Shadow Slave: Intertwined fate

Moonlit stood at the academy gates, his chest tightening as he took in the sight of Sunny and Nephis. Sunny, with his awkward demeanor, was fumbling through introductions, while Nephis remained distant, her headphones on. Moonlit's gaze lingered on Sunny—his supposed tether in this world.

"Fate's threads are already pulling," he muttered, stepping inside.

The academy buzzed with activity. Moonlit's mind raced as he entered the orientation hall. His flaw, *Attention Lover*, and his *True Name: Light Thief* were enigmas he couldn't afford to ignore. If he wanted to survive, he needed to understand them.

When the orientation ended, Moonlit slipped out of the hall and found a quiet corner near the edge of the academy grounds. The area was sparsely populated, with only a few other Awakened milling about. It was the perfect place to experiment.

"Alright," he muttered to himself, sitting cross-legged on the grass. "Let's see what this flaw is all about."

He closed his eyes and focused inward, summoning the system interface that displayed his flaw.

[Flaw: Attention Lover]

[You will always want to be at the center of everything, whether it's as a villain or a hero.]

Moonlit frowned. The description was vague, but it hinted at something deeper than just a desire for attention. Was it psychological? Or did it actively influence his behavior? He decided to test it.

Standing up, Moonlit scanned the area for someone to interact with. A group of three Awakened stood nearby, talking amongst themselves. He approached them cautiously, forcing himself to remain calm and neutral.

"Hey," he said casually, giving them a small wave. "I'm new here. Just had my first Nightmare."

The group turned to him, their expressions ranging from mild interest to indifference. One of them—a tall guy with a buzz cut—nodded.

"Welcome to hell," Buzz Cut said dryly. "What's your Aspect?"

Moonlit hesitated for a moment before answering. "Rulebreaker."

The group exchanged glances, their interest visibly piqued. Moonlit felt a strange warmth spreading through him—a subtle but undeniable satisfaction at being the center of their attention. It was like a drug, faint but addictive.

"So you can mess with rules?" one of them asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Something like that," Moonlit replied, keeping his tone nonchalant. But inside, he felt a pull—a compulsion to keep their focus on him. He resisted it, stepping back and ending the conversation quickly.

As he walked away, his mind raced. The flaw wasn't just psychological—it had an almost physical presence, nudging him toward actions that would make him stand out. It wasn't overwhelming yet, but in high-stakes situations, it could become dangerous.

"I'll have to be careful," he muttered under his breath. "This thing could get me killed if I'm not careful."

With that settled for now, Moonlit turned his attention to his Aspect: *Rulebreaker.* He hadn't had much time to explore its potential during the Nightmare trial, but now he had an opportunity.

He found an isolated training area on campus—a small field with various obstacles and practice dummies scattered around. A few other students were there as well, testing their abilities or sparring with each other.

Moonlit approached one of the dummies and stared at it for a moment. His Aspect allowed him to bypass or alter minor restrictions imposed by the trial system or physical rules of this world. But what exactly did that mean?

He decided to start simple. Gripping one of the practice spears nearby, he aimed for the dummy's head and thrust forward with all his strength—but stopped just before making contact.

"Alright," he whispered, focusing on his Aspect. "Let's see if this works."

He imagined breaking one of the rules governing physical motion—specifically inertia—and thrust again. This time, as soon as his spear moved forward, it accelerated unnaturally fast, striking the dummy with enough force to crack its wooden frame.

Moonlit staggered back in surprise. "Whoa."

The other students nearby glanced in his direction but quickly returned to their own training. Moonlit grinned as he examined the damage he'd done to the dummy.

"So I can manipulate basic physics," he muttered to himself. "That's… insanely useful."

But as exciting as this discovery was, it also raised questions about limitations and consequences. Could he use *Rulebreaker* indefinitely? Or was there some kind of cost?

To test further, Moonlit moved toward one of the obstacles—a tall wall meant for climbing—and focused again. This time, he imagined bypassing gravity itself as he leapt upward.

For a brief moment, it worked—his body soared higher than it should have—but then gravity reasserted itself with a vengeance, slamming him back down onto the ground.

"Ugh!" Moonlit groaned as pain shot through his legs and back. He lay there for a moment before sitting up and rubbing his sore limbs.

"Okay," he muttered through gritted teeth. "So there are limits."

It seemed that while *Rulebreaker* allowed him to bend certain rules temporarily, those rules would eventually snap back into place—sometimes violently. He'd have to be careful not to overuse it or rely on it too heavily.

But then another idea struck him—a dangerous idea born from ambition and fueled by his flaw.

"What if I could push past those limits?" Moonlit whispered to himself. "What if I could make myself… untouchable?"

The thought clung to him like a parasite as he stood tall again and returned to an isolated corner of the training area. Closing his eyes once more, he focused on bending not just one rule but several at once: gravity, durability… even time itself.

"I'll make myself invincible," he declared aloud.

For a brief moment, it felt like it was working—his body hummed with energy as the world around him seemed to slow down slightly.

"I did it," Moonlit whispered in awe.

And then everything fell apart.

The energy surged wildly out of control before snapping back like a rubber band stretched too far. Pain wracked his entire body as every nerve felt like it was on fire.

"Ahhh!" Moonlit screamed as he collapsed onto the ground.

A system notification appeared in front of him:

[Rulebreaker Overload Detected]

[Warning: Attempting to bypass multiple fundamental restrictions simultaneously exceeds Aspect limits.]

[Result: Severe physical backlash.]

Moonlit groaned and rolled onto his back, staring up at the sky in defeat.

"Okay," he muttered weakly after several minutes of lying there in pain. "Maybe not a god… yet."

As much as it stung to admit failure—and endure humiliation—Moonlit knew this experience had taught him something valuable: power wasn't just about what you could do—it was about knowing your limits and working within them.

If this world wanted him tied to chaos? Then chaos would just have to deal with him instead—but only after some rest… and maybe some ice packs for his bruises first.