Page 125 of Dark Bonds

There’s Leo with his coffee puns and easy-going smile. Just yesterday, he left a note in my textbook that read, “You’re brewtiful,” with a doodle of a smiling coffee cup. Idiot.

They are idiots, the lot of them, but they are my idiots, and in this fucked up world of shadows and monsters, they are the only thing keeping me sane.

I take a deep breath, shadows curling around my fingertips. Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together. Dark goddess help anyone who tries to tear us apart.

The touch of their skin sends electric shivers through me, our connection igniting more than just our shadow magic.

Holy shit.

Our shadows crash together, and it’s like... like being struck by lightning, but the lightning is made of velvet darkness. I can’t tell where I end and they begin.

Leo’s laughter bubbles up inside me, light and giddy as champagne, Matteo’s presence is a steel wall at my back, unyielding and safe, and there’s something else—my own wild, pulsing need to protect, fight, and win.

It all swirls together, a tornado of shadow and emotion. For a second, I swear I can taste starlight on my tongue and feel the universe breathing through my skin.

Is this what it means to be a pack? To be whole?

I want to laugh. I want to cry. I want to tear the whole damn world apart and rebuild it with my bare hands.

Instead, I grit my teeth and focus. We have a job to do, and dark goddess help any monster that gets in our way.

“Now!” I shout, and we push forward as one.

For a moment, there’s intense resistance, like pushing against a wall of solid granite. Then, with a sound like shattering glass mixed with a thunderclap, the barrier gives way. A rush of energy washes over us, tingling across my skin and leaving the taste of ozone on my tongue. For a heartbeat, I swear I can see the individual strands of magic that make up the fabric of this realm, a tapestry of darkness and light that takes my breath away.

As we stumble through, I catch a glimpse of surprise on Valerie’s face.

“That... shouldn’t have been possible,” she mutters, her eyes narrowing. “Unless...”

“Unless what?” I prompt, suddenly wary.

Valerie shakes her head. “Unless...” Valerie’s eyes widen. “Shit. What if Blackwood’s counting on us getting in?”

We press on, each step a battle against the twisting corridors that seem to defy the laws of physics. Shadows writhe along the walls, reaching out with ghostly tendrils. More than once, I feel a cold touch on my ankle, as if the darkness itself is trying to trip us and drag us down into its depths. Leo’s jokes grow fewer and farther between, while Matteo’s eyes dart around constantly, searching for threats in a place where everything is a potential enemy.

“What is this place?” I mutter, my skin crawling as another tendril of shadow brushes against my arm.

“Blackwood’s messing with stuff he shouldn’t,” Valerie says, her voice shaky. “Pure shadow essence. It’s... It’s not meant to becontrolled like this. He believes he can harness it to control the eredar beasts and reshape the shadow realm.”

We round a corner and find ourselves in a vast chamber. The sight before us steals the breath from my lungs. The chamber’s huge—like, impossibly huge. My eyes can’t even make sense of it all. The air here is alive, thick and heavy, pressing against our skin like a physical force. It tastes of metal and magic, each breath a struggle that fills our lungs with power and dread in equal measure. The walls seem to pulse with malevolent energy, as if we stand in the beating heart of some unearthly beast.

At its center stands a swirling vortex of pure darkness, pulsing with an otherworldly energy that makes my hair stand on end. As I stare into it, understanding floods through me—it’s not just power, it’s the essence of our world. The source of all shadow magic, raw and untamed.

“It’s the heart of the shadow realm,” Valerie whispers, her voice filled with awe and fear. “Legend says it’s a piece of Nyx herself, left behind when she created our world. Touching it could grant unimaginable power or unmake you entirely.”

The vortex assaults all my senses at once. It emits a low, pulsing hum that I feel more than hear, resonating deep in my chest. The air around it shimmers, distorting light in ways that make my eyes water. Its pull tugs at my essence, a sensation like vertigo but deeper and more primal. The taste of raw power fills my mouth, metallic and electric, while the scent of ozone and ancient magic burns my nostrils.

“By the dark goddess,” Leo murmurs, his usual quips silenced by the awesome sight. “Is that...”

“The heart of shadow magic,” Valerie confirms, her voice barely above a whisper. “Or at least, that’s what Blackwood believes it to be.”

As we approach, I feel a pull deep within me, as if invisible threads are tugging at my soul. My skin tingles, shadows dancingbeneath the surface. The world around me seems to fade, replaced by visions of ancient rituals and forgotten knowledge. I can taste power on my tongue, rich and intoxicating. For a moment, I feel as if I could reach out and grasp the fabric of reality.

Images flash through my mind—ancient rituals, forgotten knowledge, the true nature of our powers. At the center of it all is a figure both terrifying and beautiful—Nyx, the dark goddess, her eyes pools of infinite night.

“Frankie?” Matteo’s concerned voice breaks through my trance, his hand warm on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

I blink, coming back to myself with a gasp. “I... I saw something. Nyx. She’s connected to all of this somehow.”

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