douluo dalu: Dark Phoenix

Chapter 11: Shadows of the Past

The rain tapped softly against the window of the Shrek Academy dormitory, a steady, rhythmic sound that filled the dark room.

Ayanokoji lay on his bed, staring at the wooden ceiling, listening.

Not to the rain.

To the memories.

The night he went into the forest alone.

The night he claimed his third spirit ring.

No one knew.

Not Grandmaster. Not Tang San. Not even Xiao Wu.

A quiet shadow of a night that belonged only to him.

---

A Silent Departure

It had been two months ago.

The academy was silent when Ayanokoji slipped out of his dorm, the moon high and cold above the trees.

He hadn't told anyone he was leaving.

He didn't need to.

The desire to obtain his third spirit ring had been growing stronger with each passing day, a quiet hunger gnawing at the edges of his mind.

But it wasn't just about the ring.

It was about control.

Power wasn't something handed to you at Shrek Academy. You took it. Quietly. Ruthlessly.

That was something Ayanokoji understood better than anyone.

---

The Forest at Night

The forest beyond Suotuo City was a different place at night.

The air was colder, thicker, and alive with the sounds of spirit beasts hunting.

Most people would hesitate to enter that forest alone.

Ayanokoji didn't.

He moved through the underbrush silently, his steps light, his breathing slow and controlled.

There was no fear in him.

Only patience.

He was hunting.

---

The Search

For hours, he wandered deeper into the forest, the faint glow of his two spirit rings casting long shadows across the moss-covered ground.

The first beast he encountered was a 900-year-old Ironclad Bear.

Powerful, but slow.

Not what he needed.

He bypassed it with ease, slipping through the trees like a ghost.

The second was a 1,200-year-old Phantom Cat — agile and cunning, but not suited to his abilities.

He watched it from a distance until it disappeared into the night.

Still, he kept going, deeper into the forest, where the air grew thick with mist and the trees twisted into gnarled shapes.

A place where light dared not enter.

That was where he found it.

---

The Shadow Snake

The spirit beast lay coiled at the base of an ancient, hollow tree — a Shadow Snake, its black scales glistening like wet obsidian, faint purple veins pulsing along its body.

Its crimson eyes burned softly in the darkness, watching him.

A 1,500-year-old spirit beast.

A predator.

Perfect.

Ayanokoji didn't hesitate.

He stepped into the clearing, his Spirit Eyes flaring golden, the world around him sharpening into crystal clarity.

The Shadow Snake raised its head slowly, tasting the air with its black tongue, sensing his strength… and his challenge.

It struck without warning.

---

The Battle in the Dark

Ayanokoji dodged the first strike by inches, the massive head of the snake smashing into the ground where he had just stood, sending shards of earth flying.

He moved with calculated precision, anticipating the next lunge, his body fluid and light.

The snake was fast.

Faster than anything he'd faced before.

But Ayanokoji… was calm.

As the serpent coiled to strike again, he activated his second spirit ability — Phantom Mirage — creating three identical illusions of himself.

The Shadow Snake struck one of the illusions, passing through it harmlessly, confused for the briefest of moments.

And that was all Ayanokoji needed.

He closed the distance, his palm pressed flat against its cold, scaled skin.

A pulse of golden energy surged into the beast, sending a wave of fear and confusion crashing through its mind.

But the snake… resisted.

Its crimson eyes burned brighter, and with a hiss that sounded almost like a scream, it retaliated.

---

The Venom

Ayanokoji felt it before he saw it — a thin, black mist rising from the snake's scales, cold and corrosive.

A defense mechanism.

The venom wasn't physical.

It was spiritual.

A curse.

The mist seeped into his skin, burning like acid in his veins, clouding his mind, filling his vision with darkness.

For the first time, Ayanokoji stumbled, falling to one knee, the forest spinning around him.

The Shadow Snake sensed weakness.

It moved in for the kill.

But Ayanokoji… smiled.

---

The Mind of a Predator

Pain meant nothing to him.

Not anymore.

His mind, sharp and cold as a blade, cut through the fog of the venom, compartmentalizing the agony, isolating it.

He welcomed it.

Controlled it.

Used it.

As the Shadow Snake lunged, Ayanokoji's Spirit Eyes burned gold, and he saw it — the exact trajectory of the strike, the opening in the beast's defenses, the inevitability of its defeat.

He moved.

Not faster.

Smarter.

In one fluid motion, he avoided the fangs, pressed his hand against the base of its skull…

And let his spirit energy surge.

The snake convulsed violently, the force of Ayanokoji's mental assault overwhelming its senses, crushing its will.

It collapsed, shuddering.

Defeated.

---

The Third Spirit Ring

The forest was silent.

Ayanokoji stood over the fallen Shadow Snake, his chest rising and falling slowly, the black and purple spirit ring beginning to form above its body.

He knelt beside it, placing his hand gently on its cold scales.

There was no hatred in him.

Only respect.

The beast had fought well.

Now, it would become part of him.

The spirit essence flowed into him, dark and venomous, burning through his veins like liquid fire.

He didn't scream.

He didn't flinch.

He accepted the pain.

And when he rose, his third ring glowed a deep, predatory purple-black.

Shadow Serpent's Prediction.

A deadly control ability — allowing him to foresee an opponent's movements several seconds ahead in combat, with a venomous backlash if they struck him directly.

Cold. Efficient. Perfect.

---

The Return

By the time Ayanokoji returned to Shrek Academy, dawn was breaking.

The sky was a soft, pale blue, and the campus was quiet, the others still asleep.

No one noticed as he slipped back into the dormitory, his clothes torn, his skin pale, his third spirit ring hidden within him.

No one asked where he had been.

No one knew the shadow he had brought back with him.

And that was how Ayanokoji preferred it.

---

Back to the Present

The rain outside the window softened, turning to a gentle mist.

Ayanokoji blinked slowly, the memories fading, replaced by the present — the quiet of his dorm room, the distant voices of the other students laughing somewhere beyond the walls.

No one would ever know what happened that night.

No one needed to.

Because the truth was simple.

Ayanokoji didn't need anyone.

And the shadows…

Were where he belonged.