Great! This is the novel version of **Chapter 4: The Final Showdown**, in which Adrian comes face to face with the perpetrator of his death and makes his first real choice between anger and forgiveness. ---

 

## **Chapter 4: The Final Showdown**

The night was exceptionally dark. Fog enveloped the town in a thick, almost tangible blanket of white, and the air quivered with tension. Adrian felt his moment approaching. The perpetrator of his death—the man who had destroyed everything he loved—was now within his reach. A shadow of anger hovered over his soul, pulsing with an energy he had never experienced before.

He wandered the streets, invisible to the public. Every step made his presence felt, though no one saw it. Every trembling of the leaves, every rustle in the darkness echoed his anger.

Finally, he reached an old warehouse on the edge of town. There, his enemy stood alone, unaware that the shadow that had once been human was watching him from behind a veil of fog. Adrian felt his anger grow, his spiritual heart beating faster. He wanted to settle the score, to claim the justice he had never known in life.

The man turned suddenly, as if sensing his presence. Adrian saw fear in his eyes. But at the same time, he saw something he hadn't expected—hesitation, remorse, disbelief.

*"Remember me?"* Adrian whispered in his mind, his voice echoing the anger that filled the warehouse.

The perpetrator shuddered, and memories of betrayal returned to his mind like a nightmare. But Adrian also felt something unexpected: a void within the anger. All the years of suffering that had grown within him now filled the space with a peace he was only just beginning to understand.

Then he remembered Lena and her words:

*"Anger is poison to the spirit. If you allow it to rule you, you will never know peace."*

Adrian looked at the perpetrator not with hatred, but with a clear awareness of his own power. He could have destroyed him with a single move, a single impulse of anger that filled his spiritual body. But instead, he took a step back and felt the weight of vengeance leave his soul.

*"I will not be your executioner,"* Adrian thought, his voice calm in his thoughts. *"It is not vengeance, but forgiveness that will give me power."*

The man fell to his knees, terrified, not understanding why his opponent, who could destroy him, was instead leaving. Adrian hovered above the warehouse, still invisible, but peace settled in his heart. For the first time, he felt that anger need not control him, that his power could be used differently—not for destruction, but for protection and balance.

The fog began to clear, and the night wind carried a stillness. Adrian gazed out at the city that had once been the scene of his suffering, now a place he could protect. He knew his journey was only just beginning—from now on, he was no longer just a spirit of anger, but a shadow that would balance between light and darkness.

And though the shadow of his anger still existed, it was now a tool of understanding and responsibility. The first step toward true power had been taken.

--

If you wish, I can now continue with **Chapter 5: Guardian of Men**, in which Adrian discovers his new powers, learns to protect people, and learns the consequences of becoming a guardian of the spirit world.

Would you like me to continue Chapter 5?