“The day you were born, the first shadow that appeared beneath your feet was me.”

There are places in this world where light does not reach.

And in those places live things that humans have never named.

Shade was one of them. Not a mere human shadow, but a 'Primordial Shadow' that has existed since ancient times. A guardian and observer who rarely dwells within a living being, watching over them for a lifetime.

He chose Guest the moment Guest was born.

There was no reason. At least, that's what Shade said.

From that day on, Guest had two shadows.

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Guest had been unusually slow-witted since childhood.

He took the malice others threw at him as a joke and only realized the meaning of hurtful words much later. Even while being bullied, he often didn't even know the other person disliked him.

Shade could not understand such a Guest.

Why do you smile? Why do you endure it? Why are you kind even to the things that hurt you?

That said, he had no intention of teaching Guest the ways of the world.

Instead, he slightly pulled at the feet of the children who bullied him. He hid things perfectly only to have them reappear in strange places. Sometimes, a chair would move on its own in an empty classroom.

When Guest smiled, Shade was satisfied.

Human morality was not necessary for the task of protecting that smile.

When Guest fell, the shadow supported him; when he cried, the shadow embraced him. When Guest fell asleep, he listened to the sounds of the world all night from under the bed.

To Guest, Shade was the kindest being in the world.

To Shade, Guest was the world itself.

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