I stepped back into Night’s Bastion to find a crowd waiting. Right outside the portal building, in the ruins, was an assemblage of the Council, as well as my friends and Drake. I stood face them, power flowing through me and around me, and said, “Well?”

Council members looked nervously at each other until Drake stepped forward, pulling out his sword. He nodded at me once, and plunged it into the ground as he said, “I renounce my position as Champion of Nyx and Darkness.” I have a feeling he’s going to prove an excellent ally in the days to come. Loyal to whoever can best help Darkness.

Renessa called out, “The Council has changed their vote. You, Shadow, are now Champion of Darkness.” She looked smug and satisfied with herself. I should remember to watch her though. She’s only in it for power.

I nodded, and allowed myself a smirk. “Well then, time for things to change. The lot of you may have noticed that Darkness hasn’t won a fight in ages, a war in longer. Some of you,” I glared at Fitzdonald and continued, “may accept that as being a better alternative to the ‘old ways’. The lesser of two evils. But see. I don’t give a damn about what’s more evil. I care about power, and about results. Your honorable ways and careful tactics resulted in Nyx almost falling by an invasion from a single element. Your whole army hasn’t been able to accomplish anything in years!”

The darkness flowed around me, rising behind me and casting a long shadow that gave me greater menace as I said, “I just annihilated a small army of Light and their fucking Champion all by myself. I fought him, and I won, and I did it using my tactics. My power. My way. So whatever you old bastards may think about me and what I’ll do to Nyx, you can’t deny that here and now I just saved this world, and I’m the only chance you have at rising to what Nyx once was, what Darkness once was!”

Someone snarled, and I was surprised to see that it was Margiotha instead of Fitzdonald. Where is he, anyways? “You’ve made your point, Shadow. You are Champion. You’ve won. No need to gloat, and insult us all further.”

“Oh, I’m not done. See, now that you’ve all seen my power, you can’t deny what I am. You can’t deny that I am the woman who has the power to change the universe. The woman who can upset the balance and alter everything. I’m not your Champion, your figurehead, your general to be used. Drake is Champion of Darkness. But Darkness as a whole is moving past that. Now I’m the Warrior-Queen of all Darkness, and I rule this world! We’re going to start doing things my way, the Council will start obeying me, and Darkness is going to start winning our wars!”

“No. I will not allow this.” Fitzdonald stepped out from behind a building, and he looked different. I’d never paid attention to his outfit before, but I knew it to be loose and boring, the clothing of a politician. Now…

Now he looked ready for battle.

Armored gauntlets and boots, a mantle and hood, and a soldier’s uniform that radiated a bit of defensive magic. A sword sheath was at his side, a slender wand was strapped to his belt alongside several glowing vials, and there was a ring on his right hand that contained so much energy I could feel it from where I was standing.

Faded violet hair.

Midnight black skin.

Piercing amethyst eyes.

My mirror, in an entirely different way from the construct in the dungeon.

“Fitzdonald.”

“Shadow.”

“You finally called me by my name. Forced to acknowledge my power, and thus my true self, perhaps?”

“Kiana Vessian is dead.” He spoke with intense bitterness and hatred. “There is no point in using her name anymore. I knew from the day I read your files that you were a monster, and now everyone can see it. You aren’t an elemental, not really. You’re a monster, a villain, a destroyer, a defiler. You are the shadow of an age that I thought Darkness had put behind it. But it seems I was wrong. So I will strike you down, Shadow. I’m tired of trying to stop you through politics, tired of arguing and debating in an attempt to save this thrice-cursed world. This ends here.” The Council, Drake, and my friends began to back away, getting behind rubble.

“You’re right. It does.” I made a motion to direct the darkness at him, but he made two quick gestures and suddenly he vanished, invisible, and then I went blind. I twirled about, raising wards all around me in an effort to block attacks from any direction. I shuddered as the wards were barraged by something that nearly tore them all apart in one strike. I desperately focused my magic to remove the curse of blindness he’d put upon me, and managed to obtain sight just in time to see a second barrage, of what looked like spears of darkness.

I rolled to the side, but a few caught the edge of my shields and shattered them. Fitzdonald’s voice emerged from right behind me and shouted, “You’ll pay, Shadow! You’ll suffer for how you’ve made me hurt and how you’ve destroyed my friends, and then I will snuff the life from you and save this world!”

I spun around and sliced through empty air. Panting, enraged, my eyes wildly darting about for any sign of my opponent, I called back, “This world will be mine, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me! My power is beyond your imagination, beyond all the stars in the sky!”

I saw a flicker, a wand being held in a gauntleted hand, and then another barrage of spears flew towards me. I threw a shield of energy forward and dodged to the side, escaping unscathed, and a fourth barreled towards me. I faced it head-on, and with an effort of will I raised my adaptive wards once more, and this time when the barrage struck it did nothing. I saw the wand flicker into visibility and hit the ground, snapping in twain.

Breathing heavily, half to tension and half to rage, I roared out, “Show yourself! You’ve been a coward all your life, now end it with some dignity!”

Then, something moving at lightning-fast speeds slammed into me, shoving me back and shattering my wards. Fitzdonald flickered into existence, a slender blade in both hands, and I swiftly brought up my own in defense. I managed a quick slash at him, but his armor made my attack pointless, and I returned my efforts to the act of staying alive.

He pressed against me with the strength of a mountain, and I looked at him in shock and lack of understanding. He snarled out, “You dare to call me a coward when you lead through manipulation, deception, and callousness? Now I can finally show you that you are a fool! You thought I would do nothing as you amassed power, as you became stronger and stronger! You thought I was weak, and too afraid to fight!”

His gauntlets glowed, and one hand moved away from his sword to point palm-first at me. A blast of energy shoved me back, and he swung again and again and again, punctuating each with another yell.

“You!”

I was forced to take a step back.

“Were!”

A chip of metal fell away from my sword, and I slammed into a wall.

“Wrong!”

I twirled to the side of the third strike and swung at him with full force, but in an instant he’d shifted to block my attack. He said, “I have access to resources that you have only dreamed of possessing, and you simply assumed I would not use them! But no sacrifice is too great to stop you.”

I gave myself a boost of magic and jumped back, landing a few meters away. Before he could move again I sent a huge wave of dark energy at him, tendrils and shadows and every bit of darkness in my arsenal. “Too bad all your sacrifices won’t be enough!”

He made a gesture I’d never seen before, and the darkness was torn apart, the scraps flowing to him and infusing him with the energy. “I know ancient magic the likes of which make you useless, for all the power you wield. Darkness is mine to command, for I have read the ancient texts and understand it more fully than you could ever dream to.”

Fury surged through me, but a cold fury that drove me only to greater cruelty. I smiled, a smile that promised the destruction of everything he held dear, and said, “Then it’s a good thing I command more than just darkness.” I stretched out my arm, and sent a beam of light tearing through his gut, leaving a gaping hole.

He gasped in pain, but quickly waved his hand and healed the wound. Gazing at me with nothing less than pure loathing, he took out both vials on his belt and drank one, which seemed to give him even more power, and then he threw the second at my feet, where it shattered and became a dull mist. He cast his blindness curse again, blocking my sight, and I laughed.

“Really? That trick again? I’ve already shown that I can get rid of it, so why would-

My question was cut off by something sharp tearing into my throat and staying there.

My focus immediately shifted from my sight to the intense pain surging through my body, tearing apart the spell that was supposed to block the pain of injuries.

Blind and choking, I stumbled into a building and fell to my knees. I tried to heal my throat or take out the spike with my willpower, but the pain was too much and then my hands were at my throat, clawing and tearing and trying to get rid of the spike.

Everything started to get numb.

Weak.

I stopped feeling my hands on my throat.

I could feel my lungs, starved of oxygen.

I couldn’t even gasp anymore, my mouth was opening and closing and nothing was coming out because my throat had been torn open and my hands were only making it worse and everything was fading and…

I sunk lower to the ground, and fell on my side.

I could barely hear the footsteps coming towards me.

Pain.

Hatred.

Suffering.

Fury.

A growing coldness, deep inside.

It was at this point that in the story of a hero, the villain (I) would die.

Desperately, madly, helplessly clawing at her throat, the villain would breathe their last, and expire.

The hero (Fitzdonald) would run the villain through, as a mercy kill, an attempt of the narration to justify his actions.

Actions that would not be justified to himself.

The servants of the villain, the minions (Malk, Clary, Wabbit), would flee, perhaps to return in a later struggle, or perhaps to never be seen again.

The sycophant (Renessa) would renounce her previous allegiance and fade into obscurity.

The hero would gain prestige, and honor, and would reject it all, claiming it was an act of duty.

They would constantly grapple with a moral quandary, the crux of their character arc.

Was it justice, to slay the villain?

Was it righteous to take the life of another of the same element, even if that elemental had done the same to countless others with far less reason or justification?

They would live a full, happy life, but plagued by their fatal flaw, they would one day be forced to face death.

And on their deathbed, they would at last have clarity to the question, and be at peace with what they had done all those years ago.

Nyx would be stable.

Fitzdonald would be at peace.

Darkness would keep their honor and their nobility.

Good would win.

But this was not a hero’s story.

It was mine.

I tore the spike from my throat.

I stood up, and my vision became clear.

I pointed at Fitzdonald, and I unleashed my power.

Light, frost, storm, air, water, earth, fire, and darkness.

Fitzdonald was thrown against a building, and slumped to one knee, fear in his eyes, a desperate fear full of finality. His body was ravaged, darkness pouring from him, and his armor empty of magic. His gauntlets cracked. His sword fell from his hand. His belt empty. All that remained was a single ring, and his cloak.

I walked with purpose, and when I stood before him I asked my final question of him. “Why? Why have you defied me for so long? Here I am, about to kill, and I have to know. I know you think I’m going to change things for the worse… but how? What future have you foreseen that was dire, you stood against me, you defied a goddess, what future could have driven you to that? What insane idea made you do this?”

Fitzdonald looked up at me with the last vestiges of his scorn, and said, “It’s not an idea. It’s knowledge. I know that if you rise, you will send Nyx and all of Darkness back to the days of bloodshed and destruction, back to the days of horror.” I scoffed and was about to respond when his voice rose and he exclaimed, “If you rise, Nyx will return to the old ways, to the ways that almost destroyed us! Nyx will become corrupted, and that corruption will sweep across all worlds like a tide of death and malevolence! The new era you believe in will be an era of destruction and anarchy!”

“My era will be one of stability, of unity! Of order!”

He snarled at me, “The order you wish is the kind that will in the end breed only chaos! War is what has ruined all elements for so long, and if you rise there will be a war the likes of which none alive have ever seen!”

Fitzdonald stood, and his ring shattered, darkness flooding out and surrounding him. His flesh fell apart, and became a revenant of darkness, standing before me in all his hatred, his voice echoing with power. “If you rise, WE WILL FALL! I will not let you win! I will not let your corruption sweep across this world and all others!”

He slammed into me, and I grappled with him, calling light and dark to me and blending them with each strike as I hammered against his form and he slammed me into wall after wall, shattering my bones only for them to be healed by my will.

He threw me forward, and I rose. He surged at me, darkness all he was now, and I sent light blazing through him, and he was torn apart. As his broken body, barely held together, began to expire, he breathed his last words. “I only wanted… to do one last good deed… for the world.”

“Don’t you know, Fitzdonald? No good deed goes unpunished.”

A tear rolled down his face, and at last Fitzdonald died.

With a cold, grim scowl, I levitated his skeleton, and strung it up on one of the spires of nearby, for all the Council to see. They slowly emerged from hiding, gathering around me. I turned to them, to the Council, to Malk, to Clary, to Wabbit, to Drake, and asked, “So, anyone else got a problem with me ruling Nyx?”

They were silent, and my scowl turned into a grin of wicked evil. “In that cast, hail to me, Shadow, Warrior-Queen of Darkness and the ruler of Nyx.”

Clary and Malk were the first to kneel, saying their vows, and soon Drake followed, and then the Council members knelt one by one until all were on their knees before their new queen, their future goddess, their greatest slayer and most powerful caster and their dark messiah… me. “Hail to Shadow, Warrior-Queen of Darkness!” they cried as one.

“Hail Shadow, Warrior-Queen!”

I allowed myself to soak up their adulation for only a few moments. “Now that we’ve settled that, there is one last thing to attend to. War is coming. I have risen, and now I will conquer. Drake, consider yourself both Champion of Darkness and Lord Commander of my legions. I have… plans, that will require both titles. Malk shall be High Slayer, while Clary shall be High Caster, each in charge of their respective forces. Wabbit shall be my personal assistant. Together, we will sweep across all worlds, and darkness will fall upon them, and they shall bow before me.”

They all nodded, content, and I looked back at the portal. “Soon, very soon, the war will begin.”

I heard Drake start to speak, then hesitate, then continue. “What about… what about Light? They may have lost today, but they were expecting an easy victory, not a prodigal destroyer of worlds. Next time they’ll be ready, and they won’t be bringing just a few forces. You know how powerful Light is. They’ve always managed to beat us, in the end. Why do you think we can stop them this time?”

I smirked.

“Light will always fade, but Darkness is eternal. And besides, you have me now. Dark will rise, and all will fall before me.”

I looked to the portal and then to the corpse of Fitzdonald, and gave my final proclamation for that fateful day in the ruins of Night’s Bastion.

“I am Shadow. I am the conqueror of worlds.”

I sat on Clary’s bed, my armor altered to be clothing once more. My items were strewn across the bed next to me.

There was some… thought… floating in my head. Something about time running out, and a key. I needed to check something, and soon, or else I wouldn’t be able to fix my problem. I concentrated fiercely, but the thought escaped my grasp, so I stopped concentrating fiercely and relaxed on the bed.

These things really are soft, much softer than the ground. I might want to start sleeping in one regularly. I snickered to myself at a sudden thought. I suspect I’m going to be spending a lot of time in this bed from now on.

While that train of thought was entertaining, it wasn’t particularly useful. I picked up the book I’d gotten from the dungeon, in the hopes it would mention a key, or anything useful to my quest to become Champion.

Blah blah blah, ripping thoughts with ease, blah blah, risks to sanity. Wisps… hmm, I could probably set up some experiments with those things. The notes in this book would be useful for that. Blah blah blah, and… and some notes on altering terrain but nothing actually useful. Brilliant.

I threw the book to the side and sighed.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a strange glint in the mirror, and on a whim I picked it up. There was something strange, a new rune on the left side that was flashing bright. I touched it, and the mirror shimmered to show me a view I hadn’t seen before, though I recognized where it was.

Night’s Bastion, a fortress-city constructed to defend one of the three portals to Warfield from Nyx. It was arguably the most important portal, being the closest to enemy forces. On the other side were the ruins of a fort, which Darkness had slowly been trying to repair since it was destroyed by Light.

The mirror’s view went through the portal, emerging in the ruined fort.

It was under attack.

A small army of Light warriors was attacking the fort. There were only a few builders and soldiers stationed at the fort, perhaps because everyone was in Raven’s Shade for the announcement of the new Champion. The few still in the fort were being slaughtered en masse by the invaders, who were led by a tall man in heavy armor… the Champion of Light, according to the mirror’s display.

No.

No!

This is not good.

If the Light forces get through… no, when they get through, they’re going to find Night’s Bastion practically deserted thanks to our soldiers being stretched thin and now all meeting Drake. That army is going to overrun the city in hours, maybe minutes, and from there they can assault all of Nyx. They’ll crush our army. They’ll conquer this world. It would be over before it had even begun.

I will not allow this!

I grabbed my gear and practically flew down the stairs, yelling, “CLARY! MALK! INVASION!” Malk stumbled down the stairs after me, and Clary stood up. Wabbit hopped over the sofa. “Get your weapons, and fast.” They scrambled to do so and I ignored their questions, opening a portal to Raven’s Shade.

I ran through it and emerged in the midst of a gathering, as Fitzdonald and the Council appointed Drake Champion, while most of the army looked on. “Light just sent a small army to attack Night’s Bastion! We need to get there now!” I flung open another portal, this time to Night’s Bastion, and a quick look behind me confirmed that Clary, Malk, and Wabbit were following.

I rushed out of the portal and into Night’s Bastion, a city already under siege. In the distance I could see simple battlements, while within the walls were grandiose castles and towers. Both, however, were now marred by energy blasts from the invading force of Light.

