Gacha Summoner: Pulled into Another World

Chapter 23: Unseen Shadows

Chapter 23: Unseen Shadows

Yuuji returned to the camp in silence, his mind heavy with the encounter. His companions were still asleep, unaware of the strange figure he had just spoken to—or whatever it had been. He sank down by the fading fire, eyes fixed on the embers as they flickered and dimmed.

The void is watching.

The words repeated in his head, twisting his thoughts into knots. Yuuji had barely come to terms with the chaos that threatened the world, and now, this “void” was an even greater, more elusive threat. What did it want from him? Why was he the key? And why did it feel like the void wasn’t just watching—it was waiting?

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. The Blade of Eterna pulsed faintly at his side, its energy a quiet reassurance. But even its presence couldn’t quell the unease that had settled deep in his gut. He had to tell the others, but how could he explain something he barely understood himself?

As dawn began to break, the soft light of the morning sun filtered through the trees, waking the others one by one. The knight was the first to stir, stretching and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced over at Yuuji, noticing the tension in his posture.

“You didn’t sleep,” the knight said, his voice groggy but concerned.

Yuuji shook his head. “Something happened last night.”

That got the attention of the others. The archer sat up, eyes narrowed as she studied Yuuji’s face. The mage, her expression still heavy with the fatigue of the journey, moved closer, her curiosity piqued.

“What do you mean?” the mage asked. “Did something attack?”

“No,” Yuuji replied, shaking his head. “It wasn’t an attack. But… something—or someone—appeared to me. I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t human. It was a presence, something I’ve never felt before.”

The knight frowned. “A presence? You mean like a spirit?”

“Not exactly,” Yuuji said, his voice troubled. “It said it was the one who watches. It told me that the chaos we’re fighting is only part of a much bigger threat. The void… whatever that is, it’s out there. And it’s watching us.”

The archer’s eyes widened. “The void? What does that even mean? Like a black hole or something?”

“I’m not sure,” Yuuji admitted. “But the figure said the void is connected to the chaos. The Heart fragments are just cracks through which chaos seeps, but beyond those cracks… lies the void. It’s not chaos—it’s something emptier, more dangerous.”

The mage’s face grew pale. “I sensed something, too. After the battle with the entity, I felt a strange energy lingering, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. I thought maybe it was just the remnants of chaos, but… now I wonder.”

The knight leaned forward, his brow furrowed in thought. “So, what does this mean for us? Are we not just fighting chaos anymore? Is there more to this than we realized?”

Yuuji nodded. “It seems that way. The void is aware of us. And according to the figure, it’s curious. It knows that we’re trying to restore balance, and it sees me as some kind of key. But to what, I don’t know.”

The archer groaned, rubbing her temples. “Great. So now, in addition to hunting down these Heart fragments, we have a whole new threat to worry about—one we don’t even understand.”

Yuuji could see the frustration in her eyes, the same frustration he had been grappling with all night. But they had no choice. The void, whatever it was, wasn’t going to simply go away.

“I don’t think we can ignore it,” Yuuji said quietly. “If the void is connected to the chaos, we need to be prepared. It’s not just about the Heart fragments anymore. This is about something much larger. We can’t lose sight of that.”

The knight clenched his fists, his jaw set in determination. “Then we keep going. If the void is watching us, we need to be one step ahead of it. Whatever it wants, we won’t give it the chance to act before we do.”

The archer rolled her eyes but nodded. “I guess we’ve come this far. What’s another existential threat added to the pile?”

The mage, however, was more somber. “We’ll need more information,” she said, her voice thoughtful. “The chaos we’ve faced is tangible, something we can fight. But the void… if it’s what I suspect, it won’t be something we can battle head-on. We’ll need to understand it before we can deal with it.”

Yuuji stood, his mind already moving ahead. “Agreed. We need to find someone who can help us learn more. There must be ancient knowledge out there, something that can explain what the void is.”

The knight grabbed his shield and sword, rising to his feet. “We’ll search for answers, then. But we can’t afford to let the Heart fragments spread while we do it. We have to balance both tasks.”

Yuuji nodded, grateful for their shared resolve. It wasn’t going to be easy, but they had no choice. The void was a new mystery to unravel, and it seemed they were already entangled in its web. But they couldn’t let it consume them—not when the chaos still posed such an imminent danger.

As they packed up camp and set off once again, Yuuji cast one last glance at the treeline where he had encountered the shadowy figure. Even in the daylight, the trees seemed darker, as if the void still lingered in the shadows, watching.

The road ahead was long, and the weight of unseen eyes would follow them every step of the way. But Yuuji knew one thing for sure: they had come too far to turn back now.

Whatever the void had planned, whatever darkness was creeping toward them, they would face it together.

And Yuuji would be ready.