The Shadow’s Essence

Together, they managed to lift Radji between them. As they carried him from the garden, Osa glanced back at the sealed well. The shadow was gone, retreated beyond the cracked stone lid. But he couldn't shake the feeling that it was still watching them, waiting for another opportunity.

In the infirmary, Professor Nyala directed them to place Radji on a bed near the window, where moonlight spilled across the white sheets. The room was otherwise empty, the Academy's regular healer nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the medical staff?" Saguna asked, voicing Osa's thoughts.

"This is not a condition they can treat," Professor Nyala replied, moving efficiently around the room, gathering various items from cabinets. "Soul Drainer sickness requires specialized knowledge."

She returned to Radji's bedside with an assortment of small bottles, bundles of dried herbs, and what appeared to be a polished stone bowl. Setting these on a table, she turned to Osa and Saguna with an expression of grim determination.

"I can treat him, but I'll need your help," she said. "The entity has left traces of itself within him, draining his life energy even now. We need to force it out."

"How?" Osa asked.

"The three marks you bear," Professor Nyala said, surprising them both. "Yes, I know about them. The Trifold Seal has awakened in you, as was prophesied. It connects you to the elemental forces that can counteract this shadow sickness."

She looked at Osa. "Water, the element of life and healing." Then at Saguna. "Fire, the element of purification and light." Her gaze moved to Radji's unconscious form. "And earth, the element of stability and strength. Together, they create a balance that the shadow cannot withstand."

"But we barely understand these... connections," Saguna objected. "I can't control fire. Osa only just managed to move water. And Radji is in no condition to help."

"You don't need full control, not yet," Professor Nyala assured them. "The connection exists whether you master it or not. I can guide you through a ritual that will channel those connections to help your friend."

She began grinding herbs in the stone bowl, adding drops from various bottles as she worked. The mixture gave off a pungent aroma that reminded Osa of the sea after a storm.

"Will this save him?" he asked.

Professor Nyala's hands paused momentarily. "It should drive out the shadow's influence and restore some of his strength. But..." She hesitated. "The damage is severe. Even if we succeed, his recovery will not be immediate or certain."

Saguna's face paled. "Are you saying he might still die?"

"I'm saying," Professor Nyala replied carefully, "that this is only the first step in a longer healing process. And it must be taken soon, or all other steps become moot."

At that moment, Master Damian entered the infirmary, his face grave. "The containment ward is in place," he reported to Professor Nyala. "But the energy signature was stronger than anticipated. This was not a random crossing."

"Meaning?" Professor Nyala asked sharply.

"Meaning it was sent," Master Damian replied, his gaze moving to the three young men. "Someone—or something—knows the Triumvirate has awakened."

Saguna and Osa exchanged alarmed glances. The implications were clear: the attack on Radji had been deliberate. And if one entity had found them, others would follow.

"All the more reason to proceed quickly," Professor Nyala said, returning to her preparation. She resumed her work, adding a pinch of what looked like crushed pearls to the mixture. "Each of you will need to add something personal to the mixture—something that carries your essence."

"Like what?" Osa asked.

"A drop of blood would be most effective," she said. "But a strand of hair will suffice if you prefer."

Osa and Saguna exchanged glances. Without hesitation, Osa extended his hand. "Blood is fine."

Professor Nyala nodded approvingly. She produced a small silver knife from her robes and carefully pricked Osa's finger, allowing a single drop of blood to fall into the mixture. She did the same for Saguna, then carefully cut a tiny lock of hair from Radji's head, adding it to the bowl.

As she stirred the mixture, it began to glow with a soft, pearlescent light. "Now, I need you to place your hands on Radji—one at his heart, one at his forehead. Focus on your connection to him, on your desire to help him. The mark will guide you."

Osa placed his palm over Radji's heart, where the dark veins were most concentrated. Saguna positioned his hand on Radji's forehead. Immediately, Osa felt the mark on his chest warm, pulsing in time with Radji's weak heartbeat.

Saguna gasped softly as heat spread from the marks on his neck, down his arm, to his fingertips. The sensation wasn't painful—instead, it felt purifying, like a cleansing flame burning away impurities. Under his palm, Radji's skin felt cold, too cold for a living person.

Professor Nyala began to chant in that same ancient language, her voice rising and falling in a rhythmic cadence. She dipped her fingers in the glowing mixture and traced symbols on Radji's exposed skin—first over his forearm where his mark lay hidden, then on his chest, finally on his forehead between Saguna's fingers.

The mixture seemed to sink beneath Radji's skin, leaving trails of light that followed the paths of the dark veins, gradually overtaking them. Osa felt a strange sensation beneath his palm, as if something was moving through Radji's body, seeking escape.

"Don't break contact," Professor Nyala warned sharply. "The shadow essence will try to flee. You must force it out completely."

Saguna felt his mark grow hotter, almost burning against his neck. The heat traveled through his arm into Radji's forehead, and for a moment, Saguna could sense Radji's consciousness—distant and fading, like a voice calling from the bottom of a deep well. He reached out mentally, calling to his friend.

