"How come my hands are so tiny?
Before I could stop them, the words were out. gods, it wasn't my voice. It was supple. Unsteady. feeble.
I sat up quickly, feeling as if I had ran a hundred miles as my chest rose and fell. Too loud, too alive, my heart hammered in my ears. Sharp, searing pain ran through my limbs. Thin, fragile, like porcelain, my fingers shook as I held them in front of me.
My physique wasn't this.
I clenched my jaw, gasping for air.
I wasn't this person.
I recalled the last blow. My back was pierced by cold metal. The treachery. Then there was stillness. Instead of dying in a moldy, wet bed with bloodied sheets and shattered walls, Kael had died on the battlefield.
But I was here. alive.
The candle on the far side of the room was flickering, and I blinked. Shadows danced over the fractured stone like specters as it burnt low. My fingertips brushed the surface of the cracked mirror next to the bed as I reached for it.
It was not my face that peered back.
The angular jaw I had worn with pride and authority, the keen golden eyes, and the raven-black hair were all gone. Rather, empty, silver eyes blinked at me. Sharp cheekbones were stretched across pale skin. Golden hair became black, as if it had been dipped in twilight.
"Elara Vale," I said in a whisper. It was a bitter name.
A girl of nobility. Or she was.
Her narrative was now familiar to me, strewn about in fragments like glass under my feet. Her relatives abandoned her, beating her and discarding her like scum. She lacked strength. delicate.
I was her now.
No. My name was Kael. My name is Kael.
And whomever it was that brought me back in this state was wrong.
A flicker of torchlight streamed in as the door cracked open. A darkness entered.
"Elara," someone yelled. Male, harsh, and impatient. "Gutter rat, are you still breathing?"
I remained still.
The frame jerked as a boot crashed against the bedpost. "Worm, don't ignore me!"
Slowly, I turned to look at the kid wearing the Academy uniform. Broad-shouldered and blond. conceited.
Now I knew his name. Gareth. lowly nobility. Brute. He enjoyed striking objects that didn't strike back.
Unfortunately for him.
Gareth snarled and moved in closer, saying, "I asked you something." "Are you now dumb and deaf?"
I grinned icily as I looked him in the eyes. I replied in a firm voice, "I'm not deaf." "But you'll be."
He blinked. Then he chuckled. "High praise for a worthless mutt."
He held out his hand.
I was the first to move.
It wasn't until the plate broke against his jaw that he noticed it was fractured. He staggered back, blood dripping from his lip as he cursed.
"You little!"
My legs screamed in protest, but I was already standing. My intellect was strong, but my body was feeble. Every motion was heightened by my anger.
I took hold of the wooden chair and gave it a forceful swing. Like thunder, the hit reverberated. Gareth fell.
I stood over him, panting.
"Touch me again," I murmured quietly, "and I won't stop at a chair the next time."
I waited. He remained still.
My arms trembled. I lacked sufficient strength. Not quite yet. However, I have faced stronger opponents with less strength. And I was always the winner.
I let the chair fall. My knees almost buckled, but I made them stay.
The Academy. I was there. Arkwyn School. A location where the aristocrats taught their kids to be monsters, wizards, and warriors.
This was where Elara had been sent to disappear. to be forgotten.
However, I was no longer Elara.
With the stars hanging in the night sky, I made my way to the broken glass. The wind's cold fingers stroked my face.
My mind was racing.
For what reason was I returned?
This was done by whom?
And now what on earth was I meant to do?
Suddenly and sharply, the memory hissed, "Shadow magic." A shout. A burst of dark flames. Watching me from the emptiness are eyes like gold.
No. Not a recollection. An idea. Something I took with me into the afterlife. Something I should not have brought.
I felt cold.
Once again, I heard footsteps. lighter this time. Faster. There was a runner in the hallway.
A girl rushed through the door as I turned. Her eyes were wide with fear and she was panting. "You must hide, Elara," she said. Right now. The Headmaster will arrive soon. He sensed you, he sensed it.
I scowled. "What are you discussing?"
