My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Two days had passed since they began traveling together, and as they walked the plants became more and more sparse. The sun grew hotter, beating down without mercy, and the soil became loose and sandy beneath their feet.

The air was dry, and breathing it in brought dust along with every breath, coating the throat and lungs.

Damon turned around to look at the two sweaty children. Their faces were red, skin flushed and sticky from heat and exertion, their expressions strained as they tried to keep up with Damon and Lazarak's pace.

That was considering they were actually sitting on the back of the lesser demon.

"Do you want to stop and rest?"

Lyn gasped for breath, shoulders heaving as he clutched the demon's hide.

"Yes, please." His whole body felt sore, muscles screaming. He was not even sure if he still had his legs or arms anymore. His back ached badly, and he hated that it was not yet nightfall. Even if it was, he was not sure they would stop and rest.

"Well, that's too bad. We still have to travel a few hundred kilometers. We'll rest at nightfall." Damon smiled faintly, as if he was not basically torturing them.

Lazarak sighed, shaking his head as he floated lazily beside them.

"How about an hour's rest before we continue. We can't have our guide dying from exhaustion."

Damon shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure, whatever. Though I thought you'd stand up for yourself."

Sithara bit her lips, avoiding Damon's gaze.

"No. You're scary."

Damon bit his lips in response.

"Go ahead and hurt my feelings some more, why don't you."

Still, he was not doing this to exhaust them. It was simply safer to keep moving. He only allowed rest when they absolutely needed it.

He looked toward the horizon, eyes narrowing.

"We seem to be approaching a desert region. Let's rest at the edge of the river and set out at dawn. Does that work for you guys."

The two siblings looked at each other, eyes tired, faces dusty and slick with sweat.

"You get an ice bath and a cool tent too."

Sithara glanced at her brother.

"I suppose we can power through."

With that, they continued their journey. The ground grew hotter beneath them, sand rising into fine dust with every step, clinging to clothes and skin.

Damon willed his armor to change forms, shifting into a lighter protective version. Heavy plates dissolved into lighter metals and soft fabrics better suited for the heat.

Lyn and Sithara watched the transformation with deep interest, eyes following every movement of the armor as if afraid to blink.

After three more hours, they spotted large dunes in the distance. The world ahead turned into endless shades of brown and gold, heat shimmering across the horizon.

Damon glanced back at them.

"We can rest here till dawn."

Lyn fell off the lesser demon the moment it stopped, hitting the ground with a dull thud before crawling weakly toward the shade of what appeared to be a large cactus.

Sithara climbed down more slowly and collapsed beside her brother, sitting next to him as she caught her breath.

Lazarak shook his head with pity.

"You do realize you worked them too far. They are slightly close to a class awakening, but they are still unawakened. And they are children."

Damon closed his eyes briefly, then reached into his shadow storage and pulled out two small vials of potion.

These were recovery potions, and frankly speaking, he did not have many of them.

"Here. Drink these." He tossed them onto the sand in front of the siblings.

The two glanced at each other, then at the potions. Slowly, they picked them up, examining them with fascination.

"Interesting compound combination. It must use agents that keep the efficacy high while minimizing side effects." Lyn theorized just from sight alone.

Sithara nodded, carefully opening the refined vial, its contents shimmering faintly.

"This scent smells like white moringa and some ingredients I don't quite know. I would love to—"

"Shut up and drink it already." Damon cut them off sharply.

They glanced at each other awkwardly, then quickly downed the contents. Warmth spread through their bodies, aching muscles relaxing, fatigue vanishing as mana flowed back into them.

It was a complete reset.

"Amazing." They muttered almost in unison.

Damon ignored them and raised his hand, pulling out Abellona's magical tent from his shadow storage. After that, he summoned Matia from the shadows.

The moment she emerged, the hot desert air met a cold winter chill.

The combination made the atmosphere slightly comfortable. Not too hot. Not too cold.

Her sudden appearance made the two children stand up cautiously, eyes fixed on the armored woman who stepped forth trailing frost and shadow.

"Relax. That's Matia. She's that wretch's knight." Lazarak spoke while lying on the ground in a relaxed tone.

Sithara nodded slowly, looking at the armored woman whose presence brought winter with her.

"She's beautiful." She muttered softly.

Damon smiled faintly when he heard her praise Matia, even though she had not seen her face, only her armored form.

Matia did not react.

Damon gestured toward the tent.

"Come on in."

The two children followed him inside. At most, they expected the interior to match the outside size.

They were very wrong.

The inside was massive, almost palace-like. Hanging chandeliers illuminated sofas, drapes, carpets, and weapons displayed as decor. At the center stood a large chair resembling a throne, and nearby a fireplace seamlessly blended into the luxurious interior.

Lazarak glanced around, impressed by the magic used to make it, but far more annoyed by something else.

"You had this tent the whole time, and we've been sleeping under the open sky."

Damon cleared his throat.

Lazarak clenched his fists.

"We got bitten by bugs, had to make smoky fires, and the ground was really hard."

"Ahem. You didn't ask, and I didn't bother." Damon replied awkwardly.

Lazarak glared at him, veins bulging.

"You did this to anger me, didn't you. I know you did. I can see you holding back a smug smile. You suffered just so you could anger me."

Damon turned to the awed children.

"Are you guys hungry? Let's eat."

He pulled out smoked meat and non-alcoholic drinks.

"Let's eat before dinner."

They sat down together, Damon and Lazarak taking seats while Matia stood near the tent entrance, guarding them from within. Outside, Ghost acted as a lookout.

Lyn and Sithara ate slowly, occasionally glancing at Damon. Sithara nudged her brother, who nudged her back.

Damon sighed.

"What is it now?"

Lyn pressed his lips together, forcing Sithara to speak instead.

She glanced up at Damon's head, where a crown sat like a halo.

"I… we were just curious." Her eyes lingered there.

"Are you a king?"