Dark powers and shadows

Freda’s POV.

Inside Sylas cabin, flickering candles created long shadows on the walls, thereby darkening the cottage. Standing in the middle of the room, Sylas had dark eyes that radiated an uncomfortable brightness. I could sense the power of the training ahead; his presence felt like a storm just ready to strike, everything felt so dark with so much negative energy. "We can start today, " Sylas replied, his voice low and firm. "You will encounter challenges meant to test your limits. Remember, nevertheless, every test you complete advances your actual power. I nodded, trying to control my breathing. Though my heart was hammered with a mix of anxiety and excitement, I said, "I'm ready." Sylas's eyes intensified, then he gestured for me to go outside.


Now the back of the cabin was much darker; the canopy above mostly blocked out the light. He guided me to a clearing where a little makeshift training ground with sharp stones, rough wooden dummies and a circle of carved runes had been set up. "Your first trial," Sylas stated, "is to face your fears." Though it can be a terrible adversary, fear can also be a tremendous source of strength. I shall build illusions for your confrontation.

You have to conquer them. I tried to ignore the discomfort settling in my chest by swallowing hard. Sylas lifted his hands, and the shadows all around seemed to writhe and twist. The air got cooler, and I shivered along my spine.

Before me the first illusion showed up: a picture of my parents, their faces twisted in pain. Seeing them now, hurting, made my heart hurt; I had always worried about losing them. I moved back, but Sylas's voice sliced through the mist of anxiety. "Face them, Freda." They're not real.

They merely reflect shadows from your imagination. I inhaled deeply and pushed myself towards forward motion. I refused to let the terror rule me. I stretched out and the picture of my parents fluttered and darkened. Though little, it was a great success. The days passed and Sylas's challenges grew more severe. He pushed me to face my worst fears and to reach my boundaries. I experienced dreams of failing, of losing Damien, of loneliness. Every trial was more demanding than the previous, and I started to doubt my capacity to keep on.
After the task for the day Christine and I went back to the castle as fast as possible before the sun went down so as not to get questioned by Damien. And the next morning we came back to Sylas cabin
In the evening, as I was relaxing following a particularly demanding practice, I heard Sylas chatting with a shadowy man. Although they spoke softly, I could catch fragments of their exchange. "She is too strong," the man remarked. "We will need another plan should she fail." "We have to be patient," Sylas said. "She has much to learn even though she is strong. Should she be successful, she will be a formidable opponent. I got a cold running down my back. Their planned activities were what? And why was Sylas so keen to see me reach my breaking point?
Sylas set up a new experiment for me that evening, one involving power manipulation. He told me to defend myself against imagined enemies using the shadows to make shields and weapons. It was unlike anything I had ever done before, yet with every try I sensed a weird, developing strength inside me. I reached out and the shadows replied, coiling and creating a shielding barrier around me.
I developed dark swords with exacting slash through the air. All at once it was thrilling and terrible. "You are learning fast," Sylas observed, his voice slightly praising. You are naturally talented for this. You should avoid becoming overly confident though. Much more has to be discovered.

I nodded, sharp attention focused on I was resolved to learn this ability, to grow strong enough to guard Damien and stand next to him as his queen. Sylas paid me a call to the chalet for a meeting the next morning. His demeanor was austere, and there was great tension in the air. "I have to show you something," he continued, his voice low.

"Something that will clarify your position in this world." I trailed him into the cabin, where he unveiled an ancient, dusty book. Its pages were filled with old symbols and run-throughs; it was bound in black leather.


Sylas opened the book to a page bearing a familiar symbol, the same symbol etched in the training area's run-throughs. "This," Sylas remarked, gesturing to the emblem, "is the key to releasing your actual ability. This is an old custom designed to enable you to fully utilize the dark powers. I stared at the symbol, should I be doing this? Elara once told me dark powers were something that could kill the soul of anybody. "It will improve your skills, making you a strong force," Sylas said. But be advised; it calls for much control and attention.

It will try you in ways you never would have imagined. I nodded, steadfast in my will. I'm ready. For Damien as well as for myself, I have to get stronger. Something I couldn't quite place glistened in Sylas's eyes: maybe satisfaction, maybe something deeper. "Very well. Tonight we will start the custom.

Freda, nevertheless, remember that this power comes with a price. Though I shivered down my spine, I brushed it away. I had come too far to reverse right now. I have to finish this ordeal so I might get the strength to guard Damien and our future together. Sylas led me to a remote area of the forest as night descended, where he had arranged a ceremonial circle using candles and run-through symbols.


The environment exuded vitality, and the shadows appeared to throb with their own life. Sylas started chanting in an old tongue, his voice ringing across the clearing.

Positioned in the middle of the circle, I concentrated on the symbol and the power it stood for. The shadows all about me spun and changed to create complex designs that appeared to dance in the candlelight.

Closing my eyes, I sought to relate to the shadows and sense their energy passing through me. Like being carried away by a strong current, it was both thrilling and debilitating.

The shadows encircled me and started to stretch out like my own extension. At first it appeared funny but as time went on, it looked more realistic. But as the ceremony went on, I started to experience an odd sensation. The shadows seemed to be attempting to sketch something from me, something I could not quite recognise. Though I attempted to stay focused, the feeling got stronger and more forceful. "Focus, Freda," Sylas's voice sliced over the fog.

"Do not allow the shadows to rule you." Pulling against the darkness, I forced myself to focus. The power within me felt like it was developing, the shadows responding to my command. But I also had a growing sensation of discomfort—that something seemed off. Sylas's chanting got louder as the ritual peaked, and the shadows surged about me with nearly overpowering force.

The ground was covered in odd, twisting forms created by the flickering candle light. As I felt I could lose control, the shadows abruptly withdrew, the energy fading into the night.

My heart thumping, I dropped to the ground and gasped for air. Sylas moved forward, his face insunable. "You performed quite well, Freda." You have started down the road towards power mastery. My head still whirling from the encounter, I looked up at him. "What... What was it? Why was it as though something was dragging at me? Sylas had a keen, icy stare. "Though they can also be dragging, Freda, the shadows are strong.

You have to learn to totally manage them; else, they might eat you. Shivering, I had a sense of foreboding. And how about you, Sylas? What really drives you in all of this? He answered cautiously, not right away.

At last he responded, "My motives are my own. But understand this: the destiny of the supernatural world and human worlds depends on our strength. Your strength, my strength, our strength in unison.” He said with a very firm husky voice and I was moved.