Page 18 of The Blackened Blade

I’d wait until dark and then begin. The cover of night would keep prying eyes away while I train.

Little by little I would build it all back again and then some, and when I do…I’ll make them all slowly suffer.

CHAPTER5

Ipull the grey hoodie over me, shrouding my face in darkness as I slowly make my way through the silent and darkened dormitory, and toward the back door.

I had forgotten how little my existence meant to the people in this academy.

No one came to get me, or scold me for not attending the rest of my classes, but I guess that in itself was a benefit.

I slip past the small lounge, where our dorm-mother, Ms. Klein, sits watching an old black and white movie, drinking something that vaguely smells like brandy from a small pumpkin shaped mug.

Her laugh covers the sound of the doors latch clicking shut as I slowly make my way out the back door of the dormitory.

I quickly slink over to the benches using the night to stay in the shadows as I make my way toward the forest's treeline.

Hearing the sound of footsteps and voices getting nearer and I dash to the trees, carefully ducking behind one as a group passes by the bench where I had just been.

They're tall, most likely all boys by their frames. They’re dressed in dark clothing and also sticking to the shadows, so I can't make out their faces.

Probably a group sneaking out to the town a few miles away. It wasn’t uncommon.

One of them suddenly kicks at the stone bench, the force of it making the thick heavy brick shake before a corner begins to crumble.

Another boy beside him tugs at his arm, telling him to‘Come on’before walking toward the third and final boy. They slowly make their way past the bulletin board in the courtyard and down the path leading toward the academy's main gate.

Wensridge academy had a huge campus and was surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest. The nearest town was around ten miles east.

A great location for training young supernaturals and keeping their privacy, but not so great for the bored entitled students looking for entertainment.

The town itself was small, with only a couple of local boutiques and cafes for socialising. Most of the places were older than the residents that managed them, and usually in need of some renovation, or at least a new slap of paint.

I wait until they're completely out of sight before I head deeper into the forest, sticking to the trees as I make my way further from the academy.

I walk for at least twenty minutes, the academy falling behind me and no longer in my sight. There's nothing but the forest trees surrounding me as I search for a small area to train.

A small brook trickles in the distance, leaves rustle around me with the Autumn wind, and small forest creatures begin to prepare for sleep, as others begin to wake.

A squirrel scrambles up a tree beside me and climbs into a small hole, while an owl passes by, its eyes glowing in the dark as it glances toward the tree.

The forest creatures move and scatter around me, with nature's nightlife falling and awakening as I slowly move through the area.

I turn toward the sky, the stars now beginning to shine above me as the moon gently forms, its soft light showing me more of the darkened forest’s features.

I felt no fear in the dark, only a pure sense of freedom and enjoyment at taking in the beauty of a free world surrounding me, and in doing what I couldn’t for six long years.

I take a deep breath and continue to soak in my surroundings for another moment before looking around me.

This area was restricted by the academy.

The further you go, the more chances you could meet with some wild magical beast or lose your footing and fall into a ditch or off a steep cliff. But that's what made it perfect.

It was secluded from the rest of the academy and there were no prying eyes out this far.

If I met some creature…well I guess I’d be getting some hands-on experience, and hopefully it would result in some physical improvement.And not end in my death.

I release a cold breath. It takes on a small smokey form leaving my lips, the air becoming even more icy as I head deeper into the forest.

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