"Entry 0: One Dawn in Shadows
"The sky is quiet before the storm — so are shadows in the light."
Two weeks had passed since Kael and I sealed the bond in the northern alcove — two weeks that dragged like lifetimes. Days blurred. Nights burned. Each moment thick with tension, like fog before the flash of lightning.
Inside the academy, life went on. Laughter, footsteps, blades against steel — a world still spinning. But for me, it felt distant. Faded. I moved through it like a ghost with skin.
Jaren's gaze hunted me constantly now — sharp, wary, the steel edge of his role as captain slicing through his concern. The quiet between us was no longer comfort. It was pressure. It was suspicion.
Worse, the space between Kael and Jaren pulsed like kindling. A spark was all it needed.
Kael's fire burned hotter lately. His control, once cold and precise, had shifted. Protective instincts twisted into something darker, more feral. There was power in it, but also danger — the kind that didn't ask before it scorched.
And I…
I was the eye of it all.
Not the storm. Not the fire.
The silence before both.
Entry One: Quiet Storms
The late afternoon sun painted the training yard in lazy gold. Swords clashed. Commands echoed. Students shouted.
But inside, my thoughts churned like thunderclouds.
I'd felt Kael that morning — not physically, but through the bond. An ember in my chest. A flicker of heat beneath my ribs. And then it vanished.
I was still wiping sweat from my brow when Jaren approached, footsteps soft but heavy with purpose. He didn't speak right away — he just looked at me.
Not the way Kael did.
But like someone searching for something they'd already lost.
"We need to talk," he said finally. His voice was low, taut, like a rope fraying at the edges.
I steadied myself. "About what?"
"About Kael. About you." His jaw tightened. "There's something between you two. I can see it."
My heart stumbled, tripped. "It's nothing."
"No," he said, more steel now. "Don't lie to me."
But before I could shape an answer, a cruel voice cut through the air like a knife through silk.
"Well, well. If it isn't the captain and his shadow."
Malrik slithered into view, all grin and venom. His eyes gleamed — too hungry, too amused.
"I see you're keeping close company, Captain."
Jaren's hand shifted toward the hilt of his sword. "Back off."
Malrik laughed, dark and hollow. "Or what? You'll fight me over her? Please. You think you're special? She's just another tool. Just another prize."
The shadows stirred at my wrists, responding to the insult before I could stop them. I felt the flicker — a curl of darkness ready to rise — but I buried it deep.
Not now. Not here.
Jaren stepped forward. "Leave. Her. Alone."
Malrik just smiled wider and stalked away, satisfied with the damage he'd left behind.
As the silence closed in again, something shifted between Jaren and me — not anger. Not quite betrayal.
But something close.
A warning.
And in the corner of my eye, I saw Kael on the balcony above, flame flickering at his fingers.
Watching. Burning.
Entry Two: Shadows Stirring
The academy was quiet at night — not peaceful, but tense. Like the world was holding its breath.
I sat curled on the stone window ledge of my dorm, the wind clawing at the panes, the sea whispering below.
In my hand, the bone shard pulsed — ancient magic humming through it like a second heartbeat. I'd found it days ago during a walk near the cliffs, its surface carved with old runes that felt more familiar than they should've.
It hummed louder tonight.
Outside, the sky churned. The cliffs groaned. And from far off — deep beyond the edge of the forest — a scream cut through the dark.
Raw. Human. Real.
It split the air like a wound.
I pressed my forehead to the cold glass, heart thudding.
The Hollow stirred.
Not just legend. Not just a name whispered by students trying to scare First Years.
But real.
And hungry.
And waking.
Entry Three: Shadows Stirring
Night cloaked the academy in oppressive silence, broken only by the whisper of wind threading through the twisted branches outside my window.
I sat on the cold stone sill, clutching the bone shard hidden beneath my cloak. It pulsed softly against my palm, like a heartbeat of ancient magic.
Beyond the cliffs, the hollow stirred. Old whispers awakened — voices lost to time, calling from the dark places beneath the earth.
Suddenly, a scream shattered the stillness.
A raw, terrified sound — echoing from the village beyond the forest.
I pressed my forehead against the glass, the letter's warning searing in my mind.
Something ancient and hungry was coming.
Entry Four: The Gathering
At dawn, unease rippled through the academy like a cold wave.
Professors moved briskly, their faces grim and voices hushed as they prepared the students for what was to come.
Master Orin stood in the great hall, his gaze sweeping the room until silence fell like a heavy cloak.
"The Bones are no legend," he said, voice steady but laced with warning. "They have awakened, and their hunger will not be sated by swords alone. We must stand together — students and masters alike."
Jaren's eyes found me again, blazing with frustration and jealousy. Kael's hands flickered with flame beside me, the fire wild and untamed.
I felt the bond tighten between us — fragile, secret, dangerous.
No one could know.
Entry Five: Allies Assemble
That afternoon, I met Lyra, Nia, and Joren in the courtyard.
Lyra's usually bright eyes were clouded with fear. "The village… they say the Bones are tearing through homes, dragging people into the dark."
Joren's face was stoic, but I saw the worry there. "This is no ordinary attack. It's an omen — a warning."
Malrik loitered nearby, his gaze on me like a predator sizing up its prey.
"We should use this chaos," he muttered. "It's the perfect time to settle old scores."
I knew better than to trust him. His presence was poison — a threat lurking just beneath the surface.
Entry Six: Secrets and Shadows
Night fell, wrapping the world in a heavy cloak of darkness.
I slipped to the northern alcove, where wind howled and the sea's distant roar whispered secrets.
The shadows gathered like dark silk around me, alive and waiting.
I coaxed them into shape, tendrils flowing like liquid night from my fingertips.
Kael's fire burned brightly in my mind, our bond humming with dangerous energy.
But no one could ever know.
Because if they did…
They'd tear us apart.
Entry Seven: Clash at Dawn
The next morning exploded into chaos.
A scout burst into the training yard, breath ragged, eyes wide with terror.
"The village is under attack. The Bones have returned — and they're worse than before."
Professors rallied the students, drawing weapons and casting protective wards. The air shimmered with ancient magic, crackling like static.
Jaren barked orders, his voice sharp as steel. "Form ranks! Protect the gates!"
Kael's flames flared, wild and fierce, as he stepped forward without hesitation.
Malrik sneered but unsheathed his sword, clearly eager for blood.
The first wave of the Bones surged like a tide of bone and shadow, their jagged forms twisting and snapping as they charged.
I felt the shadows around me surge, responding instinctively to the danger.
We fought — steel clashing, fire blazing, shadows striking.
Lyra's arrows sang through the air, striking true. Nia's chants wove spells that crackled with power.
The professors unleashed devastating magic, ancient and terrible, ripping through the horde.
Jaren fought like a whirlwind of fury, his sword a blur, his eyes never leaving me.
Kael moved beside me, fire and shadow dancing in deadly harmony.
Malrik charged recklessly, reckless and cruel, until a blast of flame from Kael sent him sprawling, snarling and defeated.
The battle was fierce, brutal — a symphony of destruction and desperation.
But as dawn broke, the Bones were pushed back, shattered and scattered.
Entry Eight: Aftermath and Secrets
The courtyard was strewn with debris, the smell of smoke and blood heavy in the air.
Jaren's gaze lingered on me longer than necessary, filled with questions he dared not speak aloud.
Kael's fire still flickered dangerously in his palms, exhaustion and rage battling behind his eyes.
I met Jaren's gaze, hiding the truth beneath a mask of calm.
No one knew about the bond. No one knew about my shadows.
And I intended to keep it that way.
Because some secrets were too dangerous to reveal.