Three days passed in a blur of training and exhaustion.
Marcus continued the early morning sessions. Adrian's improvement was steady but he'd learned to hide the worst of it. He deliberately missed blocks he could have made. Let himself take hits he might have dodged.
Can't let them see how fast I'm really adapting. Marcus is already suspicious enough.
The group training sessions with Cross were easier to manage. Surrounded by other Initiates, Adrian could blend in. Show progress without standing out too much.
Julian watched constantly. Waiting for something. His cronies, Marcus Kell and Sarah Byrne, had started following Adrian through the corridors. Not threatening. Just watching. Making sure he knew they were there.
He's building toward something. But what?
On the fourth evening, a Hunter Adrian didn't recognise stopped him outside his cell.
"Blackstar. Warden Vale wants to see you."
Adrian's stomach dropped. What did I do?
He followed the Hunter through familiar corridors, then up stairs to areas he'd never been. They stopped outside a door marked with Vale's name.
The Hunter knocked. "Sir. I have Blackstar."
"Send him in."
Adrian entered. The office was larger than expected. Shelves lined with books and files. A desk covered in papers and strange instruments. Vale sat behind it, writing something.
"Sit," he said without looking up.
Adrian sat in the chair across from the desk and waited. His heart hammered. His hands wanted to shake but he forced them still.
Don't show fear.
Vale finished writing and set down his pen. He looked at Adrian with those calculating eyes.
"Hunter Reed reports you're progressing adequately. No signs of instability. No concerning behaviours." He leaned back. "Doctor Rhys confirms your binding has stabilised. Your physical enhancements are within normal parameters for Stage 1."
They're still monitoring everything. That was obvious
"That's good."
"It is. Which brings me to why you're here." Vale pulled a key from his desk drawer. "You're being granted limited privileges. Access to the mess hall, as you've discovered. Access to the library in evenings. And relocation from the cell block to proper Initiate quarters."
Adrian blinked. What?
"You're moving me?"
"You've proven yourself capable of following orders and not causing problems. Keeping you isolated serves no further purpose." Vale slid the key across the desk. "Your new room is on the second floor, east wing. You'll share a corridor with five other Initiates. Thomas Vance is one of them."
They're trusting me. Or they want me closer to the others. Easier to observe.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. This is standard procedure for Initiates who demonstrate stability." Vale picked up his pen again. "One more thing. Library access begins tonight. Seven to ten, three evenings per week. A Hunter will escort you the first time. After that, you're on your own."
"I understand."
"Good. Dismissed."
Adrian stood and took the key. It was heavier than it looked.
He left the office and found the Hunter waiting outside. "I'll show you to your new quarters."
They walked through corridors Adrian was learning to navigate. Up stairs. Past training rooms and offices. To a hallway that looked almost normal. Wooden doors instead of iron. Small windows letting in evening light.
"Third door on the right," the Hunter said. "Dinner is in an hour. Library access starts at seven."
He left without another word.
Adrian stood in the corridor and looked at his key. Room number 7.
He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The room was small but felt enormous compared to his cell. A real bed with a pillow and blanket. A desk and chair. A wardrobe for clothes he didn't have. A window that actually opened.
This is real. They're giving me a chance.
Adrian sat on the bed and let himself feel the relief. For the first time in two weeks, he wasn't locked in a stone box. Wasn't completely isolated.
Maybe I can actually survive this.
...
The library was everything Elena had promised and more.
Adrian stood in the doorway at exactly seven o'clock, taking it all in. Shelves stretched impossibly high. Ladders on rails allowed access to upper levels. Tables filled the centre space, most empty at this hour.
And sitting at a table near the window was Elena.
She looked up as he entered and smiled. "You got access. I knew you would."
Adrian walked over. "Vale just told me an hour ago."
"Sit. I saved you the good spot." She gestured to the chair across from her. A stack of books sat between them.
Adrian sat carefully. The chair was comfortable. The table was solid wood. Everything felt too normal after weeks of stone and iron.
"What are you studying?"
"Formation tactics. How small groups can defeat larger forces through positioning and coordination." She tapped one of the books. "Required reading for all Initiates. Boring but useful."
"Mind if I join you?"
"That's why I'm here." Elena pushed a smaller stack toward him. "I pulled some texts I thought might help. Basic combat theory. Weapon selection guides. Historical accounts of Stage 1 practitioners."
She's thought about this. Prepared.
"Thank you."
Adrian opened the first book. The text was dense but readable. Detailed breakdowns of different fighting styles. Advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
They read in comfortable silence for a while. The library was quiet except for the occasional rustle of pages and the distant sound of footsteps in the corridor outside.
Adrian found himself relaxing. The tension he'd carried for weeks easing slightly. Here, surrounded by books with Elena across from him, he could almost pretend he was normal. Just another student learning.
"Can I ask you something?" Elena said quietly.
Adrian looked up. "Sure."
"Everyone thinks you're hiding something. What Dao you're bound to. What your abilities are." She closed her book. "But I don't think that's it. I think you're hiding what you don't understand."
She sees too much.
"What do you mean?"
"You fight like someone discovering their body for the first time. You answer questions carefully but not defensively. You're not protecting secrets. You're trying to figure out what the secrets are."
Adrian set down his book. "You're right. I don't understand what's happening to me. The binding, the changes, any of it. Everyone expects me to know, but I don't."
"That must be terrifying."
"It is." The admission came easier than expected. "I'm changing, and I don't know into what. Every day something feels different. Stronger. Faster. But also wrong somehow."
Elena leaned forward slightly. "Wrong how?"
"Like I'm becoming something I wasn't meant to be. Like the binding took who I was and is reshaping it into something else."