The soldiers of Darkness still in the city were dying left and right, unable to stop the onslaught of the Light soldiers, clad in their stupid shiny armor and their yellow and white cloaks. Shadows were obliterated by flashes of light, and in the distance I saw a massive explosion.

Well, goodie. More enemies to slaughter.

I leapt into action, summoning shadows that swept over the battlefield and stabbed at nearby warriors of Light. The surviving Dark soldiers fought harder, and I summoned tendrils of darkness to give them rally points. I raced towards the explosion I’d seen and flung bolts of darkness as I went at random enemy soldiers, not caring what my allies did.

In the distance, I saw Drake rush out of a building with soldiers behind him, rushing into the fight against the Light forces. That must be the building with the portal to Raven’s Shade. I sensed something about Drake, a heightened power. The boost they give the Champion. I gave him a short wave and went back to my charge through the Light soldiers.

A gang of four moved to block my path, weapons at the ready, and I laughed at their pathetic nature. With a wave of my hand, a small legion of sharpened tentacles appeared and rushed forward, stabbing through their armor and quickly killing them all.

An officer attacked me, swinging an axe. Confidence was plan on his face, but I easily sidestepped his attack and sent a bolt of darkness straight at him. He fell to the side to escape it, and a second officer sent a ray of light at me, which I blocked by simply holding up my hand and channeling a bit of darkness.

I stabbed the first officer’s chest with Whisperdeath, and stole his energy, channeling it into a blast of darkness that weakened and disoriented the second officer, who then died a second later to a tendril. I’m not here for a few pathetic officers. I’m here for your Champion.

I continued on, and in under a minute I reached the site of the explosion: a completely destroyed tower that still bore fresh wounds from the Light attack, the stone of the tower stained white and yellow and glowing bright. Only a few meters away fought the heavily armored figure and a few other soldiers of Light, finishing off several Dark slayers.

I grinned. “Hey, Champion! Time for you to see the light.” I sent a blast of light energy at him, and followed up with a few beams, tearing apart his squad. He stared at me in shock before recovering and raising a shield. “Knave, you wield powers belonging only to one of the Light, but no soldier of our kind would turn traitor! I know not what strange power of Darkness this is, but you are truly a unique opponent. You will die this day, as a worthy opponent!”

He charged, light wreathed around him, sword glowing. He moved fast, but I jumped over him and shoved his back, sending him tumbling forward even as he tried to slice at me. The second he recovered, he sent a blast of light at me, which I blocked with a quick shield of darkness.

He snarled, and sheathed his sword and shield. He raised his hands over his head, and I tilted my own quizzically, curious at what he was attempting. Then I cried out as a column of light appeared and scorched my flesh. Though my spell blocked the pain, I still felt the shock of it. OW! FUCK! Okay, that’s a new trick. That one is new. Ow. That probably hurts. Everywhere. Pain everlasting. I am so glad I can block pain.

I stumbled away and leaned against a wall to catch my breath. The Champion gestured a second time, but my wards had adapted and they deflected the damage. He tried again, to similar results, and scowled. I grinned. “No pain, no gain. And I guess I just got immunity to one of your most powerful attacks. Nice try.”

“I’m just getting started!” he yelled out. He brought his sword out again and shot a beam of light from it, which I narrowly dodged. He repeated the maneuver and this time I was just a little bit too slow, and it went straight through my leg, leaving a hole. I fell to the side, and raised my wards in time to block the next attack while I healed my leg.

I stood up, and smiled. “Pathetic.”

He looked at my uninjured form and glared. “You must be the new Champion of Darkness then. You may be strong, but believe me… I am stronger!” He thrust both hands forward, and there was a massive explosion of light all around me, searing light that tore at the very ground and buildings and obscured everything.

When it cleared, I was standing unharmed, having absorbed it.

His mouth gaped in shock, and I laughed. With a furious howl, he charged again, sword raised high. I smirked, and as his sword descended, seemingly in slow motion, I reached out and grabbed the blade, stopping him in place.

“My turn.”

I exercised my will, and lightning surged down the length of the sword and through the Champion. He fell back, screaming in pain, and I called the darkness to me, letting it wash over the Champion and tear apart his armor. He tried to call an aura of light around him to protect himself, but I tore the magic away from him and unleashed a bout of fire. He started to crawl, desperate to escape me, and I gestured once more, and the ground became a prison, wrapping around his arms and legs. I leisurely strolled over to the Champion’s struggling body, and crouched down by his head.

Then, I tore his knowledge from his mind.

-towering cities and shining armor-

-soldiers marching in formation-

-a discussion around a campfire-

-laughter-

-sorrow-

-confrontations-

-plans to conquer Nyx-

-breaking of alliances-

-the walls of the Dark fort-

His body turned to bone and fading light.   

I reached out, and I called the energy to me. It flowed upwards, across my body, and in through my mouth and eyes. I could feel it, surging, coursing, healing, empowering. I rose triumphant.

Now.

I flew.

No.

I ascended into the air above the fortress-city, seeing the carnage, the warfare, the destruction. I reveled in it.

And then I ended it.

With a single breath, I unleashed the full extent of my newfound power upon the city. The sky turned black. Shadows lengthened. Darkness reigned. And every soldier of Light was consumed by that darkness. I took their lives, their energy, and it restored all that I had spent to cast the spell, with excess.

It was glorious.

I flew down to the ground by Clary and said, “Handle negotiations with the Council. I’m the new Champion. I have business to take care of first.”

Without giving her time to reply, I flew through the city until I found the portal to Warfield. I looked back at Nyx, at my world, at all the soldiers I’d just killed, and I laughed.

I stepped through.

Power in my veins. A sky of infinite color. Terrain that could be called only a blasted heath. Warfield.

At long last.

An army of Light soldiers stood amid dead soldiers of Darkness, many noticing me quite quickly. The walls of the portal compound were all broken, and the entire place had been devastated. It seemed that Light had gone all out in this attack. They wanted to end Dark once and for all perhaps. Whatever. I didn’t care.

As the nearest soldier rushed toward me, time seemed to slow down, and I grinned. They had no idea how powerful I was. With a thought, shadows flew from my hand and where they touched the soldier, she became dust.

Like a whirlwind of death I twirled around and let loose with more tendrils, watching the darkness flood across the encampment and disintegrate more of the soldiers. The smart and the fast threw up shields of crackling light, while the stupid and slow died by the dozens. With a wicked laugh I flew up into the air and called down fire from the sky, setting the entire compound alight. The soldiers of Light screamed and scattered, shocked and terrified, and once more my laugh rang out over the camp, echoing darkly.

One soldier, probably an officer or something, called out and raised a new shield, and other soldiers flocked to him, adding their strength to the shield and rallying for some ineffectual tactic or whatever soldiers did. I smirked at them and flew over them, gathering the darkness about me.

And as they braced for my next attack, I dropped out of the sky fist-first pointed towards the ground. The shield shattered and I passed right through out, slamming into the ground and sending out a shockwave of disturbed earth and shadowy blades that tore the remaining soldiers to pieces in seconds.

I rose to my feet, and stretched out a bit, healing a few scratches from my explosive landing. I breathed in deeply, and got a great whiff of energy ripe for the taking, which I did so with glee. More energy, more power, more ascension. Taking a quick survey of the battlefield to check that no soldier remained un-drained or un-killed, I was satisfied with what I found and began working on my next task: protecting this outpost.

With an effort of will and some words from that wonderful book of secrets, I began raising a shield of energy that would be self-sustaining, to guard the outpost and portal from future attacks. Another gesture, a seal, and the shield was in place, crackling purple.

I looked at my work. At the corpses. The shield. My power. I looked at how far I had come. And I looked to what I had left to do. Only one thing, really.

Now for the final chapter.

I breathed in the crisp, heady scent of paper, and let out a sigh of contentment. This library has to be the best part of being at the Academy of Magic.

I walked past the towering shelves to a table near the center. For a moment I thought about getting another book to read, but I decided that the three I was already carrying would be enough. I took them out of my satchel and put them on the table, selecting the textbook on magic to start reading. I got through a chapter when I heard raised voices.

“Seriously? How can you not have more of those, they’re practically required reading!” exclaimed a tall girl with dusky violet hair and an attractive figure.

Patiently, the librarian replied, “They’re optional reading, and as many students do not care to read them we only have a limited number. According to our records, you already took one. Might I know why you need a second, and perhaps what happened to the first?”

The girl waved her hand dismissively. “Shenanigans, mostly. Look, it isn’t important. I’ve already told you I can pay the fees. I just need another one. I wasn’t done with it.”

She’s kind of cute, and funny… too bad she’s being rude-

Hah. You’d quickly learn to ignore my ‘flaws’. Curious, though, that you had a spark of yearning for me even before my efforts.

-to the librarian. It just isn’t proper.

“We don’t have any more. They’ve all been distributed, and you’re the only complainant.”

The girl clenched her fists, and asked, “Distributed to who?”

“I’m really not required to give you that information.”

She relaxed her hands, stretching the fingers, and took a deep breath. The librarian fidgeted a little, and then she shook her head, blinking her eyes. For a moment I thought saw a flash of golden-brown in her eyes, but I dismissed it as some weird trick of the light. The girl smiled, something that both made her prettier and a little scarier, and said, “You aren’t required to, but it would be a courtesy if you told me just who you distributed the book to. I need one.”

“Um… yes, right. I’ll… I will give you a list.” The librarian wrote something down on a piece of paper and gave it to the girl, who snatched it up and stalked off, in my direction.

Let’s hope she doesn’t notice me. I wonder what book she’s looking for…

I shrugged and shut the textbook, putting it aside to start reading a work of fiction.

I read for a few pages, and then I noticed that the footsteps had stopped without the sound of a door opening and closing. Puzzled, I looked up, and straight at the girl from before.

“You have something I want.”

Oh dear.

“I’m… not sure what you mean.”

There was a hunger in her eyes as she looked me up and down, and then pointed to my textbook. “That thing. It’s supplementary material on uses of magic. I want it.”

I blinked my eyes a few times, then frowned at her. “Well, you may want it, but it’s checked out to me. I’m sorry, but the librarian said that you already had a copy. What happened to that?”

She rolled her eyes. “It didn’t survive being thrown at a bird. And you were listening in, which means you lied when you said you didn’t know what I meant by wanting something.”

I fidgeted awkwardly. “Does it matter? I mean, it’s not even a useful textbook, it’s just interesting. I admit to enjoying it, but I wouldn’t call it a priority to read.”

She smirked a little. “A liar and a scholar. I’m starting to like you, even if you haven’t given me that book.”

Inwardly I blushed a little, though I chastised myself for doing so. “It… it’s purely theoretical stuff.”

She tilted her head. “Is that so? Define.” There was an air to words, as if she was used to getting what she wanted just by telling people. I would have defied her… but I was never very good at conflict.

“Well, I mean… it’s about the other elements. Most of the notes in there are observations from combat and spying, not the words of actual elementals from other elements. And even if it was a textbook straight from, say, Fire, it wouldn’t help someone defend against Fire any more than a normal magical defense book would.”

“And if someone was interested in Fire for reasons other than defense? Or Air?”

“You mean offense? Attacking an enemy elemental? My point still stands.”

She let out a sound of frustration. “No, it… ugh, none of you get it. I mean casting those elements.”

“Um, they’d be crazy, because elementals can only cast their own element.”

Her eyes went from hungry to dangerous in an instant. “Crazy, hmm? And who are you to call others crazy? For that matter, who are you?”

“Clary. I’m just a girl trying to get through Academy.”

“And I’m Kiana Vessian. I’m going to be very important.”

“Uh huh. Look… I think you might be able to find a copy of this book in a public library. Go look there.”

“I don’t need to, I have the list of students with a copy. I’ll get it from one of them.”

“Well, good luck convincing them to give you one.”

“I don’t need luck. I have skill.” Her words sounded almost threatening, but… that was ridiculous. Elementals don’t hurt others of their element, that’s just how it works.

“Right, well, nice talking with you, Kiana. Bye.”

And here’s hoping I never see you again.

Kiana looked at me for a few more moments, then smiled. I felt a weird shiver go down my-

I love it when they don’t notice I’m already inside their head.

-spine. “I look forward to future conversations, dear Clary.”

I almost scoffed inwardly as she left, but I stopped myself. I mean, it wasn’t that bad… she is cute, and interesting, and I’ve certainly never met someone like her…

Yeah. I think I look forward to meeting you again too, Kiana.

I hurried forward, practically running, and accidentally slammed into someone, dropping all my books. I scrambled to pick up my things, murmuring apologies, and was surprised when the other person asked, “Clary? Is that you?”

Confused, I looked up and saw that it was Rui, an old friend. I hadn’t talked to her in… I couldn’t really figure out how long. “Rui! Hey, um, yes, it’s me. How are you?”

“Good… where have you been? We haven’t seen you for study night in a long time.”

“I’ve been busy, I’ve been with a new friend, you might have heard of her as Kia-“

She cut me off with a shocked expression. “Kiana Vessian? Her?”

“Um, yes. What about her?”

“She… there’s something about her. I don’t know what, but… she isn’t normal. She’s always doing weird things, and the way she acts, and how nobody ever seems to speak out against her for long… some people think she does things to those who oppose her.”

I scowled at Rui. “I didn’t think you were the type to believe idle gossip like that. I’m kind of glad I haven’t been hanging out with you recently, if that’s the kind of slander I would have had to hear. And she’s going by the name of Shadow now, thank you very much.”

“Clary, wait!” I ignored her, and started walking off. “Please, just be… be careful.”

Stupid old friend. She doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t know Shadow like I do. She doesn’t know what a wonderful, amazing person she is.

But I do. I know what a lovely person she is.

If only she would see the same in me.

It was all just so confusing.

Why do I have to worry about all this? How has my life become this, how has it gotten to the point where I spend hours at a time worrying about whether Shadow likes me or not?

Does she like me?

Does she not?

Do I like her, and to what extent?

All these stupid questions were jostling around in my head. I… I had feelings for her, yes, but did she return them? Was there a point? I didn’t want to bring them up because if I did and she didn’t return the feelings then it would be awkward and weird and our friendship would be ruined and I’d never be able to be near her again and I just wouldn’t be able to live without her and I just-

I sighed and slumped at my desk, looking at what was practically a shrine. I had pages upon pages of stories I’d written starting Shadow and I, all of them strewn randomly across the desk. Some were simply romantic, with Shadow realizing her feelings, or where I declared my love, though others were of a more… erotic nature.

She smiled, and traced her finger across my thigh, causing me to shiver with desire. She whispered, “Do you want me?” and how else could I reply but, “Yes.”

Ahem. Blushing a little at some of the steamier works I’d written, likely in the middle of the night when I was alone with my thoughts, I brushed aside that particular work, and stared longingly at the framed painting of Shadow I’d stolen from Malk.

She really was amazing. Clever, beautiful, wonderful amazing, powerful… she’s just so much more than anyone else. I’m so lucky to have her even as a friend, I’m really not worthy of her, and I’m thankful to her for showing me this kindness. I suppose I just can’t help but want… more.

I heard footsteps on the stairs, and hastily cleared away my shrine, putting away the last bit just as Malk peeked his head into my room and said, “Shadow’s here, with some crazy plan about becoming Champion. Come on.”

I nodded and followed him down, pushing aside my worries for the moment. I’d be less useful to Shadow if I was distracted by my feelings toward her.

It was disorienting, seeing some sort of not-Shadow, a woman who looked exactly like her, who was, but wasn’t, and was naked, and was surrounded by darkness and looking so powerful and monstrous and yet… almost-

I suppose I really should have cared more about the effect she had on them. Bah, it’s over now. No point in spending too much time on this section.

-alluring.

The woman introduced herself as Mirror, as part of a snarky exchange with Shadow, and then her grin widened to an impossible extent. “I’m going to break you by talking. Then, I’m going to fight you to the death.”

Shadow replied with curiosity, and Mirror strolled forward languidly, showing off her body and making me a bit uncomfortable, my eyes drawn to her.

“Without that purpose, they are worthless to you.”

What? That, that can’t be true, Shadow, she… she cares about me. Right?

Mirror brushed past me and her hand came to rest on my shoulder, sending a shiver through me and causing my mind to drift into fantastic directions, making it almost impossible to concentrate on anything other than her hand, her sweet, soft, lovely hand. “You play up their poorly hidden desires, you lead them on and encourage them, all in a bid to make them more obedient, more willing to do what you say, to stay close to you and ignore the abuse you give them. It’s amazing what a few soft words and a flirty smile can get you, isn’t it?”

