Aria stood in the dimly lit training chamber, surrounded by ancient stone and living darkness. Shadows slithered along the walls, responding to some unseen call—hers. Her breath fogged slightly in the cold, still air, but her eyes were sharp, focused only on the figure before her.
Kael—the Shadow King—watched her with that same intense gaze, arms folded, his aura rippling with power.
"Focus," he said, voice low and commanding. "The shadows are not just tools. They are alive. They feel your will... your fear."
Aria swallowed hard, pushing past the nerves coiling in her chest. She'd come this far. She couldn't back down now. She closed her eyes, letting her heartbeat settle.
Darkness answered her.
Like silent whispers brushing against her skin, the shadows coiled around her fingers. Cold. Electric. Alive.
She opened her eyes—and the shadows danced.
Kael gave a slow nod. "Good. Now direct them. Test their loyalty."
Aria turned her gaze toward a single candle burning on a nearby pedestal. Its small flame flickered defiantly in the gloom. She raised her hand, and the shadows stirred like serpents.
The flame trembled… then blinked out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Kael's chuckle echoed through the silence. "You're a natural."
A small, stunned smile touched Aria's lips. A thrill ran through her. She could feel the shadows pulsing at her fingertips—no longer a force she feared, but one she could command.
Through the rest of the session, Kael demonstrated shadow techniques with ruthless precision. He summoned binding tendrils from the floor. Showed her how to merge into the shadow to become invisible. He even drew shadows into his palm to knit a gash closed—healing through darkness.
Aria soaked it all in.
She practised until sweat dripped from her brow and her hands trembled with power. She faltered. Failed. Succeeded. And through it all, Kael pushed her harder.
"You must be quicker," he snapped when her dodge lagged half a second. "The creatures of the Abyss don't miss."
Aria clenched her jaw, eyes blazing. "Then I'll be faster."
Kael paused, then smiled—darkly amused. "That's more like it."
The hours bled into one another. Time lost meaning in the caverns where shadow ruled. But Aria didn't care. She was learning. Changing.
Finally, Kael raised a hand and the shadows around them stilled. Silence settled.
"There's one more lesson," he said, his tone more sombre than before.
Aria straightened. "What is it?"
"The Shadow's Price."
She stiffened. "You've never mentioned that before."
"Because most don't survive long enough to ask." He stepped closer, and though his expression was calm, his voice dropped to a whisper. "The shadows give freely—but they take just as much."
Aria's brows drew together. "Take what?"
"Pieces of you. Memory. Emotion. Light." Kael's eyes searched hers. "Every time you wield them, you become less of who you were... and more of what they are."
A chill slithered down Aria's spine. She thought of the ease with which she'd extinguished the flame, the strange hunger that flickered within her as the shadows obeyed.
"How much can you lose," she whispered, "before you're no longer yourself?"
Kael's gaze didn't waver. "That is the question all shadow hunters must answer."
Aria was silent for a long moment. Then she lifted her chin. "I'll pay the price. Whatever it is."
Something flickered in Kael's expression—surprise? Approval? Pain? She couldn't tell.
"You remind me of someone," he murmured.
Aria stepped closer. "Who?"
Kael didn't answer. Instead, he turned away, cloak of shadow swirling behind him.
She reached out and touched his arm, halting him.
"Wait… what's your name?" she asked. "Your real name."
For the first time since they met, Kael hesitated.
He turned, shadows curling like smoke around his jawline, his eyes softer—less of a king, more of a man.
"Kael," he said, voice low. "My name is Kael."
It wasn't just a name. It was trust.
Aria held his gaze, heart thudding. "Then I won't forget it."
A rare smile touched his lips. "Nor I yours, Aria. You're not just my student. You are becoming something far more."
She didn't ask what he meant.
Because deep down, she already knew.