From Ashborn: The Student of Shadows
I used to believe the worst thing a person could be was weak.
I was wrong.
The worst thing a person can be is invisible.
At the Obsidian Arcanum Academy—where students summoned fire with their palms, commanded storms with their breath, or bent shadows with a flick of their wrists—I was the boy who could barely light a candle. And even that, I failed half the time.
In a world where magic determined your value, I was as good as dust.
Lucian Vale.
Age seventeen.
Zero affinity.
Zero talent.
Zero future.
The only reason I attended the most dangerous magic institution on the continent was because the Academy was required to accept one "non-gifted" student per year for political reasons. I just happened to be the unlucky winner of that lottery.
And luck… has a funny way of trying to kill me.
---
The bell roared across the obsidian towers, vibrating through the marble floors beneath my boots. Students poured into the courtyard like a living storm—robes swirling, spellbooks floating beside them, familiars scampering underfoot. The sky above us flickered with runic sigils, drifting like silver constellations.
Everyone shimmered with power.
Except me.
"Move, Vale," someone grunted behind me.
Before I could react, a shoulder slammed into mine. I stumbled, catching myself on a stone pillar. A group of third-years walked past laughing, not even glancing back.
"Seriously, why's he even here?"
"Dead weight."
"No affinity at all. A mage without magic is just a body waiting to drop."
Their words slithered under my skin, but I didn't respond. What was the point? They were right. I had no magic. No spark. No light.
Just a body waiting to drop.
I tightened my grip on the strap of my worn satchel and headed to the Spell Theory Hall. Maybe today I could avoid trouble. Maybe today they wouldn't—
A roar split the air.
"VALE!"
I closed my eyes.
Here we go.
I turned slowly.
Kael Draven, my destined rival—though neither of us knew that yet—stood at the far end of the courtyard wearing a smirk sharp enough to cut bone. Tall, broad-shouldered, silver hair tied back, lightning flickering at his fingertips like it worshiped him.
The Academy's golden boy.
Top of the class.
Blessed by storms.
The headache of my existence.
"Did you forget our duel practice?" Kael called.
"I—I didn't sign up for a duel."
"You don't need to." His grin widened. "You're the Academy's punching bag. It's tradition."
Students gathered instantly—duels were entertainment. Especially when the weak kid was the target.
Kael lifted his hand. Lightning spiraled around his wrist.
"Relax, Vale," he said. "I won't kill you. Probably."
I took a step back. "Kael, stop. I'm not—"
His lightning exploded forward like a whip.
I didn't even have time to scream.
The bolt struck my chest and I flew backward, crashing into the courtyard tiles. Heat seared through my ribs. My vision blurred. Students laughed.
Someone whispered, "Why doesn't he just drop out?"
Another added, "Weakling."
I pushed myself up—barely. My hands shook violently.
Kael approached, lightning crackling behind him like a cloak. "Come on, Vale. Fight back."
"I can't," I croaked. "You know I can't."
He paused. For a second, I thought I saw something in his eyes—hesitation? Guilt?
No. Just boredom.
He raised his hand again for another strike—
But a voice cut through the courtyard.
"That's enough."
Every head turned.
A girl stood at the archway of the courtyard.
A girl I had never seen before.
Tall, raven-haired, with eyes that shimmered like molten silver. She moved through the crowd with quiet grace, each footstep echoing faintly, like she walked on water instead of stone.
Something about her aura felt wrong.
Not dangerous—just… ancient.
Like she didn't belong in this world.
Even Kael hesitated. "Who are you?"
She didn't look at him.
She looked straight at me.
"Lucian Vale," she said softly.
"I finally found you."
A shiver crawled down my spine.
The crowd murmured.
"Found him?"
"What does she want with Vale?"
"She must be new."
"Or cursed."
Kael scoffed. "Out of the way."
The girl ignored him. She knelt beside me, her hand hovering over my burnt chest. A faint glow pulsed around her palm—warm, soothing, nothing like the Academy's magic.
"Who… who are you?" I whispered.
Her lips curved sadly.
"Someone who should have reached you sooner."
Before I could ask anything else, Kael grabbed her shoulder. "I said move."
She rose slowly. "Do not touch me."
But Kael pushed her back—and that was a mistake.
Her eyes flashed white.
The ground cracked beneath Kael's feet. A shockwave burst outward, sending dust spiraling into the air. Kael stumbled backward, eyes wide.
The courtyard fell silent.
Even the wind stopped.
She hadn't cast a spell.
She hadn't used a rune.
She hadn't even said an incantation.
Whatever she was…
she wasn't human.
"Stay away from him," she said.
Kael stared at her, stunned. "What—what are you?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she turned back to me and whispered:
"They sealed your power too deeply. It's killing you from the inside. If you don't awaken soon…"
Her fingertips brushed my shoulder.
"…you'll die."
My heart froze.
Sealed?
Power?
Me?
Before I could speak, the bell rang again and the crowd scattered as professors approached. The girl vanished in the confusion—gone as though she'd evaporated into the shadows.
But her warning stayed.
Killing me.
From the inside.
---
Night arrived cold and merciless, rain tapping against my dorm window.
I couldn't sleep.
Her words replayed in my mind over and over.
They sealed your power too deeply.
You'll die.
I finally found you.
I pressed a hand to my chest. A faint ache throbbed there—like something inside me was pushing, straining, trying to break free.
And failing.
Maybe this was why I felt weak.
Why magic burned me instead of answered me.
Why every healer said my body reacted "wrong" to spells.
Maybe I wasn't powerless.
Maybe I was locked.
I barely had time to process the thought when a scream tore through the night.
I jolted upright.
Outside, shadows twisted across the courtyard—too fast, too many. Dark shapes crawled over the walls like living smoke.
Blight creatures.
The Academy's alarms erupted. Bells screamed. Students shouted. Windows shattered.
I ran to the door—just as something slammed through it.
Claws raked across my chest. I fell backward, blood filling my mouth.
The creature lunged, teeth bared—
And in that moment, something inside me broke.
A sound cracked through my skull—like chains snapping underwater.
Heat exploded from my core.
My heartbeat thundered.
My vision turned white.
The creature froze mid-air, suspended like time itself had gripped its throat.
Then—
BOOM.
Light erupted from my body, tearing the room apart.
The creature disintegrated into ash.
I collapsed to the floor, gasping.
My fingers glowed—faintly, then fiercely, runes burning across my skin like constellations waking from a long sleep.
My whole body trembled as a whisper echoed in my mind.
A voice not my own.
At last…
You woke me…
My vision flickered.
My body shook violently.
Then darkness swallowed me.
Before I lost consciousness, I heard a soft voice—a familiar one:
"Lucian… no… you weren't supposed to awaken like this…"
And someone gently lifted me from the floor.
Then everything went black.