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

40. Seek Onward

Seek Onward

T he seemingly solid wall before us began to shimmer, its crystalline surface rippling like disturbed water. The fox's ruby eyes glowed brighter, and I felt the skull mark on my wrist pulse in response. Magic surged through the air, thick enough to taste – like ozone and starlight mixed with something older, something that spoke of ancient pathways and hidden doors.

"Trust me?" I asked my wolves, though we were already out of time.

Their energies wrapped around me in response, four different courts' power harmonizing into something greater than their parts. Even Liam, still contained within my shield, managed to send a pulse of shadow-wrapped affirmation.

We hit the wall at full speed – only it wasn't a wall anymore. The crystal surface parted like liquid mercury, cool and thick as we passed through. The sensation was different from regular portal travel, more like swimming through pure magic. Colors swirled around us in impossible patterns, each wolf's power creating unique ripples in the fabric of reality.

The transition lasted both an eternity and no time at all. We emerged into a classroom that defied conventional architecture, skidding to a stop on floors that seemed to be made of captured twilight. Hundreds of candles floated at various heights, their flames burning in colors that shouldn't exist. Each one cast multiple shadows, creating layers of light and dark that danced across walls that couldn't quite decide if they were solid.

"Well," Nyx breathed, her galaxy eyes wide as she took in our surroundings, "this is definitely not the regular classroom."

She was right. Instead of the standard academy setup, this space felt ancient, powerful. Pillars of pure crystal rose from floor to ceiling, each one containing what looked like captured stars. The air itself felt charged with potential, as if the room was waiting for something – or someone.

"Are we sure this was the right choice?" Solaris asked, his sun-bright energy flickering nervously. "We appear to be the only ones here."

The white fox, seemingly unbothered by our concerns, leaped gracefully onto one of the pillars. It sat there regally, those impossible eyes shifting between ruby and cyan as it watched us expectantly.

"We're in the right place," I said with absolute certainty, though I couldn't explain how I knew. The skull mark on my wrist hummed with confirmation, sending waves of ancient power through my veins.

"How can you be sure?" Cypress asked, his elemental tattoos shifting rapidly as they tried to analyze our surroundings.

Instead of answering, I closed my eyes and held my breath, just as I had when falling between realms. The world shifted, colors bleeding away until only energy remained. I pushed past the immediate signatures – my wolves' brilliant power, the room's ambient magic, even my own swirling mixture of shadow and starlight.

There – a pulse of pure celestial energy, carefully hidden beneath layers of concealment magic. It called to something in me, like a star recognizing its own light. Lord Helios's power sang through the veils of illusion, drawing me forward like a moth to the most beautiful flame.

I moved without opening my eyes, trusting my other senses to guide me. The wolves' energy signatures flared with concern as I walked toward the pillar where the fox sat, but I barely noticed. All I could feel was that familiar aether power, wrapped in mysteries but unmistakable to my awakened senses.

In this state of between, where reality was more suggestion than law, I reached out. My hand found what felt like a cheek – warm skin humming with celestial energy. The touch sent sparks of power racing through my arm, making the skull mark blaze with responding light.

"Well done, my star," Helios's voice whispered through the veil of magic, his hand covering mine where it rested against his cheek. The contact sent waves of warmth through my entire being, like standing in the first light of dawn.

I released my breath, allowing reality to crash back into focus. My wolves gasped in unified shock as the illusion shattered, revealing Lord Helios exactly where I'd known he would be. His perfect features held an expression I'd never seen before – something softer than his usual imperial mask, though no less powerful.

The smile he gave me made my heart stutter in my chest. It transformed his face from mere perfection into something almost unbearably beautiful, like trying to look directly at the sun. His iridescent robes shifted through impossible colors as he stepped closer, though he made no move to release my hand from his cheek.

"Congratulations," he said, his voice carrying harmonics that made the very air vibrate with pleasure. "You've successfully completed your first trial."

"Trial?" Nyx found her voice first, though her galaxy eyes kept darting between Helios and me with growing interest. "You mean this was all planned?"

"Of course," Helios replied, finally stepping back, though his eyes never left mine. "Did you really think I would allow corrupt magic to infiltrate my classroom? The other students are currently experiencing their own versions of this test, though," his perfect lips curved in another devastating smile, "none quite as... dramatically as your group."

"The corruption in the hallway," Solaris began, understanding dawning in his sun-bright eyes. "The wrong energy in the original classroom..."

"All carefully crafted illusions," Helios confirmed. "Designed to test not just your magical abilities, but your instincts. Your willingness to trust each other, and more importantly," his iridescent eyes found mine again, "your ability to see beyond surface appearances to deeper truths."

The white fox chirped smugly from its perch, looking entirely too pleased with itself.

"And my spirit guide?" I asked, though I had a feeling I knew the answer.

"A manifestation of ancient magic," Helios explained, reaching out to scratch the fox behind its ears. It leaned into his touch like an old friend. "One that seems to have taken quite a liking to you."

I felt the skull mark on my wrist pulse warmly, and understanding blooded through me. "It's yours, isn't it? Or... part of you?"

His smile turned mysterious. "It is now as much yours as mine, little star. A bridge between our powers, just as you are a bridge between realms."

