Heaven's Shadow

Chapter 8 | Oath to Kill

Yun didn't believe the rumours that Blackash Forest could swallow your entire Ivion or get you lost for days. The third-year students warned them never to set foot in the thick wringing willow trees dark like charred wood, but the second-year students ventured bravely to satiate their pride whereas the first-years didn't dare to even look in its direction.

Sonya didn't appear to care about the forest.

Yun and Sonya were at the edge of the forest. She held her textbooks and papers, reviewing her notes as she leaned against a boulder covered in moss while Yun sat next to her, doodling in his sketchbook while humming to a Yutari Lapura song. Sonya yawned, seeming unbothered. When Sonya first suggested they go outside for some fresh air, he didn't expect to go as far as the academy's borders, nonetheless in the forest. 

Although he didn't believe in the rumours, it didn't mean he wasn't still wary of the forest. Rumours had to spiral from somewhere surely, and part of him wanted to explore deeper into the forest. If he had been with Remigius, he would have charged right in, knowing the other was watching his back, but for some odd reason, it was different with Sonya. Her presence didn't make Yun want to go on a wild adventure. Having the pleasure of sitting next to her, head empty and hand moving, was just as enjoyable.

The sketch of his character wasn't going as planned. The proportions were crooked. The eyes looked too cartoonish. Yun erased and started again for the sixth time, wanting to toss the paper aside and start anew. 

"What are you drawing?" Sonya asked, glancing up from her textbook. Did his scribbling snap her out of her focus? 

Yun shrugged, setting his pencil down to take a break. "I don't know. I can't get it right."

Artblock. Nothing interested him and every line he drew felt empty and shallow. Getting a single page of worthy art was impossible and Yun was left with a feeling of bitter disappointment at his work. 

"It looks right to me."

"It's not though." 

Sonya hummed, scooting closer to inspect his paper. Her hands motioned him to hand over the sketchbook. Although feeling a bit insecure about the last few pages, his earlier pieces from September allowed him to hand the sketchbook to her. She flipped through the pages consisting of his thumbnail sketch for his paintings, mindless doodles during class, and his charcoal art of various people—random students, professors, the Headmaster—in the academy. 

"These are nice." Sonya wolf-whistled as she traced her finger along the jaw of a drawing of the student who sat in front of them in their Ivion class. "What made you get into art?"

"My dad." Yun remembered when he was younger, he wailed until his throat turned dry because he couldn't sleep over at Remigius's house. His father gifted him a sketchbook from his office desk, telling him he should draw something for Remigius that he could give him the next day.

Yun continued to elaborate due to the encouraging nod from Sonya. "Art makes me calm. When I feel alone, I can just draw the people I love."

She smiled, elbowing him. "Who knew you had a soft side to you." 

Normally, Yun would deny the tease, but he smiled back. "If I could, I would become an artist." 

"If you could? You can!" Sonya then riffled through the pages of his sketchbook, showing it off as if Yun, the owner of said sketchbook, had never seen it before. "Are you serious? Have you seen these? What are you doing here at ZA? You should be in the Lake District studying art!" 

"Yeah, but I would be leaving Rem and Maven." 

Her eyebrows scrunched up. "Just because you go to different schools doesn't mean you're leaving them."