She gave me a death-defying gaze. "You used magic that was prohibited. You were replied by the shadows. Gareth is still alive because of this. You gave them a call.
"What?" I took a breath.
She stepped back and murmured, "The gods don't allow mistakes." "They're here to destroy you."
Then she ran away, disappearing into the darkness.
I remained still.
Did the shadows respond to me?
I reached while closing my eyes.
Something stirred there, under my skin.
Cold, dark, and familiar.
alive.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
They were radiant.
Shadow and silver.
Back from the window, I stumbled. My heart struck my ribs hard. Whatever this force was, it was living inside me. Awaiting. observing.
Not Kael's.
Nor is it Elara's.
Something fresh. Something old.
I tried to stop it by clenching my hands. However, the darkness disobeyed like a soldier or a sword. Thick as blood, it curled like smoke under my skin as it rushed through me.
I turned to face the room again. Gareth had not yet moved. Though he did not recall anything, he moaned. That was excellent. For the time being.
Footsteps reverberated. More volume. heavier. And they weren't the steps of a bully with bruises or a terrified girl this time. No. They were measured. Slow and self-assured.
When I heard the sound of strength, I recognized it.
I grabbed the closest sharp object I could find,a jagged splinter from the shattered chair leg and retreated into the room's darkness. I had won with less, but it wasn't much.
The door opened.
A towering person emerged wearing gold-lined robes that were blacker than the darkness. The Headmaster.
Now I also recalled his name.
Varric.
A sorcerer. One of the Thirteen High. His grin always promised anguish, and his power was ancient.
"Elara Vale," he whispered in a steely, silky voice. "This evening, you've created quite a stir."
I remained silent.
He glanced down at Gareth on the ground. "Very impressive. For someone so... brittle.
"Go," I whispered softly.
He cocked his head. "Girl, you don't give orders here."
"I wasn't going to give one." In my palm, I raised the shard. "I was promising something."
He chuckled as if I were a kid brandishing a stick and threatening a storm.
Storms, however, may be slain.
He took a step forward, then stopped.
His grin wavered. "Who are you?"
It was there. His voice was shaking. tiny. Hardly there. However, I heard it.
I looked him in the eye. "I'm not sure. Not quite yet. However, I can assure you that the gods will not approve of it.
He squinted his eyes. "You shouldn't be here."
"I often understand that."
Varric raised his hand. The air became heavier. Blue fire, glimmering with vitality, and magic flared in his hand.
It pulled at my bones.
He said, "You used forbidden power." "That is death on its own. However, you are what you are. He took a step toward her. "It goes beyond that. A flaw in the system, you are. A violation.
A shiver ran down my back.
He was not mistaken.
However, I refused to allow him to
take me away and imprison me like a cursed relic.
Once, I had fought my way out of death. I would do it once again.
I reached while closing my eyes.
The shadows responded.
Not in words. Not comfortably.
but with strength.
From under the bed, from the corners of the room, and even inside the wall fissures themselves, dark tendrils curled. They pushed at me, writhing like smoke.
Varric's power erupted, but it was completely engulfed by the shadows.
His eyes widened.
"No," he muttered. "You're more than just cursed. You're moved.
Like armor, the shadows encircled me. chilly. Known. alive.
Still holding the shard, I took a step forward.
"You should go," I said.
Perhaps to weave another spell, his lips expanded.
He was never given the opportunity.
The darkness fell.
With a scream and a flash of light, he was gone.
He was gone when it cleared. Behind him, the door swung open and softly in the breeze.
I stood there with perspiration on my forehead and heavy breathing.
The darkness dimmed. They did not, however, disappear. Like wolves awaiting their master's call, they cuddled up at my feet.
I heard it at that point.
No sound.
Not even a murmur.
However, a name.
Asmodeus.
Like vapor through a keyhole, it entered my head.
A name I shouldn't be familiar with.
However, I did.
And the sound of it moved something deep inside me.
since I already knew it.
because I was afraid of it.
because I needed him.
Because I may not be able to learn how to endure this power from anybody else except him.
Or use it to ruin me.