Jade: The Hybrid Mage

Chapter 6: Naila

The journey to the cathedral of Qell was long and somber. I left Nivel alongside other aspiring young humans, each of us seeking to awaken the magic that lay dormant within us. Families from neighboring villages gathered, their excitement a sharp contrast to the heavy dread settling in my chest.

The grand cathedral loomed ahead, a towering testament to the power of the Eight Great Gods. Its walls were carved with intricate depictions of their divine feats, the towering spires reaching toward the heavens.

As we entered, the air grew thick with reverence and anticipation.

But beneath that reverent quiet, whispers floated like venom, coiling through the hallowed space. The awe-inspiring carvings of the Eight Great Gods seemed to watch me with disdain, their divine gaze almost joining the voices.

I held tight to my father’s arm as we moved through the crowd. The grandeur around me—the towering spires, the intricate murals—felt more oppressive than holy. Each step I took seemed heavier than the last, though I wasn’t sure if it was the weight of the awakening ceremony or the sharp-edged words cutting through the air.

“Like, what’s up with those repulsive green eyes of hers?” someone sneered, loud enough for me to hear.

“They’re so unnatural,” another voice chimed in.

I chanced a glance, my stomach tightening as I spotted Lila and Cora, my stepsisters, lingering with a group of girls from neighboring villages. Their laughter rang out like poisoned bells. Gregor stood off to the side, his smirk as sharp as a blade as he entertained a cluster of boys.

“My mother told me those are the eyes of outcasts,” Cora said, her voice dripping with disdain. “People living at the feet of the Sky Border, surrounded by decay.”

“No wonder she’s so miserable herself!” Lila added, her cruel smile curling as laughter erupted around her.

Their taunts felt like stones, each one bruising as it hit.

“Didn’t she show up covered in blood the night Elaine died?” one of the village girls whispered, her tone conspiratorial.

“She’s cursed,” another replied, her words sharp and sure. “That’s why Elaine died. It’s her horrible omen.”

Elaine. The name stabbed through me like a knife.

“Oh, don’t look so heartbroken,” Lila said, turning her mocking pout in my direction. “Did she really think Elaine liked her? Poor Jade, so gullible.”

Her words hit harder than the rest.

“She was just pretending,” Cora added, loud enough to draw more attention. “She told my mother she thought it was funny to see how Jade followed her around like a lost dog.”

“She even suggested ways for my mother to make her life harder,” Lila said, her words cutting deeper. “Elaine said it would keep her from thinking she’s special.”

“Maybe that’s why that awful beast killed her,” Gregor added with a smirk. “It must’ve sensed how terrible she truly was to Jade and decided to do something about it.”

Their laughter rose, cruel and deafening. Although intended as an insult, I wondered how they would react if they realized I was actually connected to the beast that had attacked Elaine. But weren’t they taking it too far?

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. The beast stirred faintly, her growl like distant thunder at the edges of my mind.

“Calm down, beast,” I whispered under my breath, pressing my hand firmly against the ring to quiet her temper—and mine. Its faint warmth steadied me, the growl fading as the beast retreated.

I straightened my back and forced my feet forward. Let them laugh. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of a reaction.

But their words burrowed deep, clinging to my skin like leeches. Elaine, the girl I had believed was kind, had only ever seen me as a joke.

‘Was that why the beast chose her?’ I thought bitterly. ‘Because she was just as cruel as the rest of them?’

The beast’s voice drifted through my mind, low and amused. ‘I DID YOU A FAVOUR,’ she murmured, her tone darkly playful.

‘Shut up . . . I didn’t ask you to kill anyone,’ I snapped back.

‘IT WAS EITHER HER OR YOU.’

‘What do you mean?’

Silence.

‘I asked what you meant by that.’

More silence. Then, finally, the beast’s voice opened up.

‘SHE ATTACKED AT SEAMSTRESS BECAUSE I STARE TOO LONG. BUT JADE WASN’T JADE. JADE WAS BEAST. I FIGHT BACK. SHE’S WEAK, SO SHE DIE.’

I gasped. So that’s how it happened. The beast took over, and when it saw Elaine, it must have stared at her disdainfully—challenging her without meaning to. That single moment had been enough to make Elaine drop her mask and lash out, expecting the weak, docile Jade to stand there and take the humiliation.

But the beast wasn’t so humble. Nor was it weak.

It fought back.

Way more violently than necessary.

The truth of it was terrifying, though I didn’t expect it to be anything less. The beast’s presence unsettled me, but a strange warmth hovered in my chest—a quiet comfort in the knowledge that someone, even a monster, might look out for me.

Did that make me a monster too?

I couldn’t say.

My father’s hand tightened on my shoulder as we walked further into the cathedral.

“Don’t let them get to you,” he said quietly, his voice strained.

I didn’t respond, my gaze fixed on the intricate carvings of the gods above us. The whispers still swirled around me, but my father’s hand steadied me.

As we neared the grand hall, I touched the ring on my finger. ‘The beast just spoke,’ I thought. ‘Does that mean I had somehow allowed her to do so, even with the ring on? Could there be a possibility of us working together instead of fighting each other?’

The thought sent a ripple of unease through me. Yet, deep down, a part of me wanted to know the answer.

'Do I give you a name?' I asked her in my mind, almost amused by the idea.

'CALL ME NAILA. I LIKE IT,' she responded, her voice brimming with pride.

For the first time, the beast inside me didn’t feel entirely like a curse. She felt like an extension of myself—dangerous but mine nonetheless.

A flicker of excitement lit within me as another thought crossed my mind.

'What if the ring could allow me to transform while Naila’s locked away in the void?’

I stopped walking, my eyes widening.

“Just keep looking ahead, Jade,” my father said, turning back to glance at me. “You should be used to these things by now.”

His words grated on my ears, but they didn’t quench the strange excitement swelling in my chest.

‘No, that’s ridiculous,’ I thought, dismissing the idea as quickly as it came.

But still, I smiled faintly, despite the whispers and the heavy weight of the ceremony ahead. Naila, in all her vulgarity, was slowly becoming less of an enemy and more of a part of me.