The first thing Lucien noticed was the cold. The room had grown colder, shadows pooling into the corners like ink spilled on wood. His pulse thrummed steadily now, each beat a reminder that he was alive, truly alive, yet something inside him throbbed with a restless energy. He could feel it, coiling beneath his ribs, whispering and tugging. It had a hunger of its own.
Mira's eyes met his from across the room, the faint glow of the candlelight reflecting in the shadows that clung to her like a living cloak. "Are you ready?" she asked, her voice calm but edged with authority. It wasn't a question, really, it was a challenge.
Lucien's hands clenched. "I… I don't know," he admitted. "I feel it inside me, and… it's like it's waiting. But what if I can't control it? What if it… kills me?"
Mira took a slow step forward, the shadows stretching with her movements, brushing across the floor like liquid night. "Then it won't just kill you," she said softly, almost like a warning. "It'll kill everything you care about. This… this power inside you, Lucien, it's not evil. But it's wild. Untamed. And if you run from it, it will consume you."
He swallowed hard. Every instinct in his body screamed for safety, for flight. But Elara's face, pale and fragile in the hospital bed, came to mind. The promise he had made… the one thing that anchored him. I will protect you. I will bring you back.
"I can't die," he said, almost a mantra. "Not now. I promised her. I'll… I'll find a way to survive, to control it."
Mira's shadowed form shifted closer, curling around his legs, brushing against him like a living fog. "Good," she said. "Then we start. Right now. The first step is letting it out. Feel it. Don't fight it. Don't suppress it. Let it flow through you. Only then will you understand its strength."
Lucien's chest tightened. The warmth beneath his ribs pulsed, strong and demanding. He felt it coiling, a weight pressing outward. It was alive. Hungry. Watching. And it knew he was ready ,whether he wanted to be or not.
Mira's hand moved in the air, tracing lines as if she was drawing patterns, channeling the shadows around her. "Breathe. Focus on it. Don't think of fear. Fear will paralyze you. Channel it. Let it show itself."
Lucien closed his eyes. He let his breathing slow, letting the pull inside him become the center of his attention. The first sensation was a prickling warmth at his heart, then the shadows at the edges of the room stirred, stretching, coiling like smoke caught in a windless draft.
A whisper formed in his mind, low and serpentine. You cannot hide. You cannot run.
Lucien opened his eyes. The shadows twisted, forming shapes, faces, claws, almost mocking him. His first instinct was to step back, but Mira's hand caught his shoulder, firm and grounding. "Don't retreat. Feel it. Accept it."
He let out a shaky breath. Slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, a shadow began to seep from him. It wasn't a shape yet, just a cold, creeping fog that clung to the air. It wound along the floor, then surged upward, brushing against the walls. Lucien felt its power, raw and fierce, and instinctively wanted to pull it back in, to suppress it.
"No!" Mira's voice rang sharp. "Let it out. Don't fight it. You are stronger than you think."
The shadow surged again, thicker, denser, almost like a living thing with its own mind. Lucien's heart raced, sweat prickling at his temples. His mind screamed in terror and exhilaration. He felt the pull inside him, a coil ready to snap. And yet… he did not retreat.
"Now," Mira whispered. "Reach for it. Touch it. Be one with it."
Lucien's arms lifted instinctively, hands trembling. The shadow swirled around him, brushing against his skin, licking his arms, whispering his name in voices he couldn't recognize. And in that instant, he understood: it wasn't trying to hurt him. It was testing him. Waiting for him to take control.
He swallowed hard and focused, pushing his fear aside. "I… I am in control," he murmured, almost to himself. The shadow pulsed, writhing, then slowed. He felt it bend to his will, a strange harmony forming between the living darkness and his heartbeat.
Mira stepped back, watching silently, her eyes glowing faintly. "Good. Very good," she said softly. "You felt it, and you didn't run. That's the first step. But it's only the beginning. The shadow will grow, it will challenge you, it will test you. But now… now you know you are capable."
Lucien's chest heaved, breath coming in ragged gasps. The shadows receded, curling around Mira again, and for the first time, the room felt quiet, alive, but calm. His body hummed with energy, a tingling warmth that flowed from his chest down to his fingers, a reminder that something inside him had awakened.
He took a tentative step forward, eyes locked on Mira. "So… what now?"
She smiled faintly, almost approvingly. "Now, you train. You learn. You practice controlling it, understanding it, using it. Only then will you be ready to face what is inside you. And only then will you have the strength to protect her… and survive."
Lucien nodded, his jaw tight. "I'll do it. I won't fail. I can't. I won't die."
Mira's shadowed form seemed to shimmer with faint amusement, respect, and something unreadable. "Good. Then the real work begins tomorrow. But for now… rest. Your body needs it, your mind needs it, and the shadow… it needs to know you are serious."
Lucien exhaled slowly, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. For the first time since the warehouse, he felt a strange calm, a glimmer of hope. He had faced death, survived, and now he had the first taste of the power that could protect him and those he loved.
He looked out the small window. Rain still drummed against the roof, the night quiet and thick outside. And he felt, for the first time in a long time, that he wasn't alone.
The shadow within him pulsed once more, silent but alive, as if acknowledging its new master.
Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow, I'll learn to control it. And I will keep my promise.