Chapter 6
Elara's breath came shallow as Astra's fingers grazed along the length of her wand. The static between them wasn't just magic—it was something deeper, something she wasn't sure she could name.
Astra's golden eyes flickered with amusement. "You felt that, didn't you?"
Elara swallowed hard. "You're awfully close."
Astra smirked but didn't move away. "Magic is intimate, Nightshade. If you don't understand that yet, you will soon."
Elara's grip tightened on her wand. "Then teach me."
Astra's smile widened, her voice dropping into something low and dangerous. "As you wish."
With a flick of Astra's fingers, the training ground shifted. The air thickened, the stone beneath them warping into something darker. Shadows uncoiled from the cracks in the ground, creeping like living tendrils, curling around Elara's boots.
She stiffened.
"This is a test," Astra murmured, circling her. "I need to know how much you can handle before we even begin."
The shadows lunged.
Elara's heart slammed against her ribs as she jumped back, barely dodging as the darkness lashed out like a whip.
"Defend yourself," Astra commanded.
Elara raised her wand, instincts kicking in. She focused, trying to call on whatever magic she had.
Nothing happened.
The shadows struck again, this time wrapping around her ankles, yanking her down.
"Elara," Astra's voice came sharp. "You're overthinking. Feel the magic—don't force it."
Easier said than done.
Elara gritted her teeth, struggling against the shadows. They slithered over her skin, cold and suffocating. Her chest tightened.
She could feel them trying to dig into her mind, whispering dark things, pressing in—
"No," she snarled.
Her magic flared.
A pulse of heat shot out from her body, golden sparks crackling from her fingertips. The shadows hissed, recoiling from the light.
Elara gasped for breath, her pulse pounding, her skin burning with lingering magic.
Astra watched, head tilted, expression unreadable.
"Not bad," she mused. "Sloppy, but not bad."
Elara glared. "You almost killed me."
Astra laughed, stepping closer again, close enough for Elara to catch the faint scent of something spiced and dark.
"Oh, Nightshade," Astra purred, reaching out and tugging on the collar of Elara's uniform. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."
Elara exhaled sharply.
Heat curled low in her stomach, but she shoved it down.
"Again," she said, voice rough.
Astra's smirk deepened. "That's the spirit."
And then the darkness came again.
Blood on the Wind
The training session lasted hours.
By the time Astra finally called it off, Elara was drenched in sweat, her muscles aching from the sheer effort of keeping herself alive.
She collapsed onto the stone, chest heaving.
Astra stood over her, hands on her hips. "You're stubborn. I like that."
Elara groaned. "I think I'm dying."
Astra crouched beside her, tilting her head. "You'll survive. Barely."
Elara rolled her eyes but couldn't summon the energy to argue.
The night air was cool against her skin, carrying the distant hum of magic from the Academy. The world felt different after what she had just endured—sharper, more dangerous.
Astra was watching her again.
Elara turned her head, meeting those golden eyes. There was something unreadable in them, something calculating.
"You have potential," Astra murmured. "You just need to stop fighting against yourself."
Elara exhaled. She wasn't used to people believing in her.
She didn't know how to respond.
Before she could say anything, a shrill scream echoed through the courtyard.
Both girls shot to their feet.
"What the hell was that?" Elara asked.
Astra's expression darkened. "Trouble."
They ran.
The Hunter in the Dark
The Academy grounds were eerily silent as they moved.
Too silent.
Elara's stomach twisted.
They rounded a corner and froze.
A body lay in the center of the walkway, blood seeping into the stone. A student—a boy with dark hair, his uniform torn, his throat slashed open.
Elara's blood ran cold.
"What the—"
Something moved in the shadows.
A figure stood at the far end of the courtyard, half-hidden in the gloom. Their face was obscured by a bone-white mask, their robes billowing in the wind.
Elara's pulse pounded.
"Who the hell is that?" she whispered.
Astra's fingers tightened around her wand. "Trouble," she repeated, voice colder now.
The masked figure tilted their head, as if assessing them.
Then—without a sound—they disappeared into the shadows.
Elara shivered.
Something was very, very wrong at Astralis Academy.
And she had a feeling this was only the beginning.
To be continued....