I stared at the new [Skill] and spell descriptions as the carriage took me back to the estate. I had wanted to talk to Klein on the way, but after looking at that monstrosity of a summary I needed to parse through my ‘rewards’. Fortunately I also had two [System] notices that were more straightforward.

[System Notice: Utilizing elemental Manipulation and Conjuration you have defined your Intent and Will into a spell. When possible, spells crafted this way will be engraved into a spell medium at Tier 0 - Mastery Level 1 regardless of the spell you create.]

[System Notice: You have utilized and memorized a spell. Memorized spells require a medium to record them. By default, your spells are currently contained in the [Shadow Grimoire].]

I groaned as I read through the notices. The thought of showing up to the Magic Tower was less desirable than whatever unknown punishment Sylvia had threatened.

“Her vague threats aside, I wonder if I need the Tower to understand what I can do?” I settled into resignation and went back to looking at the ‘rewards’.

[Shadow Grimoire: Darkness is yours to command. Shadows are yours to control. They Abyss is your domain. Chaos is your sustenance. The Spirits aligned with your affinities need not be summoned for you to enact your Will. This Grimoire will be with you, always. Never shall the Dark leave you defenseless.]

[Due to your ability to Manipulate and Conjure shadows into useful structures with your will alone, the Shadow Grimoire has manifested. Due to your natural affinity with shadows, darkness, chaos, and the abyss, all Spells aligned with these affinities can be held within this Grimoire as their medium. Maximum Spell limit is: 5. Current Spells Known: 2. Additional Spells can be stored as the Shadow Grimoire levels.]

[Upon first use, the Shadow Grimoire will be bound to your soul and take a corporeal form. When dormant, the Grimoire will exist in this corporeal form. When active, the Grimoire will expand and manifest in its entirety.]

After attempting to find Dark Blood and Dark Morning Star, I took several long breaths to prepare for whatever nonsense activating this [Skill] will cause.

“[Shadow Grimoire]”

As soon as the [Skill] took hold, I felt the world coat itself in darkness. Even the sounds of the carriage clanking on the road fell away as shadows filled the air around me. I reached out a hand to steady myself and found a ledge in the darkness. I was still in a sitting position, or at least I felt as if my body was still sitting, yet even as I gripped the ledge with all my might I couldn’t be sure of where my hand landed in relation to my body. It was as if I was separated from myself.

‘That isn’t so far off from the truth, little Lady of the Dark’

A whisper filled the silence, echoing off itself, yet still I could see nothing and no one.

“Where am I? What is happening?” As I spoke, the words reverberated in my head more so that out of my mouth. Whether I made any sound at all, I couldn’t tell. Nevertheless the voice responded.

‘Tuttut what senseless questions when time reveals them all’

Another whisper surrounded me, brushing close to my ear while sounding far away.

“Who are you? What do you want?” I wasn’t sure why, but my mind wasn’t filled with panic simply confusion. In fact, my stomach was free of all anxiety at all and a warmth was sinking into my body.

‘The better question is what does the little Lady want? When the light is cast upon you, where will your darkness go?’ The whisper circled me, becoming a pulsing force, ‘Shall you hide in your tact? In your skill? Will you wrap yourself in your vanity?’

It felt much like when I was lying in bed, materializing the shadows of my room. The way the darkness felt silky against my skin, more like a close friend offering comfort instead of a curtain containing monsters.

‘No, no, none of these. You have already hidden them from the light. These cannot be where we hide your shadow. So how will you protect it?’ The whisper contained a sense of longing, as if the answers to its questions were hidden close by and it was ready to grasp them. ‘Let me in, I wish to see that which you treasure. I wish to see that which you trust.’

The warmth in me grew and I felt a rush of emotions for the whisper that surrounded me. Whether or not these feelings were truly mine, I couldn’t bring myself to question them. The whisper felt like a piece of me. As if it could never hurt me. As if I could never hurt it. And though I didn’t think I needed to, I spoke, “Take a look at whatever you please.”

