AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Gods, what the fuck is this place?” Kai hisses unsteadily under his breath.
Corvus takes a few steps closer to the walls and inspects the stones and books. He takes a sharp breath. “I think we are in the Library of the Dead.”
Kai narrows his eyes and grimaces. “I don’t know what the fuck that is, but I’m not interested in finding out.”
“It’s the historical library that resides on the northern isle of Cyprin. They must’ve taken over the catacombs when they invaded a few years ago. We’ve just passed through another portal.” Corvus looks grimly up at the dripping rocks above us.
I’ve never heard of this place, but it emanates dark magic—the sensation hurts my bones.
Nekane shuts the door as the last student steps through. He makes his way to a raised podium in the center of the room. Black mist drips from his right hand and his pale fingers curl around it as it forms into a cane.
“Anatomy of the Shadows.” The instructor’s voice sends chills up my spine. “Today, we will learn the inner paths of summoning and how they can travel through us.”
Nekane raises his cane. I wouldn’t know it was a part of his Shadow had I not just witnessed it spill from his fingertips.
“Watch as I recall it back into me,” Nekane instructs and the cane disperses into smoky wisps and flows back into his skin. It enters through his palm and spreads through his veins like poison. Then, for a split second, his forearm bones become visible beneath his flesh as the black poison seeps back into them.
The room is eerily silent as we take in what we’ve just witnessed. My eyes trail down to my palms and I ponder on what my own Shadow is capable of.
Nekane opens his black tome and flips a few pages in. He clears his throat and says, “Shadows are nothing but the aura of the gods they once were. They can flow within and out of you at their will. Once you enter the nether levels of unity, you will be able to control their dispersal as I do.”
Kai raises his hand and we all give him a sour look. “What do you mean by nether levels?”
Nekane considers him momentarily before grinning and walking over to a chalkboard hidden behind a stone pillar. The candlelight flickers as we follow him around the bend.
He draws a diagram of a human body and then proceeds to tick off lines that lead to the skin, flesh, and bone, then deeper into the chest: ribs, heart, and spine. Nekane sets down the chalk and waves for Kai to come to him.
Kai gives me an uncertain look before swallowing and moving to stand next to the instructor.
Nekane’s cloak, like Corvus’s, is a rich purple, making Kai’s black one look drab in comparison. He grabs Kai’s arm and I watch as my friend visibly jolts beneath Nekane’s pale hand.
“Kaidel, you haven’t let your Shadow seep past your surface level yet. This is perfect—why don’t you let it sink into your flesh for demonstration,” Nekane says nonchalantly and steps aside, placing his hands neatly behind his back and watching expectantly for Kai to do as he said.
Kai lowers his arm as his brows pinch together. “Um, I don’t know how.”
Nekane laughs. “You don’t feel it beckoning to go deeper? Let it in.”
After a few minutes of nothing happening, Kai slumps his shoulders. “It’s no use, I don’t feel anything.” Nekane’s eyes slide to me and his too-calm demeanor sends chills up my spine.
“Finnick, let’s try you instead. Come now.” Nekane steps back up to the chalkboard. I pass Kai as he returns to stand next to Corvus. The instructor presses his cold hand to my shoulder and I instantly feel what Kai must have.
Icy veins spread through the surface of my skin; it calls to my Shadow, which pools along the area to combat the chill. Fire burns inside my flesh and banishes the cold in a mere second. I flinch as Nekane takes one sweeping step back, his eyes widening on me and his jaw flexing.
“Finnick, you’re already near the nether levels—impressive. I’m assuming you let it in during the assessment exam when your friend was eaten, yes?” I scowl at him and he nods thoughtfully. “I want you all to call out to the Shadows inside you and ask them for their names. Let them sink into you as far as you can.”
Corvus raises his hand and Nekane nods at him.
“What if we don’t want to?”
“Then you will be slaughtered in the second-semester exam. You can’t expect to compete with those who’ve achieved the nether levels.” Nekane smiles and draws a circle around the chest of the diagram. “Unless you can reach this point with your Shadow, you will certainly die.”
I think about his words for the rest of the class, sitting disheartened in a chair as I observe Corvus and Kai trying to speak with their Shadows. What does the second-semester exam entail exactly? It looms over my conscience, drawing in my anxiety and despair like a magnet.
Kai gives up and sits next to me as Corvus continues to whisper to himself.
“Done already?” I glance over at him and frown at his deflated expression.
“Yeah, it’s no use. I just don’t hear anything. I’ll try more later in our dorm. Maybe I just need a peaceful environment away from the others.” His eyes flick over to Frederick and a lump forms in my throat at the sight of him.