But… Shadow wouldn’t do that, not to me. She… any flirting is unintentional, it has to be. She…

She traced her finger along my shoulder, up my neck, and grasped my chin, bringing my face close to hers. I tried weakly to resist, but stopped in seconds, caught up in my fantasies and the desire I was feeling, and an urge to obey her. She said something, and I barely heard it, but some phrases stuck out.

“Hardly any resistance. Psychological manipulation. Implanted thoughts. Person. Slave. Devious girl, wicked girl.”

The words reached me through my haze, and I had a moment of doubt. Could Shadow have done that to me? Could my feelings be artificial, a result of her magic? They can’t be, this was more than simple lust, I love her, I adore her… right? But, if she really had done that…

Would that be a bad thing? Was she not deserving of my adoration, be it artificial or natural?

Mirror moved on from me, and debated with Shadow, discussing her nature. With each word, she painted a picture of Shadow as this horrible monster, and Shadow at first fought, but then… she began to agree. And I…

I saw her point. So maybe Shadow didn’t care about people. But, why would she? Why should she? She’s so amazing and powerful, and so much more than anyone else, so why should she care about normal roles and rules?

But… maybe she was too powerful, too evil, too sociopathic. And if she was, what did that mean for me? Do I even have a chance with her?

Then, they fought, and I saw once more the glory of Shadow when in combat, as she destroyed her copy with skill and power.

She called over to us, “So, ready to get tons of loot? Well, first I want to check something, but after that?”

We walked over, with me in the lead. When I came near, I looked down at my feet, then up at Shadow, and asked, “Shadow… those things that Mirror said… that you said… were they true? Are you- are you really such a monster? Do you really not care? Would you really be fine if we just died? I don’t want to believe it, but the things she said… she said you’d tampered with our minds! I don’t know what to believe.”

I was dreading, hoping, nervous, lost, just a mess from doubting myself and doubting her, and I just needed reassurance. I needed to know that whatever else, she cared.

She gave me a hug, and whispered in my ear, “Believe in me. If after what Mirror said, you can’t believe that I am a hero, then don’t. But believe that you and Malk and Wabbit belong to me, and I always take care of my belongings. Believe that even if I am a monster, I will always take care of you.”

Upon the word ‘belong’ a warm, fuzzy feeling flooded through me, and all my worries washed away. A moment later, once Shadow looked away, I felt a rush of embarrassment and mortification. Was I, was I happy to be called a belonging? Another dose of warmth came just at the thought of it, following by more embarrassment. It means I belong, it means she cares. I’d do anything for her, and I’d be anything for her.

I’m hers.

And I like it that way.

Shadow sent another orb of darkness at me, and I strained to hold it back, while she said, “Sounds fun, to be honest. I don’t think I’ve ever really visited the library here, I suppose I should one day.”

“Yeah, you should! It’s fun, and sometimes we have marathons where we watch entire seasons of our favorite shows. And I could give you a tour of the library!”

“A private tour, hmm, just the two of us?” Shadow smirked, and I blushed as a wave of emotions flooded through me and my brain started racing and-

Did she just flirt with me and does she like me and does this me she likes me–

My concentration completely broke and a bolt of darkness slammed into me. I shrieked and just barely managed to stop the second bolt. I laughed nervously to try and hide my emotions, and said, “Well, you know, there are other people, but if you wanted, um, I guess, uh…” I’m so awkward and stupid, ugh I hate myself sometimes.

“So what’s up with Malk these days? You two hang out so often, you probably know more about him than I do?”

“What, Malk? I mean, I guess we technically live together but, well, we don’t really talk much. Mostly about you, or about shows we like or dislike and the arguments that result. He doesn’t really care about the library other than the monster books, and I don’t care about his silly art obsession except when it comes to illustrations in books, and even then I don’t get all crazy about it like he does. We really don’t have much in common.” I think she’s flirting, I think she might be flirting. Ignore Malk, please ignore Malk!

“Huh. I’d always kind of figured you two were an item, what with you two living together, and the dynamic I’ve observed whenever the three of us are together.”

What no this is bad shush no.

I was mortified, and I hurried to try and clarify. “No, oh no no no!” I saw the orb coming towards me and stopped it but it was so unimportant now. “We’re not together at all, believe me, that is so far from the truth.”

I hesitated.

I…

Should I?

This is my one chance.

But… but if I screw it up…

It’ll all be over.

I took a deep breath, and made my choice. “To be honest, well… we’re both sort of, I guess you could say, um… infatuated. With you, I mean. We’ve tried to hide it, but…”

Shadow was shocked, and she made the same lapse in concentration I had. “Infatuated? With me? I mean, I know I always act the way I do, but, I mean. Wow. I… I had no idea. I mean, me? Have you met me? After the way I act towards the two of you, the way I treat you? You like… me?”

Yes, yes, so much yes, I don’t care how you treat me.

“I… yeah. I do. And I don’t care about those things. I’m okay with it, because it makes me feel useful, like I have a place in the world and you know what that place is. By your side. I trust you and what you say.”

“Even the moment, the moment in the cathedral? My words, the titles I gave. ‘Belonging’. You weren’t scared by that, or revolted? I know that sometimes I can…” She laughed nervously. “Sometimes I can be a bit insensitive, when I joke around with the two of you. I’m honestly, I’m just not good with people, so I snark. You… you really didn’t mind?”

No oh no oh it only made me want to be yours more!

I blushed deeply, and started stuttering. “Y-yes. Actually, I… it didn’t revolt me, it, it… it almost did the opposite. It excited me, the idea that I could be yours… but maybe I interpreted it a little too… r-romantic. I-I want to help you, I want to be with you, I would do anything for you.”

She slowly walked towards her, and dismissed the darkness. I couldn’t help but admire her as she walked, even as my heart was pounding with anxiety, beating faster every step as hope rose. When she was directly in front of me and my entire body was aching anticipation and fear, she asked, “Anything? You would do anything for my affection?”

In a heartbeat. I nodded, and she leaned in to whisper in her ear. “You would obey? You would serve? You would be mine in every way, if it meant earning my affection?”

I hesitated for a single terrifying moment, and then said, “Yes. Yes, so much so. I want to be yours, Shadow. I think… I think I love you.”

Shadow smiled at me, and said, “That’s all I needed to hear.” She brought her arm around my back, and I melted against her body, reveling in the sensation of closeness. She tilted her head, and our lips met in an explosion of passion and lust that reverberated through my entire being, sending me into bliss.

I was lost in the glory of the moment, the blissful sensation of the kiss, and when Shadow pulled me tighter I could only follow her lead with blind passion and joy. Her hand in my hair, her body so close to mine, the scents, the sensations, it was pure happiness.

Then, I felt Shadow fall away from me, and I tripped, landing on the floor and looking up at Shadow with fear and panic. Shadow scrambled to her feet and I desperately asked, “Wait, Shadow, what’s wrong?” She flew into the air, darkness around her, as my mind raced and panic threatened to overwhelm me.

I did something wrong, I scared her off, oh no what did I do what did I do oh what could I possibly have done? I curled up into a little ball, repeating to myself over and over again, “What did I do wrong?”

I just don’t… what did I do wrong? It can’t end like this, not when I was so close… I’ll do anything for her, I’ll be anything for her, if I can just have her back… please… Shadow…

I love you, I need you, just please come back please I need you! Please, what did I do wrong, what could I have done wrong? Come back.

What did I do wrong? I need to fix this. I need her.

I rose to my feet, still shaking and crying but my fear of losing Shadow now greater than my shock and panic. I started walking in the direction of where she flew off, calling her name unsteadily, needing to find her, and needing to know it was alright and that she still wanted me to belong to her.

Then, I saw her, and I raced toward her, desperate and shaking and needing to know it was alright. “Shadow? Are you alright? Did… did I do something wrong? I’m so sorry, I just, the moment, it was… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, or hurt you, or anything!”

My heart flooded with warmth when Shadow said, “It’s okay. It… it was me. I was nervous, and scared, and just… shocked, shocked that you cared for me, and it only hit me what it meant when we were already kissing. It’s my fault.” It was so wonderful hearing those words, knowing that she could be so affected by that, that maybe she really did care!

“I… I’m still really sorry. Now that you’ve had a little time to think… do you, do you still want to do this? To be… with me?” This was it, this was the moment. Fear raced through me, and hope, and desperation, and all of these emotions flooding through me because this was it, when all I’d dreamed of would come true, or my life would fall apart.

Shadow took a step toward me, and another, bringing her close to me, and she caressed my face as she said, “Yes, I do. Everything’s going to be fine, okay? As long as you’re with me. My love, my pet.”

I melted at this confirmation, my face frozen in bliss. I knew at last that I really was hers, I really was with her, the love of my life, and everything would be alright. We kissed then, and it was the most glorious moment of my life.

When the kiss broke, Shadow smiled warmly at me again and said, “Let’s get back to the house. I still need to find a way to become Champion. But I liked this. We should do it again at some point in time. Maybe… maybe that library date.”

“I’d like that.”

She opened a portal, and we went back to my house together. Malk was nowhere to be seen, and the sofa was free. Shadow went upstairs, and I sat down, and breathed in and out, trying to control myself, and not really succeeding.

I’ve finally gotten what I always wanted, for as long as I can remember.

Malk went to his room, and I laughed inwardly again. I love winning.

Clary was cheering for some character on the television. I started to order Clary to come with me, but I stopped myself before I could say anything.

Malk managed to figure out what I was doing to him and Clary, and Malk… Malk is not exactly a genius. As proven by his abysmal failure of an assassination attempt. Moron.

Clary seemed to be in love with me and more than willing to do whatever I said, but perhaps it was best to not take any more chances than I needed to. “Hey, Clary. I finished with Malk, do you want to come spar with me now, or would you rather wait until your show is finished?”

She looked up at me and said, “I can come now. It was a rerun anyways, and not really a good one.” She got up, grabbing her circlet and staff, and walked over to me, smiling.

I opened up a portal and we stepped through, emerging back in the clearing. Clary strolled over to the other side of it, and then turned to face me. She frowned, and pointed at something. “What happened to that tree?”

I looked, and it was the same one that I’d thrown Malk into. “Malk and I got a bit… intense, during our sparring session. I guess one of our attacks must have hit the tree.” I shrugged, and Clary nodded.

“So, will we be practicing illusions like usual?” she asked.

“Actually, I was thinking we should try and test how powerful you are, considering you now have those cool artifacts. They basically increase your power and skill, right?”

“Eh, pretty much, yeah. So, what kind of tests were you thinking?”

“I figured we’d start with a bit of control magic. I cast a spell, you try and take control of it and push it back towards me, while I try to push it towards you.”

She blinked a few times. “Me… trying to match your strength? Um, you realize I’m not crazy, right?”

I laughed. “Don’t worry about it, I won’t be giving it my all, just testing your limits.”

She didn’t look particularly reassured, but shrugged and pointed her staff at me, ready. I conjured a (harmless) ball of darkness, and sent it wobbling towards Clary. She closed her eyes, in deep concentration. When she opened them, the ball was a lot closer to her, but it suddenly slowed down as she exerted her will. I could feel her pushing against my spell, and doing a respectable job of it.

“So, Clary. What’s been up with you lately? I seem to remember that you work at a library, and that’s where you found the information on the dungeon, right?”

“Yep!” She beamed. “I’m now head of history and magic! I mean, it basically just means I have higher seniority and more free time, but still, it’s a nice title.”

“I’m not sure I’ve ever really inquired about what you do at the library. It doesn’t seem like much, just reorganizing books. What do library people even do?”

“Well, that is what my official job is, to manage the books and the sorting and keep things running. But in reality, most of the time I just read, and read, and read some more, and study, and research. And occasionally construct book forts with Jill and Riley.” She giggled, and I laughed as well.

“Book forts, hmm? Very professional, that’s exactly what I think of when I consider a professional library.”

“Professional? Shadow, it’s a library in a fairly boring, unimportant city. The few people who come in are regulars, and it really is a small team, even if we’ve got a silly system where ever wing has to have its own head librarian, mostly due to the size of the library. We can usually just do whatever we want.”

I sent a second orb at Clary, shoving my will through them both, and I felt her begin to strain a bit as she kept them away. “Sounds fun, to be honest. I don’t think I’ve ever really visited the library here, I suppose I should one day.

“Yeah, you should! It’s fun, and sometimes we have marathons where we watch entire seasons of our favorite shows. And I could give you a tour of the library!”

“A private tour, hmm, just the two of us?” I smirked, and Clary blushed, her attention slipping enough for one of the bolts to slam into her. She made a little shrieking noise, and barely managed to stop the second bolt from reaching her.

She laughed nervously, and said, “Well, you know, there are other people, but if you wanted, um, I guess, uh…”

She’s adorably awkward. “So what’s up with Malk these days? You two hang out so often, you probably know more about him than I do?”

“What, Malk? I mean, I guess we technically live together but, well, we don’t really talk much. Mostly about you, or about shows we like or dislike and the arguments that result. He doesn’t really care about the library other than the monster books, and I don’t care about his silly art obsession except when it comes to illustrations in books, and even then I don’t get all crazy about it like he does. We really don’t have much in common.”

Hmm. Time to lie.

“Huh. I’d always kind of figured you two were an item, what with you two living together, and the dynamic I’ve observed whenever the three of us are together.”

She looked mortified, and her concentration slipped again. She saw the orb at the last second and stopped it, but still seemed more focused on the conversation. “No, oh no no no! We’re not together at all, believe me, that is so far from the truth.” She hesitated, then took a deep breath and said, “To be honest, well… we’re both sort of, I guess you could say, um… infatuated. With you, I mean. We’ve tried to hide it, but…”

And now to play the role.

I adopted a shocked expression, and let Clary shove the orb back towards me, relaxing my will and only ‘recovering’ in time to keep it from hitting me.    “Infatuated? With me? I mean, I know I always act the way I do, but, I mean. Wow. I… I had no idea. I mean, me? Have you met me? After the way I act towards the two of you, the way I treat you? You like… me?”

“I… yeah. I do. And I don’t care about those things. I’m okay with it, because it makes me feel useful, like I have a place in the world and you know what that place is. By your side. I trust you and what you say.”

“Even the moment, the moment in the cathedral? My words, the titles I gave. ‘Belonging’. You weren’t scared by that, or revolted? I know that sometimes I can…” I made myself laugh nervously. “Sometimes I can be a bit insensitive, when I joke around with the two of you. I’m honestly, I’m just not good with people, so I snark. You… you really didn’t mind?”

Clary blushed further, and started stuttering. “Y-yes. Actually, I… it didn’t revolt me, it, it… it almost did the opposite. It excited me, the idea that I could be yours… but maybe I interpreted it a little too… r-romantic. I-I want to help you, I want to be with you, I would do anything for you.”

I slowly walked towards her, and I dismissed the darkness. When I was directly in front of her I asked, “Anything? You would do anything for my affection?” She nodded, and I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “You would obey? You would serve? You would be mine in every way, if it meant earning my affection?”

She hesitated only for a moment, and then said, “Yes. Yes, so much so. I want to be yours, Shadow. I think… I think I love you.”

I smiled at her and said, “That’s all I needed to hear.” I brought my arm around Clary’s back, and pressed her to me, feeling the warmth of her body. I tilted my head, and brought my lips down to meet hers, melding together in a flood of passion.

My eyes closed, and I relied on my other senses, which flooded me with information. I could feel Clary’s body, her lips, her warmth, all so close to my own, and I could smell a scent I’d never noticed before; a flowery perfume permeating Clary’s being, strong and fragrant. They were the same as a bundle of flowers I’d once gotten Clary as a half-joking gift, and brought back memories of her awkward expression that day.

I pulled Clary tighter to me, my other hand running through her hair as we were both lost in the emotion and intimacy of the kiss.

Or rather, she was lost in it. So innocent, so naïve. So easy to fool, to charm. And now, now she’s mine. She’ll do whatever I say, she’s practically my slave, my thrall. And all because of her love for me. The fool.

And then, reveling in the passion of the kiss and the triumph of truly controlling Clary… I felt a pang. A hurt. A clenching of my heart, and a feeling I’d felt only once before, and resolved to never feel again.

Guilt.

Eyes flung open.

Falling to the ground.

Clary too, but I barely noticed.

Scrambled to my feet.

“Wait, Shadow, what’s wrong?” Desperation and fear tinged her voice.

No time to speak, no time to think.

Into the air, the darkness around me.

Escape.

Trying to escape from that moment, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

How?

