Chapter 16 Ash
Ash
“Well Mr. Vale,” Professor Blackwood said the moment I stepped into her office. “I’m surprised it took you and Mr. Erestolal so long to test the bracers capabilities.”
I froze in my tracks, my cheeks burning instantly. “I… I don’t—”
She held up a hand to stop me. “No reason to be embarrassed. But you did keep the security team on their toes for nearly an entire week. They are not happy.”
“I… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not like we could command you and Mr. Erestolal to have more… physical connections.” She cracked a small smile. “But that’s not why I called you in today.”
I let out a sigh of relief. I wasn’t sure I would’ve survived the embarrassment of giving my professor more details about what Silver and I had done the night before.
My body still ached pleasantly and just the thought of him made my shadows wriggle.
I tried to force them back. Now wasn’t the time for that.
“What did you need me for then?” I asked, taking a seat in front of her desk. “Is the locker room not clean enough?”
Professor Blackwood shook her head, a slight smirk playing at her lips. “The locker room is spotless, Mr. Vale. No, I called you here because it’s time we addressed your shadow walking abilities properly. Those bracers were never meant to be a permanent solution.”
My stomach dropped. “You’re not taking them off, are you? After last night, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“On the contrary,” she said, standing from her desk and moving toward a cabinet in the corner. “I think it’s the perfect time. Your magic has been fighting against the containment for days now. It needs an outlet, and more importantly, you need to learn control.”
She pulled out a velvet-lined box and opened it, revealing a pair of simple silver bands. They looked almost delicate compared to the heavy obsidian bracers currently weighing down my wrists.
“These,” she explained, “are suppressors, not containers. They’ll dampen your power to manageable levels while you learn, but they won’t cut you off from your magic entirely like the bracers do.”
“I don’t understand the difference,” I admitted.
Professor Blackwood set the box on her desk and gestured for me to approach.
“The bracers are like putting a lid on a boiling pot. The pressure builds and builds until eventually something has to give. These suppressors are more like turning down the heat. Your magic will still flow, but at a level you can actually work with.”
I looked down at the obsidian bands, remembering how they’d barely held against my magic last night. “And you think I’m ready for that?”
“I think you’re more than ready,” she said firmly. “Your power is remarkable, Mr. Vale. Possibly some of the strongest magic I’ve encountered in my tenure here at Widdershins Academy. But power without control is dangerous, as you’ve already experienced.”
She wasn’t wrong. I thought about the hole I’d punched in the wards, the way my shadows had exploded during the football game, how they’d filled Silver’s room last night until we could barely see.
“What exactly would this training involve?” I asked cautiously.
“Shadow walking, primarily,” Professor Blackwood replied.
“It’s your most volatile ability and the one most likely to cause problems if left unchecked.
We’ll start small—controlled jumps within protected spaces.
Eventually, you’ll learn to walk between realms intentionally rather than accidentally. ”
The idea both terrified and excited me. “When would we start?”
“Right now, if you’re willing.” She gestured to the silver bands. “We’ll swap out the bracers, and I’ll take you somewhere safe to practice outside the wards.”
I hesitated, my fingers moving to touch the obsidian. They’d been uncomfortable, restrictive, but they’d also been safe. Without them, what if I lost control again? What if I hurt someone?
“What about Silver?” I asked. “Will being apart from him make this harder?”
Professor Blackwood’s expression softened slightly. “You’ll need to learn to control the magic without him first. He’s a catalyst, not the source. So, let’s start with just us, it’ll be easier to control that way.”
I swallowed hard, knowing she was right even if I didn’t like it. The thought of being away from Silver made my chest ache in a way that felt almost physical, but when he was around, I couldn’t control anything. He was the gasoline to my fire. It would be safer for both of us without him there.
“Okay,” I said finally, extending my arms. “Let’s do this.”
Professor Blackwood moved with practiced efficiency, murmuring an incantation as she touched the obsidian bracers. They grew warm, then hot, before suddenly dissolving into black smoke that dissipated into the air. The moment they were gone, I felt my magic rush back like a dam breaking.
My shadows exploded outward, filling every corner of the office in an instant. I gasped at the intensity of it, at having my full power back after days of suppression. It was overwhelming, intoxicating, terrifying all at once.
“Breathe, Mr. Vale,” Professor Blackwood instructed calmly, seemingly unbothered by the darkness now consuming her office. “Feel your magic, acknowledge it, but don’t let it control you.”
I tried to focus on her words, on my breathing, but my shadows were everywhere at once. They crawled up the walls, wrapped around furniture, reached for the windows. I could feel every tendril like an extension of my own body, and it was too much information, too much sensation.
“I can’t—” I started, panic rising in my throat.
“Yes, you can,” she said firmly. “Your magic is yours, Ash. You are the source. Command it. Don’t ask, don’t beg. Command.”
I closed my eyes, trying to center myself the way she’d taught me in class. My magic wasn’t separate from me. It was me. An extension of my will, my emotions, my very being. I just had to remember that I was in charge.
“Come back,” I whispered, then stronger, “Come back to me. Now.”
The shadows hesitated, then slowly began to recede. They pulled back from the walls, released the furniture, gathered around my feet like obedient pets. It wasn’t perfect. They still writhed and twisted restlessly… but they were contained.
“Good,” Professor Blackwood praised, and I opened my eyes to see genuine approval on her face. “Very good. Now, let’s get these on you before we lose that control.”
She picked up the silver bands and fastened them around my wrists. They were surprisingly light compared to the bracers, almost delicate. The moment they clicked into place, I felt my magic... settle. Not disappear, not get locked away, but calm to a manageable simmer.
“How does that feel?” she asked.
I flexed my fingers experimentally, watching my shadows respond. They still moved, still swirled around my ankles, but in a way that felt natural rather than chaotic.
