The night in Caelum Academy was deceptively calm. The moon hung high, casting silver shadows across the training grounds where students still lingered, practicing their crafts long after the last lesson had ended. Kael Ardyn sat alone on a bench, his knees drawn up to his chest, the pendant heavy in his pocket. His chest still ached from the humiliation of the first day, Daryon's mocking words echoing relentlessly in his mind.
"You'll either become nothing… or a threat."
Kael clenched his fists, letting the memory burn rather than hurt. No. He refused to be nothing.
He had survived worse. He had survived the night his parents had vanished. He had survived being looked down on his whole life. The academy? This was just another battlefield.
Taren approached quietly, carrying two small training daggers that glinted in the moonlight. "Kael… you can't stay coiled up like that forever," he said gently. "Come on. Even the night has lessons if you know where to look."
Kael gave a faint shrug. "I don't belong here, Taren. Not yet."
"You don't belong… yet?" Taren repeated, tilting his head. "Exactly. That means you still have room to grow. Besides, I've seen something in you today. That spark when you… you know… tried to focus."
Kael's eyes narrowed. Taren didn't understand. That spark wasn't normal fire, wind, or water. It was Shadowfire—dangerous, forbidden, and untamed. If anyone else saw it, they would attack him instantly.
"Don't let anyone see it," Kael said quietly, almost to himself.
Taren nodded, sensing the weight behind his words. "Okay. But you can't just sit here either. Come on, I'll spar with you. Light training. No one's watching."
Kael hesitated, then rose, brushing off the unease. Sparring could help. Control might follow. And maybe… just maybe… he could push the Shadowfire closer to the surface without revealing it.
---
The clearing was quiet except for the rustling of leaves and the occasional cry of a nocturnal creature. Taren swung his dagger, demonstrating a basic combination. Kael followed, attempting to match his rhythm.
"Good, good…" Taren encouraged. "Your form is solid. But your focus… you're letting your emotions control you instead of the other way around."
Kael's jaw tightened. "You don't understand what it's like to be… invisible. To fail at what everyone expects you to do."
Taren's eyes softened. "I get it. More than you think. But hiding your power isn't the same as mastering it."
Kael's chest tightened. The pendant pulsed faintly in his pocket, almost like it was responding to Taren's words. He could feel Shadowfire stirring beneath his skin, coiling like a living thing, eager to be free.
And then it happened.
A simple misstep—a stumble over a root—and Kael's dagger slipped from his hand. Reflexively, he reached to catch it, and in that instant, the Shadowfire awakened.
Black flames erupted from his hands like liquid smoke, curling around the dagger before exploding outward in a wave of energy that knocked Kael and Taren back. The ground smoldered where the flames touched, leaving a faint scorch mark that glowed dimly in the moonlight.
Kael's heart raced. His chest heaved as fear and exhilaration collided.
"Oh… oh no," he whispered, panic rising. "It's happening…"
Taren scrambled to his feet, eyes wide. "Kael… that… that's not possible! What—what did you just—?"
Kael's hands shook violently. The flames obeyed him, curling and retracting as though testing his will. Shadows twisted into fire, devouring light yet giving none. It was intoxicating—and terrifying.
"I… I didn't mean to!" Kael gasped. "It just… came out!"
Taren stepped closer, cautious but steady. "Kael, calm down. Control it. Feel it, don't fight it. Let it listen to you."
Kael tried. He focused, breathing slowly, trying to tame the living fire coiling in his veins. Slowly, the flames receded, wrapping around his hands like obedient serpents. The pendant pulsed in response, warmth spreading into his chest.
"It's… listening," Kael whispered, awe lacing his fear.
Taren's mouth hung open, a mixture of astonishment and admiration. "I don't… I've never seen anything like that. Kael… you're… different. Really different."
Kael's lips pressed into a thin line. "Different isn't always good," he muttered, though a small spark of pride flickered despite his fear.
The night air was heavy with tension as the two boys stared at the smoldering clearing. Kael realized how exposed he was—anyone discovering this power could mean death. Yet, part of him ached with longing. For the first time in years, he felt like he belonged somewhere, even if only to his own shadowed fire.
A rustle in the trees made them both tense. Kael instinctively raised his hands, and the Shadowfire flared defensively. A cloaked figure stepped into the moonlight, the air around them warping slightly, resonating with a power Kael couldn't yet measure.
"Interesting…" the figure said, voice calm, almost amused. "So, the heir awakens sooner than expected."
Kael froze. The pendant burned against his chest.
"Who… who are you?" Taren asked, his voice trembling slightly.
The figure's eyes, hidden beneath the hood, glinted. "A friend… or perhaps a test. That depends entirely on him." Their gaze fixed on Kael. "Control it, boy. Shadowfire is not just a power—it is a reckoning. Fail to master it, and it will consume you."
Kael swallowed hard, a mix of fear, exhilaration, and determination washing over him. He looked down at his hands, black flames still faintly licking at his skin, and made a silent promise.
"I will control it," he whispered. "No matter what it takes."
The figure nodded, then vanished into the shadows as silently as they had appeared.
Taren let out a long breath, eyes wide. "Kael… you… you've just changed everything. You're not just a student anymore. You're something… else entirely."
Kael felt the weight of those words, heavy but exhilarating. For the first time, he understood the truth: he was no longer just the boy who failed the awakening test. He was the boy who carried a fire no one could name, a power that could rewrite the rules of the academy, and perhaps the world.
Above, the moon watched silently, casting silver light over a student who was beginning to realize that failure had only been the first step of awakening.
And somewhere in the shadows, the world began to take notice.