Violet nodded in agreement without hesitation. Neither of them wasted another second as they exited the hidden tunnel and immediately began circling the vast port, carefully searching every corner for anything unusual.
The harbor was eerily quiet.
The sea breeze carried the salty scent of the ocean, while the sound of gentle waves repeatedly crashed against the wooden docks. Cargo crates were stacked neatly along the piers, abandoned fishing boats swayed with the tide, and countless shadows stretched across the ground beneath the faint moonlight.
Despite searching carefully, neither of them discovered anything suspicious.
After running for nearly two minutes, Violet suddenly slowed down before turning towards Grey.
"We’ll cover more ground if we split up."
Grey remained silent for a brief moment before giving a slight nod. Without exchanging another word, the two immediately headed in different directions, each disappearing into the darkness as they searched separate sections of the port.
Grey continued moving at a steady pace, his expression remaining calm and indifferent.
Only after Violet had completely vanished from his sight and her presence could no longer be sensed did Grey lower his gaze toward the shadow beneath his feet.
A second later, the pitch-black shadow faithfully mirroring his every movement suddenly stopped.
It no longer followed Grey’s footsteps.
Instead, it slowly detached itself from the ground before rising upright like a living creature.
The mass of darkness expanded before contracting several times, continuously twisting and reshaping itself. Moments later, the shifting shadows condensed into the figure of a young man with a gloomy and indifferent temperament.
His hair was as black as the deepest abyss, while his eyes resembled two bottomless pools of darkness that contained not the slightest trace of emotion. His expression remained calm and detached, making him appear almost inhuman.
He possessed strikingly handsome features and looked almost identical to Grey.
The only noticeable differences were his pitch-black hair, his dark eyes, and the gloomy, emotionless aura surrounding him.
Ever since Grey’s shadow had awakened its consciousness and inherited a fragment of his soul, it had gained the ability to assume a human form.
However, Grey had never liked seeing his shadow wear his own appearance.
Perhaps it was because looking at another version of himself felt strangely unsettling.
Because of that, whenever the shadow manifested itself, it usually remained in its leafless tree form rather than taking on a human appearance.
Only at moments like this, when Grey required greater precision and communication, would he allow it to assume this form.
Grey looked directly into the shadow’s pale, dark eyes.
"Do you still smell the scent from before?" he asked, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.
The shadow remained silent.
After several seconds, it simply gave a small nod.
"Lead the way."
Without uttering a single word, the shadow’s body dissolved once more into a flowing pool of darkness. Like living ink spreading across the ground, it swiftly surged forward in a particular direction.
Grey immediately followed behind it, matching its pace without the slightest hesitation, his sharp eyes carefully observing everything around him as both man and shadow disappeared deeper into the silent port.
Although Grey and the shadow didn’t run too fast to avoid being noticed by the experts on the Magic vessel, they saw a peculiar scene after a few minutes.
Swaying gently on the pitch black waters was a small canoe. It’s mast were spread out and the wind gently rocked the canoe on the sea.
Standing on the canoe was a person standing with his back facing the port. His face was towards the dead sea.