Chapter 2

POV Scarlett

The rest of Melantha’s “presentation” was just picking through us one by one and seeing what magic signatures that we might possess. Turns out, everyone else except one random man possessed some level of essence. 

Great, can’t wait to go home and explain this one.

I was certain nothing positive would come from that conversation with my father and began subconsciously bracing myself for it. My father would see this unknown information as a failing on my part, or leverage—depending on his mood. A flash of a memory, cold dead air and dark shadows, comes quickly, and I shake it off just as fast. Maybe that is why when he comes up to me, my thoughts are too loud and tangled for me to process that he said something as he stood in front of me.

“Hey are you even listening to me?”

I looked up—and yes up—again to see the man who also was without essence like me. What is it with extremely tall men today? Are the realms trying to call me short?

My breath hitches. It’s the eyes that give me pause, I have never seen a blue like that before, like deep water churning beneath a stormy sky. 

His eyes softened as he continued, “Melantha said we are paired together while the rest work on honing their essence,” he left out a small sigh, “I know it’s a lot to take in, and I am sorry you were singled out like that. I’m Cain, maybe we can be friends and figure this out together?” Cain stands waiting with an expectant look, fidgeting with something in his pocket.

I am uncertain I can trust Cain, but the way he looks at me, open and warm, is enough for me to want to try.

Trust is not something that comes easily to me, but something about him lowers my guard, just a little. “Hi Cain, let’s start with the training and go from there, ok?” His shoulders droop slightly, almost imperceptively. 

I pick up Melantha whispering to the guards as they scribble furiously on their notepads, eyes widening as she says something to them. All I am able to catch is “null”. What the hell does “null” mean? All of this uncertainty clouded my emotions and a thick blanket of fear settled in my bones. Something cold pricked up my spine.

What does any of this mean?

Forcing myself to turn to Cain, I noticed he set a black box in front of us. “What is this?” I ask as I open the dark velvet box.

“Melantha said these are for you, I already have mine, something about protection from essence holders?” Cain holds up his hands to show me the black gloves laced intricately with swirls of iron which I’m not sure how I didn’t notice before. I open the box hesitantly to find a pair, exactly the same, waiting for me. As I slipped them on I heard a faint humming that ended as quickly as it started. 

“Did she explain what exactly they do?” I say with a slight edge to my voice that takes Cain by surprise. I’ve learned nothing good usually comes from black boxes.

He pauses for a moment before replying, “All she said was giving these to us as a protection measure and they are mandated to be worn at all times, especially in the Above.”

“Wait, the Above, are we going there?” I said a little louder than I meant to heart racing, and multiple other citizens turned to look at me, confusion swirling in their looks. Fear gripped me as we all settled with this new information. My cheeks burned and I sank down in my seat, wishing the ground would swallow me whole. 

To my surprise, I see Cain sitting on the floor next to me and his gaze is warm and too steady as he tilts his head. He stretches out his hand and motions to the floor in front of him.

“Sitting on the floor has always helped me ground myself; I’m told it is less awkward when you aren’t alone,” chuckling to himself with a soft smile,”Sit with me? Only if you want.”

There is a pull that draws me to him that I can’t name, a tug that I can’t justify. So I sit, and even though we catch a few stares, he’s right, it isn’t so bad when someone else is sitting with you. I took a breath and relaxed my shoulders slightly, just enough to realize how tightly I had been holding myself. So many questions buzzed through my head. 

What does it mean not to have essence? 

Who are the Astras really? 

Why did Melantha look at me like she already knew? 

Suddenly remembering a rumor about a library for citizens to access in the Weathering, I stood with a jolt. 

“Cain, how would you like to go explore with me?”

A smile breaks across his face as he followed me out the door.

***

Almost out of thin air, Melantha appeared in front of us, a raised brow and inquisitive look painting her face.

“Would you like to tell me where you are going?” she said with a grin that sent chills down my spine.

I cleared my throat, “We were looking to find where the texts on magic are, I heard there is a library down the hall that is open access.”

Melantha paused, as if deciding what to say, and beckoned both of us closer with a crook of her polished finger, “Wouldn’t you rather me show you essence magic first-hand?”

After the “presentation”, I was hesitant, but it was clear I did not really have a choice as Melantha ushered us to the room directly to the left of where we had been previously. Walking in, I was immediately struck by how wrong even the air felt. There was a large table crafted completely out of iron at the back of the room with five small boxes sitting atop it. Each one seemed to have a subtle glow to it, almost like they were different colors?

As we approached the table, my eyes settled on Melantha taking a quick glance at my gloves and the quiet hum coming from them, like the muffled patter of a soft rain before a storm. At the same time, there is a draw that pulls me right up to the edge of the table, almost involuntary. Getting a closer look, each box did have a different color emanating from it, but the red one seemed to pulse to the beat of my heart. My cheeks flushed. My fingers itched to reach forward. Melantha walked behind the table directly in front of us and picked up the red box. Her grin sent chills down my spine, but there was something in her eyes… calculating, unreadable, like she already knew more than I could imagine.

“Essence magic always has a signature and it is tied to a color. The color tells us everything we need to know about the correct placement for a citizen and their potential.” 