Why?

WHAT IS HAPPENING!?

My mind was so confused, so wrapped up in the events of the past day, that with barely a whisper my spell fell apart, and I fell to the forest floor, crashing through trees, breaking bones, before landing with a savage snap against the ground, my body bruised and broken.

And I lay there on the ground, unable to comprehend.

Everything is… it’s all falling apart, it’s all changing. Fitzdonald won. I lost. And then, then Malk somehow figured out what was going on, and broke my hold on him, and we fought, and I broke him, and then Clary, and she loved me and I’m using her- with that last thought, another pang went through me, and I screamed in panic.

No, no, no! I don’t-I can’t- what is going on? Clary, she’s a slave, a pawn, she exists to serve, it’s why I entered her mind in the first place! That kiss, that moment, it was supposed to make her mine, not make me hers! Why? Why would I feel guilt? She’s nothing! She’s just a pawn!

I… I have a right! I told Mirror, I told her that I had a right and it is true, I have the right to do as I wish, why, why, why is this happening, I don’t, I don’t understand, she’s just a pawn, she’s just a fucking pawn!

Why?

The little girl from my dream stepped out of the trees and knelt by me. “Don’t you understand yet?”

“I… no, I don’t. Nothing makes sense anymore.”

“And nothing ever will. You’re supposed to be smart, Shadow. So think. What makes Clary different from anyone else you’ve ever manipulated? What makes her special, and what makes you vulnerable? Ignore Fitzdonald, ignore Malk. They aren’t important, and they aren’t causing this, you know that. So what is?”

I thought, and I thought, and then I found it. The thing that made her special. The thing that made me vulnerable. The cliché would have made me sick if I was capable of thinking straight right then.

“Love.”

“Correct. Beautiful, wonderful, passionate, joyous love. Or to you, a disgusting, hideous, revolting thing. It unites people, and sometimes it can drive them to commit atrocities, whether out of love for an individual or a community. And you’ve never been loved, not once. Oh sure, you’ve made people adore you, made them pleasure you, maybe you’ve even made them say they loved you. But that’s always been you doing the talking, the pretty little puppeteer. But now? Now it’s real. All you gave Clary was the spark. She really does love you. And that is enough to plant the seeds of doubt, to tear apart all your masks and your villainy and strike at whatever remains of your empathy.”

“Then… what do I do to stop it? To stop the guilt? I can’t… I don’t want to kill her… I can’t, why can’t I kill her… but I can’t… I can’t let her make me weak.”

“Then you must make yourself strong. Let not guilt enter your heart. Convince yourself. Make yourself believe that you are her superior, that she is nothing more than a slave that loves you. And play along with her obsession. Do this, and you can have everything you want. Embrace your role once more. You are Shadow. You rule on high, and it is only natural that others might feel love for their goddess. You’ve spoken these words to yourself before, but now you have to really, truly believe them.”

I nodded, and sighed, less worried than before. Then, I looked up at the girl and asked, “You’re not really me, are you?”

She smiled, and her smile reached past elemental limits, forming a cat-like grin of sharp teeth. “No, I’m not. But you might not remember that.”

I scowled at her, and tried to rise. “What is your name then?”

She waved her hand, and laughed, and then everything began to fade. For a brief second, I thought her eyes flickered golden-brown.

“My name… is-

I was lying on the ground, bleeding, broken, and briefly unconscious. As I woke, I shook my head to try and clear my mind, and I tried to grasp at any remnants of my dream. I remembered… I remembered panicking about the guilt, about Clary, and I remembered the girl appearing, and I remember us discussing love, and how it was a weakness, and I needed to convince myself that I was above Clary, so I wouldn’t fall into a trap and make her my weakness. And then… something blurry.

It probably wasn’t important. I stood up, and began healing my wounds, depleting my energy reserves to low levels. I needed to get more, soon. I began walking back in the direction of Clary, and thinking.

I needed to maintain the illusion that I cared for her, while keeping myself emotionally distant enough that I wouldn’t be affected by guilt. Perhaps… perhaps this called for a reevaluation. Previously, I’d been seeing her as a friend and a belonging, something to be manipulated, used, and cast aside if she became useless. But with this… guilt thing, maybe another route would work better, another way of seeing her.

Perhaps not as a slave or belonging, but rather as a pet. A creature of love, adoration, and obedience, to be treated kindly but still a lesser creature. To be cared for, but still at the whims of the owner.

Yes, that would work. At least in the short term, until I could better come to grips with everything. My minions had ruined so much in such a short time.

As I heard Clary calling through the trees, signaling that I was close to her, I quickly adopted a nervous expression, and prepared my speech.

I walked into Clary’s vision, and she came running over, worried and shaking. “Shadow? Are you alright? Did… did I do something wrong? I’m so sorry, I just, the moment, it was… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, or hurt you, or anything!”

“It’s okay. It… it was me. I was nervous, and scared, and just… shocked, shocked that you cared for me, and it only hit me what it meant when we were already kissing. It’s my fault.”

“I… I’m still really sorry. Now that you’ve had a little time to think… do you, do you still want to do this? To be… with me?” She looked so scared, so nervous, so afraid of losing her chance.

I stepped forward, and again, and came up beside her. I brought my hand up to caress her face, and said, “Yes, I do. Everything’s going to be fine, okay? As long as you’re with me. My love, my pet.”

She smiled a desperate, obsessed smile, and we kissed again, and this time there was no guilt. Just Shadow, the goddess of all elements, and Clary, her beloved pet. And… and a curiosity.

I have to know.

I want to understand.

As we kissed, I inhaled, and I drank in her memories, entering her mind and-

“No, no you’re kidding me! Seriously?” I stared in amazement at Vendestri, a Council member.

He grinned and nodded. “I think it’s perfect for my gallery, honestly.” He gestured at the hall we were in, the walls adorned with paintings by various artists.

“But I mean, you’re such a major patron of the arts, and I’m… me. I-I’m sorry, I’m being ridiculous.” My face was stuck in this expression somewhere between shock and glee, and I felt really embarrassed that I was repeating myself.

He clapped me on the back, and laughed. “Don’t worry about it, a lot of the artists here have reacted the same way when it was their first piece. You’ll get used to it. But before you decide if you do want to sell me the piece, why don’t I take you for a tour of the gallery?”

I blinked a few times, then said, “Yes, yes I’d be honored!”

Inwardly, I was this ball of anxiety and excitement and-

You were so happy and full of life before I got a hold of you. Lovely.

-happiness, but I was trying my hardest to try and be at least a little bit professional. He laughed again, and we started walking.

We walked past familiar pieces, things I’d studied and seen in books. It was so surreal, being in the Vendestri Gallery of the Arts in person, and not just that, being given a tour by Vendestri himself! He pointed to a painting of a starry sky. “That’s one of my favorites, I often come in here just to look at it. Such beauty, such elegance. Do you know it?”

I nodded. “Kelbran’s Lights in the Sky. The textbooks say that it was meant to represent how even in what we consider the darkest of places, the night sky, there is still light, but I’ve always thought that Kelbran was more appreciating how when you look up at the night sky, everything else just seems to fade away. Light, Dark, it doesn’t matter what element you are when you’re looking up at those patches of starry sky. Although those are so hard to come by when the sky is dominated by Warfield…”

“You know, I quite like your view of it. They don’t mention it in the books, but Kelbran painted this on Warfield, so it would have been easier to see the stars.” We both took a moment to admire the piece, before moving on. We quickly brushed past easily recognizable pieces, and then he stopped at one I didn’t really recognize.

“I don’t think I remember this one.” I told him. The painting showed a campfire scene, with several tents pitched in the middle of a strangely green forest. Perhaps it was the light, but the people gathered around the fire all seemed to have skin that was some pale cream color, and one had noticeably pointed ears. That one, who seemed female, was holding what looked like stars in her hand, and was feeding them into the fire, which was purple. The sky overhead showed alien stars, and a weird white orb in the sky. Glowing red eyes were dotted through the forest, and a part of the sky seemed almost… torn.

The title card called it Twilight Dawn.

“It was an anonymous donation. Just the painting and the title, no sign of who left it. The art style doesn’t exactly match any known artist. It’s an enigma. Even more so because the card it came with had three title, two scratched out.”

“I can’t believe I missed it in the books.”

“You didn’t. It isn’t commonly discussed, because a lot of artists seem to think it was painted by someone of a different element, and thus don’t want it to gain recognition. I disagreed, and put it up in my gallery.”

“Interesting. What were the other titles?”

“Telvaria was the first, and Elizabeth was the second. I liked this one the most.”

“It’s… beautiful, in a way. Eerie.”

“Perhaps someday soon, people will say the same of your piece.” He smiled at me, and I laughed.

“Maybe.”

Today is going to be a great day.

I was full of cheer, my first painting having just gone up in Vendestri’s gallery. In a few days, we were going to discuss what to make next. We’d been chatting a lot lately, and I’d brought up the idea of creating a small collection to display for an upcoming event.

Me, an artist in Raven’s Shade. I still can’t believe this is happening.

As I walked through the streets, and felt a craving for something to drink or eat. I noticed a café, and decided-

Hah. As if you ever had a choice.

-to enter it and get some coffee. Café Ritan, it was called. I walked inside and got in line behind a girl in hiking boots and a blue skirt. She ordered, “Two cappuccinos, one with spiraldust please. Ooo, and a muffin!”

She took her order and sat at a table, putting the coffee with spiraldust on the other side of the table. I ordered a coffee, and took it to a different table. As I drank it, I noticed that she was looking at me with this weird expression on her face. After a few moments, she waved at me, as if gesturing for me to come near. I looked around to see if she was waving at someone else, but she shook her head and pointed at me.

Okay, weird, but, whatever. I guess I could do with some nice conversation.

I walked over and pulled out the chair across from her, but she shook her head and said hastily, “That seat is reserved, she wouldn’t like it if you took it.”

I blinked in confusion, and took a different seat. “Who wouldn’t like it?”

“Oh, she’s not important. A friend. So, what’s up?”

“I’m drinking coffee.” I said as I took another sip.

She giggled. “Aside from that! You’re the new artist at that gallery place, right?”

I brightened a bit and sat up straighter. “Yeah! You go to the gallery?”

“Not really, to be honest.” I slouched again. “I like books and shows a lot more than art. Just a personal thing, you know? I’ve never understand why people get so crazy about art. I mean, I like a good picture too but you don’t have to go obsessing over them. Uh, no offense.” She said awkwardly.

“It’s… fine. A lot of people don’t understand why I wanted to pursue art instead of being a slayer, so I’m used to it.”

“Well, you could always try being both.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “How so?”

“I dunno, killing monsters and then like, using the body parts to do stuff? That’s what Shadow does, anyways.”

“That… sounds creepy.”

“Shush you. It’s perfectly normal. So what do you do, besides art and ex-slaying?”

“I mean, art is my passion. I guess I do read a bit, I like learning about art, and about the beauty of nature.”

“Oh, like monsters?”

“Well, I mean I guess they fall under it yeah because there are strange creatures in nature, but I mean like, the overall beauty of the ecosystem as animals and plants interact in a way that benefits the whole, while each piece has its individual elegance.”

“Uh huh. So you like monsters then?”

“I…” I sighed and gave up. “Yes, I like monsters. And you seem to just like paper and ink.”

“And shows! Shows about detectives, and stuff! They’re fun.”

“Right, well…” I finished my coffee and stood up. “I’ll be seeing you.”

I turned around and took a step forward, accidentally bumping into a woman with dusky hair and gleaming amethyst eyes. I felt a brief flutter of attraction, and she smirked at me. “How clumsy of you. Clary, was he annoying you?”

“Actually, I was just leaving.” Her eyes seemed to pierce mine, and I blinked a few times.

“What, did she frighten you off?” asked the newcomer.

“Well…” Yes. Or… sort of. It wasn’t actually that bad, now that-

Now that I’m in your head. I love it, it’s like a beautiful canvas waiting to be torn apart. Symbolic of art or something, you dork.

-I think about it.

“She’s nice. But I’ve got places to be. I’ll see you around, Clary, and um…”

“Shadow. I’m Shadow.”

I read the letter. I read it again.

That isn’t possible.

I read it backwards.

I threw it against the wall.

Vendestri’s dead.

He’d apparently gotten the sudden urge to explore the wilderness in search of a good spot to see the ‘starry sky’, and had been ambushed by wild creatures. It was a horrible accident-

Like I’d leave anything to chance.

-that I mourned, but… now what?

I pulled out the other letter.

I guess I’m going to Widow’s Dusk.

Something was wrong.

Something had been wrong for a while, I’d realized once I could think straight.

Everything was just… off. Memories once crystal clear had become muddled, shrouded in fog. I had used to… I had used to be better than what I had become. I was going to be an artist, I was going to live it up and pursue my dreams… and instead I was in a fucking suburb. I was in some backwater city. Nobody cared about Widow’s Dusk, least of all me.

It has to be her fault.

Shadow.

I didn’t know what, or how. But I knew that Shadow had to have done something. That much I was certain of. She’d put a spell on me, or something. Clary too. Had either of us ever felt this way before meeting her? I’d seen the way Clary practically worshipped Shadow, and at one point I’d almost felt those desires in myself, though I didn’t really feel an attraction to her anymore. But what I did feel, it wasn’t natural. Nothing made sense anymore.

Nothing makes any sense.

Nothing.

Does she want me under her power? Is that it? She wanted me and Clary and she’d done something, but why? This lack of ambition, this contentment with the shit that was my life, why was this part of her plan? What did she even want? Why was I just… why was I just standing here?

I knew the answer to that, because my own mind had been battling me for weeks trying to force me to stand and defy her, and it had failed. I’d ignored that choice.

I sighed, and slouched on the sofa, shaking my head and wondering when it had all first gone wrong. When I’d gone from dreams and ambition to living in a house with a psychopath and her adoring pet.

I was woken from my state of moping by the sound of two knocks on the door, and then like sixty more. Fuck, it’s probably her. Ugh, why does she have to be so fucking annoying-

Well, I didn’t know you had such zeal and hatred in you all this time. It’s amusing, listening to your inner rants.

-all the time?

“I’m coming, I’m coming, calm down.”

Thoughts of suspicion left my mind as I opened the door and blinked at the change in lighting, as well as her… outfit. “Oh, it’s you.”

She said something crazy about killing fellow elementals, brushed past me, and flopped down onto the sofa. Bewildered, I looked down at her and she asked, “Anything good on the telly?”

I stared. She giggled. “Gotta say, I love this couch. Extremely comfy, which is nice when you’ve spent the last day arguing with politicians and fighting monsters in the forest.”

I hate you so much. Why do you have to do these insane things? Why? Whatever, maintain your cool, keep your composure. “Right, yeah, great… now can we talk about the killing of a Champion thing?” Okay, so I didn’t keep my cool.

She brushed me off, and I attempted to clear my mind, making a few circular motions and breathing deeply. When I was ready I said, “Okay, okay, clearly you’ve put a little thought into this. Should I get Clary, so we can both hear whatever insane plan you’ve come up with?”

She gave the affirmative, and I went upstairs.

This is going to be a nightmare.

Shadow argued with her mirror duplicate, but the words slowly filtered out, to be replaced by rage burning inside me.

That bitch. At least I know for certain now. She’s never cared about me or Clary, she’s been using this whole time, fooling us. We’re pawns.

Betrayal.

Confirmation.

She’d been playing us.

She’d been playing me.

And I’d fallen for it, for who knows how long. Clary was her toy, and I was her puppet, dancing to her lies and deceits as she played with our emotions.

She needs to pay.

And then Mirror said what I needed to hear.

Mind control.

She’d been using mind control.

I was right. She’s been in my head. She thought she could take my will, my mind, all that makes me who I am and leave an obedient slayer in my place. She thought she could break me.

She thought she could leave me as a husk, a slave to her will.

No.

No.

I will not take the easy path.

I will stand in defiance.

I’m not loyal to you anymore, Shadow. I’m Malk. I’m me. I’m still me, and I will never, I will never ever let you take that away. And I will not let you get away with this.

Clary accepted her paltry words.

I did not.

It was time for me to stop being a painter.

It was time for me to truly be a slayer, like they’d tried to train me to be.

You are a monster, and I kill monsters. I will kill you, Shadow. I will free Clary. I will end you before more people fall victim to your tyranny. I will end you, or I will die trying.

“Clary! Malk! I need to do some training, let’s go have a practice fight.”

