Shadow

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Shadow (影)
Gender	Female
Occupation/Role	Xie Xie's self-appointed pursuer and a violent intruder at Eastsea Academy 22 24
First Appearance	Chapter 21

Background / History

Before arriving at Eastsea Academy, Shadow encountered Yun Ying while Yun Ying was pursuing a thief and Shadow was there to collect the thief's head. Their fight ended in a draw, but one of Yun Ying's attacks grazed Shadow beneath the ribs; Shadow claims she needed nine days to recover. 23

Shadow later fixated on Xie Xie after interpreting his behavior as flirting. She branded his sleeve with a feather-blade mark, which she calls a “return-visit permit,” and declared that she had chosen him. 21 22

Appearance

Shadow is a tall girl with long white hair streaked or tipped in rose-red/magenta and vivid red eyes. Her presence is often accompanied by hovering colored blades and an unnerving, silent manner of movement. 21 22 23

• Long, straight waist-length white hair with rose-red highlights; its ends curl slightly. 22
• Red eyes, described as bright in darkness and often curved in a catlike smile. 21 24
• Asymmetrical white school uniform or suit with rose-red trim, a black bow tie, detached sleeves, and black fingerless gloves. 22 23
• Black pleated skirt, white thigh-high socks, and soundless black platform shoes. 22
• Carries a narrow physical dagger wrapped in black tape in addition to her manifested blades. 23

Personality

Shadow combines playful affection with extreme possessiveness. She calls Xie Xie “big brother” or “little brother,” treats small gestures such as buying soy milk as proof that he is “good,” and becomes threatening whenever he interacts with other people—particularly Yun Ying and Gu Yue. 22 23

She openly embraces being called a “psycho” and frames violence as part of her attachment. Her behavior is unpredictable: she can speak sweetly, laugh during serious injuries, and immediately escalate to threats or lethal attacks when someone interferes with Xie Xie. 21 24 26

Abilities & Skills

Feather-Blade Manipulation

Shadow controls multiple varieties of airborne blade constructs, using them for ranged pressure, ricochets, defense, and close-range assaults.

• Launches violet-black feather blades that can rebound repeatedly; after three rebounds, one branded Xie Xie's sleeve with a feather-blade mark. 21
• Summons hovering rose-red diamond-shaped blades around herself. 22 24
• Uses Glazed Blades, which can spiral into feather-shaped glass shards and barrage an opponent during Plume Storm. 24
• Her blades can shred falling leaves, deflect attacks, cut through clothing, and draw blood in rapid exchanges with Yun Ying. 21 25

Otherworld Soul Mark

Shadow marked Xie Xie's sleeve with a pale-purple feather-blade seal after attacking him in the alley.

• The mark resembles an ancient Otherworld Soul Mark, though Tang Wulin notes that it is not exactly the same. 21
• Shadow identifies it as a “return-visit permit” and says it signifies that she has chosen Xie Xie. 22
• The mark is tied to her repeated appearances around Xie Xie, including his dormitory window. 22 23

Frenzied Dance Steps and *Plume Storm*

Shadow’s movement style emphasizes sudden acceleration, dashes, and overwhelming multi-angle pressure.

• Frenzied Dance Steps allows her to accelerate into an afterimage. 24
• Plume Storm functions as a high-speed dash and can release a storm of ricocheting or glass-like blades. 21 24
• During her dance state, she can surround a target with more than a dozen rebounding throwing blades. 21
• She used these techniques to pressure Wu Changkong’s frost barrier, though his sword intent ultimately broke through her assault. 24

Tail Blades and Mist

Shadow uses pinkish-purple mist and flexible tail-like blades to control the battlefield and restrain opponents.

• Releases cloying pinkish-purple mist alongside peach-colored threads. 24
• Her tail blades can coil around an ankle and drag Xie Xie away while she continues fighting Yun Ying. 25
• She used Xie Xie as a shield against Gu Yue’s wind blade, forcing both Gu Yue and Yun Ying to halt their attacks. 26
• The same tail-blade technique split the web of Yun Ying’s hand and later threatened her collarbone. 26

*Song of Decay* and *Final Dance*

Shadow invokes Song of Decay before escalating into an ultimate finishing sequence.

