God of Universe, Living on Earth

Stanley and Kai continued their trek down from the misty mountains, the fragment of the Core Crystal safely tucked away in Stanley's bag. The magical energy radiating from the shard seemed to pulse with each step they took, as if eager to rejoin the rest of itself.

Kai walked behind, his sharp eyes scanning their surroundings. "You're awfully quiet for someone who just bested a mythical guardian," he remarked.

Stanley glanced back, smirking faintly. "Victory doesn't feel like much when the stakes are this high."

Kai chuckled. "Spoken like a true god brooding over mortal problems."

Stanley ignored the jab. Deep down, he wondered: if he collected all the fragments, could even he control the immense power they possessed?

A Friend in Distress

As the pair descended further, Stanley's pocket began vibrating not with magic, but his phone. Surprised, he pulled it out and saw a series of frantic texts from Leo.

Leo: Dude, where are you??

Leo: Something weird is happening at school. You need to get back now!

Leo: I swear there's some freaky magic stuff going on. It's like the shadows are alive!

Stanley frowned. "Looks like our journey's taking a detour," he said.

Kai leaned in to look at the screen. "Shadows, huh? Sounds like someone's been tampering with dark magic."

"Whatever it is," Stanley said, "it's at the school, and I'm not letting anyone there get hurt."

Back to School

By the time Stanley and Kai arrived at the school gates, the sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the campus. But something was wrong those shadows seemed to ripple unnaturally, stretching and writhing as if alive.

Leo was waiting near the entrance, pacing nervously. His face lit up with relief when he saw Stanley.

"Finally! I thought you bailed on me," Leo said, then noticed Kai. "Uh, who's this guy?"

"Just a… traveler," Stanley said quickly.

Kai smirked but said nothing, stepping aside as Stanley addressed Leo.

"What's going on?" Stanley asked.

Leo pointed toward the main building. "It started after class. The shadows started acting weird, and people freaked out. Most of the students left, but some of us stayed to figure out what's going on."

Stanley nodded, his grip tightening around his staff, still in its disguised form. "Stay here, Leo. Kai and I will handle this."

The hallways of the school were eerily quiet. The fluorescent lights flickered sporadically, casting jagged shadows on the walls.

As they ventured deeper into the building, Stanley felt the temperature drop. He reached out with his senses and immediately detected a dark, oppressive energy spreading through the school.

Kai walked ahead, his fingers tracing faint runes along the walls. "There's definitely dark magic at work here," he said. "But it's… fragmented, like someone's trying to summon something but doesn't know how."

Before Stanley could respond, a shadowy tendril lashed out from a nearby doorway. He dodged quickly, slamming his staff against the ground to dispel the tendril.

The shadows recoiled, but the oppressive energy only grew stronger.

The Source of the Chaos

Following the dark energy, they arrived at the auditorium. The double doors creaked open, revealing a horrifying scene: shadows pooled in the center of the room, twisting together into a humanoid figure with glowing red eyes.

Kai whistled. "A shadow wraith. Haven't seen one of these in a while."

Stanley frowned. "What's it doing here?"

The wraith turned toward them, its voice a guttural growl. "The fragment… I can feel its power. Give it to me, mortal!"

Stanley stepped forward, unfazed by the creature's menacing presence. "Over my dead body."

The wraith roared, and the room plunged into darkness. Shadows swirled around them, each tendril attempting to snuff out their light.

Stanley twirled his staff, its glow illuminating the room and repelling the shadows. He fired a beam of light at the wraith, forcing it to retreat momentarily.

Kai, meanwhile, drew his own weapon a dagger etched with ancient runes. He moved swiftly, slicing through the shadows with practiced precision.

"Not bad for a traveler," Stanley said, smirking.

"Try not to get yourself killed, godling," Kai shot back.

The wraith shrieked, its form growing larger as it absorbed more shadows. Stanley realized the longer they fought, the stronger it became.

He closed his eyes briefly, tapping into a sliver of his true power. When he opened them, his irises glowed with divine light.

"Enough playing around," Stanley said. He raised his staff, and a brilliant burst of energy engulfed the room.

The wraith let out a final, piercing scream before dissolving into nothingness.

As the shadows dissipated, the oppressive energy lifted, and the temperature returned to normal.

Kai sheathed his dagger, grinning. "Not bad, Stanley. You've still got some tricks up your sleeve."

Stanley ignored him, focusing on the faint residue of magic left behind. It was similar to the energy of the Core Crystal, but… different.

"This isn't over," Stanley muttered. "Whoever sent that wraith knows about the fragments. And they'll come for them."

Kai nodded. "Then we'd better stay ahead of them."

Stanley glanced toward the door, where Leo was cautiously peeking inside. "Everything okay now?"

Stanley forced a smile. "Yeah. Just another day at school."