"That's what binding does. It changes you. Makes you more than human."
"But at what cost?"
Elena was quiet for a moment. "I asked myself that same question six months ago. When I bound to The Cipher, everything changed. The way I see information. The way I process patterns. I can't turn it off anymore. It's always there, analysing everything."
"Do you regret it?"
"Sometimes. When I can't stop seeing the patterns in people's lies. When I know exactly what they're going to say before they say it." She smiled sadly. "But mostly no. Because this is who I am now. Fighting it would be pointless."
She understands..
"How do you manage it? The constant awareness?"
"I focus on things that matter. People I care about. Knowledge worth having. I let the rest fade to background noise." Elena looked at him with those sharp, analytical eyes. "You'll find your balance. It just takes time."
They continued talking. About binding. About the Vigil. About the creatures they'd eventually hunt. Elena shared stories from her first months. The fear. The confusion. The gradual acceptance.
Adrian found himself sharing more than he'd intended. Carefully edited versions of his thoughts and fears. Enough truth to connect without revealing the dangerous parts.
The hours passed quickly.
A bell chimed somewhere in the building. Ten o'clock.
"Library's closing," Elena said, gathering her books. "We should head back."
They stood and returned their books to the proper shelves. The librarian, an older woman Adrian hadn't noticed before, nodded to them as they left.
The corridors were darker at night. Fewer lamps lit. Most Hunters and Initiates already in their quarters or cells.
Elena pulled a small lamp from her bag. "These passages are terrible at night. I can barely see."
Adrian could see fine. Better than fine, actually. The shadows didn't hide anything from him. Every detail was clear as day.
When did that start? I could always see in my cell but I thought that was just my eyes adjusting.
They walked together through the dim corridors. Elena held the lamp up, casting a small circle of light around them. Adrian stayed just inside that circle, pretending he needed it.
"Tomorrow night?" Elena asked. "Same time?"
"I'd like that."
They reached a junction. Elena's corridor went left. Adrian's went right.
"This is me," she said. "See you at training tomorrow."
"See you."
She started to turn, then stopped. "Adrian? Thank you for talking to me. Really talking, I mean. Most people just see The Cipher Dao and assume I'm only interested in analyzing them."
"I don't think that."
"I know. That's why I like talking to you." She smiled, small but genuine. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Elena turned and walked down her corridor. The lamp light grew dimmer as she moved away, and then she stumbled.
Adrian moved without thinking. He crossed the distance in three quick steps and caught her arm before she fell.
"Careful. There's a raised stone there."
Elena looked down. The lamp light revealed a slightly uneven floor stone. Then she looked at Adrian. Really looked.
"How did you see that? You're ten feet from my lamp."
Shit. I moved too fast.
"I... my eyes adjusted, I guess."
"Your eyes adjusted." Elena stepped back slightly, studying him. The analytical gaze was back. Curious rather than suspicious. "Adrian, it's almost pitch black over here. I can barely see you and I'm holding the light."
Adrian said nothing. What could he say? That he could see perfectly in darkness? That shadows didn't hide anything from him anymore?
Elena raised the lamp higher. "Your eyes. They're reflecting the light. Like a cat's."
"What?"
"Just for a second. When the light hit them." She lowered the lamp.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do. It's an ability. Enhanced night vision."
They stood in the dark corridor. Adrian's heart hammered. He'd been so careful. And then he'd blown it by being too quick to help.
"Please," he said quietly. "Don't tell anyone."
"Why would I tell anyone?" Elena tilted her head. "You can see in darkness. So what? The Hunt Dao grants enhanced tracking. The Crucible grants fire resistance. Every Dao has unique abilities."
"But mine is unknown. If they know I'm manifesting abilities they can't identify—"
"They'll what? You're already bound to something they can't identify. One more mystery doesn't change anything." She touched his arm lightly. "Your secret is safe. I promise."
"Why?"
"Because you trusted me tonight. In the library. You were honest about not understanding what's happening to you." Elena smiled. "And because I like mysteries. This makes you more interesting, not less."
Adrian didn't know what to say. She was standing close enough that he could see her face clearly even in the dim light. The intelligence in her eyes. The genuine curiosity.
"Thank you," he managed.
"Don't thank me yet. I'm going to ask you about it eventually. When you're ready to talk." She squeezed his arm gently, then stepped back. "But not tonight. Tonight you should rest."
She turned and walked back toward her corridor. This time moving carefully, watching for the uneven stones.
Adrian stood alone in the darkness and waited until her lamp disappeared completely.
Then he looked down at his hands. In the almost-complete darkness of the corridor, he could see every detail. Every line. Every scar from training.
I can see in the dark. Not just see better. See perfectly. Like there's light where there isn't.
Shadow Sight.
And now Elena knows.
Adrian walked back to his new quarters. The corridor was dark but he navigated it easily. Saw every door number. Every detail in the stone walls.
He unlocked room seven and stepped inside. The window let in moonlight but even without it, he would have seen everything clearly.
Adrian sat on his bed and stared at his hands.
Another ability. Another secret to hide.
But Elena knew immediately. Figured it out in seconds. If she can see it that easily, how long before others notice?
Before Marcus notices?
He lay back and stared at the ceiling.
The conversation with Elena replayed in his mind. The way she'd shared her own struggles with binding. The understanding in her voice. The promise to keep his secret.
She likes mysteries. I'm a mystery.
Adrian closed his eyes but sleep didn't come.
His mind was too full. Elena's sharp eyes. Thomas's steady friendship. Julian's calculating hatred. Marcus's suspicious observation.
And underneath it all, the growing awareness that he was changing into something even he didn't fully understand.