Chapter 2 Shadows Beneath My Skin

The shadows were alive.

They curled around my ankles like smoke, twisting across the stone beneath me while heat tore through my veins hard enough to make my knees buckle.

No no no— Not here. Not in front of everyone.

Students backed away in panic as darkness spread outward from my body.

“She’s using forbidden magic!”

“What is that?” “Get away from her!”

My breathing turned uneven. I couldn’t lose control. If they saw too much, I was dead.

“Sharon!” Rowan grabbed my arm, but the moment he touched me, dark energy snapped violently through the air. He cursed and stumbled backward. Fear clawed into my chest.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to force the curse down the same way I always did. Breathe, hide it, control it, but the explosion near the eastern tower had awakened something deeper inside me.

The shadows lashed harder across the ground. And then, a hand grabbed my wrist. Instantly, fire wrapped around my skin. My eyes flew open.

Jaden Drake stood directly in front of me. His golden eyes locked onto mine with terrifying focus while flames flickered around his fingers where he held my arm. The contact sent a shockwave through my body.

For one impossible second, the shadows recoiled. Like they feared him.

“What are you doing?” I whispered shakily. “Stopping this before someone sees.” It was too late. Half the courtyard was already staring.

Coach Mira Thorn stormed through the crowd toward us, her heavy boots slamming against the stone.

“What happened here?” Nobody answered. Because everyone was staring at me. At the darkness still curling beneath my shoes.

Coach Mira’s sharp eyes narrowed instantly. “You,” she barked.

My stomach dropped. Jaden released my wrist smoothly before stepping slightly in front of me. “It was a reaction spell from the eastern tower explosion,” he said calmly.

I blinked in shock. He was lying for me.

Coach Mira crossed her arms. “Reaction spells don’t usually terrify half the courtyard.”

“The barriers destabilized,” Jaden replied without hesitation. “The magic surge hit the new recruits hardest.”

The coach looked at both of us suspiciously.

I tried to steady my breathing while forcing the curse back under control. Please disappear. Slowly, the shadows faded into the stone. Relief nearly made me dizzy.

Coach Mira finally looked toward the smoke rising across campus. “All students report to the central arena immediately,” she ordered. “Now.”

The crowd scattered fast. Rowan grabbed my shoulder carefully this time. “You okay?” “Perfect,” I lied weakly.

His expression said he didn’t believe me for a second.

Jaden still hadn’t moved away. The fire around his hands had vanished, but heat lingered between us from where he’d touched me. And somehow… The curse felt quieter.

That had never happened before. I stared at him suspiciously. “Why did you help me?” His jaw tightened slightly. “I don’t know what you are yet.” Not exactly comforting. “But I panic when I see it,” he added.

Before I could respond, another explosion shook the academy. This one was louder and closer. Students screamed again inside the arena corridors.

Coach Mira swore under her breath. “Everyone move!” Rowan took off immediately. Jaden grabbed my wrist again before I could follow.

The second his skin touched mine, the curse stilled completely. My breath caught. He noticed too and his expression darkened.

“What was that?” I whispered. Instead of answering, he looked toward the eastern tower where black smoke poured into the sky. “That magic,” he said quietly. “Have you felt it before?”

Ice flooded my veins, because yes I had some years ago. The night Skylar disappeared. 

I pulled my wrist free too quickly. “No.” I lied. Jaden’s eyes narrowed as he heard it anyway. But before he could question me further, alarm bells rang across Emberfield Academy.

A booming voice echoed magically through the campus. “Security breach detected. All students remain inside protected zones.” Protected zones? That sounded bad.

The arena doors began sealing shut around us with loud metallic groans. Panic spread quickly among the students flooding into the stadium.

“What’s happening?” “Was it an attack?” “Did someone breach the barriers?” I exchanged a nervous glance with Rowan as we entered the massive arena floor.

Thousands of enchanted lights illuminated the circular stadium while professors rushed around activating magical shields overhead. The glowing barriers hummed with power. Something was very wrong. 

Coach Mira climbed onto the central platform. “Quiet!” The arena was silent immediately. Her expression was grim.

“This morning, one of Emberfield’s outer protection wards was destroyed by unknown magic.” Uneasy whispers spread instantly. Destroyed? That should’ve been impossible.

“The academy remains secure,” Coach Mira continued sharply. “Until further notice, no student leaves campus grounds.”

A tall professor rushed toward her suddenly, whispering something urgently into her ear.

I watched Coach Mira’s face drain of color. My stomach twisted. Jaden noticed too. “What happened?” Rowan muttered.

Coach Mira turned back toward the students slowly. “There has been…” She paused carefully. “A casualty.”

The entire arena went silent. My pulse thundered painfully in my ears. Casualty? One of the academy guards? A professor?

Coach Mira inhaled sharply. “A student was found dead near the eastern tower.” Shock exploded through the arena. Somebody screamed, and others immediately began to cry.

Rowan stared in horror. “What the hell—” I froze completely. Dead. The word hit something buried deep inside me. Because I knew this feeling.

This cold crawling fear, I’d felt it the night my mother died, the night Skylar vanished. The curse beneath my skin pulsed again. It was hungry.

Jaden looked toward me instantly. He noticed everything. And suddenly I realized something terrifying. The dark magic from the tower… The shadows I’d felt… The energy crawling through the academy… It was the same magic connected to my curse. Someone else had it.

My chest tightened painfully. Impossible. I was supposed to be the last one.

A loud crash suddenly echoed above the arena. Everyone looked up. The protective barrier overhead flickered violently, then cracked.

Students screamed as black smoke spread across the glowing ceiling like an infection. Corruption magic. I knew it instantly.

And standing high above the arena on the shattered edge of the eastern tower, a dark figure appeared, cloaked entirely in black, and was watching us.

My blood turned to ice, because even from this distance… I recognized that silhouette. And deep down, a terrifying voice whispered the impossible truth.

Skylar.