The Shadow Of The Lunar Curse

Chapter 13: "let's see what you can do"

"You know, the one where you've got superpowers, a glowing hand, and a freaking timer counting down like we're in some apocalyptic movie".

Jerry groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks for reminding me, Tim; I'd totally forgotten about all that.".

A smirk appeared across Tim's face. "Sarcasm noted, but seriously, what's the plan? Because if this thing ends in, like, you howling at the moon and eating people, I'd like to know in advance".

"Yeah, that's not helpful." Jerry muttered and sat down heavily on the armchair. He then leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I don't even know where to start; I was hoping you might have some ideas.".

Tim still leaning back and crossing his arms, "You're asking me to come up with a plan? Dude, I barely passed gym class".

Jerry shot him a tired look. "This isn't about gym class, Tim.".

"Good," Tim said with a smile, "because I failed that too.".

After a few moments of silence, Tim suddenly sat up straight, clapping his hands together. "Alright, first step: testing your limits. We need to figure out what you can actually do: strength, speed, the whole shebang.".

Jerry blinked at him, "You make it sound like a science experiment.".

A weird grin plastered on Tim's face as he said, "That's because it is. You're the lab rat, and I'm the genius scientist.".

Jerry slowly frowned, "I don't like that analogy.".

"Too bad!" Tim said, grabbing a notepad from Jerry's desk, and he started scribbling something out. "Now, do you have weights in the garage?".

Jerry answered in a low tone, "Yeah, but…" 

"Great!" Tim cut him off and hopped to his feet, "Let's go!".

Jerry made a low sigh, but he eventually followed. It wasn't like he had a better idea.

---

In the garage, Tim had already started stacking weights onto a barbell.

Tim's enthusiasm was contagious, even if Jerry was pretty sure this whole thing was a terrible idea.

"Alright, Mr. Superhuman," Tim said and stepped back with a dramatic flourish, "Show me what you've got.".

Jerry slowly walked up to the barbell and wrapped his hands around it. The cold metal felt solid while also grounding him in a way he didn't expect. "What if I break something?" he asked, glancing at Tim.

Tim shrugged, "Then we add it to the 'Jerry Broke It' list. Now lift!".

Jerry rolled his eyes but still followed Tim's instructions. Jerry gripped the barbell tightly and surprisingly lifted it off the ground with ease. Tim blinked in for a few seconds, then he added more weight. Then more. By the time the Jerry's hand started trembling, Tim's jaw was practically on the floor.

"Holy crap," Tim whispered. "It's like you have the strength of two grown up men put together."

Jerry set the bar down carefully, his arms trembling slightly. "Yeah, but when I transform, some of my stats become doubled," Jerry said while still trembling under the weight, "plus my muscles are getting sore."

Tim furiously scribbled in his notebook, "Noted. Okay, next up: speed.".

---

Outside, Tim had drawn a rough chalk line across the driveway. He stood at the edge, holding his phone like a stopwatch.

"Alright," Tim said and pointed down the street, "run to the stop sign and back; I'll time you.".

Jerry hesitated, glancing at the darkened houses around them. "You sure about this? I don't want to freak anyone out".

"Dude, it's past midnight. Everyone's asleep. Now go!"

Jerry, in an instant, took off, and the world around him almost blurred; he could hear the sound of the wind roaring in his ears, and the pavement seemed to disappear under his feet.

When he skidded to a stop back at the driveway, Tim was staring at his phone like it had betrayed him.

"Eleven seconds," Tim whispered in a low voice that was barely audible.

Jerry panted, trying to catch his breath. "Is that good?"

"Good?" Tim laughed, holding up his phone, "That's insane! You just turned the athletic runners into snails!"

---

As they continued testing, Jerry opened the strange interface in his mind and added two points to something called "Bravery."

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[Bravery: 5 → 7]

---

Instantly, his nervousness and fear reduced, and he felt bolder, almost like he could take on anything. "Alright," Jerry said and cracked his knuckles. "What's next?"

Tim's grin turned mischievous. "How about climbing that tree?"

Without hesitation, Jerry sprinted toward the massive oak in the backyard. He leapt up, grabbing the lowest branch, and started climbing like it was second nature.

"Uh, Jerry?" Tim called nervously, "You're really high up!"

Jerry laughed with a voice steady, "Relax, I've got this!"

But when he tried reaching for a branch, it snapped under his weight, and he plummeted, He crashed into a bush with a loud thud.

Tim rushed over, wide-eyed. "Dude! Are you okay?"

Jerry groaned, sitting up and pulling leaves out of his hair, while his minor injuries began to heal at a slow pace that was visible to the naked eye. "Yeah, turns out, bravery doesn't equal common sense.".

Tim shook his head and laughed, "You're going to give me a heart attack; good thing you can heal faster than a normal human."

---

As they wrapped up, Jerry's hand began to tingle. The fang-like mark glowed faintly, and the air around him grew colder.

"Uh, Jerry?" Tim said while backing up away from him.

Jerry looked down as the shadows around his feet stretched unnaturally, curling like smoke.

---

[Shadow Affinity Has Been Forcefully Activated On Its Own Activated]

---

The world seemed to dim as Jerry felt himself slip into the shadows. His body felt light, almost like it wasn't there.

"Jerry?" Tim's voice sounded far away. "Where'd you go?"

"I'm right here," Jerry said while stepping forward, but his voice didn't seem to reach Tim, He reached out, trying to touch Tim, but his hand passed through Tim like he was a ghost.

This maid, Panic, clawed at Jerry's chest, but then the system chimed.

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[Warning: Shadow Affinity Unstable. Proceed with caution.

---

With effort Jerry was able to pull himself back into the light; he had stumbled, his breathing shaky.

Tim stared at him with a face that was as pale as a sheet. "Dude, what was that?"

"I don't know," Jerry said softly and stared at his palm, "But I need to figure it out.".

Tim nodded, his usual humor gone, "Yeah, and fast.".

The timer continued ticking down.

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