AWAKENING IN SHADOWS

Elara gasped, dropping to one knee as her body convulsed under the weight of the power surging through her. The tattoos that had formed along her arm pulsed, shifting like liquid shadow beneath her skin. She clutched her chest, her heartbeat hammering like a war drum. It was too much—too overwhelming, yet intoxicating all the same.

Rael stood before her, watching in silence. His arms crossed, his expression unreadable. He had seen this before—the raw awakening of a Soul Bonder. The first surge of power was always the hardest to control. Some were consumed by it. Others bent it to their will.

Which would she be?

Elara gritted her teeth, fingers digging into the dirt beneath her as the energy coursing through her body finally began to settle. She exhaled a shaky breath, lifting her gaze to meet Rael's. Her pupils had changed—where once they had been a dull brown, they now glowed with a deep, swirling violet.

She clenched her fists and, instinctively, her shadow stretched unnaturally, moving of its own accord. She gasped and stumbled backward as tendrils of darkness curled up from the ground around her feet, responding to her emotions. The very air around her felt heavier, thick with an unearthly force.

"I… I feel…" Elara swallowed hard, flexing her fingers as the shadows flickered and pulsed around her. "Stronger. Lighter. Like my body isn't mine anymore, but something more."

Rael smirked. "Good. That means the bond is working."

Elara looked down at her arms again, her breath still unsteady. The markings on her skin had settled, forming intricate patterns that seemed to shift ever so slightly when she moved. "What… what exactly did you do to me?"

"I didn't do anything," Rael said, stepping closer. His presence was like a living shadow, his crimson eyes gleaming with an eerie light. "You accepted the bond. This power is yours now. But it comes with a price."

She narrowed her eyes. "What kind of price?"

Rael reached out, placing a single finger on her forehead. In an instant, a flood of sensations tore through her mind—memories not her own. Visions of lost souls, of pain and regret, of countless wandering spirits clinging to existence through emotion alone. She saw herself from outside her body, her essence now intertwined with something far greater than she could comprehend.

She staggered back, breathless. "I… I saw…"

"The burden of a Soul Bonder," Rael said, lowering his hand. "You feed on emotions. They will fuel your power, sharpen your instincts, and strengthen your abilities. But if you run dry—if you have nothing left to take—you will fade. Just like the souls of the forgotten."

Elara shuddered. "So, what? I have to steal emotions from others to survive?"

"Not steal," Rael corrected. "Trade. You take what they give willingly—or what they can't control. Fear, rage, sorrow… powerful emotions leave imprints, and you can absorb them. But the stronger the emotion, the greater the risk of losing yourself to it."

Elara clenched her jaw. The idea of siphoning people's emotions unsettled her. But at the same time… she couldn't deny the hunger now coiling in her gut. The faint whispers at the edge of her mind, calling for more.

She inhaled sharply, then let out a slow breath. "Fine," she said, rising to her feet. "If this is the price, I'll pay it. But I want more than just survival, Rael."

Rael's smirk deepened. "Good. Then let's see what you can really do."

With a flick of his wrist, the air around them darkened. The alley they stood in twisted, warping into a vast shadowed expanse. Shapes flickered within the darkness—figures, barely visible, shifting in the periphery of her vision.

Elara's muscles tensed. "What… is this?"

"A test." Rael's voice was calm, but his eyes gleamed with amusement. "Control the power I've given you. Show me you're worthy of it."

A shape lunged from the darkness, its form humanoid but twisted, eyes glowing like embers in the void. It rushed at her with impossible speed.

Elara reacted on instinct. Her hand shot out, and the shadows around her coiled and lashed forward, striking the creature with enough force to send it hurtling backward. She stared at her own hands, disbelief flashing across her face.

Rael let out a low chuckle. "You're learning fast."

Elara steadied her breath, eyes narrowing as more figures began to emerge from the shifting void.

She flexed her fingers, feeling the shadows respond to her call.

"I'm just getting started."