She continues as she twirls the box in her hands like it is weightless, “Red is the most powerful, but also the most rare. In fact, no citizen of the Veil has shown red essence in hundreds of years, other than Astra, of course. In order from most to least powerful there are orange, yellow, green and finally blue essences.”

Staring intently at me, Melantha’s voice drops to an almost lethal whisper, “The most important thing to remember is to always remain on guard, essence is unpredictable when handled improperly.” We hold eye contact for a few more moments, something glinting in her eyes—fear? If she was afraid, shouldn’t I be? It felt as though there was a secret she almost wanted me to uncover, waiting there in her gaze; it unnerved me deeply.

Cain’s fascination was plastered across his face as he began to reach for another box, looking to Melantha for approval. She gave a small nod and he picked up the green glowing box and to my surprise, opened it. The glow was a blaze now, almost blinding. At the center of the box, nestled carefully in a black cloth, was a jagged stone emitting the foreign light. 

“As long as you are wearing your protective gloves, you will be safe to handle the essence stones, without them, there are grave consequences for you and your surroundings,” Melantha finished as she walked to stand closely next to me, “would you like to see the red essence stone?” Holding out the glowing red box to me staring expectantly, Melantha waited for my reply. 

“You said red was the most powerful, but the gloves keep me safe, right?” I asked with a mix of anticipation and fear lacing my voice.

 Melantha smiled; a gentle smile crossed her face and something feral twinkled in her eyes, “I promise that this essence can never hurt you.”

The box was placed in my hand and I opened it carefully, like picking up delicate glass. My heart raced, something deep in my core stirring. The light drew my eyes in, but it felt as though it seeped into my very veins and took hold. It was then I noticed my gloves. They shimmered, humming as if pleased—as if something inside me wanted more. 

Melantha looked almost reverently at the red stone now illuminating the entire room, spikes of light refracting off the iron everywhere I looked. That look quickly changed to apprehension as the stone began to pulse and glow brighter and hotter. Taking the box back, Melantha quickly snapped it shut and tried to hide her shock with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“That is where we will end today. You two are welcome to explore the estate and end your day.”

***

We stepped out of the room, neither of us speaking. The hallway felt different now—too quiet, every shadow stretched a little too long across the polished stone floors. My gloves were still humming, just faintly, as if disappointed.

Cain shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing sideways at me. “So,” he breathed, “that was…something.”

“That’s one word for it.” I forced a small laugh, but the sound felt thin.

We walked without thinking, turning down corridor after corridor. Gold-framed portraits lined the walls,  their eyes painted too sharply, as if they were following our footsteps. Some frames were empty, names scratched out. Others had been burned through entirely. I wondered who they were, what in their story led them here.

“Do you ever think they’re watching?” Cain asked with a nervous half-smile, nodding at the portraits.

I swallowed. “I think everything here is watching.”

He hummed in agreement. “You looked like the red stone recognized you.”

I stiffened. “Felt more like it wanted to crawl under my skin.”

Cain’s gaze flicked to my gloves. “Maybe it already has.”

We paused beside a tall window overlooking the training grounds. Far below, the other citizens glowed faintly with their colors—threads of magic bleeding off them like mist. Guards watched from every corner, hands rested casually on iron-wrapped weapons. I caught Azrael’s gaze and earned a small acknowledging nod.

“Do you think nulls mean…less?” Cain’s voice was small, almost swallowed by the glass.

I considered the question carefully. “Power doesn’t make someone dangerous. Control does.” Then, quieter, “Or the lack of it.”

Cain studied me a second longer than comfortable, something unreadable passing behind his blue eyes. “You sound like someone who’s lost control before.”

My chest tightened. “You sound like someone who’s used to asking questions.”

He grinned, sheepish. “Sorry. It’s how I make sense of things.”

We continued through the estate, passing a locked iron door. It hummed the same pitch as my gloves. The hairs on my arms lifted.

“What’s in there?” I whispered.

Cain shrugged, but his eyes lingered too long. “Probably nothing they want us touching.”

We kept walking until the hallway opened into a small garden tucked under a glass skylight. Night had already settled, stars too sharp against the darkness. I sat on one of the stone benches, letting the cold seep into me.

Cain sat beside me, hands resting on his knees. “I know we don’t know each other,” he said carefully, “but…you don’t have to be afraid alone.”

A lump formed in my throat. “Fear is familiar,” I murmured. “It’s comfort that terrifies me.”

He was quiet for a long beat. Then, softly: “Maybe we can be terrified together.”

Something in his voice made me want to believe it.

Then—somewhere deep in the estate—something metal groaned. A pulse tremored beneath us, faint but unmistakable…like a heartbeat.

My gloves hummed in response.

Cain’s head snapped toward the sound, jaw tightening. “We should go.”

We walked back in silence. And though the halls were empty, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we weren’t alone, that there really was something creeping in the shadows.

At my door, Cain hesitated. “Get some rest, Scarlett.”

I tried to. But as soon as the door shut behind me, the gloves whispered against my skin, eager and alive.

I wasn’t sure if they were protecting me, or binding me.

And Astra save me, I wasn’t sure which terrified me more.