The night had grown darker
Even through the walls of his dorm, Kade could feel some kind of energy pressing down on the academy.
The usual sound of distant voices and the occasional noise of a broom in the courtyard had disappeared.
It was as if the world around him had shrunk, leaving him in a sphere where only the wind and his own heartbeat existed.
He sat on the edge of his bed, hitting his fingers against his thighs producing a drum like beat.
Mira's words replayed in his head: "Whatever this is, you don't have to do it alone." He wanted to believe it, wanted to give himself assurance or anchor himself by the warmth of her hand, but the pull inside him, faint at first, now came in fast making it hard to think about anything else.
A scratch sound came from outside his window. Slow
Intentional
He froze.
Not daring to breathe too loudly, Kade crawled to the window and pulled the curtain just slightly open.
In the courtyard below, the shadows moved differently. One of them didn't belong to a tree, didn't belong to a bush. It slip across the cobblestones, low and steady, pausing every few steps as if listening.
He could almost feel its gaze resting on him.
"Kade?" Mira's voice was heard softly behind him. She must have woken up. He turned quickly, pulling the curtain back into place.
"I...." he began, but words failed to come out.
Her eyes were sharp but calm. Calm enough to keep him from panicking completely. "You felt it again."
He nodded.
She stepped closer, and for a moment, they didn't move. The silence between them was unwavering, tangible, broken only by the rustles of leaves outside the courtyard
Then Mira spoke again.
"We need to check it. Together."
He swallowed hard. "Now?"
"Now," she said firmly. "Before it notices you're awake."
He hesitated, heart pounding. Every instinct I him signaled him to stay inside, safe. But the pull started again, persistent tug in his chest, pushed him forward. It was the same tug that had come before, the one that made his nails extend, the one that had almost caused him to leap from the window last night.
He nodded. "Okay."
The courtyard felt larger at night. Shadow filled the corners, and the dim lamps cast more darkness on the ground than light. Each step Kade took on the cold stone echoed, a ghostly reminder that the academy wasn't empty. Something moved in the far corner, just out of reach of light
Mira led him silently toward it, eyes scanning everywhere. Every corner, every shadow was accounted for.
"There," she whispered, pointing toward a narrow thing between two buildings.
The shadow was thinner than a man, taller than any student on campus, moving like smoke. It paused, turned as though aware of their presence, but made no other sound.
Kade felt the pull stronger now, almost uncontrollably, like the shadow was reaching out to him in ways he couldn't resist.
"I can't control it," he said in a light whisper.
"Then don't," Mira said. "Just stay with me."
The shadow moved again, drifting toward the treeline at the edge of the courtyard.
They followed, keeping low, staying in the darkness. With each step, Kade felt his body change subtly muscles tightening, senses sharpening, hearing every heartbeat of the animals hidden in the bushes. His fingers moved involuntarily.
"Stop," Mira said.
He froze mid-step.
The shadow paused too, as though sensing the tension between them. Then, almost impossibly, it split. From the single dark form, two more emerged tall, lean, with eyes that reflected the dim light. They didn't make a sound, didn't run, didn't attack. They simply watched.
Kade was filled with fear he whispered. "Three of them?"
Mira's facial expression changed. "So they've been waiting."
The pull inside him became high and violent. His nails became longer, claws barely visible in the dim light. His heart pounded so hard he thought it might break through his rib cage.
The shadows reacted instantly, backing off slightly, as if they were respecting some invisible line.
"They know," Mira breathed. "They know you can feel it."
The ground trembled faintly under his feet. Kade's vision blurred at the edges given him a straight line of sight, his mind fighting between fear and curiosity.
One of the shadows stepped closer. Its movement was slow, intentional, almost elegant. It stopped just a few meters away.
And then it spoke.
Not with words.
With a sound that was inside his head. A voice that wasn't his.
"Come."
Kade's pulse jumped. He wanted to run, to hide, to slam the nearest door and pretend this wasn't real. But another instinct a darker, deeper one told him to move toward it.
Mira grabbed his arm. "Don't!"
The pull resisted. It was stronger than ever. His claws became sharper, nails growing, and his breath came in shallow gasps.
"You're stronger than they think," Mira said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Don't let it take you alone."
The shadows shifted again, surrounding them now, but keeping distance. They weren't attacking. They were just testing boundaries
Kade felt his muscles tingling again, instinct rising from somewhere buried deep. He moved slowly, trying to maintain control, trying to keep himself from succumbing to whatever this was.
He clenched his fists, letting his breathing slow. His heart didn't calm immediately, but he could feel the line forming the line between him and them. The boundary he had to hold.
Then the smallest shadow moved closer. Its eyes bright golden, almost human. locked onto his. Kade felt a shiver crawl down his spine.
"You're not ready," it whispered.
Mira placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone," she reminded him.
The shadow's head tilted slightly, considering, before it moved back, merging with the darkness at the edge of the treeline.
The other two followed. In moments, the courtyard was quiet again.
Kade's muscles relaxed slightly. His nails retracted immediately. He exhaled shakily, chest heavy
Mira didn't let go. "You did it," she said softly. "You held it."
He shook his head, trying to clear the panic. "I don't understand any of it. Why me?"
"Because it's always been inside you," she replied. "You just… didn't know."
The wind rustled through the trees. Somewhere in the darkness, movement echoed faintly, a promise, a warning.
"We need to get back," Mira said, finally letting go of his arm. "Before someone notices we're gone."
The run back to the dorm was silent. Kade's mind raced faster than his legs. Every step was measured, cautious.
The academy at night had changed; even familiar paths felt strange and dangerous.
By the time they reached the dorm block, the first hints of dawn was bleeding through the eastern windows. Students were starting to stir.
They didn't speak until they reached their floors.
"You're sure no one followed us?" Kade asked.
Mira shook her head. "Not a soul. But they know we were out there."
He shivered, imagining eyes everywhere. Invisible eyes. Waiting.
In his room, he collapsed onto his bed. Claws gone, pulse gradually returning to normal, but adrenaline kept him fired up.
Mira leaned against the doorframe, watching him silently. He looked up.
"You didn't let it control you," she said. "That's more important."
"I don't know if I even want to know what it was," Kade said.
"You will," she said. "Eventually. But not tonight."
They stayed there for a moment. Silence, only broken by the distant calls of waking students.
"You should sleep," Mira said finally. "Even if it's only for an hour."
Kade nodded. "Yeah. I'll try."
She turned to leave. "And Kade?"
"Yeah?
When you wake up, we find out more about why it came."
He didn't respond. Not yet.
She left, and Kade lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
The shadows weren't gone.
Not truly.
He could feel them lingering, just beyond the treeline. Waiting for the next test.
And he realized, for the first time, that he wanted to be ready.