The first week without my curse was strange.
I kept reaching for power that wasn't there. Kept expecting my shade to respond and finding nothing. Had to constantly remind myself that I was normal now. Just Elara. No magic. No shadow abilities.
"You'll adjust," Kael assured me. "Takes time to get used to being different than you were."
"How long did it take you? When your curse was weakened after the Architect's Successor damaged it?"
"Months. Maybe longer. I'm still adjusting sometimes. Still reaching for power that doesn't respond like it used to."
"So I have months of awkwardness ahead of me. Wonderful."
"Could be worse. Could be dead."
"True. Being awkward is better than being dead."
Arianna was adjusting to her massively increased power with disturbing ease. She manifested her shade constantly now. Used it for everything from moving objects to defending herself to just playing.
"Arianna, you don't need to use shadow magic to pick up your toys. You have hands."
