Chapter 10 – The First Lesson in Shadows
The training yard was silent except for the whisper of the wind. I stood in the center, bare feet pressing into the cool stone, while the duke watched from a distance. His gaze was sharp, measuring, as if every breath I took was a test.
The crystal sphere from yesterday was gone. In its place, they had nothing—just me and the shadows that stirred faintly at the edges of my vision.
"Focus," the duke commanded. "Feel the flow of mana. Draw it, shape it."
His voice carried no warmth, no encouragement. Only expectation.
I closed my eyes. The world fell quiet.
And there they were—the margicules. Countless, drifting through the air like motes of dust in sunlight. But not light. No, they were darker here, in the training yard, dense and heavy. They whispered as they moved, pulling at me, waiting.
I reached for them. Not with hands, but with something deeper.
They obeyed.
The shadows thickened around my feet, stretching across the stone like ink spilled in water. I felt the cold of them, not biting, but familiar—like the room in my dream, the darkness that had swallowed me and left me changed.
Gasps echoed from the edge of the yard. The daughter, watching with wide eyes. The eldest, arms crossed but aura sharp with unease. The youngest, calm as ever, his silver aura steady, though his gaze was fixed on me.
The duke did not move. Only his eyes narrowed.
"Again," he said.
I exhaled slowly and pulled harder. The shadows swirled, rising, curling into tendrils that bent toward my hand. They writhed, alive, answering me as if they had always been waiting.
It was… easy. Too easy.
Noctis's voice stirred in my head. "Your affinity is deeper than they realize. Shadows cling to you as if you were born from them. Be careful not to show too much."
I let the tendrils dissolve, fading back into the stone. My heartbeat was steady. My breathing calm. Even when the eldest son muttered, "Too calm for a child…"
The duke raised a hand. Silence fell again. His gaze lingered on me, unreadable, but heavy enough to press against my chest.
"You will continue this," he said. "Every day. You will learn control. If you cannot, then you will learn restraint. Shadow without discipline is nothing but chaos."
I nodded. "I understand."
My voice did not waver. My body did not tremble.
Because that is who I am. Calm. Collected. Even when the world shifts beneath my feet, I will not falter.
The duke's eyes narrowed faintly, as if he were testing the weight of my words. Finally, he turned away. "Enough for today."
The tension eased, though I kept my expression steady. The daughter bounded closer, her golden aura buzzing with excitement.
"That was amazing! You didn't even look scared!"
I gave her a small, polite smile. "There's nothing to fear."
Her grin widened. "Then next time, make something bigger!"
The eldest scoffed, muttering under his breath. But the youngest… he just watched me, his eyes calm, unblinking, as though he was trying to read me.
For a moment, our gazes locked.
And in his silence, I knew—he saw more than he let on.
End of Chapter 11