Page 84 of Every Shade of Shadow

“For?”

“To fight.”

It was only the other day I learned of rogue shadows. They are not cast by physical objects blocking light. Instead, they emerge from a convergence of residual magical energy. When powerful spells are cast or magical disturbances occur, they leave behind traces of arcane energy. Over time, these lingering magical residues coalesce and become semi-autonomous. And voila, these bitches.

When exposed to magical energies, they amplify or distort the spells around them. Skilled spellcasters sometimes use them strategically, harnessing their unique properties to enhance or conceal their magical workings, a real Umbral Brotherhood thing, but it’s serious Shadowcraft. Dark, dark shit.

Nodding, I bite my lip and try to focus on the incantations we've been practicing in class, but my mind races with uncertainty. Suddenly, the rogue shadows surge forward, morphing into sinister, humanoid shapes, their dark tendrils reaching for us. Lily and I jerk back.

"Aegisium Protego!" I shout, conjuring a shimmering barrier between us and the advancing shadows. They collide with it, hissing in frustration.

"Ventus Glacialis!" Lily cries, sending a torrent of icy wind at the creatures. Some are momentarily slowed, but others remain undeterred, their dark forms twisting violently.

The subtle time dilation is not helping. I’m already feeling nauseous.

They rush us again, a barrier spell enough to hold them back, but it’s not going to hold.

"Ana, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," Lily pants, sweat dripping down her freckled face, because these kinds of spells, they take an instant physical toll.

I rack my brain for a spell that might save us. "Ignis Aeternum!" I scream, unleashing a torrent of white-hot flames from all ten of my fingertips. A few shadows recoil, shrieking as they disintegrate into wisps of black smoke, but more continue to rise from the darkness.

"What do we do?" Lily pleads, her eyes voided with terror.

"Keep fighting," I say through gritted teeth.

Something inside me responds to the shadows, wills me forward. The power’s there, simmering under the surface, that ozone-scented creep of deeper, darker magic.

I send another spell, but the shadows don’t appear to be dissipating.

Doubt begins to creep in, chipping away at my resolve.

You’re stronger than this, I tell myself, but the voice is weak and fragile.

"Ana, I...I don't know what to do," Lily gasps, her face pale, and her body trembling from exhaustion. There wasn’t much of her to begin with.

Not much of a meal, I consider darkly.

"I can’t…” she begins.

A memory surfaces, a fragment of wisdom from Gran’s grimoire.

I crouch, my fingers pressing to the stone as I struggle to catch my breath, sweat dripping down my spine. With every ounce of strength left in me, I chant the incantation.

"Obumbratio praesidium, vincula dissolvere, tenebras dissipare!" I shout, the words torn from somewhere deep within my soul.

The shadows pause, hesitating for a moment before a sudden surge of energy sends me flying back. My body slams into something unforgiving, the air knocked out of my lungs.

The shadows creep closer, tendrils snaking around my wrists and ankles, pinning me in place while others wrap tightly around my throat. My eyes water.

So, yeah. That did fuck-all.

"Ana!" Lily screams, her voice raw with fear and desperation, but the darkness is relentless, pressing down on me like a crushing weight.

“Help!” she yells, to no one in particular.

There’s the cool touch of the shadow against my skin, its malicious intent seeping into my very being as I struggle to breathe. It seems to recognize something within me, maybe its own kind.

Panic sets in, my vision blurring while my mind races, digging for any last shred of hope.

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