Chapter no 10
The Breath of the Darkness
Swirling dust enveloped the courtyard as the cold gust howled through the air, alive and flailing. Lina stumbled backward, clutching at Raven's sleeve as the invisible force pushed against her chest. Her breath stuttered in her throat and a sharp ache shot down her spine. It felt nothing like the warm, gentle hands that had touched her before; this was sharp, hungry, and freezing-as if the very air wanted to dig into her skin.
Raven's hold on her wrist tightened. "Stay behind me," he ordered.
"But you can't even see it," Lina gasped.
"I don't need to see it," he muttered. "I can feel it."
The wind seemed to twist and spiral low to the ground, casting dust into thick patterns, almost as if shapes were struggling to take form. Lina saw something inside the swirling cloud, something like a jagged grin flashing for a heartbeat before disappearing again.
Her pulse raced. "Raven—what is it?"
"I don't know." Raven scanned the courtyard in a flash. "But it's after you."
Lina trembled. She felt the cold presence tighten around her like an unseen rope, squeezing her lungs. It whispered in a voice colder than frost, a voice she couldn't fully understand—only feel.
"Mine… mine…"
She clamped her hands over her ears, but the voice was inside her, not outside.
Raven pulled her behind the crooked tree. "Stay down!"
He picked up a fallen branch and swung it blind at the wind. The branch sliced through the air, useless. The cold force flickered and then slammed against the trunk with enough force to rattle the leaves.
It was angry.
The chill wind whipped around Raven, eddying just out of reach, as though it taunted him. Lina dug her nails into the dirt and fought to breathe. "Why is it here?" she whispered desperately. "Why me?"
Raven didn't answer. His eyes flashed with determination far beyond his years. Then he knelt beside her and pressed her hand. "Listen to me—don't look at it. Look at me."
Lina tried. But the cold wind curled around her like smoke, tugging at her hair, brushing icy fingers down her neck. Fear exploded inside her. She squeezed her eyes shut.
"Lina!" Raven yelled. "Focus on my voice!"
The wind hissed again, twisting tighter around them—
And then—
A warm, sudden current of air had swept the court, like a sunrise.
Lina gasped, the warmth washing over her skin. The cold presence recoiled instantly. She felt it slip away, retreating like a wounded predator into the shadows.
Warmth pulled her gently, like an invisible arm wrapping around her. And then she heard it:
"Hold on, Lina. Don't let the darkness claim you."
Her eyes flew open.
The warm presence—the tender one from the library—lingered around her, golden smoke. She couldn't see its shape, but she felt its protection covering her like a shield.
Raven's breath caught. "There it is again," he whispered. "The air is glowing."
Lina didn't dare move. The warm presence pulsed softly, as if it was breathing. The cold force tried to push forward again, but it hit the warmth like a wall and shattered apart with a shriek that made Lina's ears sting.
The warmth gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"You are not alone. Not ever."
Raven, still clutching her other hand, leaned in to whisper, "Lina… what is that thing protecting you?"
She shook her head. Tears burned her eyes. "I don't know."
The cold wind fully retreated now, to somewhere behind the school walls. The courtyard was still again. The leaves barely trembled. The dust settled into silence.
The warm presence lingered a moment more, almost as if it was checking her heartbeat.
It then faded out, slowly.
Raven breathed out shakily. "We need to tell someone."
"No," Lina whispered, rubbing her arms. "No one will believe us."
"They'll have to," he insisted.
"Raven," she said softly, "they already think I'm strange.
Raven's jaw clenched, as if it bothered him more than he had anticipated. "You're not strange. Something is going on around you, something real. And that thing …that cold… wasn't natural."
Lina wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to stop the trembling. The sun warmed her face, but it did little for the fear crawling under her skin. "Why did it come?" she whispered again. "What does it want from me?"
Raven lowered his voice. "Spirits don't attack children for no reason. Something must have drawn it."
She swallowed hard. "Drawn it… how?"
"Maybe because of the warm presence," he said, "maybe because of you.
Lina felt a stone drop in her stomach. "I didn't do anything."
"Some people are born with things following them," Raven replied. "Things they can't see until the world forces them to."
His words sent a shiver down her spine, not from the cold wind, but from a deeper and far older fear. "I don't want anything to follow me," she whispered.
Raven regarded her with unexpected gentleness. "Wanting doesn't change destiny."
Those words struck her like lightning.
Destiny.
She remembered what Marla said that morning.
Some children are born with a calling that reaches for them early in life.
Before Lina had even attempted to reply, a shrill whistle pierced the air of the courtyard. The teacher appeared on the veranda. "You two! Why are you hiding behind the tree? Lunch break is over."
Raven stood first. Dusting off his pants, he offered Lina his hand. She hesitated, then took it. Her fingers shook, but his grip was steady - surprisingly warm for someone usually so cold.
They walked back to class in silence.
Halfway there, Raven whispered, "If that thing comes again… I'll protect you."
Lina looked up at him. His eyes were dark, serious, unblinking. There was no boast in his voice, no childish bravado. Only truth.
"Why?" she whispered.
Raven shrugged slightly. "Because you're the only one who isn't pretending."
"What do you mean?"
He didn't answer. Instead he added, "And because I don't like when things chase people who don't deserve it."
Something soft bloomed in Lina's chest; fear loosened its grip for just a moment.
When they reentered the classroom, children barely noticed them. They took their seats. The teacher began the next lesson.
But Lina couldn't focus.
The whisper from the warm presence still echoed in her mind:
"Don't let the darkness touch her."
And the cold one's voice lingered too—
"Mine…"
She shivered.
Raven looked sideways at her and felt the tremble.
Lina had no idea what was coming. Only that something had claimed her… …and something else was fighting to protect her. The battle had only just begun.