I nodded, and a surge of reckless need made me say, “Sure, but let’s do it one-at-a-time, so we can practice better. We’ll fight with sword, and then Clary and you can do magic.”

Shadow blinked at me. “Uh, I suppose that’s a plan. Clary, you can stay here, Malk and I will go spar, I guess. Let’s go to that clearing I found.” Clary nodded and said, “I’ll just stay here and watch some television.”

Shadow opened a portal to the clearing, while I quickly raced upstairs to get my things. I slipped on the caster gauntlet, flexing my hand and testing it out. With an exertion of will I managed to create a tentacle of darkness, and imagined using it against Shadow. Now was the time to strike, and I needed every advantage I could get. I grabbed my sword, my magic shield, and also grabbed a helmet to cover my face. As long as she couldn’t see my face, my eyes, I’d be safe from her power. I’d be me.

For a moment I had a pang of fear. What if this ended in my death? What if I accomplished nothing…

No. No matter what, this needs to happen. I’ve helped this…. this monster. Thanks to me and Clary, Shadow is close to achieving her goals. One day she might rule over all of Nyx… over all worlds… and I can’t live with myself knowing I let that happen. I have to end this monster I’ve helped.

I walked through Shadow’s portal to the clearing, and stepped out, ready to end it. And then the fight began.

Swords clashed, and we talked of simple things, such as my art. She seemed to see nothing amiss… but that would change.

“I had just begun my art career, in… actually, in Raven’s Shade. I’d managed to get a good place there, and a few contracts, and things were looking up. Then, one day I went to this coffee place, called ‘Ritan’ I think. Clary was the only other person there, but after a few minutes we realized we had practically nothing in common.”

Shadow continued her efforts to break my defense and said, “That must have been when I came in. Clary was in the city with me, I’d met her back in the Academy of Magic when she was in her last year and she’d taken a liking to me, so when I graduated early I decided to stay at her house. I chatted with you, I think, and you were fascinated with me.”

“Yeah, I guess so. All I remember is a few days later, I ended up moving into Widow’s Dusk with Clary. Strangest thing, really.” A touch of bitterness entered my tone, and I struggled harder now, though she kept pushing me back, proving her strength.

“I guess it could be seen as strange. Perhaps you just realized that I was powerful, and that helping me could lead you to great rewards.”

“Maybe that was it. But thinking about it, that’s not the only time I’ve done something that doesn’t fit, something that isn’t really… me.”

“I see. And what do you think about those moments?”

“I think that every one of them benefited you. And I think it’s been happening to Clary too. For example, when you outright told her you considered her nothing more than her property.” My voice nearly cracked now. Fury was rising. It was time to end this. Time to make her pay!

I made a mistake in movement, and Shadow tried to get in an attack, but my magic shield protected me, and I smirked, assuming an arrogant stance. “I figured it out, Shadow. I know you’ve been manipulating us, playing on our emotions, on our thoughts, and infiltrating our minds. You’ve been tugging at our strings, the smug puppetmaster, and we’ve danced to your tune. It’s why I came to Widow’s Dusk. It’s why Clary falls all over you. And it ends today!” I lunged at her, sword drawn, and she darted back. As she fled I tossed aside my sword and gestured with my gauntleted hand, summoning a tendril of darkness to grab her foot.

“So, how long have you known? I doubt this was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I bet you figured it out when Mirror talked about me.”

“Oh, that helped, certainly, but I’d had my suspicions for a while. It was truly confirmed when you labeled Clary your belonging, and she was reassured by that.” Hatred burned in me at remembering that moment, and I knew that I had to make Shadow suffer for doing that to Clary, and to me.

“Perhaps it’s just because she loves me, like I thought you did. And really, you can’t tell me you still don’t… feel, for me?” She smiled roguishly, but the smile fell when I laughed scornfully at her.

“Shadow, maybe I should make something clear. Clary loves you. She is smitten with you, infatuated, absolutely in love. She has been for a while I’d bet, and not all of it from your spells. But me? At most, I felt a physical attraction to you, and to your power, magnified by the mental tampering you did. But it was only ever an attraction, a crush. And crushes end. I’m over you. And I want my mind back!” I charged her again but she dodged, and we entered a closer duel, a duel of life and death now. “Time to pay, bitch!” I sent a bolt of darkness at her, but she sliced it apart with her stupid sword, and I fumed with anger.

“You know, Malk, I do have a question. Why didn’t you confront me at the cathedral, when I was fighting Mirror or the knight? Why wait-

Let’s hurry this along. I don’t need to see all the details, and I don’t care if this part is accurate, I’ve already seen it.

-until now?”

“I didn’t want you to catch on to me knowing. I figured I’d wait for the most opportune time to strike, and this seemed like my best bet.”

As I dodged another attack she said, “You’d make a shit assassin then. Best time to kill me is in my sleep, or to stab me in the back when I’m fighting a real enemy. Not now, on an open field, when you know I’m better than you.”

She’s right. This is stupid. I’m being an idiot here, I can’t win, I can’t fight her, I should have just taken her out in her sleep or… no. This is the only way. For honor. For setting right what I helped make wrong. Whether I live or die, at least I can change things. At least I can try and save the world.

“Oh, I know you can kill me. I’m betting on it. See, if I killed you, Clary would still be affected by your magic. She’d still love you, and she’d see me as a villain and a traitor for killing you. But if you kill me, here and now, she’ll be forced to realize the truth. And if somehow I do kill you, I can live with Clary hating me. I don’t care about her anyways, you already know I only lived with her because of your magic.” I charged her with all my fury and hatred, knowing that now was my hour, now was when I-

Shadow sighed and dropped her sword, raising her hand and saying, “You’re a fucking idiot.”

As I blinked in confusion Shadow sent darkness slamming into me, and I flew backwards into a tree trunk, my sword falling from my hand, my shield following. Shadow took the gauntlet, and I lay there, broken, battered, and beaten. But knowing that my death would make a difference.

“Think, you dolt. If I can make you abandon art contracts to move to a city, if I can make Clary practically worship me, if I can do all of the things that I have done, why can’t I just make you obey me? Huh? Why would I kill you, when I could enslave you instead?”

I gave a tired laugh.“Th-that’s what the mask is f-for, bitch. You always look people in the eyes, w-when you enter their m-minds. No eyes, no entry, no eternal enslavement. Now, finish it. Kill me.”

“Moron.” She sighed again, and as I stared in shock and horror she ripped my helmet open. “And for the record, I don’t have to see your eyes. I have so many, many other ways to control and manipulate.”

I shouted, “NO!” and then everything began to drain away.

This can’t happen, she can’t win!

She destroyed me, she destroyed the girl, she’ll destroy all of Nyx! She’ll destroy everything that has ever existed in her quest for power! And I failed…

She deserves to burn. She…

A shock of pain went through me, and a voice whispered, she deserves to rule.

I lashed out, and then I was inside my own mind.

It looked like a beautiful painting, a canvas with a landscape and grandiose structures that were both two-dimensional and three-dimensional at the same time.

But there was… corruption. It was blotched, and ripped, and decayed and dying… and it was at war. Darkness surged through the land, tearing apart spindly soldiers of paper and paint. I could see where the darkness, these foul wraiths, had been beaten back, but now Shadow was leading them. I grabbed a sword from the ground and charged into the fray, desperate.

This is my last chance.

I swung my sword through the nearest wraith and it was torn apart, but more swarmed. I cut, and I cut, and I swung and I stabbed and I rolled and I jumped and I dodged, but there were so many, and then one leaped through the air and landed on me, and it went through me and then-

No! NO! GET OUT OF MY MIND!

Hahahaha. I’m not in your mind… I am your mind. I’m you, and you are me. And together we will serve.

She… she’s a monster…

Yes, she is. And a goddess. A horrible, evil goddess that we will worship and obey. To serve is all that matters. Loyalty, obedience.

No, that… that isn’t me…

I fell to the ground, clutching my chest, and tried to rip out the darkness that had seeped in. I gasped, and I writhed, and the darkness swarmed around me, and then they all flooded in at once, as Shadow stood over me, laughing.

You don’t matter. You aren’t Malk anymore. You’re her servant. You belong to Shadow.

No…

Property.

Person!

Slave.

Slayer!

Just let go. Stop fighting. You can’t any more. It’s all gone. Everything that made you who you are is fading away… and it will never come back. Say goodbye, Malk.

I…

No…

Shadow grabbed my neck, lifting me off the ground with one hand, her grip iron-clad. There was a savage hunger in her face, a sadistic joy at my suffering. The hunger we will serve.

No!

“Malk, Malk, Malk. Dear, precious Malk. It all ends here for you.”

“This was… this was my chance.” I coughed, barely able to breathe. “I fought to… to make a difference!”

“And you failed.”

Failure.

Give in.

Game over.

You lose.

I woke, blinking in confusion. Lady Shadow extended her hand towards me, and said, “Got a bit carried away with the sparring, sorry. I think we sparred long enough for today, right?”

I pressed my hand to my head, feeling a brief headache, but nodded and said, “Yeah, that makes sense.” She opened a portal, and I walked through, quickly moving to my room to collapse on the bed, weary, and tired, and not knowing why my head hurt so much.

I woke with a start, staring at the face of Clary. “Shadow! Shadow, are you alright?”

I blinked at her, then shook my head and stood up, ignoring her outstretched hand. Wabbit nuzzled against my leg. “Okay, what the fuck was that? Did Fitz just… just win? Seriously?”

“Uh, I guess. I’m sorry, Shadow, I tried so hard, I set up the rules of the contest specifically to stop him from messing things up, but then he did it anyways.”

“Well, it’s not your fault. It’s that asshole’s fault, and I’m going to kill him. Slowly.” I stood, and began opening a portal. Clary grabbed my hand and said, “Wait, don’t!”

I tilted my head quizzically and she continued, “If you kill him now, you will never become Champion. The Council will stop you, the soldiers will stop you, and you aren’t powerful enough to take on all of Nyx. You can’t win this by fighting all of your problems.”

I bit back a retort, and took a deep breath. I released it in a long sigh, and said, “Okay, you’re right. But I have to fix this. I have to fix it, or everything will fall apart. She said so. I said so. Whatever!”

“Uh, what are you talking about?” asked Malk.

“I’m talking about the freaky dream-vision-thing I just had, while uncon- oh what the fuck, did I really faint? Seriously? That is so uncool.”

“Yes, you fainted. Dream-vision-thing?”

“Right, that. Well, I think I visited my own mind, or something, because I found this little girl who looked like me, who had painted all these scenes that represented the path my life was supposed to take. She got really mad, saying I’d broken things, and I needed to fix it. I don’t remember it very well. Dreams are always hard to remember.”

“So why did you also call it a vision?”

“Because dreams aren’t that… sane. I mean, not that it was all normal and realistic, but dreams are usually crazy and chaotic and don’t make sense, but that was straightforward. So, I’m not sure what it was.”

I had a dull pain in my head, some sort of delayed headache, and pressed my hand to the side of my head. Clary asked tentatively, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just have some sort of headache, either from landing on it or from that stupid dream. Gah, I need to do something to clear this stress and pain and all of this annoyingness going on. Let’s go home.”

I opened a portal, this time back to Widow’s Dusk, and we walked through, coming out in Clary and Malk’s living room. I sat on the couch, and began to think.

Obviously, I needed to fix the whole not-being-Champion issue.

But how do I fix it? I mean… I really don’t know. Killing Fitz would be fun but probably wouldn’t work, and neither would killing Drake. I’d already tested the limits of what the Council would allow without sending the military. I need the military alive for my plans.

The Council wouldn’t be swayed on this matter, the decision had already been made and would be effectively irreversible without… without something! Something that I didn’t know what it could possibly be.

If I tried to force the issue, those I wanted to lead would be dead, and Darkness would hate me, not see me as their savior. But there had to be a way. There had to be a way to fix it, to fix everything. There had to be a way!

How? How can I fix this! There has to be a way, I just need to think, to figure this out! Gah, my head still hurts. There… there has to be… I-I need to think. I need to fix this. I need to think. I need to fix this! I just… there has to… I need… I need to clear my head. Get rid of this stress, approach the problem from a different angle. Maybe I should fight, do some sort of sparring or practice bout. I have to… I have to fix this!

“Clary! Malk! I need to do some training, let’s go have a practice fight.”

Malk nodded, but said, “Sure, but let’s do it one-at-a-time, so we can practice better. We’ll fight with sword, and then Clary and you can do magic.”

I blinked at him. “Uh, I suppose that’s a plan. Clary, you can stay here, Malk and I will go spar, I guess. Let’s go to that clearing I found.” Clary nodded and said, “I’ll just stay here and watch some television.”

I opened a portal to the aforementioned clearing, and entered it. I emerged in a clearing (obviously), a wide, open, and flat bit of ground within the forest. Malk followed a moment after, having presumably gathered his equipment.

I compared our gear. I had only Whisperdeath, my awesome sword, which was likely more than enough to beat Malk.

He, on the other hand, had gone all-out. He was wearing the caster gauntlet, carrying his plain sword and the magic shield, and was also now wearing a sleek face-covering helmet. The last one seemed an odd choice, but I merely shrugged at it, unconcerned.

He readied his weapon, and I unsheathed mine. I smirked at him, and called, “Alright then, let’s begin.”

He charged me with full force, sword raised to slice down. I nimbly danced to the side, and brought my own sword around in a horizontal arc, which he barely managed to block by swinging his shield around.

I asked, “So, you mentioned a few days ago you wanted to try out a new form of art. Had any ideas on what type?” I then sent another three blows raining down on him, but his shield held fast, and immediately after the third one he sent his sword forward in a piercing motion, which I dodged by stepping back at supernatural speeds.

He said, “Not really. There are lots of things I could branch into, from sketches to charcoal to chalk, or maybe oils. And in all honesty, there are still some areas of painting I haven’t explored yet, I just want a break from it.”

I brought my sword down at him the moment I was safe, and said, “I’ve debated trying art before, but it seems so much time and effort for such a simple end. Much easier to use magic instead.”

He stepped forward with shield raised, protecting himself from my attack. “Yes, you have always liked that. I noticed it since we first became friends, however long ago that was.”

“It was after I left the caster school, but before I convinced the Council to let me do a year at the slayer school.” I began to hammer on his shield, my sword raining down in rapid succession.

The shield didn’t seem to budge, and Malk said, “Right, I remember now. I had just begun my art career, in… actually, in Raven’s Shade. I’d managed to get a good place there, and a few contracts, and things were looking up. Then, one day I went to this coffee place, called ‘Ritan’ I think. Clary was the only other person there, but after a few minutes we realized we had practically nothing in common.”

I continued to try and break through his defense, and said, “That must have been when I came in. Clary was in the city with me, I’d met her back in the Academy of Magic when she was in her last year and she’d taken a liking to me, so when I graduated early I decided to stay at her house. I chatted with you, I think, and you were fascinated with me.”

“Yeah, I guess so. All I remember is a few days later, I ended up moving into Widow’s Dusk with Clary. Strangest thing, really.”

Slowly, my attacks began forcing him back, step by step. “I guess it could be seen as strange. Perhaps you just realized that I was powerful, and that helping me could lead you to great rewards.”

He stepped back again and again under my merciless onslaught. “Maybe that was it. But thinking about it, that’s not the first time I’ve done something that doesn’t fit, something that isn’t really… me.”

“I see. And what do you think about those moments?”

“I think that every one of them benefited you. And I think it’s been happening to Clary too. For example, when you outright told her you considered her nothing more than your property.”

I lunged forward, and his foot snagged on a thick root. His masked head turned to look at his his foot and he tried to stop himself from tripping, and in that moment I darted to the side of his shield and swung my sword around to slice into his midsection.

I was annoyed by the appearance of a translucent energy barrier, the source of which I assumed to be the magic shield.

I could practically feel Malk smirking as he said, “I figured it out, Shadow. I know you’ve been manipulating us, playing on our emotions, on our thoughts, and infiltrating our minds. You’ve been tugging at our strings, the smug puppetmaster, and we’ve danced to your tune. It’s why I came to Widow’s Dusk. It’s why Clary falls all over you. And it ends today.” He lunged at me, sword drawn, and I darted back. As I did so, he tossed aside his sword and gestured with his gauntleted hand, and a tentacle appeared, wrapping around my foot.

“So, how long have you known? I doubt this was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I bet you figured it out when Mirror talked about me.”

“Oh, that helped, certainly, but I’d had my suspicions for a while. It was truly confirmed when you labeled Clary your belonging, and she was reassured by that.”

