The days that followed Seraphina's night with Raven were quiet but productive.
Every morning, just before dawn, she would meet him in the side garden to learn and master the Shadow elemental magic under his guidance.
And it was a difficult element to learn, let alone master. Even with her natural affinity for it, mastering control over it required a level of discipline she had never encountered with any other element.
The shadows were alive in their own way - moody, elusive, always listening. Some days they responded to her touch like silk, other days they recoiled like frightened creatures.
"Patience," Raven kept reminding her during training sessions. "Shadows mirror your state. If your heart is restless, they will be too."
Though his teaching was strict, he never raised his voice. Instead, his calm became an anchor for her. He showed her how to use the shadows to disappear, to travel through the cracks of space, to blind, bind, and strike with deadly precision.
