Shadows and Shifts

 "You're not the only one haunted by her absence." – Nyra

--Raiven--

The rooftop duel had ended, but its echoes still clung to my mind like smoke.

Bruised but steady, I walked in the house. The house felt different—quieter, I don't really know how to say it but--

Back at home, I couldn't sleep.

Instead, I climbed onto the roof of the estate, the night still hanging low. Sera sat beside me, her hair a dark blur against the moon. I still can't wrap my head how she is so mysterious, but we'll leave the story for another day.

She hadn't asked what happened. She didn't need to.

"I saw her leave," she finally said. "You're lucky she didn't gut you."

"She tried," I muttered. "Twice."

A pause.

"Why let her go?"

I leaned back my gaze lost in the stars. "Because I don't think she is a threat. Not anymore. "

Sera turned to him. "Then who is?"

 I didn't answer. Not because I didn't know—but because something in my bones told me that... the real storm was still coming.

Later In the morning, Nyra burst into my room without knocking.

"You look like crap," she said, arms crossed, her tone somewhere between annoyed and worried.

"I feel worse," I replied, dragging Myself up from the floor.

"You fought her, didn't you?"

I didn't respond.

Nyra narrowed her eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"She came after me."

"So? you went toe-to-toe with a Wair Cat on a rooftop and thought that was smart?"

"I wasn't trying to be smart."

"No kidding." She sat at the edge of his bed. "I know what you're doing."

"Oh yeah?"

"You're trying to numb everything. The pressure, the expectations, the silence in this house. You think bleeding for it will make it matter less."

I stared at the floor. "I just wanted to shut her up."

"She's not the first to push your buttons. And she won't be the last."

I looked up at her, something flickering behind his tired eyes. "Why are you really here, Nyra?"

"Because… I heard you come in last night. You didn't go straight to your room. You sat on the roof. And you didn't say a word. That's not like you." she paused and then said "It was like you were waiting for something. Or someone."

"Looks like someone is beginning to care for me".

"No!" she almost screamed

Nyra leaned closer. "You know, I'm just saying, you're not the only one who lost her."

My throat tightened.

"She was my aunt too. I remember her laughter—how it filled this whole house. I remember the way Uncle Az used to smile when she walked into a room. You're not the only one haunted by her absence."

My voice came out low. "I just want to make her proud."

"You think throwing yourself into fights is what she'd want?"

I shook his head slowly. "I don't know what she'd want."

Nyra smiled faintly. "She'd want you alive. She'd want you to look after the people who matter to you. Not to destroy yourself over something none of us could stop."

I swallowed. "I keep hearing her humming in my dreams." I paused then I said, "It sounds funny coming from you."

We both chuckled.

Nyra's smile faded into something gentler. "Cinnamon and firewood," she whispered. "That was her scent. I always remembered that."

We sat in silence for a long moment.

"Do you hate her?" Raiven asked suddenly.

"Senya?"

"I don't know".

Nyra shrugged. "I want to. But I don't. Maybe because I see too much of us in her. She's fierce. She's proud. And she's lost too. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't whoop her ass in a fight.

I rested his arms over his knees. "She's different. That's what scares me."

Nyra leaned against his shoulder. "Then maybe that's exactly why you need to figure out what this really is before you break yourself even more."

I didn't answer, but his silence said enough.

Down the hall, Kael's footsteps echoed once, then faded.

Somewhere beyond the walls, the city moved, unaware of the quiet battles happening behind the scenes.

But for now, Raiven was home. Not at peace—but home.

 ✦✦✦

---Senya---

I didn't mean to bump into him. But the moment my shoulder brushed against his, the air shifted.

"Watch it," the senior snapped, grabbing my arm.

I froze.

He was taller, broader, his presence oozing dominance. A senior year student—a Zyre—and one of the more arrogant ones. His aura crackled faintly; an intimidation tactic common among those nearing their next awakening.

"I said watch it," he repeated, yanking me back.

"I said I was sorry," I Managed to mutter, pulling my arm free.

He laughed, low and sharp. "Wair Cats don't belong here anyway. Halfbreed mutts playing scholar."

Then he slapped me.

The hallway went dead silent.

Before anyone could react, a voice cut through the tension.

"Let her go."

Raiven.

He stepped forward, face unreadable, hands casually in his pockets—but there was something behind his eyes. Cold. Focused.

"Back off, little prince," the senior sneered. "This doesn't concern you."

"Think twice," Raiven warned, his voice calm, deadly. "Unless..."

The senior flinched slightly. Raiven had struck the chord he wanted—his brother's name, the shadow that followed Raiven everywhere.

"Tch," the senior scoffed, trying to brush it off. "I'm not scared. I'm just not in the mood to deal with royalty politics."

Raiven stepped closer. "Don't worry. I won't tell… if you won't."

The senior's smirk returned. "I'm curious, though. Why fight for a Wair Cat?"

Yeah, why is he fighting for me some days ago we wanted to kill each other and then...

"None of your damn business," Raiven said, voice like steel. "Or are you scared?"

That was it.

"You want this? Rooftop. Now." Tyrek Solin the senior said

The rooftop was deserted, bathed in the noon sun. A few students followed—the ones who always sniffed out drama. Sera stood to the side, tense. She tried to stop Raiven earlier, but he wouldn't listen.

I stood back too, unsure, my cheeks still burned from the slap.

"You sure about this?" the senior Zyre asked, cracking his knuckles. "I'm stronger, older, faster. Rank alone puts you below me."

Raiven didn't speak. He just removed his hoodie and stepped forward.

"But after this fight you'll be below me" Raiven said with confidence that unnerved me.

The fight exploded.

Blow for blow. Aura against aura. The senior's strength was overwhelming. He moved with precision and power, like someone already halfway into his next awakening. Raiven struggled to keep up, every strike pushing him back, every hit landing harder than the last.

Sera gasped as Raiven slammed into the wall, coughing blood.

"You should've stayed out of this," the senior growled.

Raiven wiped his mouth, stood slowly—and smiled and spoke. "Is that all you got."

Then… he jumped off the roof.

Screams erupted. I rushed to the edge. Is this guy nuts.

But—

A second Raiven stood there.

The original Raiven had split—a rare ability few Zyre's possessed. His body had duplicated in a shimmer of pure energy, and while the fake had been beaten, the real one had scaled the side of the building silently.

Before the senior could react, the real Raiven struck from behind.

A whirlwind of hits—faster, more ruthless. Raiven's fighting style had changed. Tighter. Smarter.

He didn't just beat the senior—he dismantled him.

In minutes, the senior lay bruised and dangling near the edge of the roof.

Raiven stood over him, panting.

"I could throw you off," he said, his voice low. "But I won't."

He leaned in closer. "Touch her again—and next time, I won't hold back."

The crowd dispersed in silence.

Sera approached cautiously. "What got into you?"

Raiven didn't look at her. "I don't know," he said. "I just couldn't let it go."

She nodded. "You're not like the others."

Raiven glanced at me from afar.

I hadn't said a word. Just watched.

And for once—I didn't know what to say. 

Why did he protect me?