Chapter 286 - 286: 286. The Black One

Mrs. Lawson raised her void-forged sword, muttering an incantation low under her breath. At her command, dozens, then hundreds of jagged dark icicles formed mid-air and with a flick of her wrist, they shot forward in a storm of sharpened death.Rin reacted instantly without an incantation or anything as twin gouts of hellfire erupted from her palms, flooding the space in front of them with blistering flames. But inside this cursed, dark cube, her fire was weak.

The icicles tore through it.

The flames flickered out before even touching the oncoming barrage.

Seeing how useless Rin's fire was in here, Tama used her claws and slashed, batted, and smashed through the incoming shards of dark icicles. But every time she struck one down, her arms slowed like the cold was seeping into her bones. Her reactions dulled. One spear pierced her right shoulder. Another slammed into her gut and stuck deep, half-melting into her flesh.

On the side, Rin growled as her skin darkened, a sheen of blackish scale-like texture spreading over her limbs. The spears stabbed into her too but bounced off the armor-like hide. Still, even a touch was enough to curse.

When the storm ended, silence fell.

The girls were both shaking.

Frozen breath spilled from their mouths. Their limbs stiffened and their skins turned pale and numb.

Tama looked up, terrified and met Mrs. Lawson's mocking gaze.

With a laugh, the woman peeled off the last shroud of censorship that had pixelated her face, revealing the full smirk beneath.

"I love that expression on your face," she purred, stepping forward. Her heels clicked on the ground, each step trailing a hiss of black frost. "Surprised? You should've known. The color of my ice—it's not ordinary. My icicles don't just freeze... they curse. One scratch, and your entire body is marked. Doesn't matter what you do. Doesn't matter where you go. You'll keep freezing. Tossed into a furnace? You'll roast like a side of meat but you won't thaw. That's how deep my magic cuts."

"You… d-damned... o-old... h-hag..." Tama gritted her teeth, her breath visible, eyes twitching. Her body no longer listened to her.

On the side, Rin whined, equally trembling, her voice faint. "Tama… Rin doesn't wanna play the game anymore…"

Realizing it was ger fault Rin was in this situation now, Tama clicked her tongue. "Unfreeze me ...now, you ..old geezer.."

Mrs. Lawson raised a brow. "Still mouthing off, huh? Typical blackcat. Your kind are the type that keep yapping, even at death's door."

Maybe it was the mention of her kind.

Maybe she was about to die.

Maybe it was her life flashing before her eyes.

But Tama began remembering the past.

**

A much smaller Tama, no older than two, yawned and sat up groggily in her tiny bed. Tail flicking behind her, she darted barefoot across the room toward a bucket, tugging down her shorts just in time.

"Whew…" she sighed with pride. "Almost peed on the blanket. Momma was gonna yell…"

Her ears perked.

Candlelight flickered from the sitting room.

Curious as always, Tama padded across the wooden floor, cracked open the door and peeked in.

Her father sat cross-legged in the living room, surrounded by candles. He clutched a rosary, chanting softly, a large tome open before him.

"Dad… what are you doing?"

He looked over his shoulder and smiled, pausing his ritual. "Hey, angel. You awake?"

"Had to pee," she said, shrugging sleepily.

"Good girl. Come here."

She padded over. He pulled her into his lap.

She pointed to a strange, shadowy figure drawn in the book. "What's that?"

"Master Velsvog," he said proudly. "Our ancestor. They say he was the first of our kind. The first blackcat. The one who never ran."

"Really?" Her eyes widened. "So he didn't have to hide from the bad people like we do?"

He chuckled. "No, angel. He was different.

They called him the Black One. Not because he hid in shadows—because he ruled them."

Tama stared at the figure, drawn in swirling dark ink.

"Most people these days say he's just a myth. But I believe. You know our clan's technique, right?"

"Shadow teleportation!" she chimed. "I'll do it too one day!"

He smiled, then sighed. "Yeah, it lets us run from one shadow to another. But that's all we do… run. Legend says Velsvog didn't teleport. He didn't run. He owned the shadows. He could move from the shadow of one planet… to another. He was later known as the Shadow Monarch. Some even called him a god."

Her eyes sparkled. "Did he die?"

"Some say he didn't. Some say he melted into the dark. Others… believe he's waiting. Watching. For someone worthy to carry his title. To pass on the power."

She leaned in close. "Is that why you're praying, Daddy? So he gives you the power?"

He smiled. "If he does… maybe I can finally protect us all."

**


BANG!!

A cold, heavy slap from the flat of Mrs. Lawson's blade snapped Tama back to the present. Her head jerked sideways. Blood ran from her lip.

"You spaced out, kitty," Lawson sneered, folding her arms under her chest. "Don't die on me yet. The master might want you alive—makes the experiments more fun."

Tama blinked sluggishly. Everything but her head was frozen solid. She couldn't even twitch.

"F...u...c...k... y-o-u…" she hissed, slurred through chattering teeth.

BANG!

Another brutal slap. She couldn't fall. Her frozen body kept her upright like a statue.

Beside her, Rin's eyes began to flutter shut, not from pain. Not from death. But something else.

Her tongue lolled out.

She started snoring. Loudly.

Mrs. Lawson blinked. "...What the hell?"

Freya finally stepped forward, arms crossed and clearly bored. "Maybe demons hibernate in cold or something? Can we wrap this up already? Pretty sure half the city heard that spell barrage. And I have a shift at Stick & Lick Enterprises."

Mrs. Lawson groaned. "Tch. Let me just break this brat first. If it weren't for her kind… your father might still be alive you know."

Freya didn't respond. Just glanced down.

BANG!

Her mother struck Tama again.

This time her nose burst. Her ears rang.

More strikes followed. And more.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

The sound grew distant.

Tama's world dimmed.

Her body didn't respond. She couldn't shadow-step away. She couldn't fight. Couldn't even scream.

And just as the last blow landed—

She slipped into darkness.

But the darkness was warm.

It welcomed her.

And from deep within it, a voice echoed through her mind:

"Dear child… will you accept my power?"

TBC.