As the words went into the aether, the darkness pressed against my body as if I was wrapped in a blanket. The whisper didn’t speak, not truly, but I could feel it shake my ears and rustle my hair in another one of those far off sensations.

And then images spilled into the darkness, rather than full color it was more like a gray overlay -or maybe the darkness lessened in the areas of pure shadow. At first, it was an image of a swinging sword, shifting as if made of tendrils of shadow. As the sword swung, it was hit by another image -a metal tipped whip had hit its hilt and sent it soaring into nonexistence. The whip sent a sharp crack through the darkness, and as it began rolling itself up again I saw a rod hit the end of the whip and wrap the tendril around its tip before ripping the whip away from its non existent wielder. It discorporated into the darkness. As I looked at the rod, I realized it was not of this world. It was a baton from the Before. It had the two grooves showing it was extended out from the base. I’d carried a similar item in my purse. Rather than another weapon, a set of pale eyes appeared and glanced at the baton -banishing it into oblivion. The eyes looked at me and I saw the pale tones of the iris shift into darkness. As the eyes stared at me, I felt a sense of dissatisfaction and discomfort, and for the first time since the images displayed, the whisper came back.

‘I will not give you what you do not wish - begone!’ The whisper held a sense of irritation and offense, and the eyes were dispersed as if they had been shattered. I felt a gentle whisper across my cheek, as if in comfort.

A thick book appeared, with arcane symbols etched into its cover. As it flipped itself open, the pages rustled from one end to the other. Rather than paper, the pages were tendrils of shadow that seemed never ending. When a pale hand appeared in the distance and gently closed the book, I didn’t notice anything off about it. In fact, it didn’t seem to be made of shadow at all. It wasn’t until the hand stretched and began tapping against an unseen surface that I noticed the truth. The nails of the hand were elongating with every tap, and the nail itself was darkening beginning at the tip. It reminded me of my nails from the Before. Always long, always sharp, always painted. Always tapping. It was a comfort to see the familiar image, and that same rush of warmth for the whisper filled me.

‘What is it they say? Ah-‘ The whisper wrapped itself around me, pressing against my shoulders as if to hug me, ‘It is always the last place you look, no?’

The whisper was fondness, benevolence, true love. And I was filled with comfort.

“Please. Who are you?” The fullness in my heart was too much, this whisper was important. I just didn’t know how. It could be the Grimoire, it could be my own soul, it could be anything. But it was unequivocally on my side.

‘I am Darkness. Shadow. Abyss. Sometimes, I am Chaos.’ The whisper no longer had an echo, and the pulse of the darkness as it spoke was steady, ‘We are Together. Bound without a Contract. Eternal. From one world to the next.’

Then light began to filter in in rays and slivers of the carriage around me began coming in to view.

‘Grow so we may speak again.’

And then the darkness was gone and I could hear the rhythmic clanking of the wheels running over stone. The horse hooves hitting a beat louder. The warmth of the sun on my skin. I was tethered to my body once more. The warmth of being in the whispers presence had faded, leaving a light ache in my heart. I wrapped my arms around myself, digging my nails into my sides.

Only there was more pressure than before, as if a blade was being pressed against my side. Bringing my hands back in front of me I saw the purpose of the images. My nail beds were still the same color, but the closer to the tip of my nails the darker the black became. The tips on my nails were extended and sharpened, mimicking the stiletto nails of my past life -only instead of the crimson I usually wore, it was an ombré into darkness.

“They’re wonderful.” The words came out breathlessly, and I couldn’t stop myself from continuing, “[Shadow Grimoire].”

Only this time, the world remained the same. The plush of the carriage seats remained, the sounds of travel never dimmed. Instead, the shadows in my nails began to run like water and pool in front of me. The blob of shadow didn’t take the shape of a book, or even into a scroll. The shadows were oval in shape and contained two loops of arcane letters. Instinctively I understood. The first ring on the outside edge of the oval was Dark Blood, and the second ring at the center was Dark Morning Star. I reached out and pressed my shadow clad nail into the letters for Dark Blood and the words filled my mind as the oval was rearranged to become a box similar to a system box. Only instead of the usual pink-lavender, it was pitch black and the edges were raw -as if the shadows were ripped off, and the letters were a glowing white.

