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𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕒 𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕠 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕜, 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕𝕟'𝕥 𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕚𝕥; 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕕 𝕒 𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕠 𝕔𝕠𝕝𝕕, 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕦𝕟 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕝𝕕𝕟'𝕥 𝕓𝕦𝕣𝕟 𝕚𝕥. 

 - 𝔸𝕓𝕚𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕝 𝕁.


3rd POV

✧・゚: *✧・゚:*    *:・゚✧*:・゚✧

Alina Starkov was brought into the large, black tent. Her arms held by two First Army soldiers. Grisha and non-grisha alike were inside the tent, leaving room for the Darkling. His inky figure stood over a table in the center, body faced away from the door.

"Bring her closer."

The soldiers on each side of Alina brought her further into the center of the tent, letting go of her arms and pushing her forward. The Darkling turned, examining the cartographers dirty and bruised face.

"Closer," he said, his voice almost a whisper. Alina took a small step forward, desperately trying to keep her distance from the General.

"Well?" he asks.

"Well, what, sir?"

"What are you?"

The tent was deathly quiet, the wind being the only sound to be heard.

"Alina Starkov, Assistant Cartographer, Royal Corps of Surveyors," she replied. "They're all gone. It's my fault. That's why I'm here, isn't it--"

"Answer the question," General Kirigan interrupts. "What are you?"

Alina stares, a look of confusion on her face. "A mapmaker, sir."

The almost forgotten crowd chuckles at her ignorance. 

"Quiet," the Darkling says, his voice deathly calm. The laughter stops all together.

For a few moments, he just stares. "So who actually saw what happened?" The General looks around at the soldiers. "Zoya, you manned the main sail."

"We were attacked barely two markers in. Someone lit a lantern."

"And?"

"The volcra went after the riflemen and our Inferni first. And then there was a searing light."

A burly man next to Zoya stepped up. "It was her."

"Our mapmaker," General Kirigan says, bringing the attention back to a confused Alina. "Is this true? Can you summon light?"

Alina shakes her head as fear flashes through her eyes.

"Where did you grow up?"

"Keramzin," Aline replied, scared of the consequences she would face if she lied to the Second Army's general.

The Darkling gives a small hum. "And when were you tested?" He was only met with silence. "You don't remember? Well, let us just make certain."

The Darkling approached Alina, taking off his silver corporalki ring and placing it on the tip of his thumb.

"Lift up your sleeve."

"What's happening?"

"Your sleeve. Please."

Total darkness started descending in the tent. Alina hesitantly agreed.

She rolled up her sleeve, only to have her arm grabbed by the Generals hand. He pushed it up further, dissatisfied by her stalling.

Alina looked deep into General Kirigan's eyes as he made a long cut with his ring. Her wound started glowing, then a gold beam of light shot up through the tent, clear for everyone to see.

Alina's bewildered and frightened eyes were only met by the General's cold, seemingly calm glare.

Suddenly, he removed the ring, and the strange light disappeared, leaving no trace of the previous cut.

Not a moment later, yelling was heard from outside the tent. Everyone's attention was drawn to the disarray as they hurried out.

Their curiosity was met with alarm as they witnessed a large, glowing object hurdling towards the earth, not far from where they were.

The slight murmur of chaos was going through the crowd.

"It looks like a falling star," a nameless soldier had said.

"No," his friend corrected. "It looks like a falling sun."

At this whisper, the Darkling snapped out of his daze and turned to two of his soldiers.

"Take the girl, make sure she's safe." The two soldiers grabbed Alina by the arms and started moving her away from the scene. 

As the mysterious object came closer, curiosity turned into panic, and the screams of the soldiers were heard running away.

It wasn't until a loud boom did everyone start calming down.

General Kirigan made a movement to his Oprishniki to follow him. Not too far into the woods on the side of the camp, they spotted some flying dust.

As they went deeper into it, they discovered a strange crater. But what was even stranger was a girl, bloody and bruised, almost dead looking, laying in the center of it. Her strange clothes standing out like a sore thumb.

"Summon a healer, quick," the Darkling called out. "There's something about this girl. We can't let her die."

General Kirigan jumped down into the large crater, sliding to a halt near the bottom. He walked up to the mysterious girl and crouched down.

Behind the blood and gore, she was a beautiful women. But her odd jewelry and even more unusual clothes made her even more of a condundrum.

Kirigan reached out a hand to her face. "Just who are you?"

✧・゚: *✧・゚:*    *:・゚✧*:・゚✧

A/N - Hello people of the world! I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter of "Of Sun and Shadows". I am so happy to be able to write this book and I hope y'all are able to share the same enthusiasm!

FYI, I had Soleil came flying down at this part instead of in the Fold because this is when Alina and everyone else recognized the power she had. And it just would have been messy if Soleil suddenly appeared in the Fold. Just wanted to let you know before Y'all started asking questions.

If you like this story, check out my other non-masterpiece "Ghost Bumps".

Please Like, Comment, and Share to get his fanfiction out there and to keep me posting on it!

~LiliRei

Of Sun and Shadows ~ DarklingxOCWhere stories live. Discover now