Aether cursed himself silently. He shouldn't have shown that ability—not in front of them. The thrill of testing it had overridden his caution. Now, the shadows stood behind him, clear as day.
Barbara stared, mouth half-open. "Aether… what are those—?"
The Geo Slime lunged, cutting her off. It crashed down with a roar.
"Move!" Razor shoved her aside and blocked the hit with his blade, skidding back from the impact.
"I've got it!" Sucrose called, summoning a twister that coiled around the Geo Slime, lifting it slightly off the ground. Her face tightened with effort. "It's—too heavy!"
The slime dropped hard as she stumbled back, breathless.
"Shadows—handle it," Aether cooly ordered.
The two dark Hydro Slimes shot forward without hesitation, surrounding the Geo Slime. As it thrashed geo blocks against them, Aether turned to the three remaining Hydro Slimes.
Anemo surged into his hand, wind swirling and sharpening like blades.
His voice was low. Controlled. "I'll be taking you too."
He speed-blitzed one of the Hydro Slimes and slammed it into the ground. It burst in a splash of water and shadow.
The other two didn't stand a chance. Sucrose and Razor reacted fast—wind and lightning combined in a violent swirl, popping both in sync.
Another system prompt flickered across Aether's vision.
[ Absorb Fallen Shadows? ]
Yes
[ Successfully acquired shadows of Hydro Slimes x3 ]
The new shadows rose immediately, joining the assault on the struggling Geo Slime.
Razor looked back, his voice suddenly very sharp. "We're talking about this after. I don't care if you're Master Diluc's son or not!"
He rushed in, his claymore raised, and leapt—only for the Geo Slime to rocket up and collide with him mid-air.
"Razor!" Barbara screamed.
His body hit the ground hard, rolling several feet before stopping, limp.
Barbara ran, hand glowing with healing energy—but the Geo Slime leapt again, blocking her path.
"Please! He needs healing—now!" she cried, panic breaking through her voice.
Aether's eyes narrowed. No hesitation.
He blasted a concentrated gust straight into the Geo Slime's eyes. It reeled back with a roar. In that split-second, Aether darted in, low and fast, and drove his blade into the soft underbelly beneath its armor.
The slime let out a final tremble before collapsing completely.
He turned to Barbara. "Heal him."
She didn't wait. She was already at Razor's side, her hands wet and glowing with hydro, her voice shaking as she whispered a prayer under her breath.
The corpse of the Geo Slime twitched once, then fell still.
From its remains, a dense shadow oozed up like smoke, writhing unnaturally.
Sucrose stared, her breath caught in her throat, as the dark shape rose and took form behind Aether—sleeker, tougher, darker than the rest.
It moved in silence, joining the line behind him.
Now seven.
Then, just as quickly as they had appeared, the shadows disintegrated into black dust, vanishing into Aether's aura like they'd never existed.
Sucrose took a half-step back.
Aether walked forward, slow and steady, until he stood beside Barbara. She had just finished stabilizing Razor, whose eyelids fluttered weakly.
"How is he?" Aether asked.
Barbara nodded shakily. "He'll live. I... I managed to stop the bleeding."
Aether looked down at Razor, then stood up.
His expression was unreadable, but the atmosphere shifted—heavy, oppressive. The kind of pressure that weighed down on your shoulders and made it hard to breathe. Sucrose felt it instantly. So did Barbara. Even Razor, barely conscious, turned his head weakly to look at him.
"No one," Aether began, his voice calm and composed, "speaks of what they saw here. Leave the fighting to me, I'll protect all of you."