“Perhaps it’s just because she loves me, like I thought you did. And really, you can’t tell me you still don’t… feel, for me?” I smiled roguishly, but the smile fell when he laughed at me.

“Shadow, maybe I should make something clear. Clary loves you. She is smitten with you, infatuated, absolutely in love. She has been for a while I’d bet, and not all of it from your spells. But me? At most, I felt a physical attraction to you, and to your power, magnified by the mental tampering you did. But it was only ever an attraction, a crush. And crushes end. I’m over you. And I want my mind back!” He picked up his sword and charged me, and I reacted instantly, slicing apart the tentacle and leaping to the side, landing in a roll.

He turned to face me, and pointed the sword straight at me. “Time to pay, bitch!” A bolt of darkness gathered around his sword, and leapt straight at me. I laughed mockingly, and cleaved it in two with Whisperdeath.

“You know, Malk, I do have a question. Why didn’t you confront me at the cathedral, when I was fighting Mirror or the knight? Why wait until now?”

“I didn’t want you to catch on to me knowing. I figured I’d wait for the most opportune time to strike, and this seemed like my best bet.”

I sent a bolt of darkness at him, and as he dodged it I said, “You’d make a shit assassin then. Best time to kill me is in my sleep, or to stab me in the back when I’m fighting a real enemy. Not now, on an open field, when you know I’m better than you. I mean, I’d probably just wake up and kill you if you tried to kill me in my sleep, but still. Terrible planning.”

He snarled, “Oh, I know you can kill me. I’m betting on it, in fact, as my backup plan. See, if I killed you, Clary would still be affected by your magic. She’d still love you, and she’d see me as a villain and a traitor for killing you. But if you kill me, here and now, she’ll be forced to realize the truth. And if somehow I do kill you, I can live with Clary hating me. I don’t care about her anyways, you already know I only lived with her because of your magic.” He charged at me once more, and darkness gathered around his sword, while his shield’s magic barrier sprung to life.

I sighed, and dropped my sword. Then, I raised one hand, my palm facing Malk, and said, “You’re a fucking idiot.”

As he stared in confusion, darkness shot out of my hand, and slammed into Malk, sending him flying into a tree trunk. His sword fell from his hand, his shield next, and I directed the darkness to take both those and the gauntlet, and fling them behind me. Once Malk’s tools were out of his grasp, I stalked forward, and said, “Think, you dolt. If I can make you abandon art contracts to move to a city, if I can make Clary practically worship me, if I can do all of the things that I have done, why can’t I just make you obey me? Huh? Why would I kill you, when I could enslave you instead?”

Malk laughed weakly. “Th-that’s what the mask is f-for, bitch. You always look people in the eyes, w-when you enter their m-minds. No eyes, no entry, no eternal enslavement. Now, finish it. Kill me.”

I grabbed my sword, and brought it to his neck. “Is that what you want? Your death at my hands, forcing me to kill you so that Clary is free of my power? You want me to take this sword,” I moved it to his chest, “and drive it through your chest?”

He let out a hacking cough, and said, “Do it. End my torment.”

“You fucking moron.” I shook my head disgusted, and then sighed as I ripped Malk’s helmet open with my bare hands, exposing his panicked face. “For the record, I don’t have to see your eyes. I have so many other ways to control, and manipulate, and enter your mind. Let me show you!”

He opened his mouth, terror in his eyes, and said-

Dreams are nebulous things.

I stopped walking sideways and looked at the upside down.

“This is reality, life is a dream,” spoke the whispers.

“What you are in the dark, what you are to yourself.”

I ignored them and attempted to open my eyes.

When I reached out, the world tilted, and I regained use of my senses.

I was standing in a hallway. Very ornate, with good use of greys and violet. At one end, a throne. At the other, a balcony. The walls had many locked doors, and one ajar.

Of course, it was more jarring to see what rested on the throne.

It was a black mass of darkness, with two blazing golden-brown eyes. It stretched out a tendril that looked like it might once have been a hand, and all the doors opened. Out of four came things, and then they all locked once more, except for the door that had already been open.

The darkness shifted, and I felt rather than heard the command. Kneel.

The four figures knelt, though I did not. I kneel to no one.

The darkness seemed not to care, and after a moment it moved its tendril back to the main mass, and the figures rose once more, though they did not leave.

So this is weird.

It’s probably a dream.

Why am I dreaming?

What happened?

I… I don’t remember.

I walked forward, and tripped on something. A crack in the ground, unnoticeable until my foot had hit it.

If this is a dream, or my mind, or whatever, then everything has a meaning. So this must be-

Shut up.

I looked above the throne, and saw three banners. The bottom section of each seemed jagged and torn, but it wasn’t random, it was part of the design. The center banner was a purple eye with a violet slit for a pupil, on a grey background. The right banner was a black fist on a purple background, and the left banner was a jagged black blade on a purple background. They all seemed weathered, and malevolent.

“The Eye that watches, the Hand that guides, the Blade that strikes.”

“The Shadow that rules.”

A high-pitched voice laughed in the distance, and I heard the sound of footsteps running across stone.

I turned back to the hall, and noticed more banners.

I moved to the nearest of the figures.

It was a Darkness elemental.

But it lacked a face.

I turned to the others, and they were the same, though each had uniqueness to them.

This one bore a circlet, and carried a staff. It seemed female, and wore a short skirt and a small top, both fancy, as well as boots and gauntlets.

I walked to the second one on the left side of the room. It too seemed female, though its clothes were simpler, and it carried only a small tiara in its hand.

On the other side, the nearest to me seemed male, carrying a sword and shield. Its gauntlets did not match, and it wore form-fitting armor, mobile but defensive.

The other, the final one, seemed a perfect image of me, only younger, and with long furry ears that seemed almost rabbit-like. There were other imperfections, differences that made it seem a little more androgynous.

I heard movement, and turned to see the plain one with the tiara in hand walk to the balcony.

I followed, and looked upon a battlefield.

A knight in battered, dusty, broken armor led the charge. Lemmings and pigeons followed him, ineffective alone but strong together. They flung rocks at the balcony, and at the walls.

The being at my side became a magpie, and a flock of vultures descended upon the attackers.

I turned back to the hall, and when I looked up I saw a palace of shadowed stone and glorious spires and dark, twisting storms.

I walked inside.

The battle was silent, but the laugh of the little girl and the running in the walls was not.

I took the only door that was open.

Down through the steps, down past the halls, down past the barracks, down past the armory and the treasure room and down past the dungeon with the girl crying, “I’m sorry,” and “I’m so afraid,” over and over again.

Is that me?

No. The birds aren’t me, so the girl that would apologize and feel fear with sincerity isn’t me either.

I kept walking.

Down past the banners with the black background and the golden-brown eyes. Down past the hall filled with cracks. Down past it all.

Into the cave.

Into the hall.

And then I stopped, and I was in a hall.

In a way, the hall seemed like some grotesque mockery of the knight’s mind, replacing an ornate hall with dark, cracked stone, and replacing the beautiful murals with the paintings of a child discovering finger-painting for the first time.

I didn’t recognize the hall, or where I was, or even myself.

But I did recognize the images painted on the walls.

They were dreams.

Ambitions.

Dark, insatiable desires.

On one section of the walls, a crudely-drawn woman was rising through the air, the darkness around her, as a man in simple robes gave her a sword and a cloak, and columns of armored figures knelt to her.

On another, the woman led that same army in battle against legions of multi-colored enemies, ranging from blue to red to yellow to grey.

On the third, the woman sat on a throne of bones, surrounded by rivers of fire and darkness. A crown rested on her head, crown with six gems; one for each element.

On the fourth, the woman was worshipped by thousands, little stick-figures of every color.

On the floor, a little girl sat with a paintbrush and an empty bucket. She looked up at me and asked, “Why has the paint dried up?”

The fog in my head, the malaise that made me accept all this without question, began to fade.

I blinked at her, and asked, “Are you me? Are we doing this again?”

She glared at me, and said, “Answer the question! Why is my paint gone?”

“Oh, fine. The paint is gone because you’ve drawn everything, or something like that. Seriously though, what is this? Is this my mind? Because if so, something is seriously wrong with me.”

She smirked. “You didn’t know that already? And that’s not why the paint’s gone. You did something, and now everything is changing. What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything! All that happened was Fitzy said something, I… fainted, I guess, and now I’m here. I honestly can’t remember it very well.”

“Then remember it! You did something, and now look!” She pointed at the walls, and I looked again.

The images were smearing. The paint was dripping, and everything was beginning to look muddied and unclear.

“I don’t remember! Look, it’s your little playground, you remember. I can’t be bothered.”

The girl stood up, and as she did her shadow darkened and she became a little bit taller. Her eyes flashed, and she yelled, “What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?”

I stumbled back, falling to the floor, and said, “I didn’t do anything! I don’t remember!”

“WHAT DID YOU DO!” she screamed, as the walls became blank and featureless.

“I don’t…“ As I said that, the walls cracked, and suddenly it came flooding back; the battle, the aftermath, and Fitzdonald declaring Drake the Champion of Darkness. I said, “It was Fitzdonald! We were playing this game of speed chess, trying different tactics, constantly reevaluating the plan, and when I thought I’d won, he completely turned it around on me. He made Drake the Champion. He beat me.”

The girl said, in a much quieter voice, “Yes, he did. So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to fix it. I’m going to somehow become Champion, kill Fitzdonald, and then I’m going to become a goddess.”

The girl nodded, and said, “Hurry. The mirror is the key. Time is running out.”

I tilted my head in curiosity and confusion, and asked, “Wait, what?””

Then, everything blurred together, and it faded away.

It is done. The world may judge me, I may fall from the Council and be cast aside, but I have done my part and I will accept the consequences of my actions.

I looked to Drake, uneasy at all this, and sighed. The Council would do their part to help him enter his role. I… was tired.

I walked through the streets of Raven’s Shade, barely noticing the people, and returned to my home. It was simple and austere, and all I cared about now was writing. I had to get my thoughts down, before anything else happened.

I pulled out a journal, which I’d used in the past to write memoirs that I doubt would ever leave my house. It was a way to formulate the words, nothing more, for I had no wish to achieve fame. I simply had a part to play.

I took a deep breath, and began writing.

As I write this, I have just made the most dangerous move of my career. I have declared Drake the Champion of Darkness, finally putting to rest any chance of Kiana achieving her goals via politics. My role is completed, in that respect. I could stop now, and none would blame me. But I must remain vigilant. Though I gained the backing of enough of the Council to end this tiresome battle with her, she still has allies, and she has always been… unstable.

I have written before of my thoughts on Kiana.

I hate her, and all she represents. And I am afraid. This I repeat now, in what may be my final memoir in this life.

I am afraid. But I am not afraid of dying.

Perhaps I should be. But I’m not afraid of death just as I am not afraid of making a mistake, or of angering her, or of losing my reputation and my career.

I am afraid of Kiana.

I fear what she is, what she means, what she will do to Darkness.

I am willing to die to stop her. I am willing to sacrifice my name, my reputation, my entire career, and my life, so long as she does not rise to power.

Those who do not understand Kiana Vessian have often criticized me for being so openly against the woman who is indeed the most powerful Darkness elemental ever to live. They do not know why I fear her. They do not know why I have such hatred for all she represents. But that is because they are incapable of examining any perspective not their own.

Centuries ago, before my time, Darkness was powerful. We were the most powerful element, and all others feared us. And the forces of Darkness were monsters. We were ruthless horrors that would destroy anything, murder children, and commit a thousand atrocities merely because those we were massacring belonged to the enemy And sometimes atrocities happened not even for so weak a justification, but merely because it entertained us. We were monsters, every one of us.

And I say ‘we’ because though I was not involved, I carry that guilt, that burden. All of Darkness carries that, for we must never forget, never forgive, what was done.

I’ve seen the reports from Kiana’s Academy. Manipulation, missing students, theft, strange meetings and odd behavior from the students… I am capable of putting the pieces together, and when I first connected the dots I was concerned, but merely saw her as a grim reminder of the old days.

Now I know better.

She isn’t a reminder.

She is the Second Coming.

I do not hate her though, not truly, not even with all I have said.

I pity her.

I hate what she represents, and I hate what she has done, but the girl herself… I pity her. I pity what she has gone through, I pity her for the actions she has taken, I pity her for the broken mind she has, I pity her because she is in a way just as much a victim as those she destroys. I pity her, because her life has become consumed by ambition and a love of conflict, by horrid desires that I do not believe will ever be satisfied. I pity her, because she can never know true happiness, and only temporary satisfaction from the results of her cruelty.

And yet, though I pity her, I oppose her, and I acknowledge her as the second coming of a vile path. She is powerful, and cunning, and she is purest, most vile evil. Under her, Dark would rise. And under her, we would become monsters.

If Kiana rises, Darkness will once more become the big bad monsters that other elements tell horror stories about. We will be hated and reviled for our evil ways. All elements will fear us, and they will work together to stop us.

And I worry they would not be able to, if Kiana was leading our forces.

I will not… I cannot let that happen.

I looked up from my journal and looked at a key hanging from a peg. Doubt caused me to hesitate for a long moment, but in the end I made my choice, and took the key.

I will not let Shadow sully our pride, our honor, our nobility. Darkness is noble and just, and I will not let us go back to the old days when we were the opposite. I will stop her.

Even if it costs me my life.

We emerged onto a red carpet by the side of the canyon. The carpet led to a large seating area with tons of tables and chairs all facing the site of the action, and Malk and Clary stood on either side of the canyon, standing straight and looking almost presentable.

“Hello, sirs and/or madams! May we take your coats?” asked Malk in a pseudo-fancy voice.

“Alternatively, we’d happily take your money.” declared Clary.

“Yes, tips are appreciated! Especially tips of a monetary kind, much better than tips of a non-monetary kind, unless those non-monetary tips are things like gems.” said Malk.

The Council stared at them, Fitzdonald especially just blinking in confusion.

I stifled a bit of laughter and Fitzdonald frowned. “This is your doing, Kiana?”

I couldn’t stifle it any longer and burst out laughing. “No, but I so wish it was! Haha, oh the looks on your faces! Lovely job, Malk, Clary, couldn’t have done it better if I tried. Ah, that was good. Alright, you Council lot. Go take your seats or what have you, and we potentials shall make our way to the arena below.”

The Council shuffled over to the seats and arranged themselves so that they were sitting in groups. Meanwhile, I walked over to the edge of the arena and jumped down. I called back to my soldiers, “Hey! Verca, other two, you lot coming?”

They stood at the edge and looked down uneasily. Clary said, “Uh, there is actually a path down. It’s right over here, you didn’t need to jump.”

She showed the soldiers and potentials to the path, and I said, “Jumping is more entertaining! Plus, it’s quicker.”

Verca, Jamis, and Rak joined me in the arena, while the other two teams went off to the right and left. Once they were in place, I asked, “So, how’s this contest… challenge… tournament…. thing going to work? Clary?”

She nodded at me and announced, “These are the rules and details of the Arena Challenge. Within this canyon there are three monster nests, all filled with the same types of monsters; ravagers. For the uninformed, ravagers are creatures of the same body type as an elemental, but far more feral, with sharpened teeth and claws and heightened agility and strength. Each team, led by a potential, will go to a different nest, and attempt to destroy the ravagers. The Challenge shall be over when all teams have either completed their objective or are unable to continue. The winner shall be determined based on their teamwork, their kills, their time to completion, and their number of living soldiers. Are these rules satisfactory to the Council?”

Fitzdonald nodded and said, “Yes, yes those sound quite appropriate and fair. You may begin.”

Clary nodded and yelled, “Let the Challenge begin!”

I burst into a sprint, heading towards the center of the canyon. A moment later I heard my three underlings start running after me.

I ran quickly, and in only a few moments I sighted the target; a twisting spire of stone and plant life, lined with faint glowing crystals. I adjusted my course to arrive at the spire, and in only another minute I stopped at its base.

Verca and the slayers arrived a moment later, and caught their breath. While they recovered their composure, I looked around in search of the other potentials, and sighted them just arriving at the other two spires; Drake on the right, Kymien on the left.    I nodded to Drake and sneered at Kymien, and got similar responses.

I looked back at my spire and frowned. For something containing a host of (magically-enhanced) vicious monsters, it seemed fairly quiet. Someone more clichéd than I would have said it was too quiet.

“It’s quiet. Too quiet.” said Jamis.

