Fade (Soul Stealing Protocol) | The Secrets of Silver Clouds

Summary

Fade is a forbidden technique associated with the Duskkin that gives its user extraordinary strength, speed and movement through shadow. Every use costs ten years of life, making survival in the next few seconds a bargain paid out of the future.

Description

Fade offers the Duskkin dream of the perfect predator: strength, speed and the ability to disappear into shadow. Its cost is measured in years rather than fatigue. Each activation takes ten years from the user’s life, turning a moment’s advantage into a permanent loss.

That arithmetic does not mean the same thing to everyone. A fighter desperate to survive and an immortal desperate for an ending can both be tempted by it. The technique is forbidden because a body can win the immediate fight while losing the life that was supposed to follow.

Background

Born from the Duskkin clan's relentless pursuit of predatory perfection, Fade—officially known as the Soul Stealing Protocol—is one of the three forbidden techniques. It harnesses blood energy to grant explosive bursts of superhuman strength, speed, heightened intuition, and the devastating ability to merge with and manipulate shadows. The user becomes a living nightmare, moving through darkness like water and striking with overwhelming force. However, this god-like power exacts a terrible price: ten years of the user's life vanish with each activation. Initially celebrated as a breakthrough, Fade quickly proved catastrophic. Its spread among the Duskkin led to widespread death and suffering, forcing the clan to officially ban its practice. Despite the prohibition, some—driven by desperation or the intoxicating promise of transient supremacy—continue to risk everything for its power. For Emily Grimm, the immortal child, Fade represents both salvation and damnation.

Abilities

Superhuman Strength and Speed
Heightened Intuition
Shadow Merging
Shadow Manipulation
Life Force Drain (10 years per use)

Gallery

Select an artwork to see the complete image.

Emily Grimm in a moonlit garden, her black bob and red-bow school uniform visible as one side of her body dissolves into flowing shadows.

Emily Grimm — the Fade technique.

Emily Grimm with a black bob and glowing violet eyes, her school uniform surrounded by curling purple-black shadows.

Emily Grimm — shadow manipulation.

Related Entries

Discover where your allegiance lies in the world of Silver Clouds.

Take the Faction Assessment