Radji! Follow our light back!

A light began to glow beneath Radji's skin, chasing the darkness toward his extremities—down his arms, toward his fingertips, down his legs toward his feet.

A dark mist began to seep from beneath Radji's fingernails, from the pores of his skin, gathering above his body like a toxic cloud. Professor Nyala quickly produced a small crystal vial, uncorking it and holding it near the dark mist. The mist writhed as if in pain, then was drawn into the vial as if pulled by an invisible force.

The moment the last wisp disappeared into the vial, Professor Nyala sealed it with a stopper carved from what appeared to be bone. Radji's body relaxed suddenly, his breathing becoming deeper and more regular. The dark veins had vanished completely, though his skin remained pale.

"You can remove your hands now," Professor Nyala said, her voice heavy with exhaustion. "The shadow essence has been contained."

Osa pulled his hand away, feeling strangely empty, as if he had expended some vital energy in the ritual. Saguna looked equally drained, swaying slightly where he stood.

"Will he recover?" Osa asked, watching Radji's face for any sign of consciousness.

"He needs rest," Professor Nyala replied, carefully placing the sealed vial in a small wooden box. "His physical body will heal with time, but his spirit has been wounded as well. Such wounds heal more slowly."

She turned to face them fully, her expression grave. "What happened tonight is only the beginning. The Veil grows thinner each Wednesday, and more entities will find their way through. What you encountered was relatively weak—a Soul Drainer that had only just managed to cross over. Others will be stronger, more dangerous."

"Why us?" Saguna asked suddenly. "Why did it attack Radji specifically?"

Professor Nyala's eyes seemed to look through them, seeing something beyond their physical presence. "The Trifold Seal marks you as special—as potential threats to forces that wish the Veil to fall completely. And of the three of you, Radji was the most vulnerable at that moment. He was not in a meditative state as you were, not connected to his elemental affinity."

"You knew this would happen," Osa said, the realization dawning on him. "When you suggested we practice meditation in the Tranquility Garden—you knew something might come through."

"Not specifically," Professor Nyala admitted. "But I suspected your awakening abilities might draw attention from the other side. That's why I was watching—why I reached you as quickly as I did when your friend came for help."

"You've been manipulating us," Saguna accused, anger flashing in his eyes. "Using us as bait!"

"Testing you," Professor Nyala corrected calmly. "There's a difference. I needed to know if you had the potential to face what's coming. Tonight, you proved you do—but you also proved how much you still have to learn."

She gestured to Radji's unconscious form. "Without proper training, the next encounter could end much worse."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room, broken only by Radji's steady breathing. Outside, clouds passed over the moon, casting the room momentarily into darkness before silver light returned.

"So what now?" Osa finally asked.

"Now," Professor Nyala said, "you need to put this on your skin, where the shadows touched you earlier." She gives herbs to Osa. "And your real education begins. Not just in historical practices, but in the Veil Arts themselves. If you choose to accept it."

"And if we don't?" Saguna challenged.

Professor Nyala's expression softened slightly. "Then I will still do everything in my power to protect you—all three of you. But I cannot guarantee your safety, especially as the Veil continues to thin. What came for your friend tonight will come again, whether you prepare for it or not."

Osa looked at Radji's pale face, then at Saguna. Despite having known them for only two days, he felt connected to them in a way he couldn't fully explain—a bond beyond friendship or shared experience, something tied to the marks they bore and the strange abilities awakening within them.

"I'm in," he said simply. "Whatever it takes to make sure this doesn't happen again."

Saguna remained silent, his gaze fixed on Radji. His hand moved unconsciously to the back of his neck, to the mark hidden beneath his collar.

"Rest now," Professor Nyala told them, moving toward the door. "Your friend will sleep through the night. We'll speak more tomorrow, when he's awake and you've all had time to consider what this means."

She paused at the threshold, looking back at them with an expression that mingled concern with something like pride. "You did well tonight, both of you. Remember that in the days ahead."

After she left, Osa slumped into a chair beside Radji's bed, the events of the evening catching up with him all at once. His body ached with fatigue, and the mark on his chest had cooled to a dull warmth.

"Do you think she's telling us everything?" he asked Saguna, who remained standing at the foot of the bed.

"No," Saguna replied without hesitation. "There's more she's not saying. About the marks, about these 'Veil Arts,' about why we were chosen."

He moved to the window, staring out at the Academy grounds bathed in moonlight. "But I think she was right about one thing—what came tonight will come again. And next time, we might not be so lucky."

Osa nodded, watching the steady rise and fall of Radji's chest. "Then we'd better learn everything we can before that happens."

"If Radji recovers," Saguna said quietly.

"When," Osa corrected firmly. "When he recovers."

Saguna didn't argue, but his silence spoke volumes. They both knew how close they had come to losing Radji tonight. How unprepared they had been for the shadow entity's attack. How little they truly understood about the marks they bore and the responsibilities that came with them.

As the night deepened, Osa found himself wondering what else lurked beyond the Veil, waiting for a chance to cross over. And whether, when the time came, they would be ready to face it.