Page 68 of A Ballad of Beasts and Brothers

"I am not afraid of the dark," I repeat louder. "Do you hear me? I am not afraid of you!"

A wicked purr sounds behind me, but instead of jumping in fright or attempting to run, I stand my ground, allowing Nox to serpentine in front of me.

"I am not afraid of you," I say again with more conviction. "I. Am. Not. Afraid. Of. You!"

"You should be."

Atlas loses control of Nox, and he attacks me, throwing me to the ground, hovering above me with his dark wings outstretched. I blink and see Vesper staring down at me, a wicked glint in her red rimmed eyes. I blink again and see Bastian above me, the sweet boy I grew up with long gone, replaced by a beast with malice in his heart. I blink once more and hear Nox before I see him.

"Oh, Ilaria." His sharp fingernails scrape down my cheek. "Sweet, naive, Ilaria. You don't stand a chance against me."

"I am not afraid of you," I grunt and blast him off of me with my light magic, immediately putting a shield around myself.

He's speedy, faster than a human should be, and pounds at the force field like a wild beast, hissing and exposing his fangs.

"You are nothing!" he screeches. "You are no one! You are alone!"

"Atlas, I know you're in there! Control him. Control your fear!" I ignore Nox's threats and reach for the man buried within.

He laughs, the sound serenading me like death's kiss. "Your Atlas is just as afraid of me as you are."

"Atlas, you are greater than your fear! You can do this!" There's a flicker of recognition in the monster's gaze. I press my palm against the golden bubble where his hand is, drawing his soulless glare. "I know you're in there, Atlas Harland. Come back to me. I need you to fight. Do you hear me!? I need you, Atlas!"

Nox groans in pain, fighting something within him. He shakes his head, "No! No! He's mine! You can't have him!"

Proof that Atlas is fighting, I fill my head with thoughts of him. Us running through Bava together, our training sessions, us dancing on the river cruiser, kissing in his room. My hands begin to glow brighter until I notice the light spreading up my arms and down my legs. I've never felt this type of power before. When I feel as if my power is going to rip through my skin, I throw my arms wide and scream. Light explodes from me and drives out the darkness. With the exertion of the blast, I fall to my knees and lower my waning shield. I take a few deep breaths before I glance up, expecting to see Nox, but he's gone. Atlas is laying a few feet from me, eyes closed.

Although my body aches, I crawl to him, fearing I hurt him. When I reach him and slip my hands on either side of his face, the black veins dissipate.

"Come back to me, Atlas," I whisper as a tear slips down my cheek. "I'm not afraid of you."

His eyes flutter open; the black soulless eyes are gone, and his natural green ones are back. As I cradle his head while he slowly comes to, I can't help but stare at his black feathered wings and the darkness staining his hands.

My own hands are still glowing and the image of burning Vesper pops into my head. If I have the ability to maim with my touch, maybe I have the power to heal? Putting my theory to the test, I drag my hand down Atlas' neck, past his shoulder, until I reach the tips of his fingers, and wait. Nothing happens. I suppose I don't have –

Suddenly, the black veins streaking up his arms and hands begin to clear. I whip my head to his other arm but it's still dark, so I repeat the motion, dragging my hand down from his neck to his fingers and watch in awe as he begins to heal.

"You're glowing." His labored voice draws my attention. He scoops strands of my hair and lifts it so I can see.

"I've never felt this strong before," I admit.

He squints under my light, "You drove out my darkness."

"Lumos!" Professor Riggs screams from a second boat floating next to the one Ronan and Nyx occupy. "You've achieved the first stage of Lumos!"

When we look out across the bay, there are dozens of ships with faces, both curious and horrified, staring at us. Nyx and Ronan row back quickly as I help Atlas sit up so he can retract his wings and return to his normal appearance.

"How long were we in the darkness?" I ask, feeling like it's only been a couple of minutes, not nearly enough time for all those people to be alerted to our activities and come watch.

"It's been over two hours," Nyx says when he reaches us, and I gasp.

"Two hours?" I look at Atlas who has sweat dripping down his brow. It's only then I realize, I too, am wet with perspiration. "How is that possible?"

He shrugs. "It's the second time I've utilized Nox. I'm not entirely sure how it all works."

The second ship carrying Professor Riggs and Headmistress Radcliffe comes up on the other side of the dock.

"Professor Harland," Philomena growls, "what is the meaning of this? Magic of this magnitude is to be practiced in the confines of the school-"

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