---
## Chapter Six: Whispers of the Past: The Broken Vision Completed
---
Kael's advice echoed in John's mind: "Observe... follow the trail." It was not an easy night. When he felt the **"Possessed Shadow"** coming, he tried desperately to remain conscious, to be a silent observer within his own body. It was a painful experience, as if his soul was separating from his physical form, silently watching as the dark entity took over. He saw with his glowing eyes in the darkness how the "Shadow" moved with superhuman agility through the city's dark alleys, and how it targeted a group of drug dealers who were terrorizing the poor neighborhoods. The movements were brutal, merciless, but also precise and efficient, devoid of any hesitation.
For a brief moment, before John succumbed to the Shadow's complete slumber, he saw a strange flicker. It wasn't a visual scene, but a sensation, as if a part of the "Possessed Shadow" itself was in pain. This flicker was exactly like the feeling he had experienced during his confrontation with Aidan. Then everything went dark.
When John woke up in the morning, he was exhausted, but this time he wasn't in his room. He was lying on a cold rooftop, far from the palace, in a deserted neighborhood. He sighed heavily, smelling a strange odor in the air, a mixture of cold metal, wet earth, and a faint scent of something resembling... residual energy?
He remembered Kael's instructions. "Look for anything strange, anything that doesn't belong." John began to scrutinize his surroundings carefully. He noticed faint footprints on the dust, not appearing like ordinary human prints, but lighter and more agile. He followed these traces, which led him to a narrow, dark alley. There, he found remnants of strange materials, resembling gleaming black ash, as well as dried bloodstains on the wall. It wasn't ordinary blood; it seemed to glow with a faint purple hue under the weak sunlight.
As he followed the trail, John noticed that the shadows surrounding the area seemed denser, as if they had absorbed a part of the darkness that had been there last night. This was the **"Shadow's Imprint"** that Kael had spoken of. The deeper he went into the neighborhood, the clearer this imprint became. It led him to an abandoned building that looked like the scene of another "purge." Inside, John found remnants of shattered wood and torn fabric, and clear signs of a violent struggle.
These fragmented visions slowly pieced themselves together in his mind, like scattered puzzle pieces. He began to see a clearer picture of what the "Possessed Shadow" did at night. It wasn't randomly killing innocents; it was targeting criminals and deviants, those who carried the **"Mark of Darkness"** that the "Shadow" clearly saw.
In the midst of his search, John sensed another presence. It wasn't the calm man "Kael," but a different energy, a familiar energy... Aidan's energy. John froze in place, hiding behind a pile of timber. He saw the Knight of Light enter the abandoned building with several guards. Their faces were serious, their eyes searching for any evidence.
"Nothing clear here, Commander," one of the guards said. "The Night Killer leaves chaos behind, but there's no evidence linking him to anyone."
"Not yet," Aidan said in a deep voice, examining the purple bloodstains on the wall. "This entity leaves nothing but death and darkness. But it cannot simply vanish into thin air." His eye paused on a spot of gleaming black ash, which the guards had overlooked. Aidan bent down and took some of it between his fingers. "This... this is not ordinary ash."
John felt a shiver. Aidan possessed keen senses and was on the verge of discovering something significant. The Knight of Light represented a serious threat, not only because he was searching for the "Night Killer," but because he seemed closer than ever to understanding the nature of the "Possessed Shadow" itself.
At that moment, Kael appeared beside John, as if he had emerged from the shadows. "Very good," Kael whispered. "You're beginning to see. But you must leave now. Aidan is closer than you think to deciphering this trail."
John followed Kael silently, utilizing the stealth skills Kael had begun to teach him. Every movement was precise, every step calculated. John had truly become a "ghost" in broad daylight.