I reach Kaia's door before dawn, when the academy's shadows are deepest. My fire rune pulses with restless energy, making the corridor's torches flare in response. The power in my blood feels different lately, wilder, more demanding. Like it knows something's coming.
Through the gap beneath her door, I spot Bob patrolling in slow, purposeful arcs. The shadow pauses his rounds to investigate my boots, and I swear he gives me an approving nod before resuming his guard duty. Even now, their growing personalities throw me off—though Bob's stoic professionalism is easier to respect than Carl's ceiling antics.
"Kaia," I call softly, knocking. "We need to move."
No response, but her shadows shift beneath the door. Another one joins Bob—probably Patricia taking notes. A third shadow, smaller than the others, drifts through the gap like smoke. It bobs peacefully in the air before me, seeming to study my face with genuine curiosity.
"What in the void…" I start, but Finn's voice cuts me off.
"Walter!" he exclaims, appearing beside me with his usual terrible timing. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to, little guy."
I raise an eyebrow. "Walter?"
"Look at him," Finn gestures to the tiny shadow, which does a lazy flip in response. "He's clearly a Walter. Has that sophisticated explorer vibe, you know? Like an old cartographer who once mapped the stars and then retired to haunt a library."
"I don't know how you come up with these names," I mutter, but the shadow, Walter, seems pleased, drifting closer to investigate the glow of my fire rune.
The door opens before I can protest further. Kaia stands there, wings half-furled behind her, shadows coiling protectively at her feet. The sight still knocks the air from my lungs. Not just how beautiful she is, but the raw power she radiates. My fire rune burns hotter in response.
"Let me guess," she says, voice rough with sleep. "Time to go save the world?"
"Something like that." I try for gruff but probably fail. Hard to maintain distance when her violet eyes meet mine, when her wings shift like they're reaching for me too.
The small shadow floats between us, doing another pleased flip before settling near Kaia's shoulder. Her expression shifts to curiosity as she studies the unfamiliar shadow.
"Who's this little one?" she asks, watching as the shadow investigates her wings with delicate interest.
"Walter, apparently," I explain, gesturing toward Finn. "He's on a mission to name every shadow in existence."
"He's got that distinguished air about him," Finn defends. "Like a gentleman explorer who got lost in the library and decided to stay."
Kaia laughs, the sound hitting me square in the ribs. "Walter," she repeats, testing the name. "It suits him." Her other shadows seem to welcome the newcomer, even Bob pausing his patrol to acknowledge Walter's presence.
"We should go," I say, forcing myself to focus. "Malrik's waiting at the portal grounds."
She nods, sobering. Her wings draw closer, and her shadows shift into more defensive positions. Even Walter's peaceful bobbing takes on a purposeful quality.
"Ready to face certain doom?" Finn asks cheerfully.
Kaia's smile is fierce. "With you guys? I should be terrified."
The words settle something in my chest, even as my fire rune blazes with protective fury. Whatever we're walking into, whatever corruption Absentia holds, she won't face it alone.
I won't let her.
When we reach the portal grounds, Kaia pauses, her wings drawing close as she looks at our assembled group. Her shadows swirl anxiously around her feet as she turns to face us.
"Last chance to back out," she says, trying for lightness, but the shadows curling around her ankles betray the strain. "Except you, Malrik, I know this is your fight too. But the rest of you… you don't have to do this."
Finn, lounging against a pillar and tossing some glowing trinket in the air, snorts. "Nice try, Trouble. But we've been over this."
"More like organizing a revolution," I say, moving to stand beside my brother. "Did you really think we'd let you face certain doom without us?"
Bob, hovering near Kaia's shoulders, puffs up with what might be pride, while Mouse chirps his approval from her feet. Even her newer shadows seem to dance with excitement, feeding off her emotions.
"This isn't a game," Malrik starts from his position by the portal, but Aspen steps forward, cutting him off.
"No," my twin says quietly, his ice-blue eyes meeting Kaia's violet ones. "Which is exactly why you need us. All of us."
