported from the garden entrance to my shadow realm.
I turned to face her, unable to suppress a grin at her wide-eyed expression. Her crimson eyes darted around the domain, taking in the floating sigils and endless dark expanse.
"Welcome to my Shadow Garden," I said, spreading my arms. "What do you think?"
Ariel took a tentative step forward, her foot causing ripples in the shadow-substance beneath us. "This is... extraordinary. I've never seen anything like it."
"That's because there isn't anything like it." I gestured casually, and a dozen shadow constructs rose from the ground—wolves, serpents, ravens, and panthers with glowing purple eyes. They circled us, perfectly obedient to my will. "Within this domain, my control over shadow is absolute."
Ariel reached out tentatively toward one of the shadow wolves. It nuzzled her hand, solid yet not quite physical in the conventional sense.
"You created this?" Her voice held awe and something else—a growing excitement that matched the battle-hunger I'd glimpsed in her before.
"It's a technique I've been developing in secret." I walked toward her, each step sending ripples through the shadow substance. "A bounded field where reality bends to accommodate my dominion over shadows."
To demonstrate, I lifted my hand. The entire domain shifted in response, the floating sigils rotating in perfect synchronization.
"The applications are... significant," I continued, watching her expression carefully. "Both offensively and defensively."
Ariel's professional mask had slipped completely, replaced by naked fascination. "This is beyond High-Class devil magic. This borders on ultimate-tier power."
I smiled, pleased by her assessment. "Perhaps. Though maintaining it does require considerable energy."
To further demonstrate, I created a shadow duplicate of myself that stepped away from my body, moving with perfect mimicry. Then another. And another. Soon, a dozen shadow-Dantes surrounded Ariel, each one solid enough to touch.
"Within this domain, I can create, destroy, and manipulate shadow with barely a thought." I dismissed the duplicates with a wave, watching them dissolve into the ambient darkness.
Ariel stepped closer, her eyes gleaming. "And you developed this... how?"
"Theory, experimentation, and a bit of inspiration from an unexpected source." I wasn't about to explain the anime connection. "The technique creates a space where the distinction between shadow and physical matter becomes meaningless."
I reached out, brushing my fingers against her cheek. The touch sent ripples of shadow energy across her skin, not harmful but intensely present. She shivered.
"Does it drain you to maintain this?" she asked, ever the practical bodyguard even in her amazement.
"Less than you might expect, though I couldn't sustain it indefinitely." I checked my internal reserves. "Current mastery limits me to about three minutes at full capacity."
Ariel nodded, her tactical mind already calculating applications. "Three minutes would be more than sufficient for most combat scenarios. Especially if opponents are unprepared for such an environment."
"Precisely." I created a chair of shadow and sat, gesturing for her to do the same. A matching seat formed behind her. "Within this domain, I have what amounts to home-field advantage multiplied by a factor of ten. I can reshape the environment, attack from any angle, and defend against almost anything."
She sat cautiously, testing the solidity of the shadow construct. Finding it stable, she relaxed slightly.
"Why show me this now?" she asked, her crimson eyes fixed on mine.
"Because you're the first member of my peerage." I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. "And because I need someone I can trust with the full scope of my capabilities."
Ariel's expression shifted through several emotions—surprise, pleasure, calculation, and finally, determination.
"I won't let you down," she stated simply.
"I know you won't." I stood, dissolving my shadow chair. "But for now, this stays between us. Not even my parents know about Domain Expansion."
She rose as well, nodding firmly. "Of course."
I stepped closer, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. The domain around us pulsed slightly in response to my emotions.
"There's another aspect to this technique you should know." My voice lowered. "Within Shadow Garden, I can feel everything—every movement, every shadow, every heartbeat."
My fingers trailed down her neck, feeling her pulse quicken beneath my touch.
"Including yours," I murmured.
Her breath caught, pupils dilating slightly. "Dante..."
The domain around us resonated with our connection, the shadows responding to both our energies now that she was part of my peerage. The purple sigils pulsed more rapidly, matching the accelerating rhythm of her heart.
"The bond between us is stronger here," I explained, my hand coming to rest at the base of her throat. "I can feel your energy, your emotions, your very essence."
"I feel it too," she whispered. "Like being connected to your shadow itself."
I nodded. "That's exactly it. The domain is an extension of me, and within it, our connection as King and Pawn intensifies."
I stepped back reluctantly, aware that maintaining the domain much longer would drain my reserves more than I intended for a training session.
"We should return," I said, dropping my hands to my sides. "I've shown you enough for today."
Ariel straightened, the professional maid reasserting herself even as her eyes remained bright with excitement.
"Thank you for trusting me with this," she said formally, though the slight flush on her cheeks betrayed her continued reaction to our proximity.
I smiled. "Remember—this remains our secret for now. A trump card best kept hidden until needed."
"Of course, Young Master." She slipped back into her servant role seamlessly, though the use of my title now carried a different weight between us.
I brought my hands together again, focusing on dissolving the domain. The shadows responded instantly, the bounded field collapsing inward toward me in a reverse explosion of darkness.
Reality reasserted itself. The familiar area materialized around us, training dummies still bristling with water needles, one still a molten puddle. The transition was seamless, as if we'd never left.
Ariel blinked, adjusting to the change. "Remarkable," she murmured, almost to herself.
"Just the beginning," I promised, already planning my next steps. "Now, I believe Mother wanted to see us both before dinner. Something about peerage protocol."