Chapter 233: The Shadeless One

Chapter 233 – The Shadeless One

"I am Silentshade," Ester said, in the most composed voice she could muster in that moment.

To Sylphira, seeing such a being act tough and confident was nothing short of amusing.

After all, she could take control of Ester’s mind with a flick of her will, peel every memory from her brain, and use her as a puppet for all eternity if she wanted to. And that was no exaggeration—her will was powerful and that even among the Originals. Between Mortis, Ebony, and herself, Sylphira had the strongest will of all.

But she had chosen otherwise.

After spending five entire days being burned inside the flames of hell to improve her will, she had finally decided to take a time for herself and so wanted nothing more than to relax, to breathe a little, to unwind her mind with something entertaining. And Ester... was entertaining.

So she decided to indulge this uncultured creature just a little more.

"Silentshade... is that your name, or a nickname you picked up while sneaking into an unknown territory?" Sylphira asked, her mischievous expression never once leaving her face.

Ester was caught off guard for just a second as she hadn’t expected that kind of question but she steadied herself immediately.

"It’s my name," she replied simply, not wanting to say anything more.

But deep inside, she knew it was pointless to keep acting. Her foreign identity was already exposed. There was no mask left. No more pretending.

So... maybe now was the time.

She had a chance.

A chance to ask an Original how to be like them. Not just powerful but special. Singular. Unfathomable.

She had once asked Shadeva the same question—how to become as strong and special as her—but Shadeva’s answer had been vague, unsatisfying.

"I don’t know, actually. I was born like this," Shadeva had said with a frown, before adding half-heartedly, "but maybe... maybe be closer to the shadows?"

Even she hadn’t seemed sure.

Just like a genius struggles to explain what came naturally... to someone who’s naturally slow.

But now, face-to-face with another Original, Ester wasn’t going to waste her opportunity.

She took a deep breath. Exhaled. Calmed herself. Then asked,

"How... how can I reach your level of power?" she said, her tone quiet but serious.

Sylphira tilted her head, clearly intrigued.

"Just keep evolving. Keep achieving. Keep gathering feats. And eventually, you’ll get here," she said casually, as if it were no more complicated than climbing a flight of stairs.

But Ester knew it wasn’t that easy.

And that wasn’t even what she meant.

"No... I mean, how can I become as special as you. Like you—the Originals," she asked again, more precisely this time, the question shaped with more clarity.

And this time, Sylphira’s response came with a small, widening smile.

A smile that said she’d heard this question before.

Indeed, many among her subordinates had asked the same thing.

And like a good teacher—like a good master—she always gave the same answer:

"Be shadow," she said simply.

And that smile on her face grew just a little wider when she saw the confusion flicker across Ester’s face.

But only for a second.

Because Ester was already thinking, fast and hard.

’Be shadow... what the hell does that mean?’

If she takes it literally...

The question she would herself would be...what are shadows?

They are formless.

That’s the first thing that came to her mind the moment she asked herself that question.

And that’s when realization struck her mind—when the word formless echoed inside her thoughts—Ester froze.

She immediately thought of Yuki. Yuki, who had made her sword formless. Who had forged it into something that could become anything—take on any shape depending on the enemy, depending on the battlefield.

Yuki, whose combat ability was off the charts, even among Noah’s most terrifying women.

And as she thought of her, clarity began to bloom.

Ester had once chosen the path of a spy. A being who would fade so deeply into the world that even the universe itself wouldn’t notice her. Someone invisible. Unreachable. Untouchable. Someone...shrouded.

But she had abandoned that path.

Because there was someone else far more suited for it.

Her mother.

Sari’s presence was naturally low. So subtle it was like a breeze that left no scent. That made her perfect for it. If she leaned into that gift... she could vanish entirely.

But Ester?

Ester had always just been... shadow.

Not special. Not unique. Nothing particularly rare about her.

Everything she had was either given to her by Noah—or earned because of him.

But if there was one thing that had been hers, even before Noah—

It was her affinity for shadow.

Her love for shadow.

And among all the traits of shadow... the one that resonated the most with her was formlessness.

And just like that—her mind cleared. Her heart stilled. The pieces began to align.

She looked again at Sylphira—and found herself struck by her beauty.

Not her outer beauty.

Her essence. Her internal shape—or lack of it.

She couldn’t see much, but the little she did... combined with what she had learned under Yuki... was enough.

Enough to reveal a path.

Sylphira, observing her closely, raised an eyebrow as she noticed how Ester’s eyes had gone blank—but behind that blankness, the intensity had doubled.

’Enlightenment?’ she wondered. ’Did she really... just now, from my words alone?’

Her curiosity bloomed. Mischief and excitement swelled within her.

And so, she did something she normally wouldn’t.

She lowered her inner barrier, just slightly—enough for Ester to glimpse the structure of an Original’s body.

She just... wanted to see.

To see if someone like her could be made, not born.

The Shadow Realm needed power. It needed weapons for the chaos beyond.

And maybe... maybe Ester could become one of them.

The moment the barrier lifted and Ester saw the truth—

Something clicked.

Formless shadow.

For one who is already becoming shadow...

You don’t just hide inside shadow anymore.

You are the formlessness.

You become the absence of structure, of predictability, of shape.

You become something that cannot be seen, understood, read, or even defined.

You are not bound to a body.

You are not bound to a name.

You become—

"...Formless," Ester whispered, and everything snapped together.

Her eyes widened. A strange light filled them.

"Oh... I see..."

She started speaking, but her voice trembled—not in fear, but in awe.

As if words weren’t enough to describe what she had just understood.

"I... am..."

"...Silentshade..."

"...The Shadeless."

CLICK.

Something unlocked.

But she wasn’t done.

"...The Undefined."

CLICK.

"...The Void."

CLICK.

"...The Unshape."

CLICK.

"...The... The Perfect Unpattern."

And then—

CLICK—!!!!!!

Everything fell into place.

Everything.

And as always, the voice came.

The one that watches from above.

The one who laughs at fate and records every madness born from the Vaelgrims.

{Truly...}

{What a monstrous family you are, O Vaelgrims.}

—End of Chapter 233—