The implications of that statement hung in the air between us, heavy with meaning that made my wolves shift restlessly. I could feel their different reactions – Nyx's amused interest, Cypress's analytical curiosity, Solaris's complex mixture of respect and concern, and Liam's...

"Oh!" I gasped, suddenly remembering the shadow shield still containing our brooding wolf. "I should probably..."

With a gesture, I dissolved the protective barrier around Liam. He materialized fully, his shadows coiling tight around him as he fought for control.

"Peace, wolf," Helios said, his voice carrying subtle command. "Your protective instincts do you credit, but she is quite safe here."

Liam's only response was a low growl, though he made no aggressive moves.

"Now then," Helios continued, his robes shifting through colors that shouldn't exist as he moved to what appeared to be a teacher's podium. "Shall we begin your first lesson in proper realm walking? I believe you've already demonstrated a natural talent for it."

As my wolves moved to take seats that materialized from pure magic, I couldn't help but feel that we'd passed more than just an academic trial. Something had shifted – in the magic, in our pack dynamics, and most definitely in whatever was growing between Lord Helios and me.

The fox jumped down from its pillar to wind around my ankles, its fur briefly shifting to display the same skull pattern that marked my wrist before settling back to pure white.

"—and so the key to successful realm walking lies not in brute force or raw power, but in understanding the natural pathways that already exist between—" Lord Helios's lecture cut off as the far wall rippled violently, distorting like a poorly executed portal spell.

Lady Aurora burst through first, her perfect hair distinctly less perfect and her court robes showing signs of magical combat. Five other students stumbled after her, all looking similarly disheveled. They practically fell into the classroom, magic leaking from them in uncontrolled bursts.

"Lord Helios!" Aurora straightened immediately upon seeing him, attempting to smooth her appearance. "We made it! You wouldn't believe what we had to overcome – there were these terrible shadow creatures in the halls, and poor Jasmine almost got absorbed by a void rift, and Timothy actually did get pulled into some sort of pocket dimension?—"

"We had to figure out how to combine our court magics just to survive," one of her companions added breathlessly. "The corruption was everywhere, and then the wall wouldn't let us through until we?—"

"Wait," Nyx cut in, her galaxy eyes sparkling with barely contained amusement. "Are you talking about the trial illusions? The ones we cleared through about..." she made a show of checking an imaginary watch, "fifty-five minutes ago?"

Aurora's perfect features twisted with indignation. "Impossible! No one could have?—"

"Actually," Cypress spoke up, his elemental tattoos dancing with subtle mirth, "we not only made it through but did it within the five-minute grace period. Didn't even lose any students to pocket dimensions."

"Though Liam did almost get corrupted," Solaris added helpfully, earning a dark glare from our shadow wolf.

"You're lying," Aurora insisted, her Aether magic flaring erratically. "We followed every protocol, analyzed every threat?—"

"Which is precisely why you failed," Lord Helios's voice cut through the chaos like a blade of pure light. His iridescent robes shifted through dangerous colors as he rose from his position at the podium. "This was not a test of protocols or procedures. It was an evaluation of instinct, of understanding the natural flow of power between realms."

The late arrivals stared at him in growing horror as understanding dawned.

"But... but we fought so hard to get here," one of them protested weakly.

"Indeed. And in doing so, you missed the entire point of the lesson." Helios's perfect features arranged themselves into an expression of academic disappointment. "You are now fifty-five minutes late to a sixty-minute class. The essential principles have been covered, the practical demonstrations completed."

"We can catch up," Aurora stepped forward, her voice taking on that harmonious quality she used when trying to be persuasive. "If you'd just give us a chance to?—"

"You are interrupting the conclusion of my class," Helios stated flatly, his power filling the room with subtle pressure. "The other students managed to arrive within the designated grace period, complete their first practical trial, and absorb an hour's worth of crucial information about realm walking theory."

Aurora's face had gone pale, while her companions seemed to be trying to fade into the background.

"There is no point in you remaining for the final five minutes," Helios continued, his iridescent eyes cold. "You have missed the foundational knowledge required for future lessons. I suggest you use your time more wisely in preparing for tomorrow's class – assuming you still wish to pursue this course of study."

"Of course we do!" Aurora's voice had taken on a slightly desperate edge. "Please, my Lord, if you'd just?—"

"Your continued presence is disrupting my students' concentration," Helios cut her off again, this time with finality. "Good day, Lady Aurora. Perhaps tomorrow you will better understand the difference between fighting against magic and working with it."

The dismissal was unmistakable. Aurora's face flushed with humiliation as she turned to leave, her followers trailing after her like wilted flowers. They disappeared through the wall with considerably less drama than their entrance, leaving behind only the lingering scent of failure and wounded pride.

"Now then," Helios turned back to us, his perfect features softening slightly as his eyes met mine. "Where were we? Ah yes – the natural pathways between realms. As demonstrated perfectly by our star student and her wolves..."

The white fox, which had been watching the entire exchange from its perch near my feet, made a sound suspiciously like a snicker.

I couldn't help but notice how the skull mark on my wrist pulsed warmly at Helios's praise, sending little shivers of power through my veins.

Something told me Advanced Realm Walking was going to be a very interesting class indeed.