The night was long in the Academy.
Not because time moved slower — but because some thoughts only surfaced in the dark.
Aira sat alone in the sigil garden, runes pulsing like fireflies in the grass. She traced the same line in the dirt over and over.
She'd told herself she was just out for air.But really?
She was waiting.
"You've been quiet," she said, voice barely louder than her breath."You're never quiet."
And for a while, there was nothing.
Then —
A shift in the shadows behind her.A scent like saltwater on burned incense.A voice like her own, but cracked and layered.
"You only hear me when you're afraid."
She closed her eyes.
"That's not true."
"Isn't it?"
The shadow rose in front of her — humanoid, yes, but flickering — made of shivers and soft light bleeding from old cuts. It didn't loom or attack. It simply stood, arms folded behind its back.
"You don't speak to me unless you need power.""But you were never afraid to borrow my fire."
Aira stood slowly. Not defensive. Not dismissive.
Tired.
"You crawled into my soul while I was dying."
"You fed on my fear. You tried to make me forget who I was."
The Shadekin didn't flinch.
"I gave you a weapon. And you kept it sharp.""But you never asked me why I stayed."
"You didn't have a choice."
"Didn't I?"
A pause. A gentle one.
"There were others. Easier. Sweeter. Hungry and open. But I chose the one who fought back."
"Because even I was tired of being a parasite."
Aira blinked. Something in her chest shifted.
"...Then what are you now?"
The Shadekin tilted its head.
"Still learning."
"But if you let me…""We could become something sharper."
*"Not a blade of fear — but a shadow of purpose."
Aira stepped forward. The distance between them felt smaller than ever.
"I don't want to forget myself."
"Then don't.""Just… forgive the part of you that survived."
They stood in silence for a beat.
Then, Aira reached forward — slowly — and touched her own shadow.
For the first time, it didn't recoil or twist.It shimmered. Shifted. Smiled.
A gentle one.Not mad. Not predatory.Just… human.
✶ Afterward
Back in her room, Aira sat by the window, her sigil gloves glowing softly.
She could feel the Shadekin now — not lurking, not whispering.
Just present.
It didn't feel like a parasite anymore.
It felt like…
"A second heartbeat," she murmured.
She looked toward Rei's chamber across the glass.For the first time since she met him, she didn't feel like she was dragging him forward.
They were walking the same path now.