• Song of Decay follows her barrage of rebounding blades and precedes a more aggressive attack pattern. 21
• Final Dance, accompanied by Undying Light, lets her close in for a melee finishing strike. 21
• She deliberately held back enough to leave Xie Xie injured and terrified rather than immediately kill him. 21

Combat Performance

Shadow is highly dangerous in close quarters and is willing to fight through severe injuries, but she can be decisively overpowered by stronger opponents.

• Fought Yun Ying to a draw the previous year, though Yun Ying’s attack left her wounded beneath the ribs. 23
• Overcame Yun Ying in their later rematch, forcing her against a fence and holding a blade at her collarbone. 25
• Held off Yun Ying and Gu Yue together in Xie Xie’s dormitory by exploiting their concern for him as a hostage. 26
• Wu Changkong shattered part of her Glazed Blade formation and severely injured her with Heavenfrost Sword intent, sending her through an office wall. 24
• After taking Wu Changkong’s attack and further wounds from Yun Ying and Gu Yue, Shadow herself acknowledged that her injuries were worse than theirs. 26

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Physical dagger — Narrow blade with a black-taped handle, carried during her nighttime visit to Xie Xie’s dormitory. 23
• Feather blades / Glazed Blades — Her primary manifested weapons, appearing as feather-like projectiles, hollow diamond blades, or glass-like shards. 21 22 24
• Tail blades — Flexible blade extensions used to restrain, drag, and threaten targets. 25 26

Relationships

• Xie Xie — Her chosen target and obsessive fixation. She marks him with a “return-visit permit,” repeatedly enters his dormitory, interrogates him about other girls, and violently attacks anyone who interferes with her claim over him. 21 22 23 26
• Yun Ying — Former rival. They fought to a draw during a previous mission, and Shadow continues to resent the injury Yun Ying gave her; their later rematch ends with Yun Ying defeated. 23 25
• Gu Yue — Opponent who joins Yun Ying in attempting to rescue Xie Xie. Shadow withstands their combined assault by using Xie Xie as leverage. 26
• Tang Wulin — One of Xie Xie’s protectors. He identifies Shadow’s sleeve mark as resembling an Otherworld Soul Mark and accompanies Xie Xie when seeking help. 21 24
• Wu Changkong — Academy teacher who confronts and injures Shadow after she enters his office and threatens his student. 24 26

Story Role / Major Arcs

Marking Xie Xie

Shadow ambushes Xie Xie in a dark alley, overwhelms him with feather blades, and brands his sleeve with her mark. She retreats after Tang Wulin and Yun Ying arrive, leaving Xie Xie terrified. 21

The following morning, she confirms that the mark is a return-visit permit and threatens to follow Xie Xie into whichever class he is assigned. 22

Dormitory Stalking

After Xie Xie is assigned to Class Five, Shadow climbs through his third-floor dormitory window at night. Armed with a dagger, she questions him about his interactions with Yun Ying, Gu Yue, and Tang Wulin, revealing her jealousy and possessiveness. 23

Conflict with Wu Changkong

Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, and Yun Ying seek Wu Changkong’s protection. Shadow infiltrates Wu Changkong’s office, attacks with mist and Glazed Blades, and threatens him for interfering with Xie Xie. Wu Changkong defeats and injures her, but she escapes. 24

Escalation and Rescue Attempt

Despite her injuries, Shadow confronts Yun Ying again, defeats her, captures Xie Xie, and takes him to his dormitory. Yun Ying and Gu Yue attempt a joint rescue, but Shadow uses Xie Xie as a shield to break their coordination and wounds both of them before Wu Changkong intervenes again. 25 26

Notable Quotes

“Big brother, I came to play with you.” 23

“Little brother is mine. If you touch him, I’ll touch you.” 24

“But that little brother is the one I chose. If you touch him, you’ll have to leave something behind.” 26