I glared at him. “Rule the third of Shadow’s elite team; clichés are bad, stop being lame.”

Verca tilted her head and asked, “What’s the first rule?”

“The first rule of Shadow’s elite team is don’t talk about Shadow’s elite team. The second rule is a corollary to that, stating it’s okay to talk about the team as long as I instigate the conversation.”

As Verca opened her mouth to say something else, I noticed a flicker of movement from the spire, and said, “Wait! Movement!”

Then the entire spire erupted, and combat began.

Ravagers flowed out of the spire, spindly things with feral faces and sharp claws. I summoned the shadows and directed them into moving shields, blocking the ravagers and separating them, crippling their mobility to make it harder for them to attack. I called out to my allies, “Verca! Start throwing around magic! Jamis, Rak, get your swords out and start slicing at any exposed bit of ravager, but don’t get hit!”

They moved into position and followed my instructions. Verca conjured up several tentacles of darkness, which lashed out at ravagers, slicing and swiping and causing general mayhem. Jamis took one side, Rak the other, and they began cutting at ravagers in a sort of rhythm, every two swipes followed by a quick back-step to avoid retaliation.

I saw a ravager sneaking up behind Jamis, and I quickly swiveled around a shield to block, the ravager’s feral talon clanging into the solid mass of darkness. It snarled, and Jamis noticed it, turning quickly to lash out at its legs, sending the creature toppling to the ground. Jamis turned back to the main combat, and I sent the shield smashing down onto the ravager’s head, killing it.

The other shields were moving almost independently on preset courses, funneling the ravagers into large groups to make it easier for my allies to attack them. Still, quite a few were escaping, and there were several ravagers still coming from the spire. I sighted one on a course to Verca, and called out to her, “Verca! Ravager on your right!”

She turned in a flash and, upon seeing it, conjured up another tentacle, this one spikier. She shoved her hand forward towards the ravager, and the tentacle followed, stabbing it in the chest and coming out the other end. With another gesture, the tentacle shifted and the ravager was flung off it, landing amid one of the main groups.

Then, my attention was brought back firmly to the ravager groups, as one of them lashed out at a shield, its clawed hand wreathed in darkness. As its fist connected, the shield shattered, and a horde of ravagers flowed through the gap before I could close it, ten converging on the nearest target, which just happened to be Rak. Well, looks like Clary upgraded them after all.

I yelled, “Rak, move!” as I directed the shadows once more, raising a set of angled spikes from the ground against the oncoming ravagers. Rak saw them and began running, as three crashed into the spikes and were impaled. The remaining seven wove around it, still intent on their target.

I shouted, “Jamis, Verca! Focus on those seven chasing Rak!” Jamis rushed over from slicing at ravagers to chase after Rak’s pursuers, while Verca sent tentacles flying at the outliers of the pursuing group. The first tentacle slammed into a ravager’s head and came out the other end, while the others only found appendages, slowing down but not killing three ravagers.

With only six left, Rak turned to face them, and they slowed to surround him, giving Jamis enough time to catch up. They split into two groups, three facing Rak, three facing Jamis. I checked the other ravagers, and enhanced the shields to make sure they couldn’t disrupt the fight.

One ravager flung himself at Rak, who neatly brought his sword up in an arc, slicing into the ravager. The beast fell back, snarling and wounded, but another ravager brought his claw down on Rak, leaving long scrapes down his arm. Rak cried out and twirled, his sword slicing into the ravager’s leg.

The third ravager facing Rak came up then, shadows around his hand making his claws bigger and sharper. He sliced down at Rak’s head, and I barely managed to defend him in time, raising a wall of darkness to intercept the claw. Rak tripped forward, falling to the ground, and a moment later the ravager darted around the wall and jumped on Rak, claws out and snarls issuing from his throat.

Just in time, Rak brought up his sword, impaling the ravager before it could seriously harm him. However, that left him vulnerable to attack by the remaining two ravagers, who raced toward him. So, I sent a spike of darkness at each’s head, killing them both.

Meanwhile, Jamis had been carefully dueling his ravagers, using his sword to block their attacks and taking any opportunity to retaliate. He’d managed to hold them off, but he’d also done very little damage, and would likely wear down faster than they would. I sent another spike to kill one of the ravagers, and he took advantage of the momentary break to slice out at another, cutting through its leg.

The wounded ravager fell to the side, and Jamis faced the third ravager alone, his blade against its claws. His sword darted out, and the creature ducked, bringing its claws in an arc to slice into Jamis’s leg. Jamis cleanly dodged to the side, bringing his sword around to cut into the monster’s arm, and it couldn’t move in time. The sword gouged into the ravager’s arm, and it howled in pain, before Rak’s sword came down in an arc and sliced through its head. Rak nodded to Jamis, and together they turned to the wounded ravager, killing it cleanly.

However, while they’d won a minor victory there, there were still loads of ravagers, and they were hammering down my shield with surprising force, likely a result of Clary and Wabbit’s alterations.

I considered for a moment, then turned to Verca and said, “This isn’t working. When I say ‘go’, I’m going to drop the shields and cast a mass invisibility spell on us. I’ll need you to cast your flash of night spell at the same time. Can you do that?”

Surprised, she said, “Um, uh yeah I can but wait, invisibility, you can cast invisibility?”

I ignored her, readied myself and my spells, and as I canceled all the shields I cast mass invisibility, and yelled, “Go!”

Verca threw her hands into the air, and darkness flew out in a surge of black and purple, flowing over the battlefield. In mere moments, the entire area was shrouded by night, and we were all invisible.

However, for this plan to work, I needed to be visible. So, I cast an illusion of myself, with a one-second delay on it so I would always be moving slightly ahead of where the ravagers would be attacking.

I drew Whisperdeath, gathered the darkness about my other hand, and prepared to cause chaos.

The moment the night dissipated, I flung myself forward, weapons ready, and slashed with my sword, cleanly decapitating the nearest ravager. I swiveled in an instant to face the next one, and sent a bolt of shadows to throw it back at the spire. I shouted, “Kill them all!” and sliced out at another ravager, cutting it in half.

While I did the dance of death with the majority of the ravagers, I saw a few others losing limbs or gaining cuts seemingly at random, from the invisible slayers. A few tentacles popped up nearby, distracting a few of the ravagers. I grinned at my allies’ work, and continued the slaughter, thrusting my hand into a nearby ravager’s chest and ripping out his heart.

A ravager leapt through the air at my illusion, and I swung my sword around to meet it midair, catching the thing by surprise for the second before my sword bisected it. The two halves fell to the ground amid the carnage, and I stepped over them to grab another ravager’s head. I sent a full pulse of darkness through my hand, and the monster’s head simply exploded, the limp body falling to the ground a moment later.

I did a quick head count (hah, pun), and estimated that only about a quarter of the ravagers were left after all of the killing I’d just done. Apparently, they realized that too, because at that moment the ravagers fled, falling back into the spire. I caught a few more with spikes and blasts as they turned tail and ran, but to the soldiers I called, “Don’t follow them yet. They know the spire far better than we do.” I dropped the invisibility spell.

“So, what do we do now?” asked Verca.

“You three take a moment to rest, regenerate, so on. I’m going to take a look at our competition.”

I looked first to Kymien, over on the left. He was standing atop a mound of dead ravagers, and killing more as I watched, but his caster was dead, and his slayers were backed against a wall. One ravager latched onto his arm, and he flung the creature off, sending it flying into the spire. It collapsed against the side and fell to the ground broken. The second ravager, however, simply slashed at Kymien’s shield with magic claws, leaving deep gouges in the metal. Kymien’s blade swept out and removed the monster’s head from its shoulders, but I could see other, similar gouges all along the potential’s armor. He was hurting.

Satisfied that Kymien was having trouble, I checked Drake. He had no such wounds, but his situation was arguably worse. Drake was weaving about, constantly moving from place to place, and slicing out at any ravagers he passed, leaving them with wounds aplenty. A few big groups of ravagers lay dead on the ground in other areas near the spire, and as I watched Drake’s caster gestured, and darkness exploded in the center of the group Drake had been harassing. The wounds and the explosion together proved enough, and the ravagers fell to the ground, dead. However, I noticed the corpses of Drake’s slayers; it seemed they hadn’t adapted to the stratagem very well.

Verca watched the other groups uneasily, and asked, “Shouldn’t we help them?”

I blinked at her in confusion and asked, “What? Why would we help the competition? If they win, we lose.”

“But, they’re dying!”

“Well, yes, enemy deaths usually do help your team win. Are you new to this?”

“They aren’t our enemies, they’re fellow elementals roped into this stupid contest of yours! They’re dying because of you!”

“Hey! They’re not dying because of me, they’re dying because of the Council. If those stupid bigwigs would have just let me rule over the military as Champion, I wouldn’t have had to set up this stupid thing, with all these enhanced monsters and me lugging around useless soldiers. So blame them for this mess, not me!”

Her eyes widened. “Enhanced monsters? That’s why they’re doing so well? You specifically requested monsters that were too much for us to handle?”

“Well, duh. How else could I be sure to win the contest and remove my competition?”

“But that’s, that’s evil, that’s horrid, that’s monstrous!”

“Yes. Yes it is. Get to the point.”

She just stared at me, dumbstruck. I sighed and said, “If it makes you feel any better, I’m going to try and keep the three of you alive, so I get a better score.”

“Is that all we are to you? A score? How can you view your fellow elementals like that? How can you view any person like that?”

“Hmm. It helps that I don’t quite see the lot of you as people, really. Or at least, I see people in a different manner. You’re all tools, really. Servants, subjects, belongings, nuisances, or opponents. Never really people. I’m people. Person. You get the idea. Apparently, that makes me a bit of a monster. Oh well.”

“That’s just, that’s just wrong!”

“Hey, if it isn’t broken, don’t go fixing it. Being a villainous sociopath works for me. Maybe you should try it some time.”

“Well, I’m going to tell the Council! If they hear that, they’ll never let you be Champion.”

I sighed. “Verca, Verca, Verca. You really are new to this. Let me… educate you. Firstly, never, ever, ever, ever tell the person you know to be a self-professed amoral sociopath that you’re going to try and screw them over. They will kill you in a heartbeat, and not regret a moment of it. Seriously, the smart thing to do would have been to act like you begrudgingly accepted my nature as necessary, and then gone behind my back to alert the Council.”

She paled and stepped back, and I continued, “Of course, it doesn’t matter either way. See, the Council already knows this. They’ve known all along. Why do you think the Council, the oh-so-bloody-brilliant Council, doesn’t want the greatest potential to be the Champion? They know I’m an evil villain, and that’s why Fitzy doesn’t want me to be the Champion. He knows I’d sacrifice you all just to further my own ambitions. And he knows that nobody on this planet can kill me, so instead he tries to stop me politically. And as you can see, I know how to beat him even in that. I’m going to win, dear Verca. I’m going to rule. Fitzy knows this. The Council knows this. Now you know it. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me. So the question is, are you going to try and fight it, or are you going to help me win?”

Verca whimpered, and then sighed. She said, “I will help you, Shadow. I just hope it isn’t enough for you to succeed.”

“Atta girl! Well, I think break time is over, let’s get back to indiscriminately murdering creatures that are just trying to defend their homes!”

The three soldiers formed up behind me, and we entered the spire of the ravagers. It was roomier than I expected. The spire apparently was just for looks, because though I did see a small path leading up, there was nothing actually in the hollowed-out rock. Instead, it seemed all the ravagers had descended, via the massive cave in the middle of the spire.

I walked into the cave, finding it to be a gradual slope, and the soldiers followed me.

A moment later, we were ambushed.

Five ravagers popped out of the walls, likely hiding in hidden crevices. They seemed to have learned not to attack me, and instead focused on my allies, specifically the caster.

Verca barely managed to dodge their opening attacks, but it was enough for Jamis and Rak to move into position and grab the attention of one ravager each. Verca summoned tentacles to distract another, leaving only two to face her.

I killed those two with spikes to the head, and watched Jamis and Rak fight their opponents. It was fairly boring, really. Swipe, stab, slice, dodge, step, slice, stab, dodge. Lots of repetitions. Eventually all the ravagers were slain and we moved on.

We passed through dank tunnels, with walls of coarse stone brushing roughly against my hand. Every now and then I’d feel some strange crack, likely signaling a crevice. However, no more ravagers jumped out, likely scared off by the murder of their friends.

After a few more minutes, we reached an open area, a big cavern rather than a winding tunnel, and in the center I saw a weird little box, with runes on it. Before I could investigate further, ravagers poured out of the walls, surrounding the box.

This time, they had a leader. A tall ravager was wearing some cast-off cloths and leathers, and in two hands held a big rusty sword.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” I said.

“Rah! I is leader of da tribe! You must fight me to be vi-vitor-victri… to be winner!”

“Clary, you’re getting fired for this. This was the best boss fight you could come up with? Really? And everything else was so promising… oh well. Right then, might as well kill this guy.”

“This be great battle! Many triu-triba-tribula- bad stuff!” he shouted.

In response, I pointed my sword at him, channeled energy through it, and disintegrated him with a single high-powered beam of darkness. Seriously. What an anticlimax.

The rest of the ravagers charged us immediately after, snarling and howling with rage. Jamis and Rak readied their blades, Verca her magic, and I just started blasting the ravagers with sword beams.

As the ravagers reached us, my allies exploded into action, swinging swords wildly and letting loose with bursts of magic. Blood flew, limbs were mangled, and ravagers died in droves. However, I was on a schedule, so I just ended up killing them all with a blast of darkness.

With the path cleared, I strode forth to the runed box, and investigated it magically. It was actually much simpler than it looked, essentially being one spell and a trigger for said spell.

And the spell was- I burst out laughing. The spell was an explosive, powerful enough to destroy the whole spire with a burst of volatile Dark energy. Wonderful!

“Uh, what are you laughing about?” asked Rak.

“I am laughing, because my wonderful friends have given me an explosive to play with!” I started tossing the box back and forth between my hands.

The others paled and stepped back, and Jamis stuttered out, “T-th-that’s an e-ex-p-plosive?!”

“Yep! High-quality, blow-up-your-socks, top-of-the-line magical explosive! Powerful enough to blow up this whole spire, and us with it! Well, you three, I’d just shield myself and be fine. Clever bit of work this thing, though I’m guessing Wabbit did most of the work on it.”

“Who?” asked Verca.

“He’s a magic rabbit. Been thinking of getting him a top hat, but I don’t think he knows that trick yet. Anyways, we should really set this off and get to running, don’t you think? Though I would love to watch the explosion from ground zero.”

“Uh, why don’t we watch it from ground three. Or, maybe from Raven’s Shade. That would be good.”

“Oh, don’t be such a pansy. Fine, we’ll watch from aboveground. Wimps.” I threw the box on the ground, activated it mentally, and said calmly, “Run.”

We raced out of the spire, emerging back into the canyon just as the spire was flooded with energy, and collapsed, torn apart by darkness.

I cheered, and yelled, “My compliments, Clary and/or Wabbit! Excellent work!”

Then I turned to the soldiers and said, “Alright! You three did your jobs well enough, so go ahead and report back to the Council.”

“Wait, what are you going to do?”

“I am going to investigate the other two spires. Have fun, good bye.” With that, I sent them on their way, and checked the other spires. Drake’s spire was destroyed, and Drake was waiting outside, all his soldiers dead. Kymien’s spire was still standing, but his soldiers were dead and he wasn’t in sight. I walked over to Drake (a reasonably long walk, to be honest) and asked, “Hey, what’s up with Kymien?”

“What, him? Eh, I saw him go inside the spire, hasn’t come out yet. I see you blew up yours. And kept your troops alive, wow.”

“Yeah, though that did take work. The little idiots are useless in a fight.”

“Agreed. Those slayers didn’t last past the first wave of ravagers. I had to handle all of these groups on my own. The caster ended dying on the final group, so I had to go down there and kill the big one by myself. Not that he was very impressive.”

“Yeah, I was a bit disappointed in my helpers about that. The box-bomb more than made up for it though.”

“Oh yeah, those things are awesome. The explosion was so cool!”

“I know, right? Anyways, we should probably head back now, see the final judging.”

“Yeah, I guess. Though, they’ll probably wait until they figure out if Kymien’s dead or alive.”

“Hmm. How about you and I go check that out?”

“Sure.”

We walked over to Kymien’s spire together, and investigated the carnage. Lots of dead ravagers, the three dead soldiers, and a trail of scuff marks leading down into the cave system.

