Shadows of Change (Arcanum Academy #1)

Prologue

Kaia, Age Six

Golden light dances through Mama's wings, and I want to catch it in my hands, hold it forever. That's what happiness looks like—Mama's wings in sunlight, Papa's laugh rumbling through the meadow, and the soul-wisps spinning their silver stories around us. Our sanctuary feels like one big hug, warm and safe and perfect.

"Take that, evil creature!" I slash my wooden sword through the air, almost tripping over my own feet. A soul echo—that's what Mama calls them—twirls around my blade like a friend wanting to play. They're everywhere in our sanctuary, the spirits of Valkyries past, watching over us. Sometimes, when I can't sleep, they sing songs with no words, and I pretend they're all my aunts and grandmas keeping me safe.

Mama stands at the edge of the meadow, her wings shimmering like starlight caught in rain. The purple stone at her throat—the Heart of Eternity—pulses softly, matching the rhythm of the wards that protect our home. She always touches it when she thinks I'm not looking, like she's making sure it's still there.

"Careful, little warrior." Papa catches me before I can tumble into the flowers, his hands warm and strong. He smells like sunshine and metal, like the sword that hangs at his side. "Even the fiercest Valkyries must learn balance first."

"But I am fierce!" I swing my sword again, and the soul-wisps dance with me, weaving patterns that sparkle in the evening light. "See? The ancestors think so too!"

Mama's smile wavers—proud but worried. "They watch over you, little one. The souls of our sisters have guarded us since the beginning, before Alekir's betrayal changed everything."

"Who's Alekir?" I ask, but the question dies in my throat as something changes.

The soul-wisps flutter nervously, drawing closer to the ground. Mama's hand drifts to the Heart of Eternity, like she always does when something's wrong. The golden wards protecting our home flicker, just for a moment.

"Idris." Mama's voice sounds strange, tight in a way I've never heard. "Get her inside. Now."

But it's too late.

The wards shatter like golden glass, and darkness floods through—horrible, twisting shapes like skeletons made of smoke. Their eyes burn with hungry emptiness, and the air turns cold where they pass.

"Nightwraiths," Papa whispers, drawing his light-blade. "Solveig, he's actually done it. Alekir's turned them all."

Everything explodes into chaos. Mama's wings blaze brighter than I've ever seen, like she's pulled down stars to fight with. The Heart of Eternity burns violet against her throat. Papa's sword cuts rivers of light through the darkness, but more Nightwraiths pour through with every slice.

Other Valkyries soar from our home to help, their wings painting the sky in streams of color. But one by one, they fall. The soul-wisps try to shield them, to shield me, but the Nightwraiths devour them like smoke swallowing light.

I hide behind a fallen pillar, tears burning my eyes as I watch my home crumble. "Mama!" I scream as a Nightwraith's claws catch her wing. Silver blood rains down like falling tears.

Mama looks at me, and something in her face breaks. She tears the Heart of Eternity from her throat, the chain snapping with a sound like crying bells.

"Idris, cover me!" Her voice cracks. "The temporal wards—they're our only chance!"

Papa appears in a flash of light, his blade cutting through three Nightwraiths at once. "The time magic is unstable—"

"It's the only way." Mama presses the necklace into my hands. It burns hot, like holding a piece of the sun. "My brave one." Mama's hands tremble as she presses the necklace into mine. Her tears fall like stars, turning to light before they hit the ground, and each one feels like goodbye.

"You carry our light," she whispers, and her voice breaks in a way that makes my chest hurt. "You carry all our love, all our hope." She touches my cheek one last time, and her hand feels like home. "Remember that you were so, so loved, my darling. Remember that you were our greatest joy."

The necklace glows against my palm, matching my heartbeat as Mama's hands dance through the air. She whispers words that make my ears ring and the world wobble sideways.

"No!" I try to grab her, but reality stretches like taffy around me. Everything feels wrong, like I'm being pulled through water that's too thick. "Mama, please!"

"Live," she whispers as the world warps and twists. "Live for us, my darling. Find your way back when it's safe."

The last thing I see is Mama and Papa standing together against the darkness, glowing like the last stars in the universe as the Nightwraiths close in. Papa's sword flashes once more, a desperate arc of light. The Heart’s violet glow flares in my palm, and everything goes dark.

◆◆◆

I fall through endless nothing. My head feels stuffed with cotton, memories slipping away like water through my fingers. I try to picture Mama's face, but it's already going blurry. Something about light and a stone and—no, I can’t remember. All that's left is an empty ache where the memories should be.

When I open my eyes, I'm under a strange tree in a forest I don't know. The necklace is warm in my hand, but its light has dimmed to a soft glow. The shadows here move differently than the soul-wisps did—deeper, stranger, but somehow familiar.

I curl under the strange tree, holding the necklace so tight it hurts. Everything feels wrong—the air, the ground, even the shadows that move like spilled ink around me. I try to remember Mama's face, but it's like trying to hold onto a dream. The harder I reach for the memory, the faster it fades, until all that's left is the feeling of missing something so big it has its own heartbeat.

The shadows whisper around me, not like the soul-wisps that sang lullabies, but like something wild learning to be gentle. They try to touch me, to make me feel better, but they don't know how. They're clumsy and strange and somehow that makes me cry harder—because they're trying so hard to help, and I'm so, so alone.

Then one shadow moves differently. I watch through tears as it takes shape: first four tiny paws, then ears that twitch with curiosity, finally a tail that curls like a question mark. A baby panther with eyes exactly like mine, glowing soft purple in the dark. He pads closer with such care, like he's afraid I'll break.

"Who..." My voice catches on a sob. Everything else is floating away, but this moment feels solid. Real. "Who are you?"

The shadow-cat pushes his head under my hand and starts to purr. The sound vibrates through me, steady as a heartbeat, strong as a promise. I'll protect you , he seems to say. You're not alone anymore . Never again.

I know three things with absolute certainty: something precious and beautiful is missing, leaving a hole big enough to swallow my heart; I'm lost in a place where nothing feels right; and this shadow-cat will never, ever leave me.