The cave trembled.
Not violently—not yet—but like it was bracing itself.
Danny staggered back, boots scraping against stone as he tried to get his balance. His heart was racing, adrenaline flooding his system as he stared at the yellow demon standing a few feet away from him. Shadows clung to the walls unnaturally, stretching, bending, reacting to the demon’s presence like living things.
“…Okay,” Danny said, breathing hard. “Before we do anything stupid, can we just acknowledge how tired I am of getting jumped?”
Traveler didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes were sharp now, focused, glowing faintly in the darkness. The shadows behind him twisted slowly, curling like smoke trapped underwater.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Traveler said finally. “None of this should be happening.”
Danny snorted. “Buddy, you’re gonna need to be way more specific.”
Traveler raised one hand.
The shadows moved.
They surged forward like a tidal wave, slamming into Danny’s legs and arms, wrapping around him before he could react.
“HEY—!” Danny shouted.
The shadows tightened, pinning his arms to his sides, locking his legs in place. They weren’t solid, but they were heavy—like gravity itself had decided Danny didn’t get to move anymore.
Danny struggled. “Oh, come on—this again?!”
“This isn’t personal,” Traveler said, voice low. “But you’re a problem.”
Danny glared at him. “Wow. That’s the theme of my life lately.”
The shadows pulled tighter.
Danny gritted his teeth, muscles straining as the pressure increased. He felt it pressing against his chest, making it harder to breathe. His instincts screamed at him to fight back—to do something.
“You really think killing me fixes whatever’s wrong?” Danny snapped.
“Yes,” Traveler said without hesitation. “For the Shadow Clan, it does.”
That name hit something deep in Danny’s chest—something old and uncomfortable. The clock-mark on his hand flickered faintly under the shadows.
Traveler noticed instantly.
His eyes narrowed. “That symbol…”
Danny felt heat spreading through his palms.
“Uh,” Danny muttered, “that’s new.”
The shadows hesitated.
Traveler took a step back. “Stop fighting it.”
Danny blinked. “What?”
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“Your hands,” Traveler said quickly. “They’re reacting. You need to calm down.”
“Oh, now you wanna talk?” Danny shot back. “After you shadow-choke me in a cave?”
The glow intensified.
Golden light seeped through the shadows, forcing them to loosen their grip. Red streaks of energy cracked across Danny’s arms like lightning trapped under his skin.
Traveler’s breath caught.
“…That’s not possible.”
The shadows recoiled as Danny’s power surged outward in a violent pulse, blasting them apart. Danny stumbled forward, gasping as the pressure vanished—but the energy didn’t stop.
It spread.
Danny cried out as the light wrapped around him, flooding his body. His skin began to shift—yellow replacing red, glowing faintly as red lightning streaked across his arms, neck, and face. The air around him warped, vibrating like it couldn’t handle what was happening.
Traveler shielded his eyes. “Danny—listen to me!”
Danny wasn’t listening.
The world felt too loud. Every sound echoed inside his skull. His heartbeat thundered like a war drum. Time felt wrong—stretched, delayed, snapping back into place unpredictably.
“I—I can’t—” Danny gasped.
Power exploded outward.
The cave walls cracked as a shockwave ripped through the space, sending debris flying. Traveler was thrown back, slamming into stone hard enough to leave a crater behind him.
He groaned, forcing himself upright.
Danny hovered inches above the ground now, eyes glowing gold, red lightning arcing wildly from his body. The clock-mark burned bright on his hand, numbers spinning erratically.
Traveler stared at him in disbelief.
“…You’re not just a disruption,” he whispered. “You’re a convergence.”
Danny turned toward him slowly.
“What?” Danny said—but his voice echoed wrong, layered with something deeper.
Traveler raised both hands. “Danny. Stop. This power—this isn’t controlled. It’s tearing through you.”
Danny clenched his fists.
Another blast erupted—faster, stronger.
Traveler barely managed to form a shadow barrier before the attack slammed into him, shattering it instantly. He rolled across the cave floor, barely regaining his footing before Danny was on him.
Danny moved impossibly fast.
He slammed Traveler into the ground, stone exploding beneath the impact.
“WHY WON’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?!” Danny shouted.
Traveler coughed, blood trickling from his mouth. He grabbed Danny’s arm, shadows flaring desperately as he tried to hold him back.
“Because if I do,” Traveler growled, “everyone dies!”
Danny froze for half a second.
That was all Traveler needed.
He twisted, launching Danny backward with a surge of shadow energy. Danny crashed into the cave wall, sliding down as lightning sparked violently around him.
Traveler stood, breathing heavily. “You don’t understand what you are.”
Danny laughed—a sharp, broken sound. “Yeah. Join the club.”
The power surged again.
This time, Danny screamed.
The yellow glow intensified, red lightning tearing through the cave like cracks in reality itself. The shadows screamed as they were ripped apart by raw energy.
Traveler backed away, panic creeping into his voice. “Danny, you’re going to burn yourself out!”
Danny’s knees buckled.
The glow flickered.
His vision blurred.
“Shawny…” Danny whispered faintly.
Then everything collapsed.
The light vanished instantly.
Danny hit the ground hard, unmoving.
Silence filled the cave, broken only by Traveler’s ragged breathing.
He stared at Danny’s unconscious form, shadows slowly retreating back to their natural state.
“…Damn it,” Traveler muttered.
He knelt beside Danny, checking for signs of life.
Still breathing.
Barely.
Traveler leaned back, running a hand through his hair. “You’re not ready,” he said quietly. “And that terrifies me.”
