Ibhans POV
When I came to, I was laying in a bed, far softer than the ground I had been thrown against multiple times that day. I could see the outline of bandages against my skin in various places, and turning my head to the side, I saw my mother sat in a chair at the far end of the room with a book.
"You're up," she said as she looked up, having sensed my gaze.
"Mm," I mumbled, still too exhausted to move even my mouth. She took a seat beside me, bringing a glass of water and a straw to my lips.
"You did good," she said softly, pushing my hair back from my face. I scoffed and looked around the room.
"Where did he go? To congratulate Riaz?" I asked and my mother sighed.
"No, he just said he's going to wait outside. Let me go get him," she said and before I could stop her, she was gone, flitting out of the room. I reached for the little remote with the buttons to adjust my bed and groaned as my body was forced to move with the bed.
"Ibhan," my father said as the door swung open. He wore a plain black suit, and his favourite stern face, and stood awkwardly in the doorway.
"Father," I said, leaning back against the pillows my mother had no doubt amassed whilst I slept.
He walked over to the bed and sat in the chair where my mother had just been. He folded his hands in his lap and cleared his throat. "You did a good job," he said after a long pause, "but-"
"Uh, no, that's enough," I told him. "I did a good job," I said, and he nodded, not quite meeting my eye. "You can critique me later," I told him, as he still avoiding me. "What?" I asked, irritated that he was still behaving this way.
Finally, he met my gaze, and I was surprised by the look on his face. His eyes looked glassy, like he was holding in tears, and his features were not so hard anymore. "You were better than he was," he said, "and I suppose I don't deserve any of the credit for it. You did good." He stood up quickly, taking in a ragged breath.
"Say his name," I said, before he could turn to leave. He looked down at me, his only surviving son, bandaged from head to toe after smothering another man in shadows.
"Isamu was brilliant," he said, "but you, Ibhan, you are raw and abrasive and a source of untapped potential," he said, adjusting his collar. "But I don't know what to do with you," he admitted.
"I don't think we're supposed to have much to do with each other anymore," I said honestly, strange emotions twisting in my chest. He nodded and turned to exit the room, leaving me alone with my mother.
"Well, that went better than expected," she said, taking her seat once again. I lay my head back and closed my eyes, her cool fingers finding their way to my face again. "And he's right you know," she said, "you and Isamu are so different."
A knock came at the door and a swarm of nurses and doctors entered the room, updating me on my condition and pulling at my bandages. My nose had been reset, I had 2 broken ribs, several deep lacerations, and a multitude of bruises, but they gave me as much healing aid as they could so I would be able to attend the initiation ceremony if I was successful.
I sighed as they finally left, leaving me to pick at some food. All this hurt and I still didn't know if I had passed yet. The hours went by agonisingly slowly, no matter how many naps my mother forced me to take.
Eventually, there was another knock at the door, and I sat up to attention, my bruises smarting. In walked a messenger with a scroll that he unwound.
"Apprentice Ibhan, it is with great please that Lady Amelia invites you to attend the shadow mark ceremony, due to successful completion of your initiation exam. Congratulations, and we hope to see you in the arena in three hours." With that he stepped back out of the room and shut the door. I breathed out a sigh of relief and my mother pressed a warm kiss to my head.
"I never doubted you," she said, and I rolled my eyes. I managed to get extra painkillers from the doctor to take the edge off as I got out of bed, but I knew what I really needed was that Silverlace blossom, tucked safely away in my greenhouse. I huffed as Kyda wandered through my mind, gently reminding me that she was still out there somewhere.
My mother helped me dress, apparently the dress code was 'absolute bare minimum'. I wore a white tank top, and black loose-fitting bottoms and nothing else. "It's to showcase your marks," my mother told me as she hid away my robe. Eventually, we made our way out of the medic bay and back into the main arena, my mothers small frame supporting me all the way. As we got back out in the open, I let go of her, and she went off to join my father, already seated on the grounds.
I walked over to the group of apprentices I recognised, all of them looking just as battered as I was, in their white tank tops and black bottoms. Riaz was amongst them, angry red welts covering his neck and shoulders. He looked my way, giving me a subtle nod before turning his attention back to the podium. Relieved that he didn't seem to be holding a grudge, I relaxed as we waited, though it wasn't long before Lady Amelia arrived, her husband and children close behind. The family took their respective seats as she stood before us. Her dress was a sleeveless, deep maroon, that wrapped snugly around her waist before falling gently down to the ground.
"Victors," she said, a hush falling over the remaining conversations, "those of you standing here passed all stages of the exam, tests of knowledge, endurance, strength," she said, the last word feeling heavy on my shoulders. "You all should feel immense pride at completing such an honourable task. Without further ado, the mystics shall begin the ceremony. You will be invited to the centre to receive your shadow marks in the order of your final rankings from the assessment."
I could feel my fathers eyes boring into the side of my head before I even met his gaze. If I wasn't called first, would it undo any pride I had given him from making it here at all? My mother gave me a reassuring nod from beside him and I relaxed. It didn't matter what he thought, I didn't do all of this for his approval.
The mystics were a group of shadow mages with a deep spiritual connection to the shadows, the power to manipulate that connection was passed down between the generations, though there was the occasional apprentice brought in to learn, if they could stomach it that is. Shadow magic was dangerous, hard on the mind and soul, but rewarding once mastered. Many had been claimed by its' void. There were four mystics present today, and they sat around a small fire pit, little piles of herbs around them. A fifth place was also made around the fire pit, most likely where I would soon find myself.
The mystics began chanting, a deep melodic sound that made my head hum with its energy. The fire roared louder with every herb that was thrown in as the chanting continued. Once all the herbs were thrown into the fire, the four mystics joined hands, the two on the end with hands outstretched to the fifth seat.
"Ibhan, step forward and receive your shadow marks," Lady Amelia said, and I felt my heart skip a few beats in disbelief. In a daze, I walked over to the mystic and sat in the fifth seat, accepting the hands that awaited me. More chanting continued and I let it lull me into a trance, my eyes lost in the fire.
"Ibhan?" One of the mystics called my name as I snapped up to meet the gaze of the old man right across from me, "are you ready to receive your marks, and the full weight of what it means to be a shadow mage and wield shadow magic, with its power and its destruction?" Flames flickered in the depths of his eyes.
"I'm ready." He nodded, and the joined hands were raised. I took a deep breath and watched, a few tense moments passing before I saw it. Fine black threads of shadow swirled over my fingertips and raced down my arms. I shivered as the shadows shielded me from the fire, and slowly began to seep into my skin. My arms grew heavy as the shadows grew, drowning out brown skin in wisps of darkness that devoured the light of the flames.
I found myself turning to face my parents as shadows climbed up along my neck, my breath leaving my body as cold seeped in. I saw my father give me the smallest of nods, an acknowledgement of how far I had truly come and the effort I had put in, just before the shadows flooded my eyes.
YOU ARE READING
The Wand and the Wolf
Werewolf**COMPLETED** "You have a weird look on your face," I said and his frown deepened. "I do not," he closed his spell book and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "Hmm," I hummed under my breath as I smoothed the crease between his brow. He grabbed my...
