CHAPTER 5: The Name That Spread In The Dark
1282 Words
Rain had fallen over Nightfall Academy during the night.
It had washed the blood from the stone, cooled the scorched plaster, and hidden the traces of monsters' footsteps.
But not the traces of fear, for by morning, every student knew a different story of what had happened in the northern woods.
"She killed an entire army by herself!"
"She didn't even have to draw her weapon!"
"My brother is a knight, and he said that she turned them all to ash!"
"Impossible! Then where were the bodies?"
The whispers ceased as soon as Shion walked past them, no longer mocked, no longer insulted.
Students made space for her to pass, and those that did not bowed.
Shion paid them no mind.
Respect earned through fear was no different from disrespect.
Kael watched from the balcony as the girl who had stumbled and tripped over her own feet during training walked past with the confidence of someone who had nothing left to lose.
"You're staring," said Master Orion, appearing next to him on the balcony.
"I'm trying to understand her."
"So am I," said the old instructor, placing both hands on the balcony's edge.
"I've seen prodigies, Kael.
Warriors blessed by ancient spirits.
Soldiers who had trained their whole lives to become something greater than themselves.
But what I saw in her eyes... what lives in that girl's heart... it was older than any of them."
Kael said nothing.
Something in the old man's voice told him that the last part probably wasn't a compliment.
The gates of the academy opened shortly after noon, letting in a procession of royal knights.
Their silver armor caught the sunlight, and the students made space as the knights filed past, their leader - a woman with long, braided crimson hair - stepping forward to face the gathered students.
"I am commander Seraphine of the Royal Vanguard," said the woman, her voice as cold as the steel of her twin daggers.
"My orders come directly from the king.
Master Orion, you have my most sincere apologies for intruding in your domain, but these are trying times for the kingdom."
"I'm honored to be of service, commander," said Orion, inclining his head.
"Unfortunately, it seems that these are trying times for us all," Seraphine said, her icy gaze sweeping over the students before settling on Shion.
"So... the rumors are true.
You have been following us?"
"I've been looking for you," said Shion simply.
"You have been ordered to assess me, is that not correct?"
"That is correct," said Seraphine.
"You are to be evaluated to determine whether or not you are a threat to the kingdom."
A hushed silence fell over the courtyard as the students listened.
Seraphine took a step forward.
"One survivor against hundreds of hybrids is an impossible feat.
The king is well aware of that.
And so, if you are indeed a threat to the kingdom, I will kill you."
For a moment, neither of them moved, the very air around them seeming to tighten.
Students unconsciously took a step back, and Kael's hand went to his sword's hilt.
Then Shion smiled.
A small, almost amused smile.
"You can try," she said.
And suddenly the air around them was thick with pressure, the likes of which no student had ever felt.
The windows of the academy rattled in their frames, and several students collapsed to their knees, gasping for air.
The royal knights drew their weapons, but it was Seraphine who stood her ground, eyes locked on Shion.
"You can try," the girl repeated.
It took all of Seraphine's strength not to kneel as well, her mind reeling from the sheer power pressing down on her like a storm.
It wasn't magic - not really.
It was something deeper, something more primal, as if she was standing before an endless void.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the pressure was gone, and Shion turned to face the students.
"I have no interest in fighting you, humans.
If you would stop bothering me, I would have no reason to continue doing this," she said, gesturing for the knights to return to their feet.
"But if you keep persisting..." Shion turned on her heel and looked at Seraphine, "I will kill you all much faster."
That evening, Kael found Shion atop the academy's highest tower, where the setting sun cast an orange glow over the horizon.
"You threatened the kingdom today," he said as he joined her.
"They threatened me first," she replied, not looking at him.
"They're afraid."
"They should be," he said.
"You don't regret it, do you?" Kael asked, resting his back against the stone wall.
Something in her expression changed as she looked at him.
"It's strange," she said.
"I don't know.
I remember everything.
My childhood.
My dreams.
My fears.
They're all there, but they're not mine.
They're someone else's memories."
Kael looked at her carefully.
"Do you regret it?
Do you regret becoming what you are?"
Shion looked at her hands, her voice quiet.
"If becoming stronger meant losing the person I used to be... then that person was weak.
She was weak, and she didn't deserve to survive."
They stood in silence for a long moment, the weight of her words settling between them.
Far beyond the kingdom, beneath the black mountains, an enormous stone door groaned as it slowly opened.
The sound echoed through the cavern, and deep within the ancient hall, seven empty thrones stood in a circle, each one facing the center.
One of them flared to life, silver flames licking at the air as a hooded figure stepped into the room.
"So... the first throne has claimed its heir.
The other six will soon follow," said a voice, and a laugh echoed off the stone walls.
"The seals that held the old king's power in check have been broken, and so the six heirs of Nightfall will awaken."
The figure raised a hand, and dark mist spilled from their fingers, covering the ancient markings on the floor.
One glowing sigil hovered over Nightfall Academy, while the other six remained dormant.
"For a thousand years the seals have held the darkness at bay.
But now... now the old king's power begins to return to the world."
Back at the academy, Shion stood alone in the dark, the night breeze carrying the scent of rain and pine.
She felt it before she saw it - the presence watching her from the shadows.
"You've been following me for ten minutes," she said without turning around.
A boy no older than twelve stepped out from behind a tree, his academy uniform torn, his hands shaking.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... I just..."
Shion said nothing as the boy looked up at her.
"My sister... she was saved during the attack.
The knights said that you carried her to the infirmary..."
The boy bowed so deeply that his forehead nearly touched the ground.
"Thank you."
Shion looked at him, her mind drifting back to the infirmary, to the countless other children she had carried, her body moving on instinct.
She had barely remembered doing it.
The boy looked up at her.
"Everybody says that you're a monster..."
"...but I don't believe them."
Something inside Shion stirred, something that had been absent for the last few days.
It wasn't happiness, not exactly, but more like a faint echo of the girl she used to be.
She said nothing as she turned to leave.
The boy watched her go, his small hands clenching at his sides.
High above the courtyard, hidden by the darkness, Kael saw the whole exchange and smiled.
Perhaps... perhaps it wasn't too late after all.
- Writer
