CHAPTER 8 — THE DAY I ALMOST DIED (AGAIN)… AND IT WAS EMBARRASSING
(Lira's POV)
If there's one thing I've learned since being dragged into this shadow nightmare, it's this: I don't get normal days. I get dangerous days. Confusing days. And occasionally—Deeply embarrassing, near-death experiences that I will absolutely never recover from.
Today was shaping up to be all three. "Focus." "I am focusing." "You're not." "I am!" "You're staring at nothing." "I'm thinking!" "You're panicking." "I am not panicking!" "You are." "I am strategically panicking," I corrected.
Kael didn't look impressed. Not even a little. Which was rude. Very rude. "Again," he said. I stared at him. Then at my hand. Then back at him. Then back at my hand.
Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. No shadows. No power. No dramatic moment. Just me… standing there like a very confused human being who apparently wasn't even human. "This is humiliating," I muttered.
"You're not trying." "I am trying!" "You're thinking." "That's the same thing!" "It's not." I glared at him. "Okay, genius, then what am I supposed to do? Turn it on like a light switch?"
"Yes." I blinked. "You cannot be serious." "I am." "That's not how anything works!" "It is here." I closed my eyes. Took a deep breath. Counted to three. Opened them again.
Still nothing. "Great," I said. "Love this. Very powerful. Much impressive." Kael said nothing. Which somehow made it worse. "Maybe I'm broken," I said.
"You're not." "Maybe I'm defective." "You're not." "Maybe the universe made a mistake." "It didn't." "Well something clearly went wrong because I'm supposed to be this terrifying, rule-breaking existence and I can't even make a shadow wiggle."
A pause. Then—"Try again." I stared at him. "You are unbelievably unhelpful." "Try again." "I just did!" "Do it properly." "Define properly!" "Stop talking."
I froze. "…wow." "Focus." "I hate you." "No, you don't." "I really feel like I do right now." "Focus, Lira." That tone again. Low. Commanding. Annoyingly effective.
I took another breath. Closed my eyes. And this time—I actually tried. Not thinking. Not overanalyzing. Just… feeling. The bond. The strange energy inside me.
For a second—Nothing happened. Then—Something shifted. A faint flicker. Like a shadow bending slightly out of place. My breath caught. "Wait—" And then it disappeared.
Just like that. Gone. Completely gone. … I opened my eyes slowly. "Did you see that?" I asked. "Yes." "I did something!" "You almost did something."
"That still counts!" "It doesn't." "It absolutely does!" He tilted his head slightly, studying me. "You're unstable." I blinked. "I'm sorry—what?"
"Your power isn't consistent." "Well excuse me for not mastering reality-breaking abilities in five minutes!" "You don't have five minutes." "That's comforting." "It wasn't meant to be."
I crossed my arms, pacing again. "Okay," I said. "New theory." He waited. "I'm amazing." "That's not a theory." "That's the conclusion." "No, it's not."
"Okay, fine. New theory—I need motivation." "You have motivation." "Do I?" "You don't want to die." "That's a very basic level of motivation." "It's effective."
"I need something more inspiring." "Like what?" "I don't know. A speech. Dramatic music. A life-changing moment." "This isn't a performance." "It could be." "It's not."
"You're ruining the atmosphere." "There is no atmosphere." "There could be!" I stopped pacing and looked at him again. "You're very bad at encouragement, you know that?" "I'm not here to encourage you."
"Then what are you here for?" A pause. Then—"To make sure you survive." My chest tightened slightly. Annoying. Very annoying. "Wow," I said quickly. "That was almost nice." "It wasn't." "Let me have this moment." "No." "Rude." I sighed, rubbing my face. "Okay, serious question." He waited. "If I can't control this… what happens?" Silence. Then—"You lose control." "That is not helpful." "You asked." "I wanted a better answer!" "That is the answer." I stared at him. "Do I explode?" "No." "Do I destroy everything?" "Possibly." I blinked. "…I'm sorry, possibly?!" "Yes."
"That's not a comforting word!" "It's accurate." "Stop being accurate!" "No." I dropped my hands dramatically. "Fantastic. So either I learn this, or I accidentally destroy something. No pressure." "Correct." "I hate this place." "You'll get used to it." "I'm starting to think you say that about everything." "I do." "Of course you do." I took another breath. Tried again. Focused. Felt. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. … I slowly lowered my hand.
"This is not going well." "You're forcing it." "I'm not forcing it, I'm begging it!" "That's worse." "Wow, thank you, very helpful." "You're welcome." I narrowed my eyes. "Was that sarcasm?"
"No." "I don't believe you." A sudden chill ran through the air. Sharp. Wrong. Different. I froze instantly. "…okay, that's new." Kael went completely still. His entire posture shifted. Every trace of calm disappeared. And just like that—The atmosphere changed. From frustrating… To dangerous. "What is that?" I whispered. "They found you." Oh. Great. Fantastic.
Amazing. "Of course they did," I said. "Why wouldn't they?" "Stay behind me." "I feel like that's becoming a pattern." "Lira." That tone again. Not annoyed. Not calm. Serious. Very serious. "…okay, yeah, I'll listen this time." The shadows around us twisted. Not like before. Not controlled. Not calm. Violent. Unstable.
Something was coming. Something that didn't belong. And for the first time since I got here—I felt it clearly. That same fear from before. But stronger. Closer. More real. "I don't like this," I muttered. "You shouldn't."
"That's not reassuring!" "It's not meant to be." "Again with that!" A low sound echoed through the space. Not quite a growl. Not quite a voice. Something in between. Something wrong. My entire body tensed. "Okay," I said slowly. "New plan." Kael didn't respond. "New plan," I repeated, "we run." "No." I stared at him. "No?" "No." "Why not?!" "Because it's already here." …
Oh. That's bad. That's very bad. The shadows split. And something stepped through. Tall. Distorted. Wrong. Very wrong. I took one look at it—And immediately stepped closer to Kael. "Yeah, I'm definitely staying behind you." "Stay there." "Don't worry, I am not moving." "Good." The creature moved. Fast. Too fast. Kael reacted instantly. The shadows obeyed him—Sharp, deadly, precise. The clash was violent. Loud. Terrifying. And me? I stood there.
Completely useless. Again. "Okay," I muttered. "This is my moment. I'm going to do something." Nothing happened. Of course nothing happened. "Come on," I whispered. "Now would be a really good time to not fail." Still nothing. "Wow," I said. "Amazing. Incredible. Truly helpful." The creature lunged again. Closer this time. Too close. My heart slammed against my chest.
"KAEL—" The bond reacted. Hard. Sharp. Sudden. And this time—Something answered. The shadows near me snapped. Violent. Uncontrolled. Real. My breath caught. "Oh." The creature froze for a second. Just one. But it was enough. Kael didn't hesitate. The attack landed. Clean.
Final. The creature disappeared into darkness. Silence fell. Heavy. Sharp. Real. I stared at my hands. Then at the space where the creature had been. Then at Kael. "…did I just help?" He looked at me. Long. Careful. Calculating. "Yes." I blinked.
I DID SOMETHING." "You did." "I DID SOMETHING!" "You did." "I am incredible." "You're unstable." "I choose to focus on the first part." "You shouldn't." "I will anyway."
He stepped closer. Slow. Intentional. Dangerous. And this time—I didn't step back. "You felt it," he said. "Yes." "You used it." "…yes." A pause. Then—"Good." I sighed. "You really need new words." "No." "Of course not." But this time—I didn't argue. Because my heart was still racing. My hands were still shaking.
And the power inside me? It wasn't quiet anymore. It was awake. And somehow—That was more terrifying than everything else.