Chapter 18 “The Spark Beneath the Skin”

Morning light filtered softly into the room, casting long shadows across the floorboards. The faint scent of lavender lingered from last night's bathwater, still clinging to the edge of my pillow.

I opened my eyes slowly.

My body ached, but it was a different kind of pain—earned, not inflicted. Not the tremble of fear or the sting of punishment, but the slow burn that came after pushing myself too far.

Across the room, Seraphina sat by the window, already dressed, already awake. Her eyes were fixed on the sky, quiet and unreadable.

Mariette was moving with quiet efficiency. She folded the extra blanket at the foot of her bed, her posture as composed as ever.

No words were exchanged at first.

It was a peaceful silence—but not quite comfortable. Something had shifted.

I sat up, slowly, the memory of yesterday's mana surge still sharp in my mind. Not the power itself, but the way they had looked at me after. Mariette, concerned. Seraphina, curious. Valeria… calculating.

None of them said it aloud.

But something had changed.

Mariette approached with the day's uniform neatly folded.

"Training begins at seven sharp," she said, her voice even. "You'll want to eat beforehand."

I nodded wordlessly, taking the clothes from her hands.

Seraphina finally turned to look at me.

"You slept well."

I hesitated.

"I think so."

Her eyes searched mine for a moment.

"You should be careful," she said simply. "People notice things."

And then she stood and left the room, quiet as ever.

I stared at the closed door long after she was gone.

---

The training yard was already alive with energy by the time we arrived. Mana lingered in the air like morning mist, faint and charged.

Valeria was waiting, arms crossed.

"Today," she said, without preamble, "you'll move from control to casting. Refined spells, not bursts. Precision over power."

Seraphina stepped forward silently, nodding once.

Mariette stood beside me with her usual quiet composure.

Valeria turned to us and held up a faintly glowing scroll.

"A single-affinity scroll," she explained. "This one only measures fire. It's not like the general aptitude scroll from your entrance assessment—it gives a yes or no reading. Stable or unstable."

She handed it to Seraphina.

"Let's see what the flame says about you."

Seraphina didn't flinch. A calm breath. A warm glow gathered in her hand, flame coiling gently around her fingers. She touched the scroll.

It responded instantly—its surface lighting with a soft, pulsing orange hue.

"Good," Valeria said. "Stable. Try casting while interacting with another spell next."

She glanced at me.

"Dark users don't use this kind of scroll. Yours react differently. Wildly."

I gave a half-smile.

"So we're special."

She didn't smile back.

"You're unpredictable."

Mariette and I exchanged glances.

Valeria pulled out a second scroll—this one darker in hue, etched with violet runes that shimmered faintly like ink under starlight.

"This one's for you two," she said, handing it to Mariette first. "It's calibrated for dark-element mana. Measures control, not affinity. Don't expect it to glow warm and gentle."

Mariette accepted the scroll with a small nod. She stepped forward, raising her hand with quiet focus. Shadows gathered along her fingertips—disciplined and slow, weaving like smoke caught in a breeze. When she pressed her hand to the scroll, the runes lit up in a soft, steady violet.

"Stable," Valeria said. "Your control is acceptable."

Mariette stepped back silently.

I swallowed and stepped forward.

As I raised my hand, I could already feel the pressure building—thick and cold, like black water waiting to break through a dam. My mana curled and twisted too quickly, too forcefully. The shadows surged with a life of their own, wrapping around my wrist and straining to be released.

I touched the scroll.

It flared violently.

The runes pulsed—violet to red—while the scroll buzzed like it might tear itself apart. For a moment, it felt like it would combust in my hand.

Valeria snatched it away, inspecting the surface.

"Unstable," she said curtly. "Your control is a mess."

"Right," I muttered, flexing my fingers. "Noted."

She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Too much energy. You're pouring magic into everything without form or intent. If that keeps up, you'll end up harming more than helping."

"I'm trying," I said.

"I know," Valeria replied. "Try harder."

Her tone wasn't cruel, just blunt. She turned and motioned for us to pair up.

"We'll practice controlled casting now—single spells, directed toward each other. No barriers. No interruptions. Precision only."

Seraphina stepped forward and stood opposite me.

"I'll go first," she said simply, already channeling a small flame in her hand. It hovered above her palm, flickering gently like a candle.

"Don't retaliate. Just absorb the impact if you can," Valeria instructed from the side. "This is about reaction control."

I braced myself.

Seraphina launched the spell—swift and focused, a concentrated thread of fire aimed for my shoulder.

I raised my hand, channeling shadow to form a partial barrier.

But something happened.

The moment the fire spell touched my mana, it didn't deflect.

It disappeared.

The dark energy around my hand surged, and the flames were drawn in—consumed like water vanishing into dry earth. I felt a pull in my core, a sudden jolt as my own magic pulsed stronger for a heartbeat.

I blinked.

"What… was that?" Seraphina asked, staring at my hand.

Valeria took a step forward, her brows furrowed.

"You absorbed it," she said slowly. "That's not something typical dark magic does."

"I didn't mean to," I said. "It just… happened."

Mariette's voice was low.

"Dark magic is reactive. It absorbs what it touches if not properly shaped."

"But that was fire," Seraphina said. "Fire is supposed to burn through, not vanish."

Valeria crossed her arms, her gaze on me sharp.

"You didn't just cancel it. You converted it. That mana didn't disappear—it fed your own."

I looked down at my hand. The shadows there were thicker now, denser. Hungrier.

Something inside me stirred.

"I didn't know it could do that," I whispered.

"No one said it could," Valeria replied. "Which means either you're doing something unusual—or your magic is evolving in ways we haven't documented."

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then Seraphina exhaled.

"Next time, warn me if you're going to eat my spell."

Despite the tension, I almost laughed.

Valeria didn't smile.

"No more tests for today. We focus on grounding tomorrow. Celia, you're done casting for the rest of the session."

I didn't argue.

I stood there quietly, fingers curling slightly, feeling the energy still simmering beneath my skin.

For the first time, it didn't feel like a curse.

It felt like a beginning.