“Better,” I admitted. “Different, but better.”
“Excellent. Now then, shall we begin your first lesson in controlled shadow walking?” She moved toward the door, beckoning me to follow. “Come with me. There’s a small training area just beyond the academy wards that’ll be perfect for this.”
I stood, following her out of the office and down the corridor. My shadows trailed behind me like a living cloak, and I was acutely aware of every student who stepped aside as we passed. But it wasn’t long before we were out of the building, across campus, and standing at the edge of the wards.
“You have your student identification?” she said, glancing back at me. I nodded in reply. “Good. Keep it with you at all times. That’s how I’ll track you if this goes… differently than expected.”
We stepped through the academy wards together, the magic washing over me like ice. Any student could exit campus, but the ID card was required to get back through. And clearly there was even more magic in that little plastic card than I thought if I could be tracked with it.
It was less than a five-minute walk to a large clearing where Professor Blackwood stopped. “This should do,” she said, giving the place a nod. “You can shadow walk from here without breaking through any of the protective magic around the school.”
I looked around the clearing, taking in the open space surrounded by trees. My shadows stretched out tentatively, exploring the area like curious fingers. Without the academy’s wards pressing down on us, my magic felt even more responsive, almost eager.
“So how does this work exactly?” I asked, turning back to Professor Blackwood. “Do I just... think about where I want to go?”
“Not quite,” she replied, moving to stand beside me.
“Shadow walking is about more than just intention. It’s about understanding the spaces between spaces, the pathways that exist in darkness.
” She gestured to my shadows pooling at my feet.
“Your magic already knows how to do this. You’ve done it accidentally several times.
Now we need to teach you to do it deliberately. ”
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure I fully understood. “Okay. Where do you want me to try going?”
“See that large oak tree across the clearing?” She pointed to a massive tree about fifty yards away. “That’s your target. I want you to walk through the shadows from here to there.”
Fifty yards didn’t seem like much, but the idea of intentionally stepping through reality made my stomach twist with nerves. “What if I end up somewhere else? What if I can’t control where I go?”
“That’s why we’re starting small,” Professor Blackwood assured me. “And why I’m here to guide you back if necessary. But I don’t think you’ll have that problem. Your magic is remarkably precise when you’re not panicking or in the middle of an orgasm.”
My cheeks burned again. I wasn’t sure I agreed with that assessment, but I took a deep breath and focused on the oak tree. My shadows responded immediately, stretching toward it like they were eager to make the journey.
“Don’t force it,” Professor Blackwood instructed. “Let your magic show you the path. Shadow walkers don’t travel through normal space. You slip between the layers of reality, moving through the darkness that is the universe itself.”
I closed my eyes, trying to feel what she was describing.
And there... yes, I could sense it. A sort of thinness in the air around me, places where the barrier between here and there felt permeable.
My shadows gravitated toward these weak points naturally, though I couldn’t explain exactly what it was.
“I think I feel it,” I murmured.
“Good. Now step into your shadow. Let it pull you through.”
I looked down at the darkness pooling around my feet. It seemed deeper than it should be, like I could fall into it if I wasn’t careful. Taking another breath, I lifted my foot and stepped down.
The sensation was indescribable. For a moment I was nowhere and everywhere at once, suspended in a void of pure darkness. I could feel the silver bands on my wrists growing warm, helping to anchor me, keeping me from getting lost. Then, just as quickly, I was stumbling forward into solid ground.
I opened my eyes to find myself standing directly in front of the oak tree.
“I did it!” I gasped, spinning around to look back at Professor Blackwood. The distance between us seemed impossible. I’d just moved fifty yards in the space between heartbeats.
“Excellent work!” Professor Blackwood called out, though she didn’t sound surprised. “How do you feel?”
I took stock of myself. My heart was racing, but not from exertion. The silver bands were still warm against my wrists, but not uncomfortably so. My shadows swirled around me, more active than usual but not out of control.
“Dizzy,” I admitted. “But... good. That was incredible.”
“Shadow walking often causes temporary disorientation,” she explained, walking toward me at a normal pace. “Your body moved through space without actually traveling the distance. Your inner ear doesn’t quite know what to make of that.”
I nodded, watching as she approached. The dizziness was already starting to fade, replaced by an exhilarating sense of possibility. If I could do this, what else was I capable of?
“Can we try it again?” I asked eagerly. “Maybe somewhere farther?”
Professor Blackwood smiled, a rare expression that made her look years younger.
“I was hoping you’d say that. But first, I want you to try something different.
Shadow walk back to where you started, but this time, I want you to pay attention to the space between.
Don’t just pass through it. Observe it.”
The request seemed strange, but I trusted her guidance. I focused on the spot where we’d been standing, letting my shadows stretch toward it. Then I stepped into the darkness again.
This time, I forced myself not to rush through.
The void surrounded me, and instead of panicking or pushing forward, I.
.. looked. The darkness wasn’t empty. It was filled with doorways, arches with paths that branched and connected in impossible patterns.
I could see them all at once, though I had no idea where they went.
It was beautiful. Terrifying. Overwhelming.
I stumbled out of the shadow back at our starting point, gasping. My knees nearly buckled, but I caught myself against a nearby tree.
“What was that?” I breathed. “Those arches...”
“The Garden Path,” Professor Blackwood said, her expression serious now.
“They are the roads to the other realms, and they will lead you astray if you trust them blindly.” She held up a finger, punctuating her words.
“Always trust yourself, Mr. Vale. Trust your feelings. And do not let yourself be led down the Garden Path by anyone other than yourself.”
I swallowed hard, fear welling up inside me. This shadow walking thing was starting to sound a lot scarier all of a sudden.