Chapter 8 - New power

The sun had begun to warm the stone windowsill by the time Reed stepped out of the infirmary, his academy-issued uniform still slightly wrinkled from rest. It didn't matter—he felt lighter, more collected, and oddly calm. The encounter earlier, Lannis' brief vulnerability, still lingered in his mind like a soft chord echoing through silence. He didn't know what to make of it. He just knew that—for the first time in a while—he hadn't felt alone.

As he stepped into the courtyard, the gentle hum of the academy returned in full force. Students walked along cobbled paths in groups, laughing, gossiping, complaining about their evaluations, and sharing rumors with such conviction they could have been gospel. It was a comforting kind of noise.

He was halfway across the green when he spotted Marek, arms folded, leaning against a shaded pillar. His expression was unreadable, but he didn't look hostile—just thoughtful.

"You alright?" Marek asked, straightening up.

Reed blinked. "Yeah. Infirmary staff said I just pushed too hard. No permanent damage."

"Figured. You looked like hell, though. Still kind of do."

Reed gave a weak chuckle. "Thanks. You always know what to say."

There was a beat of quiet before Marek added, "They've been talking, you know. About your test."

Reed's shoulders tensed. "I figured."

"Some say you're cursed. Some think you're hiding your real element. Others think you're a new type of mage entirely." Marek scratched the back of his neck. "You freaked a lot of people out, Reed. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't one of them."

Reed let out a long sigh. "I didn't ask for this."

"I know." Marek paused. "But if you're going to stay here—if you're going to get better—you're going to have to own it. Whatever that was, it wasn't nothing."

Reed looked over at the training fields, where small groups were practicing minor spells, mana control drills, and other basic techniques. It felt so… normal. Controlled.

His wasn't.

And yet…

"I don't even know what it is, Marek," he said quietly. "It doesn't feel like mana. Not in the way people talk about it. It's more like… an extension of me. Like something that's always been there, waiting."

Marek frowned but said nothing.

A voice interrupted the silence.

"There you are." Lannis said with a pout.

"I heard the staff had to ward the infirmary for the night. Said the shadows kept moving on their own," Lannis added. "Was that you?"

"I don't know," Reed admitted. "I was unconscious."

Her brow furrowed. "You should be careful. People are already nervous."

"I'm not trying to scare anyone."

"Doesn't matter. You are. But…" Lannis hesitated, then added more softly, "I don't think you mean to be. I watched you in that room, remember? You didn't look like someone trying to show off."

Reed studied her face, unsure what to say.

"And," she continued, stepping closer and lowering her voice, "I sensed something. When your shadows spread. I don't think it's magic in the way we understand it. But it is something."

Reed glanced at Marek, who nodded in silent agreement.

Lannis glanced between the two. "Well, if you're both not going to run away screaming, maybe we should train together."

"Train?" Reed asked, blinking.

"Yes. You clearly need it," she said bluntly. "Control is everything here. Even if your… power doesn't follow traditional channels, you should at least learn how to temper it. Before someone gets hurt."

Reed couldn't argue with that. "I'm in."

Marek shrugged. "If we're doing weird, might as well make it a group thing."

Lannis cracked the faintest smile. "Good. Meet me tonight at the west courtyard. There's a side area near the old fountain. No instructors wander there after hours."

"Is that allowed?" Marek asked.

"Not technically," she said, already walking away, "but no one checks."

The boys exchanged a glance. Marek looked impressed.

"You know," he said, "I might actually like her."

That evening, as the sun dipped past the walls of the academy and bathed the grounds in warm amber, Reed made his way to the west courtyard. The air was cooler now, filled with the scent of damp stone and wild herbs that grew along the edges of the cobbled paths. There was a certain stillness to it all, like the school itself was taking a breath.

The fountain Lannis mentioned was old, clearly not used anymore, its stone basin cracked and moss-covered. But it still held water, and the sound of it gently trickling added to the calm of the scene.

Lannis was already there, arms crossed, her silver robes exchanged for simpler training clothes: a dark tunic and fitted pants. She raised an eyebrow as Reed approached.

"You're late."

"I was—" Reed began.

"Doesn't matter. Let's get started."

Before he could say anything else, Lannis had already drawn a circle in the dirt with her toe. "Step inside. I want to see if your control's improved."

Reed obeyed, standing in the middle of the circle. "What do I do?"

"Breathe. Reach out to whatever that thing is inside you. Let it out—slowly. Don't force it."

Reed nodded and closed his eyes. He thought of the sensation—the shadow that lived inside him. The way it crawled and wrapped, but never quite hurt. It was like stretching a second skin, one made of silk and smoke. He opened his palm and let it flow.

The shadow curled from his back, forming soft wisps that circled his arms like ribbons in water. The darkness didn't leap or surge—it simply existed, clinging to him like a second breath.

Lannis' eyes widened. "There… That's it. Now hold it."

After a few small moments she added, "Have you tried stretching the shadows to past your body?"

Thinking on it, Reed responded with a simple "No, no I haven't."

"Figure it out, try it out, see if it's even possible."

He kept the shadows close, controlling their reach, and slowly but surely, he brought the shadows down to his legs, eventually allowing them to reach the grass, slowly spreading within the circle . They hovered just above the ground, whispering along the edges of the circle but going no further.

"I don't get it," Reed said, voice strained. "Why can I do this, but not whatever they want me to?"

"Because this isn't magic," Lannis said quietly, stepping closer. "At least, not how we understand it. You're not casting. You're channeling."

Reed blinked. "What's the difference?"

"Casting is drawing mana from within and shaping it into spells," she said. "What you're doing—it's like you're unsealing something. Like it was always there."

Reed let the shadows recede slowly, breathing harder now. "That… feels right."

"I've never read about anything like it," Lannis murmured. "But that doesn't mean it's bad. It just means you're… different."

"Different doesn't exactly earn you popularity points."

"No," she said, her expression softening. "But it makes you unforgettable."

They stood in silence for a moment, the shadows fully gone now, only the gentle bubbling of the old fountain breaking the quiet.

Then Marek's voice rang from the path.

"Hope I didn't miss the dramatic power reveal."

"You're late," Lannis called, but this time there was no edge to her voice.

Reed smiled, for the first time in a while feeling like he wasn't carrying his weight alone.

And for now, that was enough.