Chapter 5: From the shadows

The classroom smelled of dust and old paper.

Kael sat, as always, in the back row—alone. The walls were lined with symbols and charts explaining the fundamentals of Chi philosophy: flow, control, balance.

But today's lesson was different.

"What you're about to hear," began Mistress Elah in an unusually serious tone, "is considered forbidden knowledge for beginners. But I believe it's important that you understand what exists beyond golden Chi."

A murmur spread through the class. Some exchanged nervous glances. Kael felt his fingers tighten around the edge of his desk.

"You all know of what's called golden Chi. It's the Chi that dwells in most people. It allows connection to an element—fire, water, wind, earth… sometimes even rarer forms like ice or metal. Each of you, once your Chi awakens, will bond with one of these elements."

Kael briefly looked at the boy sitting in front of him—he had managed to conjure a small flame from his hand the day before. The boy had beamed with pride—and Kael had broken inside.

"But there is another kind of Chi," Elah continued. Her voice dropped lower. Her gaze sharpened.

"Black Chi."

The ceiling projector activated. A pulsating black core appeared mid-air, streaked with cracks of dark light—as if it were breathing.

"Black Chi is not human. No human has ever generated it naturally. It originates from the underworld, from a realm fueled by chaos."

A student hesitantly raised a hand.

"But… it's stronger, right?"

Elah nodded slowly.

"Yes. It allows control over all elements. Lightning, fire, ice, shadow, wind, earth—and even combinations. In theory, a being with black Chi could learn everything. But…"—she paused—"there's a reason there are no legends of black Chi wielders."

The projection shifted—showing hazy creatures, large and twisted, with empty stares.

"Black Chi consumes the will. It erases what makes you human. Only creatures use it—beings who once were something… and then became tools of the darkness."

A shudder passed through the class.

Kael felt the black object in his pocket—the one the raven had given him —vibrate softly.

After class, he left the building on his way to the next lesson. As he walked through the glass corridor connecting the main hall to the eastern wing, he suddenly felt it:

A crack.

Not in the glass.

In space.

A dark rift opened in the middle of the hallway.

Not like a wild portal—but like a controlled opening. And from the tear, three figures stepped out. Dressed in black, their skin was gray, mottled. Their eyes glowed with a faint violet light.

They walked directly toward Kael.

One of them spoke. His voice was cold, precise—and far too human.

"So it is you. The bearer."

Kael stepped back.

"What… what do you want?"

The second one chuckled quietly.

"No fighting. Not yet. Just come with us. We'll take you home."

Kael's legs trembled. These things looked human—but there was something wrong about them. Too smooth. Too empty. And behind their voices: a whisper of… something abyssal.

Then the ground trembled.

Two teachers arrived—a woman wielding a flashing Chi-lance, and an older man with a crystal mask.

"Back, shadow-beasts!" the woman shouted.

Without hesitation, they activated their Chi. The hallway lit up—blinding red and blue, fire and wind combined.

The creatures snarled.

"You are weak… and soon, Chi won't save you anymore."

They retreated, slowly, without urgency. The rift sealed behind them. Only a dark afterimage hung in the air.

Kael gasped for breath. His fingers trembled. The teachers glanced at him briefly, then rushed off to reactivate the protection seals.

And he?

He stood there, alone.

In his pocket: the object. Still pulsing. Still black.

He had the growing suspicion that it wasn't just a tool.

But a key.

A key to something not of this world.