[Dark Blood: Tier 0 Level 1 Mastery]

[Originated from the spell Abyssal Veins, Dark Blood is a Dark-aligned spell with the potential to become a Chaos spell. At Tier 0, Dark Blood fills one’s veins with shadows that temporarily performs as blood. The shadows will not leave the body even in the event of a deep wound, to prevent dying of blood loss. When the body is cut, the shadows will create a temporary blockage before the spell duration ends. This blockage will transfigure back into blood at a slower rate. At Tier 0, Dark Blood is able to cleanse the body of most Common poisons and select Uncommon poisons. All mana costs are paid upfront and are static.]

Sliding my nail across the block of text, the letters shifted and altered to become Dark Morning Star.

[Dark Morning Star: Tier 0 Level 1 Mastery]

[Originated from the raw magic Shadow Mace, Dark Morning Star is a Dark-aligned spell with unknown potential. At Tier 0, Dark Morning Star pulls shadows from the current realm and condenses them until the pressure forces the shadows to combust. Creating sharp stakes jutting from the mass of shadows. At Tier 0, the size of the center mass of Dark Morning Star is limited. Mana costs are variable based on movement and duration of manipulation.]

Running my nails across the darkness again simply summoned what I understood as the natural state of the Grimoire. It was different from the System boxes. I could feel it. It took power to materialize, a minuscule amount but more than any the System had required. And they were tangible, I could press against them with the pads of my fingers. The Grimoire is not hidden from sight. Other could see it, though I knew they could not read what was written.

I pulled back my hand and snapped my fingers. The Grimoire broke down, dispersing into tendrils of shadow that tucked themselves back into my nails. As I looked at my nails, the memory of that fondness filled my head.

“The warmth…” I mumbled under my breath, “I want it again.”

Looking up and out the window, I saw the estate growing closer and tapped the wood frame with my nails, letting the soft thumps fill the carriage.

Today was horribly busy -mildly traumatic too, and now I’ll have to talk with Klein. Again. And Gristle. And I have to ask Sylvia what the punishment is for not doing what I’m told because she still hasn’t said.

I let my forehead thump against the glass, “Maybe I really should run away and live in a hut. Who needs to bathe? Or eat? Actually, I’m pretty capable. I could learn to live off the land. I could make a fire. Sylvia wouldn’t even report me missing for a day or two.”

Tap. Tap.

I jolted out of my mumbling and snapped my eyes up to see Klein with his eyebrows furrowed. I slid the pane open and waved my hand for him to continue. He paused, looking at me for a moment, before finally speaking.

“Are you all right, my Lady?”

“No.”

Both of us just stared at each other for a moment before I hit my forehead with my hand and ran it across my face.

“Disregard that. I am fine, Sir Ouros…” Taking a breath, I tried to soften my face and gave him a small smile. Forced as it was, I didn’t actually dislike Klein, he just was at the right place while I was at the wrong time whenever we met. “Am I worrying you?”

His eyes were locked on to my hand generally, but I knew he was looking at my nails. Nails that had not been there minutes before when he’d helped me get distractedly into the carriage. Nails that, strictly speaking, were not even nails. Klein simply looked at them which his mouth pressed and his brows furrowed, irritation radiating from his every cell.

Unfortunately, this meant he ignored my expression.

“To be frank, my lady, a great many things about you are worrying me.” Midway through, his eyes met mine and I felt the strain in my smile increase.

“Anything specific at this moment?”

Klein cleared his throat, “I simply wanted to let you know that Knights tends to have classes that focus on physical attributes.”

I felt my face twist in confusion, “Yes?”

Where is he going with this? Any child over five knows that.

And I’m only eight. I nearly gag at the thought.

“That includes Perception, my lady.”

“What is-“

Running away. Life in a hut. Who needs to eat?

“Oh.” I pressed my lips together to school my expression back into semi-neutrality, “Well. It seems I’ve done something embarrassingly unfortunate.”