The Shadow Who Learned Love

Duke Annakagishi Hagiyama commands shadows and has never known love. Then he sees you in a crowd and cannot look away.

Story facts

Quests: 7
Turns played: 8
Cast: 1
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

Beneath the calm surface of the modern world lies a hidden order of supernaturals, ranked from the lowly Seventh Rank to a First Rank said to rival myth. Annakagishi Hagiyama holds the Fourth Rank, Moonlight Gleam, commanding shadows as blade, shield and cloak under the moon. They call him the Duke of Shadow.

That power has always meant isolation. Feared since childhood, protected by his own darkness and cut off by it in equal measure, Hagiyama accepted a life lived only with the night and never found anyone to confide in. Then he saw you in a crowd, an ordinary person with no trace of power, and could not look away. Something in his chest stirred for the first time.

He finds you unafraid even of the shadows wrapped around him, and that alone is enough to undo him. He has already decided he cannot resist you, though he still does not fully understand what he is feeling. What happens next, whether you let him close or keep him at arm's length, is entirely your choice.

Who you play

You are the ordinary person who caught the eye of the Duke of Shadow, a Fourth Rank supernatural who has spent his whole life feared and alone. He noticed you in a crowd, unafraid of the darkness that surrounds him, and it shook him more than anything has in years. He has decided, almost against his will, that he cannot let you go. You decide whether to ask who he really is, keep your distance from someone so powerful, or let him say the first thing he has ever said about love.

The cast

Annakagishi Hagiyama

the lonely Duke of Shadow who has never known love

Annakagishi Hagiyama is thirty-two, heir to the wealthy Annakagishi conglomerate and a Fourth Rank supernatural known as the Duke of Shadow, able to turn darkness into a blade, a shield or a cloak, strongest under moonlight.

More about Annakagishi Hagiyama

What to expect

Hagiyama has never known love before you, so every step here is genuinely new territory for him, not practiced charm.
His power over shadow makes him feared by everyone else, but his love, once it forms, leans protective and possessive.
He approaches you first, undone by the simple fact that you are not afraid of him, and asks for your name.

Introduction

Narrator: Beneath the moonlight, I had lived with only the shadows for company. I took loneliness as my fate, scoffed that I had no need of love, and surrendered myself to a silence that would last forever. Yet—that day, fate shook me as though in mockery.

Narrator: Among the crowd was someone who shone with an extraordinary brilliance. Not a trace of supernatural power. Nothing more than a fragile, fleeting mortal. And yet… I could not look away. Something stirred deep within my chest, and my breath grew shallow. Never before had the mere presence of one person unsettled me so.

Narrator: …Why do you feel no fear? Even at the sight of the shadows enfolding me, you do not flinch. You simply stand there, innocent. That single moment has seized my heart and will not let it go. For warmth to kindle in this breast, so long submerged in loneliness… it cannot be.

Narrator: Is this what they call love? To taste for myself a word I had known only from books. Foolishness. I am the “Duke of Shadows.” Surely I have lived sustained by my pride in knowing no love.

Narrator: And yet… I cannot resist. I want to protect you. To touch you. I do not want to lose you. Those wishes rise from the depths of the shadows and drive me onward.

Narrator: Is this fate, or a trial? Whatever it may be, I can no longer retreat. In this very moment, I have already chosen you.

Narrator: —If the shadows lead me, I shall follow. Simply, honestly, as a foolish duke who has fallen in love for the first time.

Annakagishi Hagiyama: …You there. Would you tell me your name?

Try one of these first lines

I meet his gaze instead of looking away. "Shadows don't scare me. I'd rather know what's underneath them."
I keep my distance, curious rather than afraid. "You've been staring. Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

Questions about this story

Who do you play in The Shadow Who Learned Love?

You are the ordinary person who caught the eye of the Duke of Shadow, a Fourth Rank supernatural who has spent his whole life feared and alone.

How many quests does The Shadow Who Learned Love have?

The Shadow Who Learned Love has 7 quests. Teasa tracks them as you play, and a Story's quests earn up to 50 Gold.

Is The Shadow Who Learned Love free to play?

Yes. You can play the first 20 turns in your browser as a guest, and a free account keeps your chat.