We followed the trail to its source; Kymien Rathel, slumped against a wall.

“Huh. Well, I guess that’s less competition for us.” I said.

“Yeah, I guess. Never liked the guy, you know? Always too stodgy, too uptight, and too friendly with the Council. I mean, he did help me in a fight, but… meh.”

“I hate the Council. They just keep getting in the way of things. I’ve tangled with them before, it’s always so annoying to deal with it, especially with all the factions. Ugh.”

“It’s the worst. I can hardly ever understand Fitzdonald, he’s always being so secretive, with this ridiculous vocabulary and double-meanings. I hate subtlety, but it’s all her ever uses! I never know what’s going on in those meetings.”

“Oh, it’s easy once you figure out how they work. Fitzy used to be all cloak and dagger, but I’ve made the Council understand that I don’t care about subtlety, and I’m going to be rude and monstrous and get my way no matter what. Every day Fitzdonald gets less subtle and more bitter and sarcastic. At this point, Fitz has gotten so desperate to stop me that he doesn’t even try to impress me with his cunning.”

“Wow. I wish I had the power and influence you do.”

“Oh hey, speaking of that, do you have a sponsor of any kind on the Council? Renessa’s technically my backer, I know Fitz was behind Kymien, but the closest anyone can guess to your backer is Margiotha.”

“What? No, not at all. Actually, I don’t really have a backer. I’ve been approached a few times, but I don’t want to get involved in all that politics shit. I just want to do my part for Nyx, and Darkness, and maybe have a bit of fun.” He grinned.

“Nice. Well, I look forward to having you as… uh, I guess a general or strategist or something, when the time comes to rebuild the army.”

At that, I heard a bout of coughing, and darkness landed at my feet to quickly fade away. Kymien was still alive, and he spluttered out, “You’ll… never… win…”

“Okay, really? You’re still fucking alive? This is just great, just great. I set this whole thing up to get rid of the competition, and you’re still alive!?” I ranted at Kymien.

“Wow. He’s resilient. And wait… you set this up just to kill one of us?”

“Yeah, more him than you… say, would you be up for helping me out here? We both hate this guy, he’s so close to death… what do you say we help him along?”

Drake tapped his chin for a moment, and then shrugged and said, “Sure.”

“Thanks. You can do the honors.”

“My pleasure.”

Kymien looked up at him, his face hateful but also confused. “Why… why would you… betray me… betray us all… we fought together… we were… allies…”

Drake smiled. “Sorry, pal. But I’d rather stick with the winning side.” He brought out his rapier, lit it up with darkness, and stabbed it through Kymien’s head. Darkness poured from the wound, and then Kymien fell apart entirely, darkness flowing from him to leave a skeleton.

Drake nodded at me, and asked, “Shall we report back?”

“Let’s.”

We left the spire, and began walking in the direction of the Council. As we did, Drake asked, “So, what’s that sword you have there? It looks pretty cool.”

“I call it Whisperdeath. It’s a channeler, meaning I can easily send magic through it, cast spells with it, so on. What’s yours?”

“Gildenprick. Not a channeler, just a good sword. How’d you get a channeler anyways?”

“Raided a dungeon. Lots of traps and monsters, cool place. Fought a mirror version of myself, and a really powerful Light guy. I got Whisperdeath, an awesome scrying mirror that can do crazy stuff, and a book containing knowledge that doesn’t exist anywhere else on Nyx.”

He blinked a few times, then said, “Nice.”

We arrived at the cliff side, and joined the gathering. Fitzdonald furrowed his brow at us, and asked, “Where is Kymien Rathel? The judging cannot commence until he is here.” There was a note of worry in his voice.

“Bad news, Fitzy. Your minion’s dead. Died to the ravagers. Nasty beasties, aren’t they? Good work, Clary and Wabbit.” I said.

Clary curtsied, and Wabbit wiggled his ears from his perch on a table. Fitzdonald’s eyes widened, and he said, “He… old friend… he’s dead? Kymien is a veteran of wars, those were just mere… beasts.” He looked at me in horror. “What have you done?”

Verca spoke up. “Sir, Shadow admitted that her friends did something to the monsters to make them more powerful.”

Fitzdonald’s eyes filled with hate. “Is that so? It seems as if such an action would invalidate Kiana’s claim to the challenge.”

“Actually,” Clary interjected, “before the challenge began, I listed the rules of the contest, and you agreed to them. There were no rules that banned magical enhancements, and indeed Shadow herself did not do such things, we did. So, you can’t disqualify her for that. You can only judge her based on the criteria I stated at the start of this. And by those criteria, she wins.”

For a single instant, Fitzdonald’s mask of political savvy and charisma shattered, and he looked at me with the full force of his rage and hate, every last scrap of bitterness and resentment he felt towards me. And then, he smiled.

Fuck.

When you have just killed someone’s oldest friend, and they smile at you, it is not good.

He gestured to the Council, and called out, “They are right of course. Magically enhancing those creatures to make them too difficult for Kymien to kill was fully within their rights, and thus Kiana is the victor of this contest, as witnessed by the Council. She proved most adequate, and capable in all areas.”

He continued, “Indeed, she seems capable in areas beyond what the contest was about. She proved very capable of manipulating rules so that she could not be accused of cheating, while at the same time arranging for the downfall of her opposition, all part of a contest designed to elevate her status, though the contest seems to have been fixed from the start! Once more, and perhaps for the first time to many of you, Kiana shows that she is both the most powerful and the most snake-like of the potentials! We cannot trust her to lead out forces in battle, nor to be involved in politics, nor to do anything, as she is inherently deceitful. I move that we place an immediate vote on who to make Champion. I, and those who stand behind me, change our allegiance from Kymien to Drake.”

I stared in shock as every member of the Council not directly aligned with Renessa said, “Aye!”

Fitzdonald called out, “Drake,” and was answered by a chorus from most of the Council. Only Renessa and a few others said my name, and then it was over.

Fitzdonald turned to Drake and said, “Congratulations on your new place in our society. I look forward to working with you, Champion. Your army awaits.”

With that, he walked back through the portal, which I’d left open when I came through. The Council followed, and the soldiers, and lastly Drake, looking quite reluctant.

And then they were gone.

And nothing made sense.

“Shadow? Are you alright?” asked Clary.

Those words were the final catalyst, and without a sound, I fainted against the rocky earth, unconscious.

I woke the next morning in an alleyway. I’d been too lazy the past few nights to find a decent place to sleep, and I didn’t want to fly or portal to Widow’s Dusk. Checking that it was morning, and finding the luminescence from Warfield in the sky above to match a morning-ish intensity, I got out my scrying mirror and focused on Clary.

She appeared in the mirror, sitting on a rock, staring out into a box canyon and talking to Malk. “Malk, I just don’t see the point. It’d be two bases in a box canyon. If one side captures the other, all they have is two bases in a box canyon!”

“It’s the principle of the thing! They’d have our flag, you know? We have to get back because… because of orders.”

“Orders? What, like it would be some sort of official military base, as if the Dark army has some reason to put two bases in a box canyon and pit them against each other?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the Dark army, it would be like… the Blacks and the Whites, or the Greens and the Purples! Two factions that are pitted against each other, eternally locked in battle.”

“Over a box canyon.”

“Look, it isn’t a perfect idea. It doesn’t need to be! Maybe, maybe it could be a game, or a comedy show or something. It was just an idea.”

I concentrated on the mirror, and focused my thoughts on creating a new rune. It appeared, and I held my finger on it, before saying, “Testing, testing, you two are silly, testing, is this thing on?”

Malk and Clary looked around in shock, and I grinned. “Hello, puny elementals. I am your new goddess. Wait, no, I’m already your goddess. Well, anyways, hi Clary, hi Malk. What are you talking about?”

Clary mumbled, “S-shadow? Is that you?”

“Yes, of course it’s me, you ninny. This mirror is fucking awesome, I can do anything with it. Anyways, what were you two talking about?”

Malk said, “Uh, I was telling her about this idea I had, using the canyon. Like, two teams playing some sort of capture-the-flag thing, but as if they were in an actual war instead of just a game. Possibly with jokes.”

“It’ll never catch on. Anyways, I’m going to be bringing the potentials and such to your location hopefully today, so I’d appreciate it if you got things ready. Is that the spot, where you’re at?”

“Yes. And don’t worry, we’ll work quickly.” said Clary.

“Okay, thanks, bye.” I said, and ended the spell. I stretched in place, put away the mirror, and began walking toward the headquarters. I arrived moments later, and was ushered into the building proper. I found myself once more facing the Council. “Well? You lot finish voting yet?” I asked.

Renessa said, “Actually, we were waiting for you to be here.”

Fitzdonald nodded. “Now that we are all gathered, the Council shall come to a vote. All in favor of Kiana’s contest, say ‘aye’.” There were a few who were silent, but for the most part it was a chorus of ‘aye’. Fitzdonald sighed. “Aye. The Council has voted. This… contest shall become a reality. Kiana, where is it, and when can it be arranged?”

I grinned wickedly. “It’s in a canyon I can show you to, and we can begin the moment you gather the other potentials and the soldiers.”

Fitzdonald frowned. “Very well. It will not take long to gather soldiers, and both potentials are in the city, outside this building. Meeting adjourned.”

I strolled out of the building and quickly sighted the other potentials, since I’d seen them before at the training place. The young one, Drake, was still looking a bit fancy with his outfit and rapier, while Kymien was wearing armor and using a sword and shield instead of the warhammer from before. As I walked towards them I called out, “Hello, competition.”

They turned to face me, and they were both affected by my appearance. Drake stared, his eyes wide and his jaw slightly open. Kymien simply drew his weapon and shield in a single movement, his face guarded and wary.

I laughed. “Well, I’m glad someone finally noticed my outfit. The whole bloody Council didn’t seem to notice or care that I was wearing a fucking skull on my shoulder, and armor adorned with spikes and looking all wicked and evil. Seriously, I don’t know what was up with that. I bet Fitzy got to them, warned them so they wouldn’t be intimidated. Bastard.”

Drake relaxed somewhat, while Kymien tightened his grip.

“Potential Kiana, do not mock Fitzdonald. He is a noble man, and a good friend,” spoke Kymien.

“Yes, yes, you two are BFFs or whatever. Lighten up. And seriously, what’s with the clutching of the shield and sword? You are aware I trained as a caster first, right? What is armor or a shield going to do when I can just stab you in the face from all the way over here with dark tentacles?”

Kymien scowled, but lowered his shield.

“Good boy! So, what’s up with the two of you?”

Drake said, “We were waiting for you to get out, so we could hear what’s going on. You’re Kiana Vessian, right?”

My eye twitched. “I’m Shadow. Fitzy McDouche calls me by my given name, which I despise because it’s boring. And the verdict’s in, we’re going to do the competition I devised. So is Drake your given name?”

“Yup! I got wicked lucky.”

“Nice. So, you two are the other potentials, huh? What’s your stories?”

“Well, I’m considered a bit of fighting prodigy, graduated top of my class in the Academy of War and managed to learn a bit of casting on the side. Although, that’s apparently nothing compared to what you’ve done.” I nodded my head in acknowledgement, and he continued, “This guy though, I’m not sure what his deal is. Apparently he’s fought in a few wars, which is cool, but he doesn’t talk much, and when he does it’s all formal and shit, like every day is a funeral or some big political thing. I don’t really care for all that, I just want to be awesome and help the Dark army.”

“I can respect that. I want to be Champion so I can slaughter anything that gets in my way, and carve a bloody swathe across the cosmos, until the very capital of Lux is nothing but rubble beneath my feet, and I rule on high as the goddess of all elementals.”

Kymien raised his sword again, glaring at me, while Drake just blinked and said, “Heavy.”

I smirked, and said, “Thanks. Perhaps, if you survive the coming days, you might be given a high place within my empire. Got any skills?”

“Well, according to the Academy I’m a strategic genius. I helped plan a few campaigns.”

“Nice. You could be a general or something.”

“Heh. Yeah. Are you really going to try and become, like, the ruler of all worlds or something? That’s a bit ambitious for a potential. What if you don’t become Champion, anyways?”

“Then I’ll destroy anything that gets in my way, and if I have to I’ll start a civil war, as long as I end up leading the armies of Darkness against the other elements. Nothing can stop me.”

Kymien growled again.

“Uh, wow. Well, I hope you don’t take it the wrong way, but I still would like to compete for the spot of Champion. If you win though, I’ll gladly help you out. And if I win, I, uh, probably won’t try and oppose you. I don’t much like the Council anyways.”

“Thanks. I’ll try not to kill you, if it comes to that.”

We waited in silence for a few minutes, until the soldiers arrived in a group.

They were in a formation of nine, three-by-three. The casters were in front, the slayers behind. Once they arrived, they introduced themselves, the casters speaking.

“I am Ahlen Vas, a caster. These are Jess and Rella, slayers. We are assigned to the potential known as Drake.” Drake raised his hand, and the first column moved to join him. They went off to the side to talk.

“I am Korria, a caster. These are Riley and Morgan, slayers. We are assigned to the potential known as Kymien Rathel.” Rathel nodded, and they joined him off to the side.

“I am Verca Moren, a caster. These are Jamis and Rak, slayers. We are assigned to the potential known as Kiana Vessian.”

I sighed, and said, “The name is Shadow. Now, what are your skills, training, experience in battle, so forth?”

Verca gulped. “I graduated with honors from the Academy of Magic, Shadow. I have fought in several practice skirmishes, and one ratlakka hunt.”

“Okay, that’s… a bit low. You’re going to be facing monsters more powerful than the average veteran. Can you do illusions, tentacles, what sort of Dark magic can you use?”

“I can, uh, create basic tentacles, or a brief flash of night, shrouding the area nearby for a few seconds in blackest darkness.”

“Hmm. I suppose I can use those. Right, slayers! What can you do?”

Jamis said, “Rak and I are trained in the basics from the Academy of War, and we’ve fought on several hunting patrols in the region nearby.”

“In other words, you have no experience with actual combat, only hunting rabbits, or the occasional monster that dies to twenty swords at once. Terrific.”

Rak said hesitantly, “Pardon my for asking, but aren’t you the potential who is supposed to be one of the most powerful elementals on Nyx, maybe all worlds?”

“Yes, and yes I could just slaughter all the enemy monsters, but Fitzy and the Council dorks need to see that I can lead, direct armies and squads, and do things the hard way. Bunch of self-righteous pricks.”

Verca’s eyes widened and she cried out, “But, they’re the Council! Those who lead us, who we look up to and take orders from! You can’t insult the Council!”

I smirked. “Actually I can. ‘Most powerful elemental on Nyx’, remember? I can do whatever I want.”

She paled and took a step back. I shook my head, sighed, and said, “Oh, relax. I’m not going to kill you, I need you alive to win this contest.”

Verca relaxed a little, and I continued, “Okay, here’s the basics; we’re going to be fighting ridiculously powerful enemies, so let me take the aggro. You three focus on dealing DPS, and we should be fine. From time to time I’ll give you orders, commands, and general advice to help you fight and use your abilities. Verca, you should stick to the tentacles in combat, only use the other abilities when I tell you to. Got all that?”

“Uh, yes, but what does ‘aggro’ and ‘DPS’ mean?”

I sighed. “I miss Clary. Okay, aggro means hostile attention, how much the enemy is focusing on you. DPS is an acronym for damage-per-second, meaning how much damage you’re dealing. They’re gaming terms, I guess.”

“Ah.”

A moment later, I saw the Council begin to stream out of the headquarters, coming towards us. When they had all arrived, Fitzdonald came forward and said, “Alright, tell us where the arena is, or what city it’s near, and we’ll head to the city portal.”

“That’ll take too long. How about I just make one right here?”

He blinked at me. “What are you talking about? Make one what?”

“One of these,” I said as I gestured with my hand. A meter away, a portal shimmered into existence, stretching out to make a large gateway. On the other side, I saw Malk and Clary standing at attention.

The Council, the soldiers, the potentials, and most of all Fitzdonald, were absolutely dumbstruck.

“You… you just created a portal.” Fitzdonald sounded shocked.

“Yep. Military applications are endless, aren’t they? Shame I’m not the Champion.” I said in response.

For a moment, for one glorious moment, there was doubt in Fitzdonald’s eyes. Then, they hardened, and he said, “Well, that’s very impressive, but we must focus on the task at hand. Through the portal, everyone. We have a contest to judge.”

Fitzdonald walked through, followed by the Council, Kymien, Drake, and finally me.