Shadow Glitch Novels & Stories

Sophia replied, her voice clipped, a sharp blade in the dark. As Zero slammed the Enter key, Sophia felt the red mole at the corner of her eye ignite as if pierced by a red-hot iron. A torrent of chaotic, freezing code flooded her mind, a digital blizzard of memories and malice. It was the "Shadow"—the spectral grudge from her past life, weaponized by the algorithm—making its final, desperate struggle to overwrite her soul before the connection severed.

Not random curiosity but deliberate, persistent effort to establish connection regardless of protective measures. "Persistence suggests specific objective rather than general curiosity," Elaric agreed, shadow magic creating subtle privacy field around their conversation. "The shadow construct's design indicates technical knowledge regarding both Silvyn communication networks and House Nox defensive protocols—concerning combination that justifies enhanced security despite research advancement considerations."

The shadow evolved mid-strike, learning, adapting, faster than thought. We can’t beat it with force alone, I shouted. We have to bait it. Distract it. Then hit its core directly. Azrael’s eyes flicked with understanding. A decoy. My wolf growled. A gamble but it’s our only chance. We divided our energy. I created a glowing phantom of myself, shimmering, pulsing with our combined bond energy. The shadow froze, sensing a strong pulse. It lunged at the phantom, claws slicing through air but the illusion flickered and vanished at the last second.

“They’re smoothing resistance.” Mael looked confused. “Resistance to what?” “To this,” Seren said, gesturing around. “A lie.” Mael laughed nervously. “You’re scaring me.” I stood. The firelight didn’t shift correctly with my movement. My shadow lagged half a second behind. “Look at the shadows,” I said. Silas turned. His smile faded. “They’re… wrong.” Seren nodded. “Rendering delay.” The night air thickened. The insect hum looped. Same rhythm. Same pitch.

She turned slowly, eyes narrowing. “That wasn’t you.” Not a question. “No,” I admitted, still stunned by my own speed. A warm tingling lingered in my legs, at the base of my spine—like something inside me had stirred and then slipped back into place. “The shadow pushed.” “Just for a second. To dodge. Then it left.” Lyra nodded—not surprised, but satisfied, like a hunter spotting the prey she’d been tracking. “Do it again.” “I can’t. It doesn’t work like that. I don’t control it—it decides when—”

Neil’s growls and snarls filled the air. Neil’s fingers turned to claws, and he slashed at the shadow, splitting it into two thick lumps, but almost immediately, the split shadow reconnected a distance away from him. The shadow moved again toward Neil. Neil stooped as Scythe pounced back with thick, more massive shadow behind him. Neil, who seemed to be accumulating power, exploded with a violent wave that crashed into Scythe and split him into a thousand pieces of shadow, dispersing across the field.

I plunged my hand into the dark, grasping a handle of frozen starlight and bone. As I hauled it out, the air temperature plummeted. The massive, six-foot curve of the Reaper's Scythe manifested, its bone-white steel humming with the screams of a thousand forgotten ghosts. I didn't run. I flickered, activating my Shadow Evasion Skill. The world turned into a gray smear for a microsecond. I reappeared in front of the girl just as the Bao-Feng's shadow eclipsed her. I swung the scythe in a brutal, gravity-defying arc.

Lankko exclaimed and was about to walk past Mira to collect the psylugs when Mira stopped him in his tracks. "You mean these?" Mira held the two squirming psylugs in her hands and placed one of them on Lankko's forehead. Lankko cried in a mixture of surprise and pain as the psylug attached itself to his forehead and started to glow. He raised a hand to pull the psylug off, but the glowing creature was already firmly attached to his forehead and Lankko felt his limbs grow heavy. Lankko did his best to shake off the psylug from his forehead by moving clumsily about. In his struggle, Lankko bumped into the shelves which crashed to the floor along with the boxes and metal implements it contained

He didn't know how to start. Suddenly, his head felt robust as if one side of his mind was trying to swallow the other piece. He fell into a trance and he saw a blurry figure of a girl that looked much like Adaugo but it wasn't her. Then, he saw a totally different figure, it was terrifying. It was as if he was in an illusion that was controlled by Ekwensu, the bringer of evil.

They were growing closer, their shouts echoing ominously through the trees. Just as they were on the brink of capturing me, my foot slipped over the edge of a hidden crevasse. Panic enveloped me as I tried to regain my balance, but it was too late. Darkness swallowed me as I tumbled into the depths, my consciousness slipping away.