Page 21 of Above
I grunted as more of my body surfaced, shadow magic scarring the skin from the tips of my fingers, up my arms, below my collar bones, around my breasts, and down my sternum, meeting between my ribs where it tapered off. A similar sensation traveled down my spine, and I couldn’t help but let out an involuntary hiss of pain. The second my thighs left the water, I felt more skin burn, until I was standing before the general, my legs on fire down to my toes and my body shaking from the cold paired with the lingering fear.
It was said that your shadow magic was measured by how much of your body was covered with the black swirls. If that was the case, I was decently powerful.
“Welcome to Elite Academy, Nova Tershetta,” General Altair boomed, letting his voice command the authority that was slipping from him as the whispers erupted behind us. The general accepted a thick black cloak from the man on his left, which he deftly placed around me, securing it at my collarbones and making sure it covered my nude body. Then, he grabbed one of the masks.
Mostly black, but bearing some silver accents, the elite mask was practically a trademark. It sported only two holes for the eyes, no other feature etched onto it. General Altair held it to my face, magic flooding the air as the mask seemed to suction onto me. Whereas the cloak that mirrored the night itself was soft and comforting, the mask was cold and constricting. As if it held me in its grasp.
Motioning towards his left, General Altair turned away and faced the group of awaiting shaytan. I was no longer of much interest, apparently. So I took my place along the northern edge of the well, my heart beating a frantic rhythm as the pain and terror caught up to the joy and adrenaline.
I had the shadows.
I watched my family die.
I felt my skin boil.
I was threatened by a core family member.
“Who will be our next brave volunteer?” the general asked. Immediately, Talon Zade pushed forward. This time, no questions were asked and no doubts offered. The Altairs knew the Zades. “I am sure your mother is very proud of you, Talon.” Iblis Altair turned to his right, where the woman stood, her smile tight as she stared at Talon. Ah, so the core family leader of theacademy this quarter would be the Zade matriarch. “You may undress and enter the well. Good luck.”
Talon was far quicker than I was to remove his clothing, not so much as hesitating to push down his undergarments and begin his walk forward. Watching him was a reminder of how much more training not only core families received, but anyone born from shaytan. They began work immediately, and that showed in the way his muscles rippled and magic danced around him. He was honed for this.
Within seconds, Talon was diving down, time seeming to slow as he fought whatever fears plagued him. Had they been this silent when I was under? It was so quiet I wondered if anyone was even breathing. In my head, I tried to count out the seconds. It took me over four minutes. No doubt he would be faster. But how fast? Were the core families growing stronger or weaker? Was it even possible to best them?
My questions were answered as Talon burst free of the essence, his breaths coming even and his eyes determined. He didn’t even look unsettled. His steps were large and intentional, only a few of them needed to get him out. I watched in awe as the silver drips boiled and burned into him as they had me. The difference came in the sheer amount of skin covered. Talon’s marks began at his collarbones and swirled down across the entirety of his body. Despite myself, I even checked his cock. Yes, shadows marred him there, too. Ouch.
“Three minutes and ten seconds!” General Altair exclaimed.
The Zade woman clapped, bouncing and smiling as who must be her son was awarded his own cape and mask. Soon Talon was at my side, his form larger than mine but no more foreboding. I was just as much a weapon as him. I had to be.
“Congratulations,” he whispered, his head tilting my way. I ignored him, not trying to fall for any core family tricks. Instead I watched as ten more people were given the shadows, eachbearing less marks than Talon. The eleventh was when things began to take a turn. He was under for mere seconds before bubbles formed where he had dove down, followed quickly by his body rising lifelessly. As expected, more startled gasps flooded the area, made even worse when the body was tugged back under and never resurfaced.
The Otarn girl with the black hair and perpetual frown went next, not even hesitating when the general asked who would volunteer. Followed by the two core boys that had accompanied Azazel Altair. Then the girl I believed to be Talon’s sister. All four lived, each faster than most and covered in shadow marks.
A staggering amount of deaths occurred, at least another forty not being deemed worthy. After the third body floated up, I felt myself becoming desensitized by the loss.
One by one, people undressed, entered the well, and fought their fears. Again and again. Over and over. Until we were a group of about one hundred and twenty elite trainees. On the other side stood one lone man. A boy, really. Especially when we considered how long we would live.
Azazel Altair looked smug as his father ordered him to undress. He was slower than the others, taking his sweet time to tug off his leathers. His shoes were kicked to the side, his undergarments flicked off. Just like many of the others, he was toned in the way only someone with a lifetime of training could be. But there was an oddity about him. Something I couldn’t put my finger on.
“Good luck, my son. Make me proud.”
“Always,” Altair responded before entering the well and practically being tugged below.
His body was there one moment and gone the next, the ripples in the essence disappearing just as quickly as he had. And, though I expected it, he was up in half the time it took me. His head soared out of the essence, the silver liquid nearlymatching his pale hair and bright eyes. His steps out of the well were more like leaps, but we all were still awarded enough time to be shocked as the marks began to paint his skin. From his jaw down, Altair was quickly being covered in black. Not much of his almost translucent skin was left once the essence boiled and scarred its way onto him.
“Two minutes exactly. It seems we have a new record.”
Chapter Eleven
Nova
“Magic can be exhaustingly difficult at times. My mind is such a loud and messy place. I think my magic gets lost in there.”
-From the journal of Nova Tershetta, 9264 AS
“Your first task as new recruits is to shadow walk. We do not coddle you here. One explanation will be afforded to you, but that is all. If you do not shadow walk to the Elite Academy gate, then you will be forced to get there by foot. If you do not get there by nightfall, don’t expect to see another sunrise.” Who I now knew to be Benadell, the Zade matriarch and captain, spoke without any inflection—no emotion beyond boredom.
Every core family had a leader, usually the youngest married male, though it was not unheard of for a head to possess their title for generations. Those men were called colonels. Their wives were considered second in their household, and they were called captains. A captain always led Elite Academy. This year, it was Benadell Zade, who scowled at us as we filed out of the Ether Cathedral after hastily donning our clothing once more.
