Chapter 9 – A Dangerous Gift
The shadows in the crystal had faded, but the room was still heavy, as if the air itself didn't know how to settle.
I kept my eyes on the table, though every part of me wanted to look up, to see what they were thinking. I didn't need to. The margicules drifting around them painted the truth clearly.
The duke's aura was sharp grey, edged with deep violet calculation. The duchess shimmered with pale blue curiosity, laced with a hint of green unease. The eldest son burned red suspicion, while the daughter's golden excitement swirled bright and reckless. And the youngest—his aura stayed steady, calm, a quiet silver unlike any I had seen before.
Rare. Precious. Dangerous.
That was what they saw me as now.
The eldest son broke the silence first, his voice firm and cold. "Father, this is reckless. A boy with Shadow affinity? At six years old? He's a threat."
The duke's gaze snapped to him, and the boy stiffened. "Everything is a threat," the duke said simply. "It is only a question of whether we control it."
The duchess leaned forward, her eyes on me. "Control?" she asked softly. "Or nurture?"
For a moment, their gazes locked across the table. Then the duke turned back to me.
"You will train," he said, voice like iron. "You will learn to master this power under this house. Do you understand?"
My throat was dry. I forced myself to nod. "Yes."
The girl grinned, leaning toward me as though I were some new toy. "I've never met anyone with Shadow before. Can you make the light bend? Or make things disappear?"
I shook my head quickly. "I… I don't know."
Her grin only widened. "Then I want to see it when you can."
The eldest son scoffed, his aura flashing redder. "You treat him like he's a pet. He could be dangerous to all of us."
The youngest boy finally spoke, his voice steady, almost too calm for his age. "So are we."
The eldest whipped his head toward him, glaring. "What did you—"
"Enough." The duke's word cut through them like a blade. Silence fell instantly.
His eyes bored into me, cold and sharp. "Shadow is rare. Dangerous. But it is power. In this world, power is never wasted."
I wanted to speak, to ask why. Why me? Why was I given this darkness? But I stayed quiet. Because the truth—the whole truth—would only make things worse.
Noctis stirred in the back of my mind, his voice calm, but edged with warning. "They do not fear you yet. But they will. For now, play the part they want you to play. A child learning his gift. Nothing more."
I swallowed hard. "And if they find out about the healing?"
"Then you will no longer be a guest," Noctis whispered. "You will be a prize."
I looked back at the crystal, faint shadows still swirling inside like smoke that refused to die. My reflection wavered in the glass—white hair tipped in purple, flickering grey eyes.
A healer brighter than gods. A shadow darker than night.
And to them, just a boy.
For now.
End of Chapter 10