Court of Aether and Shadows (Crowned Monster Trilogy #1)

38. Shadows Strike

Shadows Strike

~ L IAM~

The darkness erupting from the fissure wasn't natural shadow – I would know, having lived with that power my entire life. This was something older, something corrupt. It reeked of ancient malice and carried traces of void energy that had somehow gone wrong.

"Formation!" I barked, my wolf instincts taking over as the threat manifested. "Diamond guard, now!"

My pack responded instantly, months of training together overriding any previous tension. Nyx materialized at Sparrow's left, her void energy already weaving complex patterns of protection. Solaris took the right, his sun-bright power creating a barrier of pure light, while Cypress moved to cover our rear, his elemental tattoos blazing with purpose.

I took point, my shadows spreading out to create the front line of defense. Together, our powers merged to form a perfect cube around Sparrow, each side reinforced with different court magic.

"Really?" Sparrow's exasperated voice came from within our protective barrier. "I can fight too, you know!"

"Not against this," Nyx replied grimly, her galaxy eyes tracking the writhing darkness. "There's something wrong with the energy signature. It's like... corrupted void magic, but twisted with other courts' power."

Around us, chaos reigned. Students fled in all directions, their court robes trailing panic-sparked magic. The academy's crystal architecture groaned under the assault of whatever was trying to force its way through the realms.

"We need to close that fissure," Solaris called out, his light magic pulsing with effort as another wave of darkness crashed against our barriers. "The longer it stays open, the more can come through."

Cypress's elemental tattoos shifted rapidly, each pattern trying to analyze the threat. "The structural integrity of the entire floor is compromised. If we don't act fast, this whole section could collapse."

"Then let's stop talking and start acting," I growled, feeling my wolf form pushing against my control, eager to be released. "I can shift, use my shadow walking to?—"

"No!" Nyx's sharp command cut through the chaos. "Can't you feel it? The air itself is wrong. Shifting now could be suicide."

"We don't have time to debate this," I argued, watching more dark tendrils emerge from the crack. "Sparrow?—"

"Has exactly four minutes and thirty-seven seconds to get to Lord Helios's class," Sparrow interrupted from within our protective cube. "Unless you all want to explain to the Aether Lord why we're late on our first day!"

Despite the dire situation, Solaris let out a strained laugh. "She has a point. Helios isn't known for his patience."

"Focus!" I snapped as a particularly violent surge of darkness lashed out at our barrier. "We need a plan. Now."

Cypress's voice took on that analytical tone he used when processing complex magical theory. "If we combine our powers in the right sequence – void to destabilize, shadow to contain, light to purify, and elements to seal – we might be able to force whatever this is back through the fissure."

"And then what?" Nyx demanded, her void energy crackling with frustrated power. "Hope it doesn't come back for round two while we're trying to learn proper realm walking etiquette?"

"Three minutes!" Sparrow called out helpfully.

"For void's sake—" I started, only to be cut off by Solaris.

"Liam, she's right about the shifting. Something about this energy is targeting court-specific magic. If you transform now, you'll be especially vulnerable."

My wolf snarled at the implication of weakness, making my shadows writhe more aggressively. "I'm supposed to protect her!"

"We all are," Nyx shot back, her galaxy eyes flashing. "But getting yourself killed doing something stupid isn't protection – it's ego!"

Another surge of darkness crashed against our barriers, this one strong enough to make Cypress stumble slightly. "Whatever we're doing, we need to decide fast. My elements can't hold this pattern much longer."

I watched in growing frustration as more corrupted power poured from the fissure. Every instinct I possessed screamed at me to shift, to take on my more powerful form and deal with this threat directly. But Nyx's words nagged at me – there was something off about the energy, something that seemed to specifically target court magics.

"Two minutes!" Sparrow's voice carried a hint of genuine concern now. "And um, guys? That crack is getting bigger."

She was right. The fissure had spread, creating a web-like pattern across the crystalline floor. Dark energy seeped through each new crack, forming shapes that seemed almost deliberate – like letters in some ancient, forbidden alphabet.

"Okay, new plan," Solaris said, his sun-bright power intensifying. "Nyx, you and I will create a containment field – light and void working in harmony should be able to hold it temporarily. Cypress, see if you can use your earth affinity to seal the smaller cracks. Liam?—"

"I'll clear us a path to class," I finished, not bothering to hide my bitterness at being regulated to escort duty.

"One minute!" Sparrow called. "And before anyone does anything stupid – remember I can see all of you from in here. Your powers are literally creating a window show."

Nyx snorted despite the strain of maintaining our barrier. "Don't worry, Star Girl. We're not about to let Lord Pretty Boy mark us all absent on day one."

"Focus!" I snapped again, watching another tendril of darkness take shape. This one seemed more solid than the others, more purposeful in its movement. "Something's coming through!"

The corrupted energy began to coalesce, forming into something that made my wolf recoil in primitive fear. It was like a shadow given terrible life, but wrong – all angles that shouldn't exist and depths that hurt to look at directly.

"Thirty seconds!" Sparrow's voice had taken on a slightly hysterical edge.

"Now!" Solaris commanded. "Nyx, on my mark!"

The void wolf's galaxy eyes blazed as she gathered her power. "Ready when you are, Sunshine."

"Cypress?"

"Earth is responding," the elemental wolf confirmed, his tattoos glowing brightly. "Just say when."

I watched them coordinate, feeling increasingly useless in my designated role of path-clearer. My wolf pushed harder against my control, insisting it could handle whatever corruption the energy carried.

"Fifteen seconds!"

"Liam," Nyx's voice carried a warning edge. "Don't even think about it. We can handle this if we work together."

"Like we handled that training session?" I shot back, unable to help myself. "Some of us actually know how to fight without relying on tricks."

"Ten seconds!"

"Are you seriously bringing that up now?" Nyx's void energy flickered with irritation. "For the last time, using all my power isn't cheating – it's being smart!"

"Five!"

The argument had distracted me – a rookie mistake I'd never have made in the Underground. I didn't notice the tendril of darkness that had separated from the main mass until it was too late. It shot toward me with impossible speed, carrying an energy signature that promised corruption and pain.

There wasn't time to dodge. My shadows tried to rise in defense, but the dark power seemed to cut through them like they weren't even there. I had just enough time to think well, this is going to hurt before the attack reached me.

The last thing I heard was Sparrow screaming my name.

Then everything went black.