Otherworldly - A Shadowed Awakening

Fall of Autumn, Week 4, Day 2

Exhausted, I fell into the plush couch in the Love of Zorya once Melinda had left. It was a soft orange color, with sun designs pressed into it. The dark wood making up the base complemented it well. I kicked up my feet onto one of the matching cushions and stared into space.

“I’m here. In Fellan. I made it.” I said to myself.

>It’s a miracle, isn’t it? That you’ve been able to survive outside the estate.<

It was Eunora. Usually, I would exhaust her in the morning with something incendiary –something that made her talk. But I had wanted her to witness my arrival. Wanted her to see Fellan with me.

That turned out to only gain me a modicum of goodwill, it seemed.

“It feels that way."

[System Notifications]

I called up the list of everything I’d accomplished over the past five weeks. It felt both satisfying and too slow.

[Congratulations! Inspect has reached Level 6!]

[Congratulations! Inspect has reached Level 7!]

[Congratulations! Inspect has reached Level 8!]

[Congratulations! Weaving has reached Level 6!]

[Congratulations! Weaving has reached Level 7!]

[Congratulations! Weaving has reached Level 8!]

[Congratulations! Weaving has reached Level 9!]

[Congratulations! Weaving is now Level 10! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Mana Manipulation has reached Level 3!]

[Congratulations! Mana Manipulation has reached Level 4!]

[Congratulations! Mana Manipulation is now Level 5! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Mana Manipulation has reached Level 6!]

[Congratulations! Mana Manipulation has reached Level 7!]

[Congratulations! Mana Manipulation has reached Level 8!]

[Congratulations! Mana Manipulation has reached Level 9!]

[Congratulations! Mana Manipulation is now Level 10! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Mana Sense has reached Level 6!]

[Congratulations! Mana Sense has reached Level 7!]

[Congratulations! Mana Sense has reached Level 8!]

[Congratulations! Mana Sense has reached Level 9!]

[Congratulations! Mana Sense is now Level 10! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Quick Calculation has reached Level 3!]

[Congratulations! Quick Calculation has reached Level 4!]

[Congratulations! Quick Calculation is now Level 5! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Silent as a Shadow has reached Level 3!]

[Congratulations! Silent as a Shadow has reached Level 4!]

[Congratulations! Silent as a Shadow is now Level 5! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Weave of Darkness has reached Level 7!]

[Congratulations! Weave of Darkness has reached Level 8!]

[Congratulations! Weave of Darkness has reached Level 9!]

[Congratulations! Weave of Darkness is now Level 10! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Shadow Conjuration has reached Level 8!]

[Congratulations! Shadow Conjuration has reached Level 9!]

[Congratulations! Shadow Conjuration is now Level 10! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Shadow Manipulation has reached Level 8!]

[Congratulations! Shadow Manipulation has reached Level 9!]

[Congratulations! Shadow Manipulation is now Level 10! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Shadow Animation has reached Level 7!]

[Congratulations! Shadow Animation has reached Level 8!]

[Congratulations! Shadow Animation has reached Level 9!]

[Congratulations! Shadow Animation is now Level 10! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Sophism has reached Level 3!]

[Congratulations! Sophism has reached Level 4!]

[Congratulations! Sophism is now Level 5! New features unlocked!]

[Congratulations! Eternal Communion has reached Level 3!]

A thousand things had changed in that church. From how I viewed myself to how I viewed the Dusk. I no longer had the ability to hide my power. Even if I wanted to, that would have been an insane choice. It was out. The only blessing so far was that I could practice more intensely after hitting [Mana Manipulation] Level 10. It allowed me to hide my mana within myself. So, I needed to embrace the growth and advance before someone immeasurably powerful tried to take my strength from me again.

Abelia. I grit my teeth. The worst part was the notification I got after she left.

[Congratulations! You have been noticed by the Goddess of Truth, Abelia! You've learned the skill: Eyes of Gospel.]

[Congratulations! Due to the Goddess of Truth, Abelia, you have received an additional 25 Divinity! You currently have 132 Divinity.]

[Eyes of Gospel] allowed me to see through lies. The Skill was limited to a single use per day. What it meant by seeing through lies I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t used the Skill, not due to any moral compunctions but rather I hadn’t really talked to the knights on the last few legs. I was focused, and obsessed with growing stronger.

But being in Fellan, it felt like a breath of fresh air. We’d finally stopped moving. And I could go to a stationary bathroom. Plus, Melinda had been nice.

“Eunora, I don’t care what you say. I’m taking a nap.” I sighed and curled further into the couch.

Blissfully, Eunora was silent.

As I slept, I had the same dream that had haunted me since the church. A dream of fangs and silver skin and blood. It always ends the same. With the knights piercing me with their swords and the church stringing me up.

I woke up in a cold sweat for the countless time, and when I saw myself in the mirror, dark bags hung under my eyes. I had to remind myself that I may have called the Divine, but I am not the one who lied. I am not the one who told a half-truth.

It didn’t always work. Today was one of those days.

“I’m sorry, Sir Rellar,” I said to my reflection, putting my hand up to my cheek. “One day, I’ll make it right.”

“[Eyes of Gospel]”

In the mirror, my eyes began to glow in a bright white. A tang filled my mouth, and a foul stench hit my nose. I recoiled, covering my mouth while I gagged, and the Skill ended.

A lie.

The Skill was right, though, I would never make it right. It wasn’t possible to do good by a dead man. I knew it was a lie before I said it. Instead of dwelling on that thought, I went back to the main bedroom.

Deep reds and oranges decorated the room, and gold and bronze accents emphasized the opulence. The bed would be massive for a fully grown adult, let alone a child, and there were several rooms attached to the bedroom –two closets and a bathroom. From the main doorway of the bedroom, there was a separate sitting room from the entryway, with a small game table, another couch, and two sitting chairs surrounding a coffee table, and access to a balcony that overlooked the main entry into the estate.

It was lavish and beautiful, but it was very much of the Dawn and so, to me, it was distasteful.

I pulled open the balcony door and went outside, leaning against the railing. My shoulders met the top of the wrought iron, and I shivered. The knit jacket I’d made kept me warm enough, but today there was an extra chill.

The first snow, I thought wistfully.

“Autumn is almost over,” I said to myself. “What will Winter bring?”

>Monsters.< Came Eunora’s voice from deep inside me, >It always brings more monsters.<

“It’ll devastate the towns, won’t it? What Eve is doing.”

>There’s no proof, you know. It could be a corrupted mana source went undisturbed last season.<

I gripped the metal with my hands so tight my knuckles were white, and my palms stung. “No proof, except she’s a [Young Lady of Monsters] and has a vendetta against her younger sister.”

>Against you. You should say it, at least. Since you’ve taken my name.<

“Right,” I said wryly. “Against me.”

>Well, at least there’s that–< Her voice cut off, and I felt [Eternal Communion] run out of steam.

What use was it in denying it, for even a moment? I was Eunora Dawn. —- is the past. She is of elsewhere. And I am too far gone here. Even my blood is corrupted by the Divinity on my [Status]. Any chance to go back relies on a Divine. A useless, malicious Divine. Or Morloch, I thought.

But Morloch was clear. I needed to grow by myself. He would not help me. Not yet. Not until I proved my worth, I was sure of it.

I took a moment to look over the Fellan estate. Unlike at the main house, there was no hedge maze here. Just two circular gardens, one on either side of the main road that led to the front entrance. The road itself was paved with three different colored stones, a grey stone that served as the background, a terracotta red brick that served as the first sun, and a burnished yellow stone that served as the second sun. The pattern repeated down the road. The two suns overlapped, then there was a span of grey background, then they appeared and overlapped again and again until they reached the golden gate that separated the estate from the wilderness outside. There was a small forest that separated the estate from the town of Fellan. Only thirty minutes from the main entrance of the town, the estate was settled just off the main road. When we had arrived, I’d been able to see the walls of the town before we veered to the right and up a steep incline.

Before Melinda had left, she’d told me that if I went up to the top of the bell tower, I would be able to see the town stretched out below. She’d even offered to show me. I was too exhausted to take her up on it, though. I’d likely find my way there soon enough. This estate had a much simpler design than the main estate, with fewer turns and stories.

Another chill came through me as the wind whipped my braid around me.

[Shadow Manipulation]

Even from the second floor, I could sense the items I’d crafted resting on the front stoop of the manor. I could feel each plushie in the crates, smaller than I’d made them, and the oversized blanket I’d hand-woven was folded and placed on top of a stack of crates.

I reached my hand out and closed my eyes. There was no need to see when I could feel the presence of my shadows around me.

Come to me.

At once, the blanket began to shift and unfold. I heard yelps from the lower floor and smiled to myself, hopefully none of the staff would worry about it. The black blanket flew through the air, whipping in the wind. It turned a corner and flew straight toward me, then wrapped itself around my shoulders like a long-lost friend.

Did I mentally control the blanket? Yes. Did that matter in that moment? No. So I enjoyed the crisp air on my nose and sank to my knees, wrapping myself tighter in the blanket. Leaning backward, I looked up at the cloud-ridden sky, where snow still occasionally fell.

It was later now, almost dinner time. After a few minutes of calm, I unwrapped myself and dragged the blanket back inside to get ready. I needed to get the road dust off my clothes and re-plait my hair. Two of the delicately braided roses had come undone during my nap, so I would have to spend some time on that, as well as generally straightening up my appearance.

By the time I was finished, it was definitely time for dinner. I headed out of the Love of Zorya and made my way back to the main entryway. Someone was bound to be there, waiting. I’d actually probably run into them on the way if they were still unloading the carriage. They would probably be ready to take the crates up and unpack soon.

Where they would put it all was beyond me. I mean, they had practically stripped the crown molding off my previous bedroom. I snorted at that thought, then I froze.

Wait a minute– I whipped my head up and around, narrowing my eyes. I thought back to my final days before leaving for Fellan. “If they were just going to give me a new room here, why’d I have to bring all my old furniture? They had me sleeping in a bare room for three days!”