Chapter 3: Lessons in Shadows
Elara groaned as the enchanted bell tolled through the halls of Astralis Academy.
Five in the morning? Who wakes up at five in the morning?
Her schedule had been delivered via a parchment that burned itself into her desk upon touch—dramatic, but effective.
Elara's Timetable
Thaumaturgy & Arcane Theory – 6:00 AM
Combat Enchantments – 7:30 AM
Shadow Weaving – 10:00 AM
Hexcraft & Curses – 12:30 PM
Necrotic Studies – 2:00 PM
Astral Navigation – 3:30 PM
With a sigh, she threw on her robes and stepped into the halls, which were already filled with students. She quickly realized one major issue—she had no idea where anything was.
That was, until she quite literally bumped into someone.
A girl with wild auburn curls and oversized spectacles nearly dropped the books she was carrying.
"Stars above!" the girl yelped. "Watch where you—" She paused, golden-brown eyes narrowing. "Oh, you're new."
"Astoundingly observant," Elara muttered.
The girl grinned. "And you're lost."
Elara sighed. "Completely."
"I'm Seraphina Duskbourne. Lunaris Aeternum," the girl said, offering a hand.
Elara hesitated before shaking it. "Elara Nightshade. Umbra Noctis."
Seraphina's eyes widened. "You're the one who broke the mirror at the Vailis Rite!"
Elara tensed. "You heard about that?"
"Everyone did. It's been centuries since someone cracked it." Seraphina's gaze shimmered with curiosity. "So… you coming or not? I assume you're headed to Professor Fenmore's class?"
Elara nodded, and with that, Seraphina led the way.
Thaumaturgy & Arcane Theory
The lecture hall was vast, built of obsidian with glowing runes carved into its walls. Students sat in tiered rows, the air thick with the scent of old parchment and burnt magic.
At exactly six, the torches dimmed, and Professor Aldric Fenmore materialized in front of them.
"Magic," he said, his voice like cold iron, "is not a gift. It is a debt."
He raised a withered hand, and golden symbols burned into the air.
"The Law of Equivalence: Magic is taken, never given."
Fenmore's spectral eyes swept across the students. "Some of you will defy this law. You will believe yourselves powerful enough to wield magic without consequence. Those of you who do…" He gestured to the back of the room, where a row of preserved skulls sat on a shelf.
A chill ran down Elara's spine.
Fenmore flicked his wrist, and a heavy tome snapped open before each student. The first lesson was a theoretical breakdown of spell components—intent, energy, and sacrifice.
"Each spell requires a price," Fenmore continued. "Whether it be blood, time, or the erosion of one's soul."
Elara took notes furiously as he launched into the history of The Devourers—mages who had drawn too deeply from the Veil, their bodies decayed by the raw energy they had stolen.
Beside her, Seraphina whispered, "He's never going to tell us how to actually use magic, is he?"
Elara smirked. "Probably not."
Combat Enchantments
The training yard was a brutal shift from the lecture hall—wide open spaces, stone platforms, and enchanted dummies that snarled like rabid beasts.
Master Dain Ironwood stood before them, arms crossed, his battle-scarred face unreadable.
"Magic is useless if you're dead before you can cast a spell," he barked. "Today, we learn speed."
He clapped his hands, and the dummies came to life.
"Your task is simple—strike them before they strike you."
Elara barely had time to react before a wooden staff flew at her face. She ducked, rolling to the side as the dummy adjusted, its enchanted limbs moving unnaturally fast.
Seraphina wasn't so lucky. She yelped as her opponent smacked her square in the stomach.
Ironwood snorted. "Pathetic. Again."
Elara gritted her teeth and focused. She called on her magic—not to attack, but to enhance her reflexes.
The air around her shimmered.
When the dummy struck again, she dodged, countering with a precise strike of her own. The magic in her movements left an echo, a ghostly trail of her actions lingering in the air.
Ironwood raised a brow. "Better."
By the time the session ended, Elara was drenched in sweat, her muscles aching.
Seraphina groaned. "I hate this class."
Elara exhaled. "I think I might like it."
Shadow Weaving
The underground chamber where the class was held was devoid of light. Only a single candle burned in the center of the room.
Professor Kael Dusk, clad in a dark cloak, emerged from the shadows as if he was one.
"Shadows are alive," he murmured. "They whisper, they wait. If you do not control them, they will control you."
He gestured toward the candle. "Your first lesson—extinguish the flame."
Elara focused, reaching for the shadows. They coiled at her fingertips, hesitant, waiting.
She extended her will. The shadows listened.
A tendril of darkness slithered forward, wrapping around the candle's base. The flame flickered—then died.
Professor Dusk's lips curled into the faintest smirk.
"Impressive."
Across the room, Kieran sneered. "Not bad, Nightshade. Maybe you'll last the year."
Elara smirked back. "Maybe I will."
Hexcraft & Curses
Professor Malakai Thorne's class was held in a dimly lit chamber lined with cursed artifacts. The air crackled with residual magic, each object humming with dark energy.
"Hexes are not merely spells," Thorne said, his voice rich with amusement. "They are weapons. A true hex does not just harm—it lingers."
He gestured toward a table of blackened spellbooks. "Choose one. Cast your first curse."
Elara hesitated.
She ran her fingers over the spines of the books. One pulsed beneath her touch.
Whisperbind.
A spell meant to silence a victim.
She turned to her partner—a smug-looking boy from Solaris Ignis. She murmured the incantation.
His mouth opened—no sound came out.
Elara smirked.
Professor Thorne laughed. "Very good, Miss Nightshade."
She liked this class.
Necrotic Studies & Astral Navigation
Necrotic Studies was unsettling. Professor Belladonna Graves spoke of balancing death and life with eerie calmness.
"The soul is fragile," she said, "and magic can shatter it."
Meanwhile, Astral Navigation was taught by Professor Orion Starfell, who spoke of other realms and the dangers of stepping between worlds.
"Some of you," he warned, "will not return the same."
Elara swallowed.
An Unlikely Friendship
By the end of the day, Elara was exhausted.
Seraphina plopped down beside her at dinner. "So?"
Elara thought for a moment.
"Thrilling."
Seraphina grinned. "Told you. And don't worry—I'll make sure you don't get hexed to death by Thorne."
Elara smirked.
Maybe